With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology, chatbots have shown great potential in the healthcare sector. From personalized health advice to chronic disease management and psychological support, chatbots have demonstrated significant advantages in improving the efficiency and quality of healthcare services. As the scope of their applications expands, the relationship between technological complexity and practical application scenarios has become increasingly intertwined, necessitating a more comprehensive evaluation of both aspects. This paper, from the perspective of he althcare applications, systematically reviews the technological pathways and development of chatbots in the medical field, providing an in-depth analysis of their performance across various medical scenarios. It thoroughly examines the advantages and limitations of chatbots, aiming to offer theoretical support for future research and propose feasible recommendations for the broader adoption of chatbot technologies in healthcare.

Skeletal muscle dysfunction is a common extrapulmonary comorbidity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is associated with decreased quality-of-life and survival in patients. The autophagy lysosome pathway is one of the proteolytic systems that significantly affect skeletal muscle structure and function. Intriguingly, both promoting and inhibiting autophagy have been observed to improve COPD skeletal muscle dysfunction, yet the mechanism is unclear. This paper first reviewed the effects of macroautophagy and mitophagy on the structure and function of skeletal muscle in COPD, and then explored the mechanism of autophagy mediating the dysfunction of skeletal muscle in COPD. The results showed that macroautophagy- and mitophagy-related proteins were significantly increased in COPD skeletal muscle. Promoting macroautophagy in COPD improves myogenesis and replication capacity of muscle satellite cells, while inhibiting macroautophagy in COPD myotubes increases their diameters. Mitophagy helps to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis by removing impaired mitochondria in COPD. Autophagy is a promising target for improving COPD skeletal muscle dysfunction, and further research should be conducted to elucidate the specific mechanisms by which autophagy mediates COPD skeletal muscle dysfunction, with the aim of enhancing our understanding in this field.
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/physiopathology* ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Humans ; Muscle, Skeletal/pathology* ; Mitophagy ; Animals ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; Lysosomes

Objective : To explore the association between serum γ-aminobutyric acid ( GABA) levels and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes( T2DM) ． Methods : 187 cases of T2DM patients attending the hospital were selected as the T2DM group，and 187 cases of non-T2DM population attending the same period of time were selected as the control group according to age ( ± 3 years) and gender 1 ∶ 1．On-site questionnaires and physical examination were conducted for the study subjects，and serum levels of GABA，Malondialdehyde ( MDA) and activities of superoxide dismutase ( SOD) and Glutathione peroxidase ( GSH-Px) were detected by using ELISA kits．The differences in the levels of GABA and oxidative stress indicators ( SOD，GSH-Px，MDA) between the two groups were compared， and the correlation between GABA and oxidative stress indicators was analyzed by Spearman's method; GABA and oxidative stress indicators were divided into three groups according to their control quartiles，respectively ［low level group ( Q1: ＜P25) ，medium level group ( Q2: P25 －P75) ，high level group ( Q3: ＞P75) ］，and conditional logistic regression was applied to analyze the relationship between GABA，oxidative stress indicators and the risk of develo- ping T2DM; the dose-response relationship between GABA，oxidative stress indicators and the risk of developing T2DM was analyzed by using restricted cubic spline ( RCS) ． Results : T2DM group ( P＜0. 05) ．Spearman's correlation analysis showed that GABA level was positively correlated with SOD and GSH-Px activities and negatively correlated with MDA level ( P＜0. 001) ．Conditional logistic regression analysis showed that medium levels of SOD and GSH-Px as well as medium and high levels of GABA were protective factors for T2DM compared with low levels in each group ( P＜0. 05) ．RCS results showed that a negative dose-response relationship between GABA，GSH-Px and the risk of developing T2DM，and SOD showed a trend of decreasing and then increasing the risk of developing T2DM ( P＜0. 05) ． Conclusion Serum GABA levels have been associated with the risk of developing T2DM．As serum GABA levels increase，the risk of developing T2DM may decrease．

