Objective To explore the influencing factors of liver fibrosis in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)complicated with chronic hepatitis B(CHB),and to find clinically convenient predictive parameters for assessing liver fibrosis risk.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 221 cases of MAFLD with CHB diagnosed and treated at the Second Hospital of Lanzhou University between January 2015 and August 2022.Patients were divided into low-risk(FIB-4<1.30,n=84),medium-risk(1.30≤FIB-4≤2.67,n=94)and high-risk(FIB-4>2.67,n=43)liver fibrosis groups based on the Fibrosis-4(FIB-4)index.General clinical data,laboratory indicators and composite indicators were compared among the three groups.Variables were screened using forward stepwise regression,and binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine independent predictors of liver fibrosis.A prediction model was constructed and evaluated using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis.Results Age,AST and Triglyceride-glucose index(TyG)were independent risk factors for liver fibrosis in patients with MAFLD combined with CHB,while platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio(PLR)was an independent protective factor(all P<0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)for age,AST,TyG,PLR,age-AST and AST-TyG in predicting liver fibrosis were 0.668,0.764,0.680,0.738,0.856 and 0.805,respectively.At the optimal cut-off values,the sensitivities were 86.0%,67.4%,93.0%,62.8%,86.0%and 79.1%,and the specificities were 43.3%,82.0%,51.7%,86.0%,71.3%and 70.2%.Conclusion Age,AST,TyG and PLR are influencing factors of liver fibrosis in MAFLD combined with CHB patients.The parameters established based on these factors may predict the risk of liver fibrosis,and combined prediction can improve predictive efficacy.

Metastatic dissemination is the major cause of death from breast-cancer (BC). Fusobacterium nucleatum (F.n) is widely enriched in BC and has recently been identified as one of the high-risk factors for promoting BC metastasis. Here, with an experimental model, we demonstrated that intratumoral F.n induced BC aggressiveness by transcriptionally activating Epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated genes. Therefore, the F.n may be a potential target to prevent metastasis. Given the fact that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are abundant in BC and located near blood vessels, we report an optogenetic system that drives CAF to in situ produce human antibacterial peptide LL37, with the characteristics of biosafety and freely intercellular trafficking, for depleting intratumoral F.n, leading to a 72.1% reduction in lung metastatic nodules number without affecting the balance of the systemic flora. Notably, mild photothermal treatment was found that could normalize CAF, contributing to synergistically inhibiting BC metastasis. In addition, the system can also simultaneously encode a gene of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand to suppress the primary tumor. Together, our study highlights the potential of local elimination of tumor pathogenic bacteria to prevent BC metastasis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the significance of different non-treatment thresholds or upper limits of normal （ULN） of alanine aminotransferase （ALT） in evaluating significant liver pathological injury in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus （HBV） infection， and to provide guidance for clinical diagnosis and treatment. MethodsThis study was conducted among 733 patients with chronic HBV infection who were hospitalized in Ningbo No. 2 Hospital from January 2015 to December 2023 and underwent liver biopsy and histopathological examination， and all patients had a persistent ALT level of ≤40 U/L and positive HBV DNA （>30 IU/mL）. According to the treatment threshold or ULN of ALT， the patients were divided into group 1 with 575 patients （≤35 U/L for male patients， ≤25 U/L for female patients）， group 2 with 430 patients （≤30 U/L for male patients， ≤19 U/L for female patients）， group 3 with 443 patients （≤27 U/L for male patients， ≤24 U/L for female patients）， group 4 with 446 patients （≤25 U/L）， group 5 with 158 patients （>35 U/L for male patients， >25 U/L for female patients）， and group 6 with 145 patients （>30 — ≤35 U/L for male patients， >19 — ≤25 U/L for female patients）. Groups 2， 5， and 6 were compared to analyze the severity of liver pathological injury in patients with different ALT levels and the constituent ratio of patients with significant liver pathological injury， and groups 1， 2， 3， and 4 were compared to investigate the value of different ULN or non-treatment thresholds of ALT in determining liver inflammation grade （G）， liver fibrosis stage （S）， and the treatment indication based on liver pathology. