BackgroundCognitive function is closely related to an individual's quality of life and social functioning， with approximately 20%~35% of patients with depressive disorder experiencing some degree of cognitive impairment even after clinical symptom remission. Existing evidence suggests that tACS can improve specific cognitive domains， such as memory function， while its effects on other cognitive dimensions， such as executive functioning， attention， and information processing speed， remain unclear. ObjectiveTo explore the effects of tACS on the multidimensional cognitive functions and emotional problems of patients with depressive disorder， thus to provide references for the treatment of depressive disorder. MethodsForty-nine patients with depressive disorder who were hospitalized in the Fourth People's Hospital of Wuhu from November 2022 to October 2024 and met the diagnostic criteria for depressive disorder outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fifth edition （DSM-5）， were selected as study participants. Subjects were randomly divided into study group （n=23） and control group （n=26） based on Microsoft Excel. Both groups received sertraline treatment. The initial dose was 50 mg/day， which gradually titrated upward based on individual variability， drug tolerance， and therapeutic response， with a maintenance dose ranging from 100 to 200 mg/day. In addition， the study group underwent tACS therapy for 4 weeks， with 5 sessions per week， each lasting 20 minutes. The control group received sham stimulation， in which the stimulus was interrupted after the first 30 seconds. At baseline， the 4^th week， and the 12^th week of treatment， patients were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Scale-17 item （HAMD-17）， Hamilton Anxiety Scale （HAMA）， and MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery （MCCB）. ResultsRepeated measures analysis of variance indicated that both the time effect and the time×group interaction effect for HAMD-17 scores were statistically significant between the two groups （F=260.437， 25.309， P<0.01）. At week 12 of treatment， the HAMD-17 score in the study group was lower than that in the control group （t=4.236， P<0.01）. For HAMA scores， the time effect， group effect， and time×group interaction effect were all statistically significant between the two groups （F=248.082， 4.506， 9.500， P<0.05 or 0.01）. At weeks 4 and 12， study group reported lower HAMA scores compared with control group （t=4.580， 2.608， P<0.05 or 0.01）. Regarding the MCCB scores for attention/vigilance， verbal learning， and overall composite， the time effect， group effect， and time×group interaction effect were all statistically significant between the two groups （F=70.331， 27.882， 51.679， 5.560， 10.948， 7.860， 8.490， 3.874， 5.025， P<0.05 or 0.01）. After intervention， the study group showed significantly higher MCCB scores for attention/vigilance， verbal learning， and overall composite at both week 4 （t=-2.149， -3.530， -2.740， P<0.05） and week 12 （t=-3.534， -3.576， -3.838， P<0.01） when compared to the control group. ConclusionThe combined tACS and sertraline therapy may demonstrate superior efficacy to pharmacotherapy alone in the short term for improving attention/vigilance， verbal learning， overall cognitive function， and anxiety symptoms in patients with depressive disorders. Based on the 12-week outcomes， the combined tACS and sertraline therapy not only sustaine its previously observed advantages in improving cognitive domains and anxiety symptoms， but also demonstrate potentially superior efficacy over monotherapy in alleviating depressive symptoms. ［Fund by Clinical Medical Research Transformation Special Project of Anhui Province （number， 202204295107020065）］

Objective To investigatethe relationship between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms and clinicopathological characteristics, p53 expression, and survival of Chinese patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma. Methods A total of 3882 patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma, 970 matched patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and 970 matched patients with gastric cardia adenocarcinoma were included to compare the incidence of GERD symptoms. Patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma were divided into two groups according to the presence and absence of GERD symptoms. The differences in clinicopathological characteristics and p53 expression between the two groups were compared by chi-square test, and the differences in survival between the two groups were compared by landmark analysis. Results The incidence of GERD symptoms increased successively in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, esophageal adenocarcinoma, and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma. In patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma, the proportions of male, less than 65 years old, lower thoracic tumors, tumors without squamous cell carcinoma, poorly differentiation, early tumors (stage 0-I), and p53-positive tumors in the group with GERD symptoms were higher than those in the group without GERD symptoms; moreover, the long-term survival (≥15 years) was better. Conclusion GERD symptom is an important clinical sign of esophageal adenocarcinoma. It is closely related to specific clinicopathological characteristics, p53 overexpression, and good long-term prognosis.

