ObjectiveTo investigate the role of the Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）/myeloid differentiation factor 88 （MyD88）/nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） signaling pathway in intestinal mucosal barrier damage in ulcerative colitis， as well as the intervention mechanism of Shaoyaotang. MethodsSixty SD rats were allocated into a blank group， a model group， a mesalazine （0.42 g·kg^-1） group， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （11.1， 22.2， 44.4 g·kg^-1， respectively） Shaoyaotang groups. A model of ulcerative colitis was induced by 2，4，6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid （TNBS）. After successful modeling， rats were administrated with corresponding agents via gavage for 7 days. Changes in colon length and colon weight were observed. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to examine the pathological changes of the colon， and immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the expression of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-8 （IL-8）， cyclooxygenase-2 （COX-2）， junction adhesion molecule-1 （JAM-1）， and claudin-1 in the colon. Western blot analysis was performed to determine the protein levels of TLR4， MyD88， and NF-κB in the colon. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed elevated DAI score （P<0.01）， reduced colon length and colon weight （P<0.01）， down-regulated protein levels of JAM-1 and claudin-1 （P<0.01）， and up-regulated protein levels of IL-8， COX-2， TLR4， MyD88， and NF-κB p65 （P<0.01） in the colon tissue. Compared with the model group， each treatment group showed decreased DAI score （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased colon length and colon weight （P<0.05， P<0.01）， up-regulated protein levels of JAM-1 and claudin-1 （P<0.01）， and down-regulated protein levels of IL-8， COX-2， TLR4， MyD88， and NF-κB p65 （P<0.01） in the colon tissue. ConclusionShaoyaotang alleviates intestinal inflammation and intestinal mucosal damage to protect intestinal barrier integrity by regulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective To understand mosquito density, species composition, and seasonal variations around the Beijing Capital International Airport(BCIA)and provide scientific evidence for mosquito-borne disease prevention and control. Methods Meteorological data were collected from 2016 to 2022, and mosquito density was monitored at seven surveillance sites around the BCIA from May to October each year using CO2-baited mosquito traps to analyze the relationship between mosquito density and meteorological factors. Results In total,68 518 female mosquitoes were captured, with a mosquito density of 10.20 per light · hour. The dominant species was Culex pipiens pallens(73.90%), followed by Aedes albopictus(9.71%)and Ae. vexans(9.29%);the mosquito density was highest in 2016(14.8 per light·hour)and lowest in 2022(4.46 per light·hour). Significant statistical differences were observed in mosquito density among different species(F=18.118, P<0.05). The density of Cx. pipiens pallens and other mosquito species showed a mutually exclusive trend; the peak of mosquito density varied based on years and habitats, with significant statistical differences in mosquito density among different habitats(F=8.504, P<0.05). The highest mosquito density was observed near the Wenyu River(21.50 per light·hour), whereas the lowest was recorded at the BCIA construction site(2.44 per light· hour). The monthly average temperature(r=0.595), monthly average highest temperature(r=0.575), and monthly average lowest temperature(r=0.624)showed moderate positive correlations, whereas the monthly average air pressure(r=-0.484)showed a moderate negative correlation. The monthly average minimum temperature was included in the regression model(F=25.575, P<0.000), and the equation Y=1.029X4-8.181 was used. The monthly average air pressure 2 months prior(b=-2.418, β=-1.619, P<0.05)and the monthly average relative humidity(b=-0.739, β=-1.201, P<0.05)significantly negatively predicted the mosquito density. Notably, the regression equation used was y=2526.170+(-2.418)X9+(-0.739)X13. The exposure-response analysis revealed that the density of mosquitoes was not linearly related to the average monthly air pressure, rainfall, and duration of sunshine. Conclusions The dominant mosquito species around the BCIA was Cx. pipiens pallens, Ae. albopictus, and Ae. vexans. During the control of Cx. pipiens pallens, the impact on other mosquito species must also be considered. Environmental management, breeding sites, and scientific use of pesticides should be prioritized based on the activity periods of mosquitoes. Further studies on mosquitoes and meteorological factors should be conducted to provide references and novel avenues for mosquito control.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the accuracy and safety of pedicle screw placement using 3D-printed auxiliary guides in scoliosis correction surgery for adolescents. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 51 patients who underwent posterior scoliosis correction surgery from January 2020 to March 2023. Among them, there were 35 cases of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and 16 cases of congenital scoliosis. The patients were divided into two groups based on the auxiliary tool used:the 3D-printed auxiliary guide screw placement group (3D printing group) and the free-hand screw placement group (free-hand group, without auxiliary tools). The 3D printing group included 32 patients (12 males and 20 females) with an average age of (12.59±2.60) years;the free-hand group included 19 patients (7 males and 12 females) with an average age of (14.58±3.53) years. The two groups were compared in terms of screw placement accuracy and safety, spinal correction rate, intraoperative blood loss, number of intraoperative fluoroscopies, operation time, hospital stay, and preoperative and last follow-up scores of the Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 707 pedicle screws were placed in the two groups, with 441 screws in the 3D printing group and 266 screws in the free-hand group. All patients in both groups successfully completed the surgery. There was a statistically significant difference in operation time between the two groups (P<0.05). The screw placement accuracy rate of the 3D printing group was 95.46% (421/441), among which the Grade A placement rate was 89.34% (394/441);the screw placement accuracy rate of the free-hand group was 86.47% (230/266), with a Grade A placement rate of 73.31% (195/266). There were statistically significant differences in the accuracy of Grade A, B, and C screw placements between the two groups (P<0.05), while no statistically significant differences were observed in intraoperative blood loss, number of fluoroscopies, correction rate, or hospital stay (P>0.05). In the SRS-22 questionnaire scores, the scores of functional status and activity ability, self-image, mental status, and pain of patients in each group at the last follow-up were significantly improved compared with those before surgery (P<0.05), but there were no statistically significant differences in all scores between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION In scoliosis correction surgery, compared with traditional free-hand screw placement, the use of 3D-printed auxiliary guides for screw placement significantly improves the accuracy and safety of screw placement and shortens the operation time.
Humans ; Male ; Scoliosis/surgery* ; Female ; Adolescent ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Retrospective Studies ; Pedicle Screws ; Child

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical characteristics and risk factors of pyogenic liver abscess complicated by sepsis in children. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 120 children with pyogenic liver abscess admitted from May 2004 to January 2024. According to the presence of sepsis, the children were divided into a sepsis group (82 cases) and a non-sepsis group (38 cases). The clinical characteristics of the two groups were compared, and risk factors associated with the occurrence of sepsis were identified. RESULTS: Among the 120 children with pyogenic liver abscess, 68.3% (82/120) had sepsis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that fever, elevated white blood cell count, and decreased albumin level were closely associated with the occurrence of sepsis (P<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that white blood cell count and albumin levels had significant predictive value for sepsis (P<0.05), and the combination of white blood cell count and albumin level showed higher predictive value for sepsis than the albumin level alone (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The clinical manifestations of children with pyogenic liver abscess complicated by sepsis are non-specific. Fever, elevated white blood cell count, and decreased albumin level are risk factors for sepsis in children with pyogenic liver abscess. Clinically, for children with unexplained fever and imaging suggestive of liver abscess, pyogenic liver abscess should be considered. If laboratory tests show elevated white blood cell count and decreased albumin level simultaneously, there should be a high level of suspicion for the development of sepsis.
Humans ; Liver Abscess, Pyogenic/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Risk Factors ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis/etiology* ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Child ; Leukocyte Count ; Logistic Models ; Adolescent ; Serum Albumin/analysis*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of gut microbiota changes in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) undergoing induction chemotherapy and to explore the relationship between infectious complications and gut microbiota. METHODS: Fecal samples were collected from 37 newly diagnosed AML patients at four time points: before induction chemotherapy, during chemotherapy, during the neutropenic phase, and during the recovery phase. Metagenomic sequencing was used to analyze the dynamic changes in gut microbiota. Correlation analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between changes in gut microbiota and the occurrence of infectious complications. RESULTS: During chemotherapy, the gut microbiota α-diversity (Shannon index) of AML patients exhibited significant fluctuations. Specifically, the diversity decreased significantly during induction chemotherapy, further declined during the neutropenic phase (P < 0.05, compared to baseline), and gradually recovered during the recovery phase, though not fully returning to baseline levels.The abundances of beneficial bacteria, such as Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, gradually decreased during chemotherapy, whereas the abundances of opportunistic pathogens, including Enterococcus, Klebsiella, and Escherichia coli, progressively increased.Analysis of the dynamic changes in gut microbiota of seven patients with bloodstream infections revealed that the bloodstream infection pathogens could be detected in the gut microbiota of the corresponding patients, with their abundance gradually increasing during the course of infection. This finding suggests that bloodstream infections may be associated with opportunistic pathogens originating from the gut microbiota.Compared to non-infected patients, the baseline samples of infected patients showed a significantly lower relative abundance of Bacteroidetes (P < 0.05). Regression analysis indicated that Bacteroidetes abundance is an independent predictive factor for infectious complications (P < 0.05, OR =13.143). CONCLUSION During induction chemotherapy in AML patients, gut microbiota α-diversity fluctuates significantly, and the abundance of opportunistic pathogens increase, which may be associated with bloodstream infections. Patients with lower baseline Bacteroidetes abundance are more prone to infections, and its abundance can serve as an independent predictor of infectious complications.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/microbiology* ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Feces/microbiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged

