Depression is a common mental disorder that falls under the category of "stagnation syndrome" in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Its complex pathogenesis poses challenges for the development of novel therapeutic agents. Currently， clinically used antidepressants are often accompanied by significant side effects， and statistics show that about one-third of patients do not respond to these medications. TCM demonstrates advantages in the treatment of depression through multi-target， multi-pathway and multi-mechanistic approaches. Pinelliae Rhizoma， a phlegm-resolving herb， exhibits effects such as drying dampness and resolving phlegm， as well as eliminating stuffiness and reducing masses. The characteristics of harmonizing Yin and Yang and resolving stagnation in the middle energizer align precisely with the pathogenesis of depression syndrome， demonstrating therapeutic efficacy in affected patients. Literature studies have found that the active ingredients of Pinelliae Rhizoma， such as cavidine， baicalein， β-sitosterol， as well as Pinelliae Rhizoma herb pairs， such as Pinelliae Rhizoma-Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex， Pinelliae Rhizoma-husked sorghum， Pinelliae Rhizoma-Prunellae Spica， exhibit significant antidepressant effects. Furthermore， TCM formulas containing Pinelliae Rhizoma as the principal therapeutic agent， such as Banxia Xiexin Tang， Banxia Houpo Tang， and Wendan Tang， as well as formulas incorporating Pinelliae Rhizoma like compound Xiaochaihu Tang， Chaihu Jia Longgu Muli Tang， and Erchen Tang， have also demonstrated favorable antidepressant efficacy. The antidepressant mechanism of these agents may involve modulation of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT） and dopamine （DA） levels， up-regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） expression， regulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal （HPA） axis， reduction of oxidative stress， modulation of nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB） signaling pathway， and inhibition of microglia-mediated inflammatory responses. This review summarized the antidepressant mechanisms and clinical applications of the active components， herb pairs， and TCM formulas containing Pinelliae Rhizoma， aiming to provide a reference for modern research on the use of Pinelliae Rhizoma in antidepressant therapy.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect and mechanism of modified Lichong decoction （MLCD） on the apoptosis of transplanted tumor cells in nude mice. METHODS Human gastric cancer AGS cells were cultured， and a nude mice transplanted tumor model was established. The nude mice were divided into the model group and MLCD low-， medium- and high-dose groups （150， 300， 600 mg/kg）. They were given distilled water or the corresponding drug solution by gavage once daily for four consecutive weeks. The size of transplanted tumors in nude mice was measured every six days， and the tumor volume was calculated. After the medication， the nude mice were sacrificed， and the transplanted tumor tissues were isolated. The contents of lactate dehydrogenase （LDH） and reactive oxygen species （ROS） in the transplanted tumor tissues were detected， and the changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were assessed. The pathological morphological changes were observed. The enzymatic activities of caspase-3， caspase-8， and caspase-9， as well as protein expressions of Fas and FasL and mRNA expressions of caspase-3， caspase-8， caspase-9， Fas and FasL in the transplanted tumor tissues， were detected. RESULTS Compared with the model group， the volume of transplanted tumors in nude mice from all MLCD dose groups was reduced to varying degrees. The contents of LDH and ROS， as well as the enzymatic activities of caspase-3， caspase-8 and caspase-9， were significantly increased/enhanced. The mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly decreased. The protein expressions of Fas and FasL， and the mRNA expressions of caspase-3， caspase-8， caspase-9， Fas and FasL were significantly up-regulated. Most of these differences were statistically significant （ P ＜0.05 or P ＜0.01）. Pathological results showed that with increasing doses of MLCD， the cellular density in the transplanted tumor tissues gradually decreased， and typical morphological features of apoptosis， such as loosening and increasing fragmentation， became more prominent. CONCLUSIONS MLCD can induce apoptosis in transplanted tumor cells of nude mice， and its mechanism may be related to the activation of the Fas/FasL pathway and the caspase apoptotic pathway.