Noise-induced hearing loss is a worldwide public health issue that is characterized by temporary or permanent changes in hearing sensitivity. This condition is closely linked to inflammatory responses, and interventions targeting the inflammatory gene tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) are known to mitigate cochlear noise damage. TNFα-induced proteins (TNFAIPs) are a family of translucent acidic proteins, and TNFAIP6 has a notable association with inflammatory responses. To date, there have been few reports on TNFAIP6 levels in the inner ear. To elucidate the precise mechanism, we generated transgenic mouse models with conditional knockout of Tnfaip6 (Tnfaip6 cKO). Evaluation of hair cell morphology and function revealed no significant differences in hair cell numbers or ribbon synapses between Tnfaip6 cKO and wild-type mice. Moreover, there were no notable variations in hair cell numbers or hearing function in noisy environments. Our results indicate that Tnfaip6 does not have a substantial impact on the auditory system.
Animals ; Mice, Knockout ; Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner/pathology* ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem/physiology*

Linxian County in Henan Province, Northern China is known as the region with the highest incidence and mortality rate of esophageal cancer worldwide. Since 1959, the Henan medical team has conducted field work on esophageal cancer prevention and treatment in Linxian. Through three generations of effort exerted by oncologists over 65 years of research on esophageal cancer prevention and treatment in Linxian, the incidence rate of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in this area has dropped by nearly 50%, and the 5-year survival rate has increased to 40%, reaching the international leading level. This article aims to summarize the history, present opportunities and new challenges, and explore the experience of esophageal cancer prevention and treatment in Linxian (referred to as the “Linxian experience”), providing reference and guidance to cancer prevention and treatment research in China.

A 20-year-old male patient with T-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia received 9/10 human leukocyte antigen-compatible unrelated peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. He was transplanted with 5.91×10 8 mononuclear cells/kg and 2.88×10 6 CD34 + cells/kg, and neutrophil engraftment was obtained at +11 days and platelet engraftment at +9 days. After transplantation, he presented with repeatedly increased serum creatinine levels, BK virus (BKV) -associated hemorrhagic cystitis, and BKV viremia. BK virus nephropathy was diagnosed based on renal biopsy and metagenomic next-generation sequencing. After adjusting the immunosuppressant, intravenous immunoglobulin, and donor lymphocyte infusion treatment, the patient’s renal function deteriorated progressively, and he eventually died of multiple organ failure at +289 days.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the level of angiotensin Ⅱ type 1 receptor autoantibody (AT1-AA) in the uterine fluid and the thickness of endometrium in infertile women with chronic endometritis.Methods:A case-control study was conducted to select 122 patients who underwent hysteroscopy and endometrial tissue biopsy at Assisted Reproduction Center, Taiyuan Central Hospital due to infertility from March 2023 to January 2024 as the study subjects. According to the results of hysteroscopy and endometrial tissue biopsy, the patients were divided into 52 cases in the infertility group with normal endometrium (NE infertility group) and the chronic endometritis combined with infertility group (CE infertility group) with 70 cases. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the level of AT1-AA in uterine fluid of the two groups. General clinical data, AT1-AA absorbance value of uterine fluid and uterine related indexes of the two groups were analyzed, and the correlations between AT1-AA level and the variation of indexes were analyzed.Results:Gravidity (median: 1 vs 1; Z=7.029, P=0.030) and parity (median: 0 vs 0; Z=12.258, P=0.002) in CE infertility group were higher than those in NE infertility group. There was AT1-AA in the uterine fluid, and the level of AT1-AA in CE infertility group was significantly higher than that in NE infertility group (median: 2.07 vs 1.44; Z=3.099, P=0.029). The endometrial thickness of CE infertility group was lower than that of NE infertility group (median: 6.0 vs 7.0 mm; Z=-2.179, P=0.029), and there were no statistical differences in other indexes between the two groups (all P>0.05). Further correlation analysis showed that there were no correlation between the level of AT1-AA in uterine fluid and parity, endometrial thickness, gravidity in NE infertility group (all P>0.05). However, the level of AT1-AA in uterine fluid of CE infertility group was positively correlated with parity (Spearman′s r=0.339, P=0.004), and negatively correlated with endometrial thickness (Spearman′s r=-0.499, P<0.001), but not correlated with gravidity ( P>0.05). Conclusions:AT1-AA is present in the uterine fluid of infertile women. The elevated level of AT1-AA in uterine fluid of infertile women with CE is related to the thinning of the endometrium.

