OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of total flavonoids from Carthamus tinctorius L. （TFCTL） on hepatic stellate cell （HSC） activation based on the microRNA （miRNA）-204/NUAK family SNF1-like kinase 1 （NUAK1）/Hippo signaling axis， thereby elucidating the potential mechanism underlying their antifibrotic effects. METHODS The HSC-T6 cells were divided into control group， model group， TFCTL low-concentration group （20 μg/mL）， TFCTL medium-concentration group （40 μg/mL）， and TFCTL high-concentration group （60 μg/mL）. Except for control group， the remaining groups were treated with 5 ng/mL of transforming growth factor-β to induce the activation of hepatic stellate cells， followed by the addition of corresponding drug solutions/culture medium and incubation for 24 hours. Cell apoptosis was assessed， the expression levels of α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， type Ⅰ collagen （Collagen Ⅰ） and proteins associated with the Hippo/Yes-associated protein （YAP） pathway [YAP， large tumor suppressor kinase 1 （LATS1）， and mammalian STE20-like kinase 1 （MST1）] were detected. Additionally， cell transfection was used to investigate the activity of the miRNA-204/NUAK1/Hippo signaling axis at both the genetic and protein levels. RESULTS After intervention with TFCTL， the apoptosis rate of HSC-T6 cells and the protein expressions of MST1 （except for the TFCTL high-concentration group） and LATS1 were significantly increased （P＜0.05）， while the protein expressions of α-SMA， CollagenⅠ， and YAP （except for the TFCTL medium-concentration group） were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. Further results from cell transfection experiments revealed that after transfection with miRNA-204 mimics， the mRNA it’s protein expressions of α-SMA， CollagenⅠ， NUAK1， and YAP in HSC-T6 cells were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）， while the mRNA and protein expressions of LATS1 and the mRNA expression of MST1 were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Conversely， the results were opposite following transfection with miRNA-204 inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS TFCTL can exert anti-hepatic fibrosis effects by up-regulating the expression of miRNA-204， thereby down- regulating the expressions of NUAK1， inactivating the Hippo/YAP pathway， which in turn suppresses the activation of HSC and promotes their apoptosis.

BackgroundIn recent years， the incidence of depression among adolescents has been increasing steadily， posing a serious threat to their physical and mental health and even leading to severe consequences such as self-harm and suicide. At the same time， the detection rate of subclinical depression symptoms among adolescents is even higher. Although these symptoms do not meet the clinical diagnostic criteria， they have significantly affected their quality of life， and their persistence over time may further develop into depression. Therefore， in-depth exploration of adolescent depression symptoms and the predictive factors holds significant practical significance and research value. However， up to now， no large-scale investigation and research on depression symptoms among children and adolescents has been conducted in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. ObjectiveTo understand the prevalence of depressive symptoms among children and adolescents in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， in order to provide references for formulating scientific and effective prevention strategies and intervention measures. MethodsBy using the cluster stratified random sampling method， 6 281 students from the third grade of primary school to the second grade of high school in 12 leagues and cities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were selected in March 2024. A self-designed questionnaire and the Self-rating Depression Scale （SDS） were used for on-site investigation. ResultsA total of 6 058 （96.45%） children and adolescents completed the valid questionnaire survey， and 2 728 cases （45.03%） were found to have depressive symptoms. There were statistically significant differences in the detection rates of depressive symptoms among children and adolescents of different genders， ages， whether they were only children， different family types， family monthly income， parents' educational levels， and whether the mother was employed （χ²=33.769， 40.618， 48.593， 29.972， 142.648， 195.999， 168.190， 5.445， P<0.05 or 0.01）.The results of the Logistic regression analysis showed that for children and adolescents， being female， aged between 12 and 16， over 16 years old， not being an only child， living in a reconstituted family， having a monthly family income of less than 5 000 yuan， and having parents with an education level of primary school or below were predictors of depressive symptoms （OR=1.241， 1.427， 1.273， 1.177， 1.549， 1.278， 1.462， 1.417， 1.514， 1.929， 1.660， 1.528， P<0.05 or 0.01）. ConclusionThe detection rate of depressive symptoms among children and adolescents in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is relatively high. Factors that may predict depressive symptoms in children and adolescents include female gender， ages between 12 and 16， ages over 16 years old， non-only children， families with a restructured structure， monthly family income of less than 5 000 yuan， and parents with an education level of primary school or below. ［Funded by Science and Technology Planning Project of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region （number， 2022YFSH0119）］

ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the material basis of the anti-inflammatory efficacy and mechanism of action of Bushen Tongdu prescription （BSTDP）. MethodsThe chemical components of BSTDP and its blood-absorbed components in vivo were systematically identified by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-linear ion trap-electrostatic field orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry （UPLC-LIT-Orbitrap-MS）. Network pharmacology was employed to screen blood-absorbed bioactive components and potential targets of this formula. A protein-protein interaction （PPI） network of core targets was constructed to conduct enrichment analysis. Molecular docking was further utilized to verify the binding affinity between key components and targets. The inflammatory model was established and verified in vivo by using a transgenic zebrafish Tg （mpx： GFP）. At three days post-fertilization （3 dpf）， larvae of zebrafish were randomly assigned to blank group， model group， positive drug dexamethasone acetate group （75 μmol·L^-1）， and BSTDP groups with low， medium， and high doses （500， 1 000， and 2 000 mg·L^-1）. The distribution and quantity of neutrophils in the yolk sac region were observed under a fluorescence microscope. The mRNA expression levels of key genes in the toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）/myeloid differentiation factor 88 （MyD88）/nuclear factor kappa-B （NF-κB） signaling pathway and inflammatory factors including interleukin （IL）-1β， IL-6， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were detected by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. ResultsA total of 120 chemical components were identified in BSTDP， among which 26 original components were confirmed by using serum pharmacochemical methods. A total of 227 common targets linking rheumatoid arthritis （RA） and the blood-absorbed components were screened by network pharmacology. It is suggested that pseudobrucine， vomicine， sinapine， rehmannioside， cinnamyl alcohol glycoside， and methylephedrine exert anti-inflammatory effects by acting on core targets including protein kinase B1 （Akt1）， signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， tumor necrosis factor （TNF）， TLR4， mitogen-activated protein kinase 14 （MAPK14）， and phosphatidylinositol-4，5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit α （PIK3CA）， thereby modulating multiple signaling pathways such as TLR4 and NF-κB. In vivo verification in zebrafish demonstrates that the maximum tolerable concentration of Bushen Tongdu Formula is 2 000 mg·L^-1. Compared to those in the blank group， zebrafish in the model group showed a significantly higher number of neutrophils in the yolk sac region （P<0.01） and rising mRNA levels of TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB， TNF-α， IL-6， and IL-1β （P<0.01）. Compared to that in the model group， the number of neutrophils was significantly reduced in BSTDP groups with medium and high doses， as well as the dexamethasone acetate group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. There was no statistically significant difference in the low dose group. The mRNA expression levels of TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB， TNF-α， IL-6， and IL-1β were significantly down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionThis paper identifies the material basis of the efficacy of BSTDP， demonstrating that the formula can exert an anti-inflammatory effect through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. The results provide scientific experimental evidence for its further clinical application.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the material basis of the anti-inflammatory efficacy and mechanism of action of Bushen Tongdu prescription （BSTDP）. MethodsThe chemical components of BSTDP and its blood-absorbed components in vivo were systematically identified by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-linear ion trap-electrostatic field orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry （UPLC-LIT-Orbitrap-MS）. Network pharmacology was employed to screen blood-absorbed bioactive components and potential targets of this formula. A protein-protein interaction （PPI） network of core targets was constructed to conduct enrichment analysis. Molecular docking was further utilized to verify the binding affinity between key components and targets. The inflammatory model was established and verified in vivo by using a transgenic zebrafish Tg （mpx： GFP）. At three days post-fertilization （3 dpf）， larvae of zebrafish were randomly assigned to blank group， model group， positive drug dexamethasone acetate group （75 μmol·L^-1）， and BSTDP groups with low， medium， and high doses （500， 1 000， and 2 000 mg·L^-1）. The distribution and quantity of neutrophils in the yolk sac region were observed under a fluorescence microscope. The mRNA expression levels of key genes in the toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）/myeloid differentiation factor 88 （MyD88）/nuclear factor kappa-B （NF-κB） signaling pathway and inflammatory factors including interleukin （IL）-1β， IL-6， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were detected by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. ResultsA total of 