BACKGROUND:Spondylolisthesis is a common disease,and there is a lack of effective drugs to treat it.There is still a need to further define the pathogenesis and screen out more suitable therapeutic targets for spondylolisthesis.Mendelian randomization analysis can be used to explore the drugable genes associated with spondylolisthesis and provide valuable guidance for the development of more effective and targeted therapeutic drugs.OBJECTIVE:To explore potential therapeutic targets and effective drugs for spondylolisthesis by means of pharmaceutically available genome-wide Mendelian randomization analysis.METHODS:Using the Finnish database,eQTLGen consortium,drug signature database,drug-gene interaction database,protein-protein interaction database,organic small molecule biological activity database and protein structure database,which contains genome and health information of half a million Finns,data on druggable genes were subjected to two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis and co-localization analysis with data from genome-wide association studies of spondylolisthesis to identify genes highly associated with spondylolisthesis.In addition,GO and KEGG enrichment analysis,protein network construction,drug prediction and molecular docking were performed to provide valuable guidance for the development of more effective and targeted therapeutic agents.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In this study,we identified 34 potential drug target genes that were significantly associated with spondylolisthesis,particularly the gene APOBEC3G.This gene showed a significant association with spondylolisthesis outcomes through Mendelian analysis and co-localization analysis,suggesting that APOBEC3G may be a priority therapeutic target.As for other potential mechanisms and drugs,we still need to conduct more in-depth research to determine their roles.This study used a database from a European population,which can be used as a reference for the study of population genetics in China.

BACKGROUND:Spondylolisthesis is a common disease,and there is a lack of effective drugs to treat it.There is still a need to further define the pathogenesis and screen out more suitable therapeutic targets for spondylolisthesis.Mendelian randomization analysis can be used to explore the drugable genes associated with spondylolisthesis and provide valuable guidance for the development of more effective and targeted therapeutic drugs.OBJECTIVE:To explore potential therapeutic targets and effective drugs for spondylolisthesis by means of pharmaceutically available genome-wide Mendelian randomization analysis.METHODS:Using the Finnish database,eQTLGen consortium,drug signature database,drug-gene interaction database,protein-protein interaction database,organic small molecule biological activity database and protein structure database,which contains genome and health information of half a million Finns,data on druggable genes were subjected to two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis and co-localization analysis with data from genome-wide association studies of spondylolisthesis to identify genes highly associated with spondylolisthesis.In addition,GO and KEGG enrichment analysis,protein network construction,drug prediction and molecular docking were performed to provide valuable guidance for the development of more effective and targeted therapeutic agents.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In this study,we identified 34 potential drug target genes that were significantly associated with spondylolisthesis,particularly the gene APOBEC3G.This gene showed a significant association with spondylolisthesis outcomes through Mendelian analysis and co-localization analysis,suggesting that APOBEC3G may be a priority therapeutic target.As for other potential mechanisms and drugs,we still need to conduct more in-depth research to determine their roles.This study used a database from a European population,which can be used as a reference for the study of population genetics in China.

ObjectiveTo investigate the characteristics and potential mechanisms of Luotong Xianrong Yin （LTXRY） in improving lung injury in rats with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis （IPF） by regulating glycolysis. MethodsForty specific pathogen-free （SPF） Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a sham-operated group （10 mL·kg^-1）， model group （10 mL·kg^-1）， LTXRY group （15.18 g·kg^-1）， and nintedanib group （0.1 g·kg^-1）， with 10 rats in each group. The IPF rat model was established by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin. After 28 days of gavage intervention， pulmonary function was assessed. Lung pathological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Masson staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to determine the levels of inflammatory factors， including tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin （IL）-1β， and IL-6， in lung tissue. Chemiluminescence assays were employed to detect lactate content and lactate dehydrogenase activity in lung tissue. Western blot was used to measure the protein expression of transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁）， CollagenⅠ and CollagenⅢ to evaluate collagen deposition， as well as hexokinase 2 （HK2）， pyruvate kinase M2 （PKM2）， and 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2，6-bisphosphatase 3 （PFKFB3） to assess glycolysis levels. Network pharmacology was applied to analyze the potential targets and signaling pathways of LTXRY in IPF， and molecular docking was conducted to evaluate the binding energy between active components and potential targets. Western blot was further used to detect the expression of target- and pathway-related proteins. ResultsCompared with the sham-operated group， rats in the model group showed significantly increased main airway resistance （Rn） and respiratory system resistance （Rrs）， and significantly decreased respiratory system compliance （Crs）. Inflammatory infiltration and collagen deposition were observed in lung tissue， with significantly increased levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6， as well as elevated protein expression of TGF-β₁， CollagenⅠ and CollagenⅢ. Lactate content， lactate dehydrogenase activity， and the protein expression of HK2， PKM2， and PFKFB3 in lung tissue were significantly increased. Network pharmacology analysis indicated that signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3） was a key target of LTXRY in IPF， and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 （HIF-1） was a critical signaling pathway. The expression levels of phosphorylated STAT3 （p-STAT3） and HIF-1α in lung tissue were significantly higher than those in the sham-operated group. Compared with the model group， rats in the LTXRY group showed significantly decreased Rn and Rrs and significantly increased Crs. Lung inflammatory infiltration and collagen deposition were markedly alleviated， with significantly reduced levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6， and decreased protein expression of TGF-β₁， CollagenⅠ and CollagenⅢ. Lactate content， lactate dehydrogenase activity， and the protein expression of HK2， PKM2， and PFKFB3 were significantly decreased， accompanied by markedly reduced expression of p-STAT3 and HIF-1α. ConclusionLTXRY alleviates lung tissue injury in IPF rats by regulating glycolysis mediated by the STAT3/HIF-1α signaling pathway.

The high comorbidity and heterogeneity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) underscore the importance of better understanding its transdiagnostic features. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a transdiagnostic negative psychological trait, has been consistently linked to a variety of psychiatric disorders, including OCD. IU is hierarchically structured, comprising general IU, inhibitