Objective To explore the application value of combining the ultrasound breast imaging reporting and data system(BI-RADS)classification with serum fibroblast growth factor receptor 1(FGFR1)and growth differentiation factor 3(GDF3)in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses.Methods A total of 159 patients with breast masses were selected and divided into the benign mass group(n=83)and the malignant mass group(n=76)based on postoperative pathological diagnosis.All patients underwent ultrasound examination,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was applied to detect serum levels of FGFR1 and GDF3.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was applied to analyze the diagnostic value of ultrasound BI-RADS classification and serum FGFR1 and GDF3 levels for benign and malignant breast masses.Kappa test was applied to analyze the consistency between various diagnostic methods and pathological diagnosis.Results The serum levels of FGFR1 and GDF3,the proportions of irregular morphology,unclear boundaries,spiculation,microcalcifications,blood flow grade Ⅱ-Ⅲ and posterior echo attenuation,RI and PI were higher in the malignant tumor group than those in the benign tumor group(P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of FGFR1,GDF3 and ultrasound BI-RADS classification in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses separately and in combination was 0.802(95%CI:0.732-0.871),0.817(95%CI:0.751-0.884),0.848(95%CI:0.784-0.912)and 0.956(95%CI:0.918-0.993),respectively.The combined diagnosis was more effective than that of the individual diagnosis of each indicator.The consistency between the individual and combined diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses and pathological diagnosis showed that the Kappa values were 0.517,0.514,0.688 and 0.912,respectively,with the highest consistency observed in the combined diagnosis(P＜0.05).Conclusion Ultrasound BI-RADS classification combined with serum FGFR1 and GDF3 has high application value in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses.

Objective To explore the application value of combining the ultrasound breast imaging reporting and data system(BI-RADS)classification with serum fibroblast growth factor receptor 1(FGFR1)and growth differentiation factor 3(GDF3)in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses.Methods A total of 159 patients with breast masses were selected and divided into the benign mass group(n=83)and the malignant mass group(n=76)based on postoperative pathological diagnosis.All patients underwent ultrasound examination,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was applied to detect serum levels of FGFR1 and GDF3.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was applied to analyze the diagnostic value of ultrasound BI-RADS classification and serum FGFR1 and GDF3 levels for benign and malignant breast masses.Kappa test was applied to analyze the consistency between various diagnostic methods and pathological diagnosis.Results The serum levels of FGFR1 and GDF3,the proportions of irregular morphology,unclear boundaries,spiculation,microcalcifications,blood flow grade Ⅱ-Ⅲ and posterior echo attenuation,RI and PI were higher in the malignant tumor group than those in the benign tumor group(P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of FGFR1,GDF3 and ultrasound BI-RADS classification in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses separately and in combination was 0.802(95%CI:0.732-0.871),0.817(95%CI:0.751-0.884),0.848(95%CI:0.784-0.912)and 0.956(95%CI:0.918-0.993),respectively.The combined diagnosis was more effective than that of the individual diagnosis of each indicator.The consistency between the individual and combined diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses and pathological diagnosis showed that the Kappa values were 0.517,0.514,0.688 and 0.912,respectively,with the highest consistency observed in the combined diagnosis(P＜0.05).Conclusion Ultrasound BI-RADS classification combined with serum FGFR1 and GDF3 has high application value in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses.

