OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism by which Shenfukang capsule （SFK） ameliorates renal interstitial fibrosis （RIF） by regulating macrophage-fibroblast crosstalk via the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）/Yes-associated protein （YAP） pathway. METHODS RAW264.7 macrophages were induced to polarize with transforming growth factor-β 1 （TGF-β 1 ）. Subsequently， a non-contact co-culture system of macrophages with renal fibroblasts NRK-49F， as well as a non-contact co-culture system of macrophages with YAP-knockdown renal fibroblasts， were established. Cells were treated with low， medium， and high concentrations （4， 8， 16 μg/mL） of SFK， as well as a STAT3 inhibitor （STAT3-I，1.64 μg/mL） and losartan potassium tablets （positive control， 0.28 μg/mL）， for 48 h. After intervention， the protein and mRNA expression levels of CD86， CD163， and STAT3 in macrophages， as well as CD86， F4/80， and STAT3 mRNA， were detected. In co-cultured renal fibroblasts， the protein and mRNA expression levels of α -smooth muscle actin （ α -SMA）， Vimentin， collagen type Ⅰ （Col-Ⅰ）， matrix metalloproteinase-1 （MMP-1）， and YAP were detected. In co-cultured YAP-knockdown renal fibroblasts， the protein and mRNA expression levels of α -SMA， Vimentin， and MMP-1 were also detected. RESULTS Following TGF-β 1 induction， the protein expression levels of CD86， CD163， and STAT3， as well as the mRNA expression levels of CD86， F4/80， and STAT3 in macrophages were significantly increased （ P ＜0.05）. The conditioned medium from polarized macrophages activated renal fibroblasts， as evidenced by significantly increased protein and mRNA expression levels of α -SMA， Vimentin， Col-Ⅰ， and YAP， and significantly decreased protein and mRNA expression levels of MMP-1 in renal fibroblasts （ P ＜0.05）. Treatment with SFK and STAT3-I reversed the changes in the above indicators， with the medium concentration SFK group showing stronge r effects on some indicators than the low and high concentration groups. In the non-contact co-culture experiment of macrophages and YAP-knockdown renal fibroblasts， there were no statistically significant differences in the protein and mRNA expression of α-SMA， Vimentin， and MMP-1 among the groups. CONCLUSIONS SFK can inhibit macrophage-renal fibroblast crosstalk by blocking the STAT3/YAP pathway， thereby delaying the progression of RIF.

Definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) has become a cornerstone in the treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer; however, local control remains suboptimal, and persistent lesions or locoregional recurrences after treatment are not uncommon. For patients without distant metastases but with local failure, whether surgical intervention can still offer curative potential remains a major clinical dilemma. Salvage esophagectomy (SE) offers potential long-term survival for selected patients, but this procedure is performed in the context of severe fibrosis, impaired local blood supply, and obscured anatomical planes following chemoradiotherapy, resulting in significantly higher perioperative risk compared to primary esophagectomy. Consequently, controversies exist regarding patient selection, preoperative restaging, choice of surgical approach, extent of lymphadenectomy, gastrointestinal reconstruction, and perioperative management. In recent years, with the refinement of restaging modalities such as PET/CT, the accumulation of experience in high-volume centers, and emerging evidence from clinical studies, the clinical role of SE has gradually shifted from a "high-risk salvage measure" to a "selective curative strategy aimed at achieving long-term survival in carefully selected patients". Nevertheless, standardized guidelines for patient selection, technical approaches, and perioperative management are still lacking. Based on current evidence and clinical experience, experts organized by the Integrated Esophageal Cancer Committee of Chinese Anti-Cancer Association systematically reviewed key issues regarding SE, including its definition, indications, preoperative evaluation, choice of surgical approach, lymphadenectomy, gastrointestinal reconstruction, and perioperative management, and formulated a Chinese expert consensus. This consensus aims to provide guidance for standardized assessment, appropriate referral, individualized surgical decision-making, and optimized perioperative management of patients with locoregional failure after dCRT. Ultimately, this will increase the likelihood of R0 resection, reduce the risk of severe complications, and promote the safer, more judicious, and standardized implementation of SE in high-risk scenarios.