Meconium is changed from defoliated intestinal villi with apoptosis. A meconium corpuscle is a limited architecture in the meconium at the light microscopic level. In histological and immunohistochemical sections of the abdomen from 40 fetuses at 20–31 weeks of gestation, we found 12 fetuses with meconium and examined the architecture.A solid or loose meconium was seen depending on sites. The solid meconium in the colon and rectum contained numerous spherical or rugby ball-like corpuscles comprising of a core with tightly-packed atrophied cells and a laminar fibrous sheath.The solid meconium surrounded and incorporated villi that maintained the original architecture. The loose meconium was seen not only in the stomach and duodenum but also, depending on specimens, in the colon and rectum. It was composed of a large mucosal fold, a single small villus and/or fragmented epithelia. Notably, these mucosal tissues still contained chromogranin-positive gastrointestinal cells and cytokeratin-positive epithelia. A large ring-like meconium was composed of the entirely circular mucosa or epithelia that seemed to be detached along the muscularis mucosae or the basal lamina.A sheath-like fibrous structure in meconium seemed to originate from the lamina propria and basal lamina of villi. A defoliation of villi with apoptosis seemed difficult to explain a detachment of the entirely circular mucosa or epithelia in large fetuses examined. The latter event might require a specific mechanism such as an in utero intussusception in which a proximal side of the colon was invaginated into the distal lumen.

Background/Aims: Liver transplantation (LT) following total hepatectomy is a life-saving treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The HCC recurrence after LT hinders the effectiveness of the procedure. The objective of this study is to develop a pre-operative risk stratification model based on a liquid biopsy. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive multi-omics study of 260 HCC patients from three centers, including clinical data, low-coverage whole-genome sequencing of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from plasma, as well as whole-exome, single-nucleus RNA, and spatial transcriptomics from matched tumor and non-tumor tissues. Results: We identified cfDNA-derived copy number alteration (CNA) signatures associated with post-transplant recurrence. By integrating cfDNA-derived CNA profiles with single-cell transcriptomic data, we traced recurrence-associated cfDNA to a distinct subpopulation of malignant cells within the primary tumor. These cells were embedded in a pro-metastatic microenvironment of specialized endothelial subtypes and cancer-associated fibroblasts. Notably, most recurrence-associated lesions were detectable in cfDNA prior to liver transplantation (LT). Building on these insights, we developed the ZJU Criteria based on CNA fragments and tumor markers, a pre-LT risk prediction tool that integrates conventional clinical factors with cfDNA-derived CNA signatures, and validated it using internal and independent external cohorts. Conclusion Our findings suggest that post-transplant recurrence commonly originates from advanced subclones that emerge late during tumor evolution. The ZJU Criteria provides an accurate, non-invasive strategy that significantly improves pre-LT risk stratification and clinical decision-making for patients with HCC.