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups； a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test or the Tambane’s test was used for further comparison between two groups； the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison between multiple groups and further comparison between two groups； the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups； a Ridit analysis was used for comparison of ranked data. A multivariate Logistic regression analysis （forward stepwise） was performed with whether liver pathology met the treatment indication （≥G2 and/or ≥S2） as the dependent variable and related factors with a significant impact on the dependent variable （P <0.05） as the independent variable. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was plotted， and the area under the ROC curve （AUC）， as well as sensitivity， specificity， positive predictive value， negative predictive value， positive likelihood ratio， and negative likelihood ratio， was used to assess the diagnostic value of different non-treatment thresholds of ALT. ResultsAmong the 733 patients， 259 （35.33%） had ≥G2 liver inflammation， 211 （28.79%） had ≥S2 liver fibrosis， and 306 （41.75%） had treatment indication （≥G2 and/or ≥S2）. There was a significant difference in liver inflammation grade （G0 — G4） between groups 2， 5， and 6 （χ²=22.869， P <0.001）， and there were also significant differences in the constituent ratios of patients with ≥G2 or ≥G3 liver inflammation between the three groups （χ²=21.742 and 14.921， P<0.001 and P=0.001）. There was a significant difference in liver fibrosis stage （S0 — S4） between groups 2， 5， and 6 （χ²=16.565， P<0.001）， and there were also significant differences in the constituent ratios of patients with ≥S2， ≥S3 or S4 liver fibrosis between the three groups （χ²=13.264， 13.050， and 6.260， P=0.001， 0.001， and 0.044）. There were significant differences between groups 2， 5， and 6 in the constituent ratios of patients with or without treatment indication based on liver pathology （χ²=20.728， P<0.001）. There were significant differences between groups 2， 5， and 6 in the constituent ratio of male patients （χ²=24.836， P<0.05）， age （F=5.710， P<0.05）， ALT （F=473.193， P<0.05）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST） （F=107.774， P<0.05）， ALT/AST ratio （F=40.167， P<0.05）， γ-glutamyl transpeptidase （GGT） （H=15.463， P<0.05）， aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index （APRI） （H=63.024， P<0.05）， and LIF-5 （5 indicators for liver inflammation and fibrosis） （H=46.397， P<0.05）. In groups 1 — 4， compared with the patients without treatment indication， the patients with treatment indication had a significantly lower constituent ratio of patients with positive HBeAg， significantly lower levels of platelet count （PLT） and HBV DNA， and significantly higher age， ALT， AST， GGT， APRI， FIB-4， and LIF-5 （all P<0.05）. The Logistic regression analysis showed that age （odds ratio ［OR］=1.044， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 1.025 — 1.063， P<0.001）， GGT （OR=1.022， 95%CI： 1.007 — 1.038， P=0.003）， and HBV DNA （OR=0.839， 95%CI： 0.765 — 0.919， P<0.001） were influencing factors for treatment indication based on liver pathology in group 1； HBeAg （OR=1.978， 95%CI： 1.269 — 3.082， P=0.003）， age （OR=1.048， 95%CI： 1.025 — 1.071， P<0.001）， GGT （OR=1.016， 95%CI： 1.001 — 1.031， P=0.041）， and PLT （OR=0.995， 95%CI： 0.991 — 1.000， P=0.049） were influencing factors in group 2； age （OR=1.040， 95%CI： 1.014 — 1.066， P=0.002）， ALT （OR=1.047， 95%CI： 1.005 — 1.092， P=0.029）， HBV DNA （OR=0.817， 95%CI： 0.736 — 0.907， P<0.001）， and LIF-5 （OR=7.382， 95%CI： 1.151 — 47.330， P=0.035） were influencing factors in group 3； age （OR=1.054， 95%CI： 1.031 — 1.077， P<0.001）， ALT （OR=1.061， 95%CI： 1.016 — 1.107， P=0.008）， and HBV DNA （OR=0.825， 95%CI： 0.743 — 0.917， P<0.001） were influencing factors in group 4. The diagnostic performance for identifying ≥G2 liver inflammation， ≥S2 liver fibrosis， and treatment indication in groups 1 — 4 had an AUC of >0.7； group 1 showed the lowest sensitivity （28.76%） and the highest specificity， positive predictive value， positive likelihood ratio， and negative likelihood ratio in judging treatment indication； group 2 had the highest sensitivity and negative predictive value and the lowest negative likelihood ratio； groups 3 and 4 had similar diagnostic indicators. ConclusionIn patients with chronic HBV infection and a persistently low ALT level， the severity of liver histopathological injury and the constituent ratio of significant liver histopathological injury decrease with the reduction in ALT level. A higher non-treatment threshold or ULN of ALT can help to identify the patients requiring treatment （with a higher specificity）， while a lower non-treatment threshold or ULN of ALT can help to identify the patients who do not require treatment （with a higher sensitivity）.