Diabetes mellitus(DM)is a major metabolic disease endangering global health,with diabetic ne-phropathy(DN)as a primary complication lacking curative therapy.Sporoderm-broken spores of Ganoderma lucidum(GLP),an herbal medicine,has been used for the treatment of metabolic disorders.In this study,DN was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats using streptozotocin(STZ)and a high-fat diet(HFD),and the protective mechanisms of GLP were investigated through transcriptomic,metabolomic,and network pharmacology(NP)analyses.0ur results demonstrated that GLP intervention ameliorated renal damage and inflammation levels in DN rats.Integrative metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis revealed that GLP treatment modulated glucose and cellular energy metabolisms by regulating relevant genes.GLP significantly suppressed the inflammations by impacting glucose and energy metabolism-related gene expression(Igfbp1 and Angptl4)and enhanced metabolic biomarkers of 4-Aminocatechol.In addition,NP analysis further indicated that GLP may efficiently alleviate DN via immune-related pathways.In conclusion,this study provides supportive evidence of the anti-inflammatory effects of GLP supplements,highlighting their potential for promising clinical applications in treating DN.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major metabolic disease endangering global health, with diabetic nephropathy (DN) as a primary complication lacking curative therapy. Sporoderm-broken spores of Ganoderma lucidum (GLP), an herbal medicine, has been used for the treatment of metabolic disorders. In this study, DN was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats using streptozotocin (STZ) and a high-fat diet (HFD), and the protective mechanisms of GLP were investigated through transcriptomic, metabolomic, and network pharmacology (NP) analyses. Our results demonstrated that GLP intervention ameliorated renal damage and inflammation levels in DN rats. Integrative metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis revealed that GLP treatment modulated glucose and cellular energy metabolisms by regulating relevant genes. GLP significantly suppressed the inflammations by impacting glucose and energy metabolism-related gene expression (Igfbp1 and Angptl4) and enhanced metabolic biomarkers of 4-Aminocatechol. In addition, NP analysis further indicated that GLP may efficiently alleviate DN via immune-related pathways. In conclusion, this study provides supportive evidence of the anti-inflammatory effects of GLP supplements, highlighting their potential for promising clinical applications in treating DN.

AIM:To investigate whether the expression of perilipin 2(PLIN2)in renal tubular cells could predict a decline in renal function in diabetic kidney disease(DKD)patients,and to explore the potential mechanisms in-volved in renal tubular cell injury induced by PLIN2 during the progression of DKD.METHODS:Control individuals(n=12)and DKD patients(n=51)were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study.Demographic and laboratory data were col-lected.A simplified linear mixed-effects model was applied to assess the estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)slope.The relationship between PLIN2 and renal function decline in DKD patients was predicted by Spearman correlation analysis and a generalized linear model.BKS-db/db diabetic mice and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice were used.Primary renal tubular cells were treated with glucose and transfected with small interfering RNA or plasmid.Western blot-ting and immunofluorescence staining were used to detect PLIN2 expression.Lipid droplets were stained with oil red O.The oxygen consumption rate(OCR)of mitochondria was measured using an extracellular flux analyser.RESULTS:The expression of PLIN2 was markedly higher in the tubules of DKD patients than in those of control subjects.After 24(12,39)months of follow-up,the eGFR slope of DKD patients was-7.42(-19.77,-2.09)mL/(min·1.73 m2·year).An in-crease in the baseline percentage of PLIN2-positive tubules was significantly associated with the eGFR slope during the fol-low-up period[hazard ratio(HR)=1.90,95%confidence interval(CI):1.00～3.58],indicating that tubular PLIN2 could predict a decrease in renal function in DKD patients.Both the accumulation of lipid droplets and the expression of PLIN2 were markedly greater in the tubules of diabetic mice than in those of control mice.Glucose treatment induced lipid droplet accumulation and PLIN2 expression in renal tubular cells.Knockdown of PLIN2 significantly alleviated glucose-in-duced lipid droplet accumulation,whereas PLIN2 overexpression aggravated glucose-induced lipid droplet accumulation.The decrease in mitochondrial OCR in renal tubular cells induced by glucose treatment was alleviated after PLIN2 knock-down.However,overexpression of PLIN2 directly decreased the mitochondrial OCR.CONCLUSION:The PLIN2 ex-pression in tubules predicts a decline in renal function in patients with DKD.The PLIN2 suppresses mitochondrial aerobic respiration and contributes to the accumulation of lipid droplets in renal tubular cells to promote the progression of DKD.