Liver cancer (LC) remains one of the most prevalent tumors globally. Despite considerable advancements in its clinical treatment in recent years, the global burden of this disease is projected to increase. According to World Health Organization statistics, the number of LC deaths worldwide in 2022 was 760,000, ranking third among all cancers. Therefore, there is an urgent need to delve deeper into the realms of LC diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Proteomics, as an emerging technology leveraging mass spectrometry (MS)-based protein identification, liquid chromatography separation, and bioinformatics-driven data integration, enables the systematic characterization of proteome dynamics to address critical challenges in LC research. These challenges include the discovery of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets. By scrutinizing the expression of specific proteins in both normal and cancerous tissues through high-throughput protein microarrays, researchers can uncover novel biomarkers. The use of these biomarkers alone or in combination with established ones holds the potential to significantly advance the fields of LC diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. In general, the application of proteomics has significantly promoted the development of LC research. In this review, we summarized the latest advancements in the application of proteomics in LC, with a particular focus on diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. We also concluded selected protein markers, aiming to offer guidance for further applications and present additional therapeutic targets for LC.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of Yiqi Huoxue Huazhuo Jiedu Prescription in regulating the endoplasmic reticulum stress PERK/ATF4 signaling pathway to improve cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in rats.Methods A total of 48 male SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group,model group,TCM group and edaravone group,with 12 rats in each group.Cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury rat model was prepared using middle cerebral artery occlusion method,and administration 24 hours after modeling.The edaravone group was given intraperitoneal injection of 1.4 mg/mL edaravone injection,TCM group was given 55 g/(kg·d)of Yiqi Huoxue Huazhuo Jiedu Prescription for gavage,while the sham-operation group and model group were given equal volumes of normal saline for gavage,twice a day for 3 consecutive days.The neurological deficit scores of the rats in each group were observed,TTC staining was used to detect the volume of cerebral infarction,HE staining was used to observe the morphology of brain tissue in the ischemia-reperfusion area,immunohistochemistry staining was used to detect the positive expressions of glucose regulated protein 78(GRP78),protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(PERK)and transcription activator factor(ATF)4 in the ischemia-reperfusion area brain tissue,RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expressions of GRP78,PERK and ATF4 in the ischemia-reperfusion area brain tissue,Western blot was used to detect the protein expressions of GRP78,PERK and ATF4 in the ischemia-reperfusion area brain tissue.Results Compared with the sham-operation group,the neurological deficit score of the model group rats increased,the volume of cerebral infarction increased,the number of neurons in the ischemia-reperfusion area decreased,the arrangement was loose,and the nuclei were condensed,the mRNA and protein expressions of GRP78,PERK and ATF4 increased,with statistical significance(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the neurological deficit score of TCM group and edaravone group decreased,the cerebral infarction volume decreased,the number and arrangement of neurons of the brain tissue in the ischemia reperfusion area increased,and nuclear condensation decreased in rats,the mRNA and protein expressions of GRP78,PERK and ATF4 were all reduced,with statistical significance(P<0.05).There was no statistical significance in various indicators between TCM group and the edaravone group(P>0.05).Conclusion Yiqi Huoxue Huazhuo Jiedu Prescription can improve cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury,and its mechanism may be related to down-regulating the expression of PERK/ATF4 signaling pathway and alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Objective:To explore the spatiotemporal evolution and convergence trend of the level of health resource supply in the Yangtze River Delta Region,and to provide quantitative support for the formulation of health resource supply policies.Methods:Using Dagum Gini coefficient,kernel density estimation,Markov chain,and spatial β convergence model to analyze the regional differences,dynamic evolution,and convergence of health resource supply levels in the Yangtze River Delta.Results:From 2010 to 2022,the level of health resource supply in the Yangtze River Delta maintained an increasing trend,with overall differences,intra regional and inter regional differences all showing a narrowing trend.Inter regional differences contributed the most,and Anhui Province's development was relatively balanced.There is a weak polarization phenomenon in the Yangtze River Delta as a whole,and the balance in Zhejiang has improved in the later stage.The spatial factors significantly affect the dynamic evolution process of the supply level of health resources in the Yangtze River Delta,with obvious positive spillover effects,and the supply level has β convergence characteristics.Conclusion:It is needed to promote the comprehensive development of regional economy,accelerate the improvement of the supply level of health resources in underdeveloped areas,and narrow the gap.At the same time,it needs to enhance spatial interaction between regions and pay attention to the positive spillover effects in areas with higher supply levels.