Objective To establish a stable,reliable,and clinically relevant porcine model of endotoxin-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS).Methods Ten 8-month-old male Bama minipigs were deeply sedated,followed by invasive mechanical ventilation and electrocardiographic monitoring.Lipopolysaccharide(LPS)was intravenously pumped at 600 μg/(kg·h)for 3 hours,then maintained at 15 μg/(kg·h)thereafter.Dynamic monitoring was performed at five time points after LPS injection(LPS 0,1,3,5,and 8 h),including arterial blood gas analysis and chest computed tomography(CT)scans.Pathological examination of lung tissues obtained via bronchoscopic biopsy(HE staining and transmission electron microscopy)was conducted.These indicators were comprehensively used to evaluate the success of the animal model.Results At 5 hours after LPS administration,8 minipigs developed symptoms such as skin cyanosis,elevated body temperature,and respiratory distress.The oxygenation index decreased to<300 mmHg.Chest CT scans showed diffuse pulmonary infiltrates.Histopathology revealed alveolar edema and hyaline membrane formation.Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated disruption of pulmonary blood-air barrier,depletion of lamellar bodies in type Ⅱ pneumocytes,inflammatory cell infiltration,and exudation of plasma proteins and fibrin.Compared with LPS 0 h,at LPS 8 h,the oxygenation index and arterial blood pH were significantly decreased(P<0.001),while blood lactic acid and serum potassium were significantly increased(P<0.05);serum calcium and base excess were significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the lung injury score based on HE-stained lung sections was significantly increased(P<0.01).Conclusion The porcine ARDS model established by continuous LPS injection can dynamically simulate the pathophysiological characteristics and typical pathological manifestations of clinical septic ARDS,making it an effective tool to study the pathogenesis,prevention,and treatment strategies of septic ARDS.

Integrins are transmembrane receptors that can coordinate signal transduction between cells and extracellular matrix or between cells.The abnormal function of integrins is one of the recognized mechanisms of tumor development.As an important regulatory mode,post-translational modification can change the conformation and physicochemical properties of proteins,thus affecting their activities,stability and functions.After the modification of the integrin,such as glycosylation and methylation,the corresponding signal transduction pathway changes,and then affects cell adhesion,migration,differentiation and other life activities,involving in diverse physiology and pathological processes.Post-translational modifications of integrins are abundant in tumor progression and play a key role in regulating the growth,metastasis and drug resistance of different tumor cells.In this review,the structure and function,post-translational modification of integrins,and their relationship with occurrence and development of tumors will be discussed,in order to provide more explorable targets for the treatment of cancer.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery has been a common practice for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, but the response rate varies among patients. This study aimed to develop a ResNet-Vision Transformer based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-endoscopy fusion model to precisely predict treatment response and provide personalized treatment. METHODS: In this multicenter study, 366 eligible patients who had undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery at eight Chinese tertiary hospitals between January 2017 and June 2024 were recruited, with 2928 pretreatment colonic endoscopic images and 366 pelvic MRI images. An MRI-endoscopy fusion model was constructed based on the ResNet backbone and Transformer network using pretreatment MRI and endoscopic images. Treatment response was defined as good response or non-good response based on the tumor regression grade. The Delong test and the Hanley-McNeil test were utilized to compare prediction performance among different models and different subgroups, respectively. The predictive performance of the MRI-endoscopy fusion model was comprehensively validated in the test sets and was further compared to that of the single-modal MRI model and single-modal endoscopy model. RESULTS: The MRI-endoscopy fusion model demonstrated favorable prediction performance. In the internal validation set, the area under the curve (AUC) and accuracy were 0.852 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.744-0.940) and 0.737 (95% CI: 0.712-0.844), respectively. Moreover, the AUC and accuracy reached 0.769 (95% CI: 0.678-0.861) and 0.729 (95% CI: 0.628-0.821), respectively, in the external test set. In addition, the MRI-endoscopy fusion model outperformed the single-modal MRI model (AUC: 0.692 [95% CI: 0.609-0.783], accuracy: 0.659 [95% CI: 0.565-0.775]) and the single-modal endoscopy model (AUC: 0.720 [95% CI: 0.617-0.823], accuracy: 0.713 [95% CI: 0.612-0.809]) in the external test set. CONCLUSION The MRI-endoscopy fusion model based on ResNet-Vision Transformer achieved favorable performance in predicting treatment response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and holds tremendous potential for enabling personalized treatment regimens for locally advanced rectal cancer patients.