OBJECTIVE To explore the influencing factors of Shenfukang capsule in the treatment of chronic kidney disease （CKD） and construct a nomogram prediction model for evaluating its therapeutic efficacy. METHODS CKD patients who were hospitalized from July 2019 to August 2022 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and treated with Shenfukang capsule were selected as study subjects. Clinical data of the patients were collected from the hospital’s electronic medical record system， and they were divided into an effective group and an ineffective group based on treatment outcomes. Lasso-Logistic multivariate regression analysis was used to screen the influencing factors of the efficacy of Shenfukang capsule. Using the effectiveness of Shenfukang capsule treatment as the prediction outcome and the screened influencing factors as predictor variables， a nomogram prediction model was constructed using R software. All patients were randomly divided into a training cohort and a validation cohort. The discriminative ability， calibration， and clinical net benefit of the model were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve， calibration curve， and decision curve analysis， respectively. RESULTS Lasso-Logistic regression analysis revealed that concurrent diabetes mellitus， decreased levels of blood urea nitrogen， triglycerides， and serum phosphorus， as well as prolonged prothrombin time and elevated apolipoprotein AⅠ levels， were influencing factors for reduced efficacy of Shenfukang capsule in CKD treatment. The evaluation results of the nomogram prediction model showed that the area under curve values were 0.745 and 0.797 in the training and validation cohorts， respectively， which were close and both exceeded 0.70， indicating stable predictive performance. The calibration curves demonstrated good agreement in both datasets， suggesting satisfactory calibration performance. The clinical decision curves were positioned above the two extreme reference lines， indicating high clinical benefit of the model. CONCLUSIONS Diabetes mellitus， blood urea nitrogen， triglycerides， apolipoprotein AⅠ， serum phosphorus， and prothrombin time were factors associated with the efficacy of Shenfukang capsule in CKD patients. The nomogram prediction model established in this study may provide a basis for rational clinical application of Shenfukang capsule and for improving its therapeutic efficacy in CKD.

OBJECTIVE To explore the influencing factors of Shenfukang capsule in the treatment of chronic kidney disease （CKD） and construct a nomogram prediction model for evaluating its therapeutic efficacy. METHODS CKD patients who were hospitalized from July 2019 to August 2022 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and treated with Shenfukang capsule were selected as study subjects. Clinical data of the patients were collected from the hospital’s electronic medical record system， and they were divided into an effective group and an ineffective group based on treatment outcomes. Lasso-Logistic multivariate regression analysis was used to screen the influencing factors of the efficacy of Shenfukang capsule. Using the effectiveness of Shenfukang capsule treatment as the prediction outcome and the screened influencing factors as predictor variables， a nomogram prediction model was constructed using R software. All patients were randomly divided into a training cohort and a validation cohort. The discriminative ability， calibration， and clinical net benefit of the model were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve， calibration curve， and decision curve analysis， respectively. RESULTS Lasso-Logistic regression analysis revealed that concurrent diabetes mellitus， decreased levels of blood urea nitrogen， triglycerides， and serum phosphorus， as well as prolonged prothrombin time and elevated apolipoprotein AⅠ levels， were influencing factors for reduced efficacy of Shenfukang capsule in CKD treatment. The evaluation results of the nomogram prediction model showed that the area under curve values were 0.745 and 0.797 in the training and validation cohorts， respectively， which were close and both exceeded 0.70， indicating stable predictive performance. The calibration curves demonstrated good agreement in both datasets， suggesting satisfactory calibration performance. The clinical decision curves were positioned above the two extreme reference lines， indicating high clinical benefit of the model. CONCLUSIONS Diabetes mellitus， blood urea nitrogen， triglycerides， apolipoprotein AⅠ， serum phosphorus， and prothrombin time were factors associated with the efficacy of Shenfukang capsule in CKD patients. The nomogram prediction model established in this study may provide a basis for rational clinical application of Shenfukang capsule and for improving its therapeutic efficacy in CKD.