Objective:To investigate the association between blood selenium levels and sex hormones in Chinese men aged 18-79 years.Methods:Data were derived from the China National Human Biomonitoring survey conducted in 2017-2018, with a final sample size of 5 414 men. General demographic characteristics, behavioral habits, and dietary frequency were collected through questionnaires and physical examinations. Fasting blood samples were collected to measure blood lead, serum testosterone, and estradiol levels. Complex sampling linear regression models were used to analyze the associations between blood selenium levels and testosterone, estradiol, and the testosterone/estradiol ratio, adjusting for confounding factors including age, education level, marital status, smoking status, alcohol consumption, seafood intake, soy product intake, protein supplement intake, BMI, and diabetes status.Results:The mean age of the 5 414 participants was (46.85±27.91) years; 4 774 (91.65%) were of Han ethnicity and 4 505 (86.68%) were married. The median ( Q1, Q3) blood selenium concentration in men was 97.80 (80.64, 116.99) μg/L. After adjusting for confounding factors, the complex sampling linear regression model revealed negative associations between blood selenium levels and both testosterone levels and the testosterone/estradiol ratio, with a significant linear trend ( Ptrend<0.05). Compared with the Q1 group, the β (95% CI) values for testosterone in the Q2, Q3, and Q4 groups were -0.02 (-0.06 to 0.02), -0.03 (-0.08 to 0.01), and -0.06 (-0.09 to -0.02), respectively. Similarly, the β (95% CI) values for the testosterone/estradiol ratio in the Q2, Q3, and Q4 groups were -0.01 (-0.03 to 0.02), -0.01 (-0.04 to 0.04), and -0.03 (-0.06 to -0.01), respectively. Subgroup analysis indicated stronger associations between blood selenium levels and testosterone/estradiol levels in non-smoking and obese men (BMI≥28 kg/m2). Conclusion:Blood selenium levels are negatively associated with testosterone levels and the testosterone/estradiol ratio in Chinese adult males.

Objective:To explore the association of blood and urinary cadmium levels with lipid profile levels and dyslipidemia in Chinese adults aged 18 to 79 years.Methods:Based on the China National Human Biomonitoring (CNHBM) program, a cross-sectional survey was conducted from 2017 to 2018 using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method, including a total of 10 713 adults aged 18 to 79 years. Data was obtained through questionnaires, physical examinations, biological sample collection, and laboratory testing. Multiple linear mixed effect model (MLMM) and generalized linear mixed effect model (GLMM) were used to analyze the association of blood and creatinine-corrected urinary cadmium levels with lipid profile levels as well as dyslipidemia among adults.Results:The age of 10 713 participants was (47.23±0.24) years, with 5 372 males accounting for 61.3% of the national population. The weighted mean±standard error (SE) of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was (5.21±0.03), (1.86±0.03), (2.96±0.03), and (1.43±0.01) mmol/L, respectively. The prevalence rate of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, mixed hyperlipidemia, low HDL-C, and high LDL-C was 16.0%, 21.6%, 6.6%, 13.5%, and 10.0%, respectively. MLMM showed that, after adjusting for relevant confounders, log-transformed blood cadmium levels were positively associated with increased levels of TC, TG and LDL-C ( P<0.05). When blood cadmium levels were categorized into quartiles, compared to the lowest exposure group ( Q1), participants in the highest blood cadmium exposure group ( Q4) had increases of 0.19 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.32) mmol/L in TC and 0.25 (95% CI: 0.08, 0.43) mmol/L in TG. GLMM indicated that, after adjusting for confounders, higher blood cadmium exposure levels were associated with increased risks of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, mixed hyperlipidemia, and high LDL-C ( P<0.05). Further analysis by quartiles showed that, compared to the blood cadmium Q1 exposure group, the OR value (95% CI) for the Q4 group was 1.53 (1.12, 2.08) for hypercholesterolemia, 1.54 (1.09, 2.17) for hypertriglyceridemia, 2.24 (1.47, 3.40) for mixed hyperlipidemia, and 1.49 (1.07, 2.09) for high LDL-C. Conclusion:The cadmium internal exposure levels are associated with blood lipid profile levels as well as the incidence of dyslipidemia in Chinese adults aged 18 to 79.