Lenticules are derivative biomaterials obtained from femtosecond laser small incision lenticule extraction(SMILE). Compared to other corneal tissues, they are readily available and exhibit biomechanical properties similar to donor corneas, and have been widely used in clinical treatments. Studies have confirmed that lenticules has a significant effect on various eye diseases such as presbyopia, hyperopia, advanced keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, corneal ulcer and perforation. For cases where immediate lenticule transplantation is unfeasible, establishing effective lenticule preservation systems is critically essential. The current mainstream preservation techniques include cryopreservation combined with media, medium preservation, decellularization preservation, nutritive capsule, and exsiccation, among others. To alleviate the shortage of corneal donors and expand their therapeutic applications in ocular diseases, this review comprehensively summarizes existing preservation technologies for corneal stromal lenticules and synthesizes recent advances in their clinical utilization.

BACKGROUND: Chronic liver disease (CLD), mainly non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is a significant public health concern worldwide. This study aims to quantify the burden of NAFLD in CLD globally and within China, using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021, providing crucial insights for global and local health policies. METHODS: The study used comprehensive data from the GBD study 2021. It included estimates of prevalence, incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Age-standardized rates and average annual percent change (AAPC) from 2011 to 2021 were reported. A meticulous decomposition analysis was conducted. RESULTS: In 2021, there were 1582.5 million prevalent cases, 47.6 million incident cases, 1.4 million deaths, and 44.4 million DALYs attributable to CLD, globally. Among these, NAFLD has emerged as the predominant cause, accounting for 78.0% of all prevalent CLD cases (1234.7 million) and 87.2% of incident cases (41.5 million). Correspondingly, NAFLD had the highest age-standardized prevalence (15,017.5 per 100,000 population) and incidence (876.5 per 100,000 population) rates among CLDs. In addition, China's CLD age-standardized prevalence rate was 21,659.5 per 100,000 population, and the age-standardized incidence rate was 752.6 per 100,000 population, higher than the global average. From 2011 to 2021, the global prevalence rate of CLD increased slowly (AAPC = 0.17), consistent with the trend in China (AAPC = 0.23). Furthermore, the prevalence rate of NAFLD rose significantly in China (AAPC = 1.30) compared with the global average (AAPC = 0.91). Decomposition analysis also showed the worldwide increase in deaths and DALYs for NAFLD, which were primarily attributable to population growth and aging. CONCLUSIONS The burden of CLD and NAFLD remains substantial globally and within China in terms of high prevalence and incidence. As such, this underscores the need for targeted prevention and treatment strategies. These findings emphasize the importance of continued surveillance and research to mitigate the growing impact of liver diseases on global and Chinese health systems.
Humans ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/mortality* ; Global Burden of Disease ; China/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Male ; Disability-Adjusted Life Years ; Female ; Incidence ; Middle Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Adult ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years ; Liver Diseases/epidemiology* ; Aged

In recent years， the exploration and development of artificial intelligence （AI） technology in clinical trials for liver diseases have promoted the continuous innovation of research methods and processes in this field. AI has gradually become an important technical tool for various links of clinical trial including patient selection， risk stratification， endpoint evaluation， and result interpretation. Nevertheless， the standardized integration of AI into clinical trials still faces the methodological challenges such as data quality control， model interpretability， and causal inference. From the perspective of methodology， this article systematically reviews the principal application scenarios of AI as an object under investigation （validation trials） and as a research tool （supportive trials） in clinical trials for liver diseases， as well as the major methodological challenges of AI-related clinical trials along and the corresponding solution strategies， in order to provide methodological guidance for promoting the scientific and standardized implementation of AI technologies.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection represents a significant global health challenge. Current therapeutic options, such as interferon and nucleoside analogues (NAs), are limited by issues including long-term medication toxicity, the virus's propensity to develop drug resistance, and the inability to eradicate covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA). Core protein allosteric modulators (CpAMs), as an emerging class of anti-HBV drugs, target HBcAg to interfere with capsid assembly. This not only blocks viral nucleocapsid formation and inhibits viral replication but also indirectly destabilizes the cccDNA pool, while exhibiting a relatively high genetic barrier to resistance. This article systematically evaluates HBV drug resistance to CpAMs and proposes anti-resistance strategies, including the combination of nucleoside analogues with CpAMs, enhancing protein-drug interactions, targeting HBcAg degradation, designing multi-target inhibitors, and employing combination therapy. Looking ahead, the integration of structural biology, computational chemistry, and immunotherapy will offer innovative approaches for developing novel, highly effective, and low-resistance inhibitors, thereby advancing the functional cure of hepatitis B.