Objective:To explore the effect of esketamine on lung ischemia-reperfusion oxidative stress markers and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing radical surgery for lung cancer.Methods:A prospective randomized-controlled study was conducted. A total of 60 patients undergoing radical lung cancer surgery in Cangzhou People's Hospital from October 2023 to April 2024 were selected as the research objects. The patients were randomly divided into group E (30 cases) and group C (30 cases) according to the envelope drawing method. The patients in group E received an intravenous injection of esketamine at 0.5 mg/kg before skin incision, followed by continuous intravenous infusion until 30 minutes before the end of surgery. The patients in group C was administered an equivalent dose of 0.9% NaCl solution. The lung function, inflammatory factors, oxidative stress markers, and the incidence of complications were compared between the 2 groups at different time intervals [after anesthesia induction (T 1), 60 minutes after single-lung ventilation (T 2), 30 minutes after resuming bilateral lung ventilation (T 3), and 60 minutes after resuming bilateral lung ventilation (T 4)]. Results:The age of patients in both groups was (62±8) years. At T 2, T 3, and T 4, the oxygenation index (OI) of group E [(413±57), (387±52), (364±48) mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa), respectively] was higher than that of group C [(377±52), (359±47), (333±42) mmHg, respectively]. The intrapulmonary shunt rate of group E [(26.9±3.3)%, (24.6±3.1)%, (13.3±2.2)%, respectively] was lower than that of group C[(33.5±4.3)%, (28.4±3.7)%, (16.2±2.7)%, respectively], and the differences were statistically significant ( t = 2.56, 2.16, 2.66, 6.29, 4.34, 4.32, respectively); the differences in the above indictors at T 1 between the 2 groups were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05), and there were statistically significant differences in the above indictors at T 1, T 2, T 3, T 4 between the 2 groups (all P < 0.001). At T 4, the levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and interleukin-8 in group E [(93±11) ng/ml, (14.9±1.7) pg/ml, (11.4±2.2) pg/ml, respectively] were lower than those in group C [(136±15) ng/ml, (19.9±2.8) pg/ml, (15.6±4.6) pg/ml, respectively], and the differences were statistically significant ( t = 12.89, 8.40, 4.61, all P < 0.001). At T 1, the differences in the levels of inflammatory factors of both groups were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05); and the levels of inflammatory factors at T 4 were lower than those at T 1 of both groups, and the differences were statistically significantly (all P < 0.001). At T 4, the level of superoxide dismutase in group E [(66±6) U/ml] was higher than that in group C [(56±5) U/ml]. The levels of myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde and catalase in group E [(3.0±0.4) U/g, (4.01±0.26) mmol/ml, (44±5) U/ml, respectively] were lower than those in group C [(5.7±0.7) U/g, (4.91±0.52) mmol/ml, (56±6) U/ml, respectively],and the differences were statistically significant ( t = 6.43, 18.83, 8.48, 8.74, all P < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the levels of oxidative stress indicators between the 2 groups at T 1, while there were statistically significant differences in the levels of oxidative stress indicators between the 2 groups at T 1 and T 4 (all P < 0.001). The incidence of complications in group E [6.7% (2/30)] was lower than that in group C [26.7% (8/30)], and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2 = 4.32, P = 0.038). Conclusions:Esketamine can alleviate lung ischemia-reperfusion injury, improve postoperative oxygenation function, and reduce the incidence of complications.

Hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection is the main risk factor for the development and progres-sion of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Through re-peated inflammatory stimulation,liver cells regen-eration,fibrosis,and scar formation,it may eventu-ally progress to HCC.Antiviral treatment reduces the incidence of HBV-related HCC and the risk of postoperative recurrence by reducing HBV DNA lev-el,thereby improving prognosis.Many recent stud-ies have found that different kinds of nucleos(t)ide analogues(NAs)may have differential improve-ments in the prevention of HBV-related HCC occur-rence and postoperative recurrence.This article re-views the differential improvement of different cat-egories of NAs in HBV-related HCC and the possible mechanisms.