Objective To screen and analyze the influencing factors of severity in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complicating cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD).Methods A total of 519 pa-tients with T2DM complicating CSVD admitted and treated in Nanjing Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chi-nese Medicine from June 2018 to May 2023 were selected and divided into the mild group (n=214) and the se-vere group (n=305) according to the CSVD imageological score.The relevant demographic,laboratory and imageological indicators were collected.The influencing factors of T2DM complicating CSVD were screened out by the LASSO and Logistic regression analysis and the predictive model was established.The receiver op-erating characteristic (ROC) curve,goodness of fit evaluation and restricted cubic spline (RCS) fitting curve were drawn to analyze the dose-response relationship between Cys C,albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio with the disease severity.Results The male proportion and age in the severe group were greater than those in the mild group,neutrophil,systemic immune-inflammation index (SII),creatinine (Crea),uric acid (UA),Urea (Ure-a),D-dimer (D-D),lactate dehydrogenase (LDH),adenosine deaminase (ADA),globulin (GLB) and Cys C were higher than those in the mild group,lymphocyte,ALT,High density Lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C),serum cholinesterase (CHE),prealbumin (PAB),and A/G were lower than those in the mild group,and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).LASSO and logistic regression analysis showed that the gender,age,A/G and Cys C were the independent influencing factors in the patients with T2DM complicating CSVD.The area under the curve (AUC) of this model was 0.658 (95%CI:0.610-0.706) with goodness of fit (P=0.520).The RCS fitting curves showed that serum Cys C≥0.618 mg/L had a linear relationship with CSVD imageological score (P=0.035),and A/G≥1.268 had a nonlinear relationship with CSVD imageologi-cal score (P=0.007).Conclusion The advanced age,male,increased Cys C level and decreased A/G in the pa-tients with T2DM complicating CSVD are the independent risk factors for the severity of whole brain damage.

Objective To screen the characteristic factors of renal impairment occurrence in the patients with hyperuricemia,and to analyze its diagnostic value and establish a diagnostic model.Methods A total of 2405 inpatients with diagnosed hyperuricemia in the Nanjing Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medi-cine,Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2018 to December 2022 were selected and divided into the kidney lesion group (n=1343) and the non-kidney lesion group (n=1062) according to eGFR.The characteristic factors of hyperuricemia caused renal impairment were screened and analyzed by Lasso and logistic regression and the diagnostic model was constructed.The diagnostic value of characteristic factors and diagnostic model were evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve,and the change rule between the characteristic factors and the results was found by the restricted cubic splines (RCS) fitting.Results The age,uric acid (UA),cystatin-C (Cys-C) and retinol-binding protein (RBP) were the characteristic factors of hyperuricemia caused renal impairment.The combined diagnostic model:logit (P)=-8.70+0.602×age (10 years old)+0.033×UA (10 μmol/L)+0.277×Cys-C (0.1 mg/L)+0.189×RBP (10 mg/L),the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the combined diagnosis model was 0.893 (95％CI:0.880-0.905).For every 10 μmol/L increase in blood UA,the risk of renal impairment occurrence in hyperurice-mia was increased by 3％;for every 10 years increase in age,the risk of renal impairment occurrence in hyperu-ricemia was increased by 83％;for every 10 mg/L increase in RBP,the risk of kidney damage occurrence of re-nal impairment in hyperuricemia was increased by 21％;for every 0.1 mg/L increase in Cys-C,the risk of re-nal impairment occurrence in hyperuricemia was increased by 32％.Conclusion The combined diagnostic model for whether the renal impairment in the patients with hyperuricemia occurring has good diagnostic val-ue,and Cys-C deserves more attention.

BACKGROUND:The clinical manifestation of acute radiation skin injury is recurrent necrotic ulcers,and its pathogenesis is still not fully understood.The establishment of a suitable animal model will have important clinical implications for the study of its pathogenesis,prevention and treatment. OBJECTIVE:To establish a model of acute β-ray radiation skin injury and to investigate the mechanism of injury. METHODS:Sixty-nine Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 30,45,60 Gy 32P-β-ray groups(n=21 per group)and control group(n=6).A single local irradiation of the back of the rats was performed using 32P radionuclide.The control group was operated in the same way as the irradiated groups except that it was not irradiated.The body mass and skin appearance of the rats were measured at 7,15,30,45,and 60 days after irradiation.Three rats from each group were selected at each observation time point.The skin injury was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining,Masson staining,transmission electron microscopy,and TUNEL assay.P53,Bcl-2 and Bax protein levels in the skin were measured by immunohistochemistry and western blot assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There was no accidental death after irradiation,and the body mass of rats showed a gradual increase.The rats showed different degrees of epidermal necrosis,inflammatory cell infiltration,reduction of hair follicles and appendages,and collagen fibrillation,which were evident at 60 and 45 Gy.The levels of serum inflammatory factors,interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α,were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner.Under the electron microscope,there are varying degrees of mitochondrial reduction,vacuolization and nuclear pyknosis in the cells.The degree of cell apoptosis showed a certain dose-dependence.Immunohistochemistry and western blot results showed an increase in the expression of P53 and Bax proteins and a decrease in the expression of Bcl-2 protein in the skin after irradiation.There were significant differences between the 60 Gy group and the 45 Gy and 30 Gy groups(P＜0.05).To conclude,irradiation with 60 Gy and 45 Gy 32P radionuclide on the back of rats could successfully establish a practically pre-clinical animal model,and the mechanism is related to the up-regulation of P53 and Bax and the down-regulation of Bcl-2.This model can provide a reference for the establishment of animal models for the study of the mechanism of radiation skin injury and its prevention and treatment.