BackgroundWith the acceleration of population aging in China， studies have documented an increased prevalence of dementia in the elderly. Behavioral and psychological symptoms and impaired cognitive function are important problems affecting the quality of life in the elderly with dementia. It has been noted that there are certain limitations on the management of problems mentioned above by drug treatment alone， while its combination with music intervention is emerging as an effective approach. However， the application of this approach in the elderly with moderate to severe dementia is still in its relative infancy. ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of music assisted drug treatment on behavioral and psychological symptoms and cognitive function in the elderly with moderate to severe dementia， so as to provide insights for the development of effective intervention. MethodsA randomized controlled study was utilized to enroll a coherent of 43 elderly patients with moderate to severe dementia who were hospitalized in Geriatric Psychiatry of Deyang Mental Health Center from January to July 2023 and met the International Classification of Diseases， tenth edition （ICD-10） diagnostic criteria for dementia. Eligible subjects were divided into study group （n=22） and control group （n=21） based on random allocation using SPSS 26.0. Both groups received routine drug treatment and nursing care， while the study group added music intervention， which consisted of two 30-minute sessions per week for 8 weeks. Neuro Psychiatric Inventory （NPI） and Mini-Mental State Examination （MMSE） were administered to all patients before and after intervention. ResultsA total of 36 patients completed the study， including 20 case in study group and 16 case in control group. No statistical difference was noted in baseline NPI score and MMSE score between two groups （P>0.05）. After intervention， study group reported a statistical reduction in NPI total score ［58.00 （49.00， 79.25） vs. 78.50 （55.00， 95.50）， Z=-3.902， P<0.01）］ along with a clinically unremarkable increase in MMSE score （P>0.05） compared with baseline data. After intervention， NPI total score and scores on sub-domains including agitation/aggression， depression/dysphoria， anxiety and aberrant motor behavior were all significantly lower in study group than those in control group （Z=-2.183， -2.438， -2.691， -3.716， -2.250， P<0.05 or 0.01）， while there was no significant difference in MMSE score between two groups （P>0.05）. ConclusionMusic assisted drugintervention may ameliorate behavioral and psychological symptoms in the elderly with moderate to severe dementia， while no significant improvement is documented on cognitive function. ［Fund by the "14^th Five Year Plan" for Philosophy and Social Sciences Research in Deyang （number， DY232C002）］

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the analgesic effect of locally injecting a "cocktail" analgesia containing a high-dose compound betamethasone during revision hip arthroplasty, and also to study the usage of opioid drugs. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 180 patients who underwent revision hip arthroplasty due to aseptic loosening of the hip prosthesis between January 2015 and December 2021. Among them, 95 patients received intraoperative injection of "cocktail" analgesia containing high-dose compound betamethasone (group A), and 85 patients received intraoperative injection of traditional "cocktail" analgesia (group B). There was no significant difference in baseline data such as gender, age, body mass index, presence or absence of diabetes mellitus between the two groups ( P>0.05). The hospital stay, use of opioid drugs within 72 hours, and the incidence of adverse reactions within 72 hours after operation [including nausea and vomiting, insomnia, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), infection, etc.] were recorded and compared between the two groups. The pain relief of patients was evaluated using the static and dynamic visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after operation. The incidence of complications (including prosthesis re-loosening, hip joint dislocation, hip joint stiffness, limping, chronic pain, etc.) at 2 years after operation was recorded, and the Harris Hip Score (HHS) was used to evaluate the function at 2 years after operation. RESULTS: In group A, the utilization rate of opioid drugs within 72 hours after operation was significantly lower than that in group B ( P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of hospital stay, as well as the incidence of adverse reactions such as nausea and vomiting, insomnia, DVT, and infection within 72 hours after operation ( P>0.05). The VAS scores of both groups decreased with time, and the differences between different time points were significant ( P<0.05). The static and dynamic VAS scores of group A were significantly lower than those of group B at 12, 24, and 48 hours after operation ( P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in static and dynamic VAS scores between the two groups at 72 hours after operation ( P>0.05). All patients in both groups were followed up 2-8 years, with an average of 5.73 years. At 2 years after operation, no significant difference was found between the two groups in the incidence of complications and HHS score ( P>0.05). CONCLUSION "Cocktail" analgesia containing a high-dose compound betamethasone for early analgesia after revision hip arthroplasty can effectively reduce postoperative pain and the use of opioid drugs, but will not increase the incidence of infection and DVT after operation.
Humans ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip/adverse effects* ; Betamethasone/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Analgesics, Opioid/administration & dosage* ; Pain, Postoperative/prevention & control* ; Middle Aged ; Reoperation ; Aged ; Analgesia/methods* ; Adult ; Pain Measurement ; Pain Management/methods* ; Prosthesis Failure ; Hip Prosthesis