Humans ; Rectal Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy/methods* ; Aged ; Adult ; Chemoradiotherapy/methods* ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Treatment Outcome

Insufficient alveolar bone thickness increases the risk of periodontal dehiscence and fenestration, especially in orthodontic tooth movement. Abaloparatide (ABL), a synthetic analog of human PTHrP (1-34) and a clinical medication for treating osteoporosis, has recently demonstrated its potential in enhancing craniofacial bone formation. Herein, we show that intraoral submucosal injection of ABL, when combined with mechanical force, promotes in situ alveolar bone thickening. The newly formed bone is primarily located outside the original compact bone, implying its origin from the periosteum. RNA sequencing of the alveolar bone tissue revealed that the focal adhesion (FA) pathway potentially mediates this bioprocess. Local injection of ABL alone enhances cell proliferation, collagen synthesis, and phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in the alveolar periosteum; when ABL is combined with mechanical force, the FAK expression is upregulated, in line with the accomplishment of the ossification. In vitro, ABL enhances proliferation, migration, and FAK phosphorylation in periosteal stem cells. Furthermore, the pro-osteogenic effects of ABL on alveolar bone are entirely blocked when FAK activity is inhibited by a specific inhibitor. In summary, abaloparatide combined with mechanical force promotes alveolar bone formation via FAK-mediated periosteal osteogenesis. Thus, we have introduced a promising therapeutic approach for drug-induced in situ alveolar bone augmentation, which may prevent or repair the detrimental periodontal dehiscence, holding significant potential in dentistry.
Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Periosteum/cytology* ; Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein/administration & dosage* ; Animals ; Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/metabolism* ; Alveolar Process/drug effects* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Phosphorylation ; Rats ; Male ; Humans ; Focal Adhesion Kinase 1/metabolism* ; Cell Movement/drug effects*

ObjectiveThis study explores the methods of lung tissue extraction and fixation required for pathological studies of fetal rats, based on the unique physiological structure of fetal rat lung tissue and existing lung tissue fixation techniques for adult rats. MethodsSix pregnant adult SD rats at 20.5 days of gestation were subjected to cesarean section to obtain fetal rats. Four healthy fetal rats with similar body weight, vital signs, and respiratory status were selected from each pregnant rat, and they were randomly divided into the following groups using a random number table: direct lung infiltration group, lung infiltration group after intratracheal infusion, whole-body infiltration group of fetal rats, and whole-body infiltration group after intratracheal infusion of fetal rats. To systematically compare and analyze the anatomical morphology under different fixation methods, lung tissues from four groups of fetal rats were harvested, perfused, and fixed, and the gross morphology of lung tissues in each group was observed. Paraffin sections were prepared and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin (H&E). The histological morphology of the whole lung, alveoli, and bronchi was further examined under optical microscopy. ResultsIn the direct lung infiltration group, the hilar structures were unclear, lung lobation was indistinct, the shape was irregular, lung cavities were small, and alveoli and bronchi were shrunken. In the lung infiltration group after intratracheal infusion, the hilar structures were clear, lobation was pronounced, the shape was regular, lung cavities were large, and alveoli and bronchi were full. Both the whole-body infiltration group and whole-body infiltration group after intratracheal infusion of fetal rats exhibited visible lungs, hearts, skins, and other organs. The lung tissues of both groups showed obvious lobulation, irregular shape, and damage at the margins of lung lobes. In the whole-body infiltration group, the thoracic cavities of the fetus were flattened, lung cavities were small, and alveoli and bronchi were shrunken. In the whole-body infiltration group after intratracheal infusion of fetal rats, the fetal thoracic cavities were full, lung cavities were large, and alveoli and bronchi were relatively full. ConclusionThe lung infiltration after intratracheal infusion method for fetal rat lung tissue fixation outperforms direct lung infiltration, whole-body infiltration of fetal rats, and whole-body infiltration after intratracheal infusion of fetal rats in terms of preservation of the lung tissue's original morphology, paraffin sectioning, staining, and pathological observation and analysis. The embedding, sectioning, and staining processes are also simple and save consumables. Therefore, intratracheal infusion followed by lung infiltration method is recommended for fixation in histopathological observation of fetal rat lung tissue.