Objective:To investigate clinical and histopathological features of adult erythema nodosum (EN) .Methods:Clinical data were collected from 54 adult inpatients with histopathologically confirmed EN in Department of Dermatology and Venereology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College from November 2019 to July 2022, and analyzed retrospectively.Results:Among the 54 EN patients, there were 6 males and 48 females, their ages were 42.50 ± 11.68 years (range, 18 - 73 years), and their disease course ranged from 1 day to 10 years; 30 patients (55.56%) were diagnosed with idiopathic EN, and 24 (44.44%) with secondary EN. The most common etiological factor in secondary EN was infection (17 cases), including respiratory tract infection (9 cases), tuberculosis infection (6 cases), upper respiratory tract infection comorbid with active hepatitis B virus infection (2 cases) ; the following common etiological factor was connective tissue disease (7 cases), including Behcet′s syndrome (4 cases), Sj?gren′s syndrome (1 case), and undifferentiated connective tissue diseases (2 cases). The patients′ ages were significantly younger in the secondary EN group (38.33 ± 12.15 years) than in the idiopathic EN group (46.17 ± 10.20 years, t = 2.58, P = 0.013). All patients had skin lesions on their lower limbs, lesions were limited to both lower limbs in 24 patients with idiopathic EN and 12 with secondary EN, and the proportion of patients with lesions limited to both lower limbs was significantly lower in the secondary EN group than in the idiopathic EN group ( χ2 = 5.44, P = 0.020). Compared with the idiopathic EN group, the secondary EN group showed significantly increased white blood cell counts ([7.56 ± 2.46] × 10 9/L vs. [6.04 ± 1.60] × 10 9/L, t = 2.62, P < 0.05) and C-reaction protein levels (34.34 ± 46.48 mg/L vs. 11.45 ± 18.13 mg/L, t = 2.28, P < 0.05). In the idiopathic EN group, 23 patients mainly showed histopathological features of septal panniculitis, while 17 patients in the secondary EN group mainly showed histopathological features of mixed panniculitis or lobular panniculitis, and the proportion of patients with histopathological features of mixed panniculitis or lobular panniculitis was significantly higher in the secondary EN group than in the idiopathic EN group ( χ2 = 12.18, P < 0.001) . Conclusion:EN was more common in female adults; idiopathic EN was the most common type, and secondary EN may be a cutaneous sign of systemic diseases; for EN patients at a relatively young age, with lesions involving both lower limbs or more sites, higher white blood cell counts and C-reaction protein levels, and histopathological manifestations of lobular panniculitis, systemic examinations were required to rule out underlying causes.

Mucosal pemphigoid is a rare subepidermal immune bullous disease, mainly involving the oral cavity, eyes and other mucous membranes, with the risk of scarring, which can be life-threatening in severe cases. For patients with mucosal pemphigoid, early diagnosis and early treatment can avoid serious complications. For mild patients, dapsone or topical glucocorticoids can be used; for severe patients, combination of immunosup-pressants helps to improve clinical efficacy and reduce the dosage of glucocorticoid, including cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, methotrexate, and mycophenolic acid esters. For some refractory cases without any response to the treatments of dapsone, glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants, biological agents (including rituximab, etanercept, infliximab, and braziltinib), intravenous immune globulin and other therapies can be selected. For some patients with mucosal scarring, surgery or laser therapy can be considered to improve symptoms. However, it is necessary to further demonstrate the clinical efficacy of some immunosuppressants and biologic agents on mucosal pemphigoid in a lot of larger clinical trials.