120 chemical components were identified in BSTDP， among which 26 original components were confirmed by using serum pharmacochemical methods. A total of 227 common targets linking rheumatoid arthritis （RA） and the blood-absorbed components were screened by network pharmacology. It is suggested that pseudobrucine， vomicine， sinapine， rehmannioside， cinnamyl alcohol glycoside， and methylephedrine exert anti-inflammatory effects by acting on core targets including protein kinase B1 （Akt1）， signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， tumor necrosis factor （TNF）， TLR4， mitogen-activated protein kinase 14 （MAPK14）， and phosphatidylinositol-4，5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit α （PIK3CA）， thereby modulating multiple signaling pathways such as TLR4 and NF-κB. In vivo verification in zebrafish demonstrates that the maximum tolerable concentration of Bushen Tongdu Formula is 2 000 mg·L^-1. Compared to those in the blank group， zebrafish in the model group showed a significantly higher number of neutrophils in the yolk sac region （P<0.01） and rising mRNA levels of TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB， TNF-α， IL-6， and IL-1β （P<0.01）. Compared to that in the model group， the number of neutrophils was significantly reduced in BSTDP groups with medium and high doses， as well as the dexamethasone acetate group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. There was no statistically significant difference in the low dose group. The mRNA expression levels of TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB， TNF-α， IL-6， and IL-1β were significantly down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionThis paper identifies the material basis of the efficacy of BSTDP， demonstrating that the formula can exert an anti-inflammatory effect through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. The results provide scientific experimental evidence for its further clinical application.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a combination therapy regimen comprising stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) combined with liposomal irinotecan, camrelizumab, and anti-angiogenic therapy (CAP) in patients with advanced bone and soft tissue sarcomas. Methods This study is a prospective subgroup analysis of the multicenter, open-label, single-arm phase Ⅱ CAP trial (NCT04569916), which enrolled 60 patients with advanced solid tumors who had progressed after standard therapy between November 2020 and February 2023, including 11 patients with advanced bone and soft tissue sarcomas. All patients received sequential liposomal irinotecan within 48 hours after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), followed by maintenance therapy with camrelizumab and an anti-angiogenic agent until disease progression or intolerable toxicity. The primary efficacy endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints included disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. Results In the bone and soft tissue sarcoma subgroup (n=11), three patients achieved partial response (PR), five had stable disease (SD), and three experienced disease progression (PD). ORR was 27.3%, and DCR was 72.7%. mPFS was 5.8 months (95%CI: 2.2-10.3), and mOS not reached. Regarding safety, adverse reactions primarily included bone marrow suppression, fatigue, and gastrointestinal reactions, indicating overall manageable toxicity. Conclusion As a subgroup analysis of the CAP study, this research suggests that radiotherapy combined with liposomal irinotecan, camrelizumab, and anti-angiogenic therapy demonstrates certain efficacy in advanced bone and soft tissue sarcomas that have failed multiple lines of treatment, with overall manageable adverse reactions. Future studies should expand the sample size.

Intraplaque neovascularization(IPN)is a critical feature of carotid atherosclerosis progression and plaque vulnerability.IPN may originate from the adventitial or the luminal side,and its structural defects may exacerbate inflammatory responses,leading to plaque destabilization.Metabolic disorders,inflammatory reactions,and oxidative stress collectively promote IPN formation.Lipid-lowering agents and anti-angiogenic therapies have demonstrated potential in stabilizing plaques,though their precision requires further enhancement.IPN grading correlates with stroke recurrence risks and offers guidance for clinical decision-making.This article aimed to review the pathological mechanisms,detection methods,risk factors,clinical significance of grading,and therapeutic strategies of IPN,thereby providing a scientific basis for the clinical assessment and management of carotid atherosclerosis.

Alzheimer disease(AD)and Parkinson disease(PD)are both common neurodegenerative disorders,which can manifest as cognitive impairments.AD and PD have overlapping and distinct features in cognition-related metabolic pathways,potentially reflecting different underlying mechanisms.MRI can indirectly assess structural and functional changes in metabolic pathways,while PET can evaluate cerebral metabolic activity and functional connectivity.Integration of MRI and PET may provide complementary insights into neural structure and function.This review summarized research progresses in the application of MRI and PET for neuroimaging studies of cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative diseases.