Objective To investigate the optimal cutoff values of Kyoto gastritis score based on gastroscopy,pepsinogen(PG)combined with gastrin-17(G-17)for predicting Helicobacter pylori positive atrophic gastritis in middle-aged and elderly patients.Methods The subjects of this study were 120 middle-aged and elderly patients admitted,diagnosed with atrophic gastritis through gastroscopy examination and pathological biopsy and proved to be Hp positive via 14C urea breath test from August 2022 to June 2023.All patients were divided into atrophic gastritis group(AG group)with 68 cases and non atrophic gastritis group(non-AG group)with 52 cases according to atrophic gastritis results.The AG group was further divided per Kimura-Takemoto classification into mild AG group(n=12),moderate AG group(n=32)and severe AG group(n=24).Kyoto gastritis score based on gastroscopy was performed in all patients.And test their serum pepsinogen Ⅰ(PGⅠ),pepsinogen Ⅱ(PGⅡ),G-17 levels via chemiluminescence and calculate the PGR=PGⅠ/PGⅡ.Receiver operator characteristic curve(ROC curve)was adopted to assess the value of Kyoto gastritis score and serum PG and G-17 for predicting Hp positive atrophic gastritis in middle-aged and elderly patients.Results There were statistically significant differences in Kyoto gastritis score,serum PGⅠ,PGR and G-17 levels between AG group and non-AG group(t=13.38,P=0.000;t=50.84,P=0.000;t=26.44,P=0.000;t=9.44,P=0.000).The Kyoto score of gastritis in AG group was higher than that in non-AG group(P<0.05).The levels of serum PGⅠ,PGR and G-17 in AG group were lower than those in non-AG group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in serum PGⅡ level between AG group and non-AG group(t=1.24,P=0.219).There were statistically significant differences in Kyoto gastritis score,serum PGⅠ,PGR and G-17 levels among mild AG group,moderate AG group and severe AG group(F=33.95,P=0.000;F=81.99,P=0.000;F=67.36,P=0.001;F=33.50,P=0.004).The mild AG group had a significantly lower Kyoto gastritis score than the moderate AG group and severe AG group(P<0.05),and the moderate AG group had a significantly lower Kyoto gastritis score than the severe AG group(P<0.05).The mild AG group and moderate AG group had significantly higher serum PGⅠ and PGR levels than the severe AG group(P<0.05),and the mild AG group was higher than moderate AG group(P<0.05).The mild AG group had a significantly lower serum G-17 level than the moderate AG group and severe AG group(P<0.05),and there was no significant difference between the moderate AG group and severe AG group(P>0.05).There was no significant difference in serum PGⅡ levels among mild AG group,moderate AG group and severe AG group(F=1.03,P=0.364).The optimal cutoff values of Kyoto gastritis score and serum PGⅠ,PGR and G-17 for predicting atrophic gastritis in middle-aged and elderly patients with Hp positive were 2.78,38.26 μg/L,1.92 and 9.54 pmol/L,respectively.The AUC of Kyoto gastritis score for predicting Hp positive atrophic gastritis in middle-aged and elderly patients was 0.780,the sensitivity was 71.42%,and the specificity was 78.62%.The AUC of PGⅠ for predicting Hp positive atrophic gastritis in middle-aged and elderly patients was 0.757,the sensitivity was 66.27%,and the specificity was 83.25%.The AUC of PGR for predicting Hp positive atrophic gastritis in middle-aged and elderly patients was 0.792,the sensitivity was 76.23%,and the specificity was 87.35%.The AUC of G-17 for predicting Hp positive atrophic gastritis in middle-aged and elderly patients was 0.672,the sensitivity was 60.24%,and the specificity was 74.28%.The AUC of the combination of the four markers for predicting Hp positive atrophic gastritis in middle-aged and elderly patients was 0.871,the sensitivity was 81.28%,and the specificity was 87.36%.Conclusion The Kyoto gastritis score based on gastroscopy,serum PGⅠ,PGR combined with G-17 have good predictive value for Hp positive atrophic gastritis in middle-aged and elderly patients,and the optimal cutoff values for the four markers are 2.78 points,38.26 μg/L,1.92 and 9.54 pmol/L in turn.