Objective:To explore the correlation between socioeconomic status (SES) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).Methods:A total of 276 T2D patients admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January to June 2020 were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated according to the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) and the chronic kidney disease epidemiology collaboration equation(CKD-EPI formula) based on serum creatinine. The patients were divided into simple T2D group (184 cases) and DKD group (92 cases). Collect demographic and laboratory examination data, record education, income and occupation, and calculate standardized SES scores. According to SES scores, subjects were divided in three levels: SES≤9, SES≥10-≤12, and SES≥13. Student's t test was used for comparison of measurement data with normal distribution between two groups, and one-way ANOVA was used for comparison between multiple groups. Non-normal distribution was represented by M( Q1, Q3), and rank-sum test was used for comparison between groups. Counting data were expressed as frequency or percentage, and chi-square test was used for comparison between groups. Bofferoni test was further used for pairwise comparison of indicators with statistical significance among multiple groups. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between variables. The risk factors were analyzed by binary Logistic regression. Results:The age of the subjects was (53.37±10.68) years, men accounted for 55.8% (154/276), the duration of diabetes was 60.00 (12.00, 134.00) months, and eGFR was (97.56±21.15) mL/(min·1.73 m 2). In simple T2D group and DKD group, prevalence of hypertension were 39.7% (73/184) and 57.6% (53/92), systolic blood pressure were (129.43±14.92) mmHg and (139.29±17.61) mmHg, diastolic blood pressure were (81.86±10.06) mmHg and (87.74±11.19) mmHg, serum albumin were (45.74±4.15) g/L and (43.99±5.05) g/L, triglycerides were (1.82±1.24) mmol/L and (2.64±2.92) mmol/L, high density lipoprotein cholesterol were (1.17±0.37) mmol/L and (1.07±0.26) mmol/L, serum uric acid were (298.44±90.73) μmol/L and (336.22±94.01) μmol/L, serum creatinine were (62.83±14.45) μmol/L and (87.75±57.37) μmol/L, eGFR were (102.6±14.28) mL/(min·1.73 m 2) and (87.47±28.04) mL/(min·1.73 m 2), UACR were (7.60 (4.63, 13.15)) mg/g and (93.95 (47.25, 310.25)) mg/g. Prevalence of hypertension, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, serum uric acid, serum creatinine, UACR in DKD group were higher than those in simple T2D group. Serum albumin, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and eGFR in DKD group were lower than those in simple T2D group. There was significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=7.95, t values were 4.87, 4.40, 3.04, 3.26, 2.30, 3.22, 5.56, 5.95, Z=13.07, P values were 0.005, <0.001, <0.001, 0.003, 0.001, 0.022, 0.001, <0.001, <0.001, and <0.001, respectively). The number of males in the three groups with SES ≥13 group, SES≥10-≤12 group, SES ≤9 group were 61 (81.3%, 61/75), 55 (59.8%, 55/92), 38 (34.9%, 38/109), respectively. The number of cases with smoking history were 42 (56.0%, 42/75), 41 (44.6%, 41/92), 35 (32.1%, 35/109), respectively. The number of cases with drinking history were 38 (50.7%, 38/75), 32 (34.8%, 32/92), 26 (23.9%, 26/109), respectively. The ages were (47.77±10.76), (52.76±11.22), (57.74±7.96) years old, respectively. Body mass index (BMI) were (26.17±3.87), (24.96±3.93), (24.27±4.89) kg/m 2, respectively. High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) were (1.03±1.03), (1.16±0.41), (1.21±0.32) mmol/L, respectively. Serum uric acid were (336.56±82.05), (293.78±94.78), (307.99±96.53) μmol/L, respectively. EGFR were (105.03±19.72), (99.77±19.44), (90.57±21.49) mL/(min·1.73 m 2),respectively.The difference between groups were statistically significant (χ 2=39.79, 10.55, 14.08, F=22.69, 4.03, 6.20, 4.53, 12.02, P values were <0.001, 0.005, 0.001, <0.001, 0.019, 0.002, 0.012, and <0.001, respectively). Pairwise comparison shows that male and eGFR in SES ≤9 group were lower than those in SES ≥13 group and SES≥10-≤12 group, age in SES ≤9 group was higher than that in SES ≥13 group and SES≥10-≤12 group. The difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). Smoking history, alcohol history and BMI in SES ≤9 group were lower than those in SES ≥13 group, and the high density lipoprotein cholesterol in SES ≤9 were higher than that in SES ≥13 group. The difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). Male, alcohol history and serum uric acid in SES≥10-≤12 group were lower than those in SES ≥13 group, and age and high density lipoprotein cholesterol in SES≥10-≤12 group were higher than those in SES ≥13 group. The difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that SES in T2D was positively correlated with male, smoking history, alcohol history, BMI, serum uric acid and eGFR ( r values were 0.38, 0.20, 0.24, 0.16, 0.13 and 0.31, P values were <0.001, 0.001, <0.001, 0.008, 0.028, and <0.001, respectively), and negatively correlated with age, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and UACR ( r values were -0.35, -0.24 and -0.14, P values were <0.001, <0.001, and 0.017, respectively). Logistic regression analysis showed that SES (OR=2.71,95% CI:1.10-6.68, P=0.031) was associated with T2DM combined with DKD. The risk of developing DKD increased when the SES was ≤9. Conclusion:The SES in patients with type 2 diabetes is closely related to DKD. Low SES may be a new risk factor for DKD in type 2 diabetic patients.