Objective To observe the value of hypoperfusion intensity ratio(HIR)of CT perfusion(CTP)for predicting infarct core progression and prognosis of acute ischemic stroke(AIS).Methods Totally 271 AIS patients were retrospectively enrolled and divided into rapid progression group(group A,n=92)and slow progression group(group B,n=179)according to infarction growth rate(IGR).Clinical data,CTP parameters,treatment strategies and patients' outcome were compared between groups.Receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn,the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the efficacy of HIR for predicting rapid progression in infarct core of AIS.The mediating relationships among HIR,IGR and modified Rankin scale(mRS)90 days after treatment were analyzed.Results Significant differences of National Institute of Health stroke scale(NIHSS)score,Alberta stroke program early CT score(ASPECTS),also of interval time between onset and CTP,infarct core volume,hypoperfusion volume,HIR,whether intravenous thrombolysis and mRS score 90 days after treatments were found between groups(all P＜0.05).The AUC of HIR for predicting infarct core progression of AIS was 0.856,with sensitivity and specificity was 73.91％and 81.56％,respectively,when the optimal cutoff value was 0.42.IGR was a complete mediating variable between HIR and mRS score 90 days after treatment.Conclusion HIR of CTP could be used to effectively predict infarct core progression of AIS,which completely affected prognosis through mediating variable IGR.

AIM:To elucidate the pharmacody-namic and network pharmacological mechanisms of total flavonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.,to ex-plore their key targets and related pathways,and to clarify their mechanism of action against hepatic fibrosis.METHODS:The total flavonoids of Cartha-mus tinctorius L.were determined by LC-MS/MS and analysed for their compositions;the active in-gredients were screened by TCMSP database,SWISS ADME database and literature search;the targets related to total flavonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.were screened by Swiss Target Predic-tion database;and the targets related to hepatic fi-brosis were screened by GeneCards database;the anti-hepatic fibrosis targets of total flavonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.were obtained by taking the intersection of Venny.2.1.0;the protein interac-tions were analysed by STRING database;the visu-alization analysis was carried out by Cytoscape soft-ware;the GO function and KEGG pathway analysis was carried out by Metascape platform;and molec-ular docking was verified by using AutoDock soft-ware for the core targets and active ingredients.The mechanism of anti-hepatic fibrosis of total fla-vonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.was verified by animal model and in vitro cell experiments.RE-SULTS:A total of 41 flavonoid components were identified in Carthamus tinctorius L.Through the network pharmacological analysis,149 anti-hepatic fibrosis targets of total flavonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.were obtained,including 23 core tar-gets.The GO enrichment analyses involved a total of three aspects,namely,biological process(BP),cellular component(CC),and molecular function(MF).KEGG enrichment results showed that PI3K/Akt and MAPK are pathways involved in the devel-opment of hepatic fibrosis.Molecular docking veri-fied that the active ingredients Quercetin,Acacetin and Glabridin were tightly bound to Akt1 and HI-FIA,respectively.In animal model experiments,it was observed by HE and Masson staining that fibro-plasia was reduced,collagen deposition was re-duced,inflammatory cell infiltration was reduced,and fibrotic liver tissues were improved in total fla-vonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.administration group.In isolated cell experiments:Western blot-ting results suggested that total flavonoids of Car-thamus tinctorius L.could decrease the hepatic fi-brosis marker factor α-SMA,Collagen1(P＜0.01)and PI3K,Akt protein expression(P＜0.01).CONCLU-SION:Total flavonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.ex-erted anti-hepatic fibrosis effects through multi-components,multi-targets and multi-pathways,and their mechanism of action may be achieved by regulating the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the treatment and prognosis of esophageal cancer patients with pulmonary resection history.Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 58 esophageal cancer patients with pulmonary resection history who were admitted to Chest Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital from May 2019 to April 2024 were collected. There were 52 males and 6 females, aged (69±3)years. Observation indicators: (1) surgical and postopera-tive conditions; (2) postoperative pathological examination results; (3) follow-up; (4) stratified analysis. Comparison of measurement data with normal distribution between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Comparison of count data between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Comparison of ordinal data between groups was conducted using the non-parametric rank sum test. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curve and calculate survival rate, and the Log-rank test was used for survival analysis. Results:(1) Surgical and postoperative conditions. Of the 58 esophageal cancer patients, 49 patients underwent transthoracic approach (26 cases of ipsilateral approach and 23 cases of contralateral approach of pulmonary resection history), and 9 patients underwent mediastinoscopic-laparoscopic approach. There were 57 cases with R 0 resection and 1 case with R 2 resection because of tumor invading carina. The total operation time of 58 patients was (246±27)minutes, and the volume of intraoperative blood loss was (114±29)mL. There was no unplanned reoperation or perioperative death for all patients. The duration of postoperative hospital stay of 58 patients was (10.4±4.6)days, and time for intensive care unit stay was (1.4±0.5)days, and no patient readmitted to intensive care unit due to changes in conditions. The postoperative total incidence of complications of 58 patients was 41.4%(24/58). The Clavien-Dindo grading of complications for all patients was 1-2 grade. (2) Postoperative pathological examination results. Results of postoperative pathological examination showed there were 51 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 6 cases of adenocarcinoma, and 1 case of melanoma. Number of lymph node dissected of 58 patients was 27±6. The ratio of patient with positive lymph node was 37.9%(22/58). One patient may experience more than 1 region of positive lymph node metastasis. Results of postoperative pathological staging showed 5 cases of ⅠA stage, 2 cases of ⅠB stage, 13 cases of ⅡA stage, 15 cases of ⅡB stage, 4 cases of ⅢA stage, 16 cases of ⅢB stage, and 3 cases of ⅣA stage. Thirteen of the 58 patients underwent neoadjuvant therapy, with the pathological staging as 6 cases of Ⅰ stage, 4 cases of Ⅱ stage, 3 cases of ⅢB stage after therapy. Results of postoperative tumor regression grade for the 13 patients with neoadjuvant therapy showed 4 cases of grad 0, 3 cases of grade 1, 6 cases of grade 2. (3) Follow-up. All 58 patients were followed for 24 (4, 50)months, and no patient died within 90 days after surgery. During the follow-up period, 19 patients experienced tumor recurrence and metastasis and 17 patients died. Twenty-one patients underwent postoperative adjuvant therapy, including 7 cases with chemoradiotherapy, 7 cases with chemotherapy, 3 cases with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, 2 cases with immuno-therapy, 2 cases with radiotherapy. The postoperative 1-, 2-year overall survival rates of the 58 patients were 91.3%, 78.7%, respectively, of whom undergoing McKeown surgery and mediastinoscopic-laparoscopic surgery with postoperative 1-, 2-year overall survival rates as 89.2%, 83.1% and 85.7%, 53.6%, respectively. The postoperative 1-, 2-year esophageal cancer specific survival rates for patients undergoing McKeown surgery and mediastinoscopic-laparoscopic surgery were 94.4%, 87.9% and 85.7%, 71.4%, respectively. There was no significant difference in postoperative 1-, 2-year overall survival rates and postoperative 1-, 2-year esophageal cancer specific survival rates between patients undergoing McKeown surgery and mediastinoscopic-laparoscopic surgery ( P>0.05). (4) Stratified analysis. Of the 49 patients underwent transthoracic approach for esophageal cancer, there were significant differences in surgical method, surgical type, time of chest surgery, cases with upper mediastinal lymph node dissection, and duration of postoperative hospital stay between patients with pulmonary resection history as ipsilateral approach and contralateral approach ( χ2=11.74, 11.68, t=-2.25, χ2=8.45, t=-2.17, P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in total operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, the number of lymph node dissected, post-operative total complications, and postoperative pathological TNM staging ( P>0.05). For patients with pulmonary resection history as ipsilateral approach and contralateral approach, the postopera-tive 1-, 2-year esophageal cancer specific survival rates were 95.5%, 95.5% and 81.4%, 71.1%, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=5.63, P<0.05). Conclusions:The transthoracic approach and mediastinoscopic-laparoscopic approach are safe and feasible for esophageal cancer patients with pulmonary resection history. Compared with patients with pulmonary resection history as contralateral approach, patients with pulmonary resection history as ipsilateral approach have a higher ratio of McKeown surgery, minimally invasive surgery and upper mediastinal lymph node dissection, shorter time of chest surgery and duration of postoperative hospital stay, better esophageal cancer specific survival rate. And there is no increase in perioperative risk.