Objective:To explore the clinical value of combination of contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)and magnetic reso-nance imaging(MRI)in the diagnosis of parotid gland tumors.Methods:167 patients with parotid gland tumors were diagnosed by CEUS and MRI respectively and in combination.With postoperative pathological diagnosis result as the gold standard,the diagnos-tic value of CEUS combined with MRI(CEUS+MRI)was analyzed.Results:171 tumors were confirmed by postoperative pathology in 167 patients,including 143 benign tumors(83.63％)and 28 malignant tumors(16.37％).The benign tumors were mainly pleo-morphic adenoma(65 tumors,45.45％),Warthin tumor(40 tumors,27.97％)and basal cell adenoma(13 tumors,9.09％).Among the malignant tumors,mucoepidermoid carcinoma(7 tumors,25.00％),adenoid cystic carcinoma(6 tumors,21.43％)and acinic cell carcinoma(3 tumors,10.71％)were the most common.CEUS showed 39 cases of malignant parotid gland tumors and 132 cases of benign parotid gland tumors.The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy rate of CEUS were 57.14％,83.92％and 79.53％respectively.The MRI ADC values were manifested as pleomorphic adenoma＞malignant tumor＞Warthin tumor(P＜0.05).MRI showed 53 cases of malignant parotid gland tumors and 118 cases of benign parotid gland tumors,and the sensitivity,specifici-ty and accuracy rate of MRI diagnosis were 67.86％,76.22％and 74.85％respectively.CEUS+MRI revealed 33 cases of malig-nant parotid gland tumors and 138 cases of benign parotid gland tumors,the sensitivity,specificity and accuracy rate of CEUS+MRI diagnosis were 78.57％,92.31％and 90.06％respectively.The specificity and accuracy rate of CEUS+MRI were significantly higher than those of single examination(x2=4.806,13.951,7.348,13.664,allP＜0.05).Conclusion:Both CEUS and MRI have certain clinical value in the diagnosis of parotid gland tumors,and the specificity and accuracy rate of CEUS+MRI are significantly higher than those of single examination.

Hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection is the main risk factor for the development and progres-sion of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Through re-peated inflammatory stimulation,liver cells regen-eration,fibrosis,and scar formation,it may eventu-ally progress to HCC.Antiviral treatment reduces the incidence of HBV-related HCC and the risk of postoperative recurrence by reducing HBV DNA lev-el,thereby improving prognosis.Many recent stud-ies have found that different kinds of nucleos(t)ide analogues(NAs)may have differential improve-ments in the prevention of HBV-related HCC occur-rence and postoperative recurrence.This article re-views the differential improvement of different cat-egories of NAs in HBV-related HCC and the possible mechanisms.

Objective:To explore the clinical value of combination of contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)and magnetic reso-nance imaging(MRI)in the diagnosis of parotid gland tumors.Methods:167 patients with parotid gland tumors were diagnosed by CEUS and MRI respectively and in combination.With postoperative pathological diagnosis result as the gold standard,the diagnos-tic value of CEUS combined with MRI(CEUS+MRI)was analyzed.Results:171 tumors were confirmed by postoperative pathology in 167 patients,including 143 benign tumors(83.63％)and 28 malignant tumors(16.37％).The benign tumors were mainly pleo-morphic adenoma(65 tumors,45.45％),Warthin tumor(40 tumors,27.97％)and basal cell adenoma(13 tumors,9.09％).Among the malignant tumors,mucoepidermoid carcinoma(7 tumors,25.00％),adenoid cystic carcinoma(6 tumors,21.43％)and acinic cell carcinoma(3 tumors,10.71％)were the most common.CEUS showed 39 cases of malignant parotid gland tumors and 132 cases of benign parotid gland tumors.The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy rate of CEUS were 57.14％,83.92％and 79.53％respectively.The MRI ADC values were manifested as pleomorphic adenoma＞malignant tumor＞Warthin tumor(P＜0.05).MRI showed 53 cases of malignant parotid gland tumors and 118 cases of benign parotid gland tumors,and the sensitivity,specifici-ty and accuracy rate of MRI diagnosis were 67.86％,76.22％and 74.85％respectively.CEUS+MRI revealed 33 cases of malig-nant parotid gland tumors and 138 cases of benign parotid gland tumors,the sensitivity,specificity and accuracy rate of CEUS+MRI diagnosis were 78.57％,92.31％and 90.06％respectively.The specificity and accuracy rate of CEUS+MRI were significantly higher than those of single examination(x2=4.806,13.951,7.348,13.664,allP＜0.05).Conclusion:Both CEUS and MRI have certain clinical value in the diagnosis of parotid gland tumors,and the specificity and accuracy rate of CEUS+MRI are significantly higher than those of single examination.