Objective To investigate the expressions of HOXA11 and β-catenin proteins in colorectal serrated lesions and their roles in carcinogenesis. Methods A total of 252 cases of colorectal biopsy specimens in Shanxi Dayi Hospital from January 2012 to December 2016 were analyzed retrospectively, including 97 serrated lesions, 46 common adenomas, 109 adenocarcinomas, and 24 normal colorectal mucosa tissues were selected as controls. The expressions of HOXA11 and β-catenin proteins were detected by immunohistochemical EnVision method. Methylation of HOXA11 gene was detected by specific methylation polymerase chain reaction (MSP) in 25 paraffin-embedded adenocarcinoma tissues. Results In 97 serrated lesions, 29 (29.9％) occurred in the left colon;in 46 common adenomas, 27 (58.7％) occurred in the left colon;in 109 adenocarcinomas, 76 (69.7％) occured in the left colon. The difference of the occurrence location among three groups was statistically significant (χ2 = 34.75, P< 0.01). The heterotopic expression rate ofβ-catenin protein in serrated lesions, common adenomas and adenocarcinomas was significantly higher than that in normal mucosae [96.9％ (94/97), 82.6％ (38/46), 86.2％ (94/109) vs. 0 (0/24), P < 0.01]. The heterotopic expression of β-catenin protein was found in serrated lesions and the co-expression of cytoplasm and nucleus was found in common adenomas and adenocarcinomas. The normal expression rate of HOXA11 protein in serrated lesions, common adenomas and adenocarcinomas was lower than that in normal mucosae [33.0％ (32/97), 67.4％ (31/46), 48.6％ (53/109) vs. 100.0％ (24/24), all P< 0.05]. The methylation rate of HOXA11 gene was 84.0％ (21/25). Conclusion The ectopic expression of β-catenin in colorectal serrated lesions suggests that it is associated with serrated lesions, and the low expression of HOXA11 may be an early event in the carcinogenesis of serrated lesions.

Objective To investigate the effect of quantitative ultrasound bone mineral density test on the screening of osteoporosis in patients with knee osteoarthritis and to explore the relationship between knee osteoar-thritis and osteoporosis. Methods 160 patients with knee osteoarthritis were divided into 4 groups:Ⅰ,Ⅱ,ⅢandⅣby Kellgren-Lawrence and measured height,weight,age,quantitative ultrasound bone mineral density and dual energy X-ray bone density.We compared the T values measured by quantitative ultrasound bone mineral density test and dual energy X-ray bone density,assessed the accuracy of quantitative ultrasound bone mineral density test for osteoporosis,and investigated the correlation between the value of quantitative ultrasound bone mineral density and knee osteoarthritis in different grades. Results Quantitative ultrasound bone mineral density was positively correlated with dual energy X-ray bone density(r = 0.751,P < 0.05). The AUC of diagnosis of osteoporosis by quantitative ultrasound bone mineral density test with T<-2.5 was 0.774,95% CI was 0.676 and 0.791,specificity was 96.7%,sensitivity was 85.7% and Youden index was 82.4%.With an increase in the grades of Kellgren-Law-rence,the knee osteoarthritis gradually worsened.The T values of quantitative ultrasound bone mineral density and dual energy X-ray bone density increased gradually in negative direction,and the difference was statistically signifi-cant(P<0.001).Conclusions Quantitative ultrasound bone mineral density test has good specificity and sensi-tivity and can be used to screen patients with knee osteoarthritis. The more severe the knee osteoarthritis is,the easier to develop osteoporosis.