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), fatty acid-binding protein 5 (FABP5) combined with MRI for the efficacy and recurrence of primary liver cancer after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation.Methods:A total of 192 patients with primary liver cancer who underwent percutaneous radiofrequency ablation treatment at the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from June 2022 to May 2023 were selected as the research subjects. MRI examination was performed within one week before the treatment, and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value was recorded. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the levels of MMP-9 and FABP5 in the serum. According to the results of MRI examination, the ablation status of the lesions was determined, and the patients were divided into a complete ablation group ( n=157) and a residual lesion group ( n=35). Patients with completely ablated lesions were regularly followed up for one year, and their recurrence status was recorded. According to the recurrence of the patients, the patients were divided into a non-recurrence group ( n=115) and a recurrence group ( n=42). The levels of MMP-9 and FABP5 and the ADC values of the patients in the complete ablation group and the residual lesion group, as well as those in the non-recurrence group and the recurrence group, were compared. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of serum MMP-9 and FABP5 combined with MRI for the postoperative efficacy and recurrence of the patients. Results:The levels of serum MMP-9 and FABP5, and the ADC value of patients in the complete ablation group were (181.05±29.68) ng/ml, (7.95±1.82) μg/L, and (1.32±0.45) ×10 -3 mm 2/s, respectively, while those in the residual lesion group were (202.18±35.06) ng/ml, (9.56±2.39) μg/L, and (0.75±0.23) ×10 -3 mm 2/s, respectively. The levels of MMP-9 and FABP5 in the complete ablation group were significantly lower than those in the residual lesion group, and the ADC value was significantly higher than that in the residual lesion group, with statistically significant differences ( t=3.68, P<0.001; t=4.45, P<0.001; t=7.27, P<0.001). The areas under the curve (AUC) of serum MMP-9, FABP5, and ADC value alone in predicting the postoperative efficacy of patients were 0.68 (95% CI: 0.61-0.75), 0.75 (95% CI: 0.68-0.81), and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.85-0.94), respectively. The AUC of the combined prediction of these three was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.89-0.97), and the combined prediction of these three was superior to the individual prediction of MMP-9, FABP5, and ADC value ( Z=5.72, P<0.001; Z=4.84, P<0.001; Z=2.29, P=0.022). The levels of serum MMP-9 and FABP5, and the ADC value of patients in the non-recurrence group were (176.52±30.28) ng/ml, (8.69±1.92) μg/L, and (1.35±0.29) ×10 -3 mm 2/s, respectively, while those in the recurrence group were (201.85±28.72) ng/ml, (11.05±2.86) μg/L, and (1.14±0.12) ×10 -3 mm 2/s, respectively. The levels of serum MMP-9 and FABP5 of patients in the non-recurrence group were significantly lower than those in the recurrence group, and the ADC value was significantly higher than that in the recurrence group, with statistically significant differences ( t=4.70, P<0.001; t=5.93, P<0.001; t=4.55, P<0.001). The AUCs of serum MMP-9, FABP5, and ADC value alone in predicting the postoperative recurrence of patients were 0.74 (95% CI: 0.66-0.81), 0.90 (95% CI: 0.84-0.94), and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.66-0.80), respectively. The AUC of the combined prediction of these three was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.90-0.98), and the combined prediction of these three was superior to the individual prediction of MMP-9, FABP5, and ADC value ( Z=5.00, P<0.001; Z=3.03, P=0.002; Z=5.33, P<0.001) . Conclusions:The levels of serum MMP-9 and FABP5 in patients with primary liver cancer treated by percutaneous radiofrequency ablation in the complete ablation group are significantly lower than those in the residual lesion group, and the ADC value is significantly higher than that in the residual lesion group. The levels of serum MMP-9 and FABP5 of patients in the non-recurrence group are also significantly lower than those in the recurrence group, and the ADC value is also significantly higher than that in the recurrence group. The combined detection of serum MMP-9, FABP5 and MRI has a relatively high clinical value in predicting the efficacy and recurrence of patients after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for liver cancer.