ObjectiveTo observe the possible mechanism of Dihuang Yinzi Decoction （地黄饮子） for improving cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease （AD） from the perspective of retina. MethodsForty-five APP/PS1 mice （AD model mice） were randomly divided into model group， Dihuang Yinzi Decoction group， and memantine group， with 15 mice in each group， while 15 wild-type C57BL/6J mice from the same litter were used as blank group. Mice in Dihuang Yinzi Decoction group were given Dihuang Yinzi Decoction 30.03 g/（kg·d） by gavage， mice in the memantine group were given memantine hydrochloride 6.1 mg/（kg·d） by gavage， and mice in the blank group and the model group were given normal saline 2 ml/（kg·d） by gavage for 4 consecutive weeks. Fasting blood glucose was measured weekly. After 4 weeks of intervention， oral glucose tolerance test （OGTT） and insulin tolerance test （ITT） were performed； Morris water maze was used to detect the changes in spatial memory ability of mice； glucose oxidase method was used to detect retinal glucose content of mice； enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum and retinal insulin content of mice， and Homeostatic Model Assessment of insulin resistance （HOMA-IR） was calculated. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe the histopathological changes in the retina， and the retinal thickness and ganglion cell number were counted； protein immunoblotting was performed to detect the retinal pathway-associated proteins ［insulin receptor substrate 1 （IRS1）， phosphorylated insulin receptor substrate 1 （pIRS1）， phosphatidylinositol-3-hydroxykinase （PI3K）， protein kinase B （Akt1）， phosphorylated protein kinase B （pAkt1）］ expression； retinal glucose transporter protein 4 （GLUT4） expression was detected by immunohistochemistry. ResultsCompared with the blank group， fasting blood glucose of mice in the model group at weeks 1， 2， 3， and 4， blood glucose and area under the curve （AUC） at different time point of OGTT and ITT test， fasting serum insulin， and HOMA-IR increased （P＜0.05， P＜0.01）； in the Morris water maze experiment， the escape latency increased from day 3 to day 5， and the number of crossing platforms， the percentage of target quadrant distance， and the percentage of target quadrant time decreased （P＜0.05， P＜0.01）； the outer nuclear layer of the retina became sparse， thinner， and the number of ganglion cells decreases （P＜0.01）； the expression level of retinal glucose increased， while the expression levels of insulin， pIRS1/IRS1， PI3K/β-Actin， pAkt1/Akt1， and GLUT4 proteins decreased （P＜0.01）. Compared with the model group， fasting blood glucose at week 4， blood glucose at each time point of the OGTT and ITT tests AUC decreased （P＜0.05， P＜0.01）， and fasting serum insulin and HOMA-IR decreased （P＜0.05） in Dihuang Yinzi Decoction group； In the Morris water maze test， the escape latency shortened on day 4 and day 5， number of platform crossings， target quadrant distance as a proportion of total distance， and target quadrant movement time as a proportion of total time decreased （P＜0.05， P＜0.01）； retinal pathological changes alleviated， and retinal thickness and ganglion cell number increased （P＜0.01）； retinal glucose content decreased， and retinal pIRS1/IRS1， PI3K/β-Actin， and GLUT4 protein expression elevated （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionsDihuang Yinzi Decoction can improve cognitive dysfunction of Alzheimer's disease， which may be related to regulating retinal insulin content and insulin signaling pathway.