Objective:To explore the effect of esketamine on lung ischemia-reperfusion oxidative stress markers and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing radical surgery for lung cancer.Methods:A prospective randomized-controlled study was conducted. A total of 60 patients undergoing radical lung cancer surgery in Cangzhou People's Hospital from October 2023 to April 2024 were selected as the research objects. The patients were randomly divided into group E (30 cases) and group C (30 cases) according to the envelope drawing method. The patients in group E received an intravenous injection of esketamine at 0.5 mg/kg before skin incision, followed by continuous intravenous infusion until 30 minutes before the end of surgery. The patients in group C was administered an equivalent dose of 0.9% NaCl solution. The lung function, inflammatory factors, oxidative stress markers, and the incidence of complications were compared between the 2 groups at different time intervals [after anesthesia induction (T 1), 60 minutes after single-lung ventilation (T 2), 30 minutes after resuming bilateral lung ventilation (T 3), and 60 minutes after resuming bilateral lung ventilation (T 4)]. Results:The age of patients in both groups was (62±8) years. At T 2, T 3, and T 4, the oxygenation index (OI) of group E [(413±57), (387±52), (364±48) mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa), respectively] was higher than that of group C [(377±52), (359±47), (333±42) mmHg, respectively]. The intrapulmonary shunt rate of group E [(26.9±3.3)%, (24.6±3.1)%, (13.3±2.2)%, respectively] was lower than that of group C[(33.5±4.3)%, (28.4±3.7)%, (16.2±2.7)%, respectively], and the differences were statistically significant ( t = 2.56, 2.16, 2.66, 6.29, 4.34, 4.32, respectively); the differences in the above indictors at T 1 between the 2 groups were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05), and there were statistically significant differences in the above indictors at T 1, T 2, T 3, T 4 between the 2 groups (all P < 0.001). At T 4, the levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and interleukin-8 in group E [(93±11) ng/ml, (14.9±1.7) pg/ml, (11.4±2.2) pg/ml, respectively] were lower than those in group C [(136±15) ng/ml, (19.9±2.8) pg/ml, (15.6±4.6) pg/ml, respectively], and the differences were statistically significant ( t = 12.89, 8.40, 4.61, all P < 0.001). At T 1, the differences in the levels of inflammatory factors of both groups were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05); and the levels of inflammatory factors at T 4 were lower than those at T 1 of both groups, and the differences were statistically significantly (all P < 0.001). At T 4, the level of superoxide dismutase in group E [(66±6) U/ml] was higher than that in group C [(56±5) U/ml]. The levels of myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde and catalase in group E [(3.0±0.4) U/g, (4.01±0.26) mmol/ml, (44±5) U/ml, respectively] were lower than those in group C [(5.7±0.7) U/g, (4.91±0.52) mmol/ml, (56±6) U/ml, respectively],and the differences were statistically significant ( t = 6.43, 18.83, 8.48, 8.74, all P < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the levels of oxidative stress indicators between the 2 groups at T 1, while there were statistically significant differences in the levels of oxidative stress indicators between the 2 groups at T 1 and T 4 (all P < 0.001). The incidence of complications in group E [6.7% (2/30)] was lower than that in group C [26.7% (8/30)], and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2 = 4.32, P = 0.038). Conclusions:Esketamine can alleviate lung ischemia-reperfusion injury, improve postoperative oxygenation function, and reduce the incidence of complications.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate changes in ultrafast pulse wave velocity (ufPWV) in individuals with arterial stiffness and subclinical atherosclerosis (subAS), and to provide cutoff values. Methods: This retrospective study recruited 231 participants, including 67 patients with subAS. The pulse wave velocity was measured at the beginning and end of systole (PWV-BS and PWVES, respectively) using ultrafast ultrasonography to assess arterial stiffness. The right and left common carotid arteries were measured separately, and laboratory metabolic parameters were also collected. Participants were balanced between groups using propensity score matching (PSM) at a 1:1 ratio, adjusting for age, sex, and waist-to-hip ratio as potential confounders. Cutoff values of ufPWV for monitoring subAS were determined via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: PWV-ES, unlike PWV-BS, was higher in the subAS subgroup than in the subAS-free group after PSM (all P<0.05). For each 1 m/s increase in left, right, and bilateral mean PWV-ES, the risk of subAS increased by 23% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 1.46), 26% (95% CI, 1.07 to 1.52), and 38% (95% CI, 1.12 to 1.72), respectively. According to ROC analyses, predictive potential was found for left PWV-ES (cutoff value=7.910 m/s, P=0.002), right PWV-ES (cutoff value=6.615 m/s, P=0.003), and bilateral mean PWV-ES (cutoff value=7.415 m/s, P<0.001), but not for PWV-BS (all P>0.05). Conclusion PWV-ES measured using ultrafast ultrasonography was significantly higher in individuals with subAS than in those without. Specific PWV-ES cutoff values showed potential for predicting an increased risk of subAS.