Objective To explore the risk factors associated with the occurrence of dampness syndrome based on peripheral blood multiple laboratory indicators,construct predictive model and validate it.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 180 patients who visited the Preventive Treatment Center of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine from May 2022 to December 2023.They were divided into two groups according to the diagnostic criteria:the damp syndrome of TCM group(n=118)and the balanced yin-yang constitution group(n=62),with the latter serving as the"non-syndrome"control group for dampness syndrome.Serum biochemical indicators were detected by electrochemiluminescence(ECL),immune cell subsets were analyzed through flow cytometer,and routine blood parameters were assessed using an automatic hematology analyzed.Logistic regression analysis was employed to screen risk factors and develop a predictive model.The Bootstrap method was used for data resampling to draw the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,calibration curve,and clinical decision curve analysis(DCA)to evaluate the predictive value,consistency,and clinical efficacy of the model.Results Compared with the balanced yin-yang constitution group,the damp syndrome of TCM group showed increased levels of insulin(INS),non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(non HDL-C),red blood cells(RBC)and the proportion of CD4+T cells,the proportion of triglyceride(TG)>1.70 mmol/L,total cholesterol(TC)>5.20 mmol/L,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)>3.37 mmol/L,and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)≤1.15 mmol/L were also significantly higher,with statistical significance(U/t/χ2=-2.900～4 626,all P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that INS,TC>5.20 mmol/L,HDL-C≤1.15 mmol/L,and the proportion of CD4+T cells were independent risk factors for the occurrence of damp syndrome of TCM(all P＜0.05).Based on the screened risk factors,a forecasting model was established and a nomogram was plotted.The model had an area under the ROC curve area under curve(AUC)of 0.747(95%CI=0.672～0.822),a Brier score of 0.184 for the calibration curve,and demonstrated clinical net benefit at threshold probabilities ranging from 0.30 to 1.00.Conclusion The forecasting model constructed based on INS,TC>5.20 mmol/L,HDL-C≤1.15 mmol/L,and CD4+T cells ratio has a high predictive value for damp syndrome of TCM.

Objective:To investigate whether the immunohistochemical results of two markers PMS2 and MSH6 (2-MMR) could replace the four markers MLH1, PMS2, MSH2 and MSH6 (4-MMR) to detect mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) cancers.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted with summary of immunohistochemical data from 7 867 cases of gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, and other diseases in the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China, from March 2018 to March 2023. The consistency of 2-MMR and 4-MMR results was examined. Microsatellite instability (MSI) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) were performed in patients with specific phenotypes.Results:The Cohen κ values of 2-MMR and 4-MMR in gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer and other diseases were 0.88, 0.99, 0.88 and 1.00, respectively. The overall consistency, sensitivity and specificity were 0.97, 99.6%, and 100.0%, respectively. Both 2-MMR and 4-MMR could detect the difference between various clinicopathological features. 24 (0.3%) of the 7 867 patients were found to have a special phenotype of MMR, and 6 of them were selected for MSI and NGS molecular testing. MSI analysis showed MSI-H in all cases, while NGS found that 5 of them had MMR-related gene mutations and 1 had POLE p.S297F mutation.Conclusions:Compared with 4-MMR, 2-MMR has high consistency, specificity and sensitivity. The cases with special phenotype only account for extremely low proportion. Therefore, 4-MMR may be replaced with 2-MMR in dMMR screening.

Objective To explore the risk factors associated with the occurrence of dampness syndrome based on peripheral blood multiple laboratory indicators,construct predictive model and validate it.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 180 patients who visited the Preventive Treatment Center of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine from May 2022 to December 2023.They were divided into two groups according to the diagnostic criteria:the damp syndrome of TCM group(n=118)and the balanced yin-yang constitution group(n=62),with the latter serving as the"non-syndrome"control group for dampness syndrome.Serum biochemical indicators were detected by electrochemiluminescence(ECL),immune cell subsets were analyzed through flow cytometer,and routine blood parameters were assessed using an automatic hematology analyzed.Logistic regression analysis was employed to screen risk factors and develop a predictive model.The Bootstrap method was used for data resampling to draw the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,calibration curve,and clinical decision curve analysis(DCA)to evaluate the predictive value,consistency,and clinical efficacy of the model.Results Compared with the balanced yin-yang constitution group,the damp syndrome of TCM group showed increased levels of insulin(INS),non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(non HDL-C),red blood cells(RBC)and the proportion of CD4+T cells,the proportion of triglyceride(TG)>1.70 mmol/L,total cholesterol(TC)>5.20 mmol/L,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)>3.37 mmol/L,and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)≤1.15 mmol/L were also significantly higher,with statistical significance(U/t/χ2=-2.900～4 626,all P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that INS,TC>5.20 mmol/L,HDL-C≤1.15 mmol/L,and the proportion of CD4+T cells were independent risk factors for the occurrence of damp syndrome of TCM(all P＜0.05).Based on the screened risk factors,a forecasting model was established and a nomogram was plotted.The model had an area under the ROC curve area under curve(AUC)of 0.747(95%CI=0.672～0.822),a Brier score of 0.184 for the calibration curve,and demonstrated clinical net benefit at threshold probabilities ranging from 0.30 to 1.00.Conclusion The forecasting model constructed based on INS,TC>5.20 mmol/L,HDL-C≤1.15 mmol/L,and CD4+T cells ratio has a high predictive value for damp syndrome of TCM.