Objective : To explore the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs) in D-loop region of mitochondrial DNA ( mtDNA) and mtDNA copy number and the risk of dermatomyositis ( DM) ，and its in- fluencing factors． Methods : 74 patients with DM and 92 healthy controls were included in the study． Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and the target fragment of mtDNA D-loop region was amplified by PCR technique，and the products were subsequently sequenced．Serum levels of ROS were assessed using a high-sensi- tivity reactive oxygen species detection kit．The expression levels of cytokines，interleukin ( IL) -5，IL-13，inter- feron-γ ( IFN-γ) ，IL-2，IL-6，IL-10，tumor necrosis factor-α ( TNF-α) and IL-4 were measured using Flow Fluo- rescence Immunmicrobeads Assay．Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to assess the potential correlation between cy- tokines and SNPs associated with DM risk．The relative copy number of mtDNA was measured using quantitative re- al-time polymerase chain reaction ( qPCR) analysis． Results : Two SNPs ( 16304T / C，16519T / C) were found to be associated with the risk of developing DM，and alleles 16304C ( χ2 = 4. 937，P = 0. 026) and 16519C ( χ2 = 4. 405，P = 0. 036) in the mitochondrial D-loop region were confirmed to be associated with DM development risk． The DM risk-associated allele 16304C was significantly associated with lower IL-4 expression ( P = 0. 016) ．The mtDNA copy number was significantly higher in DM patients than in controls ( P ＜0. 001) ． Conclusion Mitochondrial D-loop SNPs can be potential biomarkers for DM risk，and SNPs may be involved in DM by influencing cytokines．DM shows high expression of mtDNA copy number，and the increase in mtDNA copy number may lead to mitochondrial dysfunction，which triggers the pathogenesis of DM．

Hyaluronic acid (HA) possesses excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-immunogenicity, and exhibits active targeting capability to receptors such as cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44). Therefore, HA has become an important material for the design and preparation of drug delivery carriers in recent years. HA is rich in functional groups that can be chemically modified, but different modification methods and sites can affect its biological properties. This paper summarizes and discusses the effects of chemical modification on the biological properties of HA based on the formation mechanisms of such properties, as well as the derivatization and characterization methods of HA, so as to provide some reference for rational research on chemical modification of HA.

ObjectiveTo investigate the awareness and clinical practice of guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis B （2022 edition） among clinicians. MethodsFrom July 19 to December 31， 2024， a self-designed electronic questionnaire was distributed via the WeChat mini program to collect related data from 1 588 clinicians nationwide， including their awareness and practice based on 18 questions regarding testing and referral， diagnosis and treatment， and follow-up. ResultsAmong all respondents， only 350 clinicians correctly understood all the updated key points of antiviral indications and treatment for special populations in the 2022 edition of guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis B， with an overall awareness rate of 22.0%. Only 20% ‍—‍ ‍40% of the patients with positive HBV DNA and an age of >30 years receive antiviral therapy， while 80% ‍—‍ ‍100% of the patients with positive HBV DNA and a family history of hepatitis B cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma receive antiviral therapy. The median follow-up rates at 1 year， 3 years， and 5 years were 67.5% 57.5% and 47.5%，respectively， showing a trend of gradual reduction， which might be associated with the influencing factors such as insufficient time for follow-up management by clinicians， insufficient awareness of the disease among patients， and poor adherence to follow-up. ConclusionThere is a gap between the awareness and practice of guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis B （2022 edition） among clinicians. It is recommended to further strengthen training and focus on the whole process of “detection， diagnosis， treatment， and management” for patients with chronic hepatitis B in healthcare institutions， in order to promote the implementation of the guidelines.

Albumin is widely used in clinical practice， and the rationality of trial design directly affects the reliability of research findings and clinical application value. This article reviews the key statistical considerations in the design of albumin clinical trials， including the selection of primary endpoints， the establishment of statistical hypotheses and non-inferiority margins， clinical evaluation criteria for ascites improvement， sample size， and interim analyses， in order to provide methodological guidance for clinical researchers to optimize clinical trial design and enhance its scientific rigor and feasibility.