Objective:To design and evaluate the application value of intracavitary-interstitial brachytherapy (IC-ISBT) applicator template for locally advanced cervical cancer.Methods:MRI data of 100 patients with ⅡB-ⅣA stage cervical cancer (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2018 staging system) before and after external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) admitted to Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from March 2019 to September 2020 were collected. The range of primary cervical lesions was retrospectively analyzed and compared. Based on the residual mass of patients, the corresponding high-risk clinical target volume (HR-CTV) was delineated, and the IC-ISBT applicator template was designed and initially applied to cervical cancer patients. Dosimetry analysis and efficacy evaluation were compared between the applicator template-guided ( n=37) and free-hand implantation groups ( n=63). Chi-square test or Fisher exact test was performed for categorical variables, and t-test or U-test for continuous variables. Results:The median distance between the residual tumor margin (clockwise 3, 6, 9, 12 o'clock) and the center of 100 patients with ⅡB-ⅣA stage cervical cancer after EBRT was 16.5, 14.0, 17.0 and 13.0 mm, respectively. The corresponding HR-CTV was superimposed to reconstruct the three-dimensional diagram, and the cylindrical IC-ISBT applicator template with mushroom-like head was designed and manufactured: the longest and shortest diameter of the head was 35 and 20 mm, respectively; the central channel was adapted to the uterine tube, the C1-C12 channels was arranged in inner circle, and the peripheral B1-B5 and A1-A4 pin channels were expanded bilaterally. In terms of dose coverage, there was no significant difference between the HR-CTV D 90% [(635.12±22.65) vs. (635.80±25.84) cGy], bladder D 2 cm3 [(473.79±44.78) vs. (463.55±66.43) cGy)], rectum D 2 cm3 [(396.99±73.54) vs. (408.00±73.94) cGy] and sigmoid colon D 2 cm3 [(293.07±152.72) vs. (311.31±135.77) cGy] between the template-guided and free-hand implantation groups (all P>0.05), but the HR-CTV D 98% was significantly higher [(544.78±32.07) vs. (536.78±32.04) cGy, P=0.007] and the rectum D 1 cm3 and D 0.1 cm3 were significantly lower [(438.62±69.65) vs. (453.97±67.89) cGy, P=0.016; (519.46±70.67) vs. (543.82±81.24) cGy, P=0.001] in the template-guided implantation group. In addition, there was no significant difference in the complete response rate between two groups (86% vs. 83%, P>0.05). Conclusions:This IC-ISBT applicator template is reasonably designed, and the therapeutic efficacy of the template-guided implantation is equivalent to that of free-hand implantation. The dose coverage of the target area meets the clinical demand with a better protection of the organs at risk. The applicator template has the potential to be widely used as a conventional template in clinical practice as the applicator-guided implantation is convenient to operate and repeat.

Objective:Based on the needs of advanced nursing practice development, to establish an indicator system of role function of position of oncology genetic nurses suitable for our national condition, and to provide a basis for position establishing of nocology genetic nurses.Methods:Initial indexes were generated through the literature review and semi-structured interviews. From September to December 2022, two rounds of expert consultations and analytic hierarchy process were conducted to establish the evaluation index for role function of position of oncology genetic nurses.Results:A total of 43 experts were included in the study, the response rates of 2 rounds were 93.62%(44/47) and 97.73%(43/44), and the authority coefficients of the experts were 0.821 and 0.853. The Kendall′s coefficients of concordance for the 2 rounds of consultations were 0.100-0.150 (all P<0.01) and 0.101-0.237 (all P<0.01). Finally, the role function system of position for oncology genetic nurses was formed, which consisted of 5 first-level indexes, 17 second-level indexes and 86 third-level indexes. Conclusions:The system of role function of position for oncology genetic nurses is reasonable, scientific and reliable, professional and specific, which can provide a theoretical reference for the development of advanced nursing practice on hereditary oncology in China.

Objective To compare the performances of 3D MERGE sequence and 3D SPACE STIR sequence in detecting lumbar disc herniation(LDH).Methods The clinical data and MRI data of 135 LDH patients admitted between January 2020 and November 2022 were analyzed retrospectively.All patients were examined using conventional MRI,3D MERGE sequence and 3D SPACE STIR sequence.The consistency of 3D MERGE sequence and 3D SPACE STIR sequence in measuring the diameter of nerve root was analyzed,and the image quality parameters[signal-to-noise ratio(SNR),contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)]and image definition score of the two sequences were evaluated.Results There were no statistically significant differences in L3-S1 nerve root diameters measured by 3D MERGE sequence and 3D SPACE STIR sequence(P＞0.05),and the diameters of L3,L4,L5 and S1 measured by the two sequences showed high correlations(r=0.957,0.986,0.975,0.972,P＜0.05).Compared with 3D SPACE STIR sequence,3D MERGE sequence had higher SNR and CNR,scored better on image definition,and displayed nerve root more clearly(P＜0.05).Conclusion 3D MERGE sequence and 3D SPACE STIR sequence have high consistency in the measurement of LDH nerve root diameter.3D MERGE sequence can display the anatomical morphology of nerve root more clearly as compared with 3D SPACE STIR sequence,and the former one has higher image quality.