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility and safety of high-speed railway (HSR) transport for critically ill pediatric patients.Methods:A single-center retrospective analysis was conducted.A total of 39 children transported via HSR (HSR group) and 420 children transported via ambulance (ambulance group) from May 2019 to December 2024 at the Seventh Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital were included.Demographic data,disease types,transport distances,and outcomes were compared between the two groups,and the vital signs,blood gas analysis,mechanical ventilation parameters,and vasoactive drug usage before and after HSR transport were also compared.Results:Over the five-year period,39 HSR transports and 420 ambulance transports were completed.No significant differences were observed in gender,age,or weight between HSR group and ambulance group( P>0.05).The proportion of circulatory system diseases was significantly higher in the HSR group (74.4% vs.55.1%, P = 0.020).HSR transports covered longer distances [855(855,1 075)km vs.84(23,273) km, P<0.001] and achieved faster speeds [150(150,216) vs.80(79,80)km/h, P<0.001].No significant differences were found in heart rate,body temperature,or diastolic pressure before and after HSR transport ( P>0.05).However,systolic blood pressure and partial pressure of oxygen increased slightly post-HSR transport [(82.97±15.44) vs.(85.15 ± 14.82)mmHg, P=0.003；(84.22±25.45)mmHg vs.(88.95±28.70)mmHg, P=0.029].Mechanical ventilation parameters remained stable during HSR transport ( P>0.05). Conclusion:HSR transport is feasible and safe for critically ill children and represents a promising option for long-distance interhospital transfers of pediatric patients.

Objective:To investigate the value of biparametric-MRI (bpMRI) based peritumoral radiomics for preoperative prediction of extraprostatic extension (EPE) in prostate cancer (PCa).Methods:In this cross-sectional study, consecutive bpMRI of patients undergoing prostatectomy for PCa were retrospectively collected from the First Medical Center (center 1) and the Third Medical Center (center 2) of Chinese PLA General Hospital. A total of 274 patients were finally enrolled. Patients at center 1 from January 2020 to December 2022 were randomly divided into a training set (149 cases) and an internal validation set (63 cases) by stratified random sampling. Patients at center 2 from January 2023 to March 2024 were assigned to the external test set (62 cases). Patients were categorized into EPE-positive group and EPE-negative group according to pathological assessment postoperatively. In the training set, there were 49 cases in EPE-positive group and 100 cases in EPE-negative group. In the internal validation set, there were 26 cases in EPE-positive group and 37 cases in EPE-negative group. In the external test set, there were 22 cases in EPE-positive group and 40 cases in EPE-negative group. Axial T 2WI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) images were manually annotated to obtain index lesion regions of interest (ROIs), with the peritumoral ROIs subsequently delineated by semi-automatic segmentation technique. Radiomics features were extracted from intra-tumoral, peri-tumoral, and intra-tumoral plus peri-tumoral ROIs. The training set data was employed to select and optimize features to build the radiomics models. The logistic regression analysis was used to develop radiomics, clinical, and integrated models. The predictive performance was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in the external test set, and compared by the DeLong test. The sensitivity and specificity were compared by the exact McNemar test. Results:In the external test set, the peri-tumoral radiomics model based on bpMRI showed the highest performance in evaluating EPE, with an AUC of 0.739 (95% CI 0.611-0.842), which was identified as the optimal radiomics model. EPE grade ( OR=6.151, 95% CI 3.371-11.226, P<0.001) was incorporated into the clinical model, with an AUC of 0.780 (95% CI 0.657-0.875) in the external test set. The integrated model had an AUC of 0.817 (95% CI 0.698-0.904) in the external test set. There was no statistically significant difference in comparisons of AUCs among the three models (all P>0.05). The sensitivity of the integrated model (68.2%) showed no significant difference from those of the clinical model and the optimal radiomics model (77.3% and 86.4%, respectively; P=0.500 and P=0.289). However, the specificity of the integrated model (85.0%) was significantly higher than those of the clinical model (67.5%, P=0.016) and the optimal radiomics model (50.0%, P<0.001). Conclusion:A bpMRI-based peritumoral radiomics integrating clinical model demonstrates high performance for preoperative prediction of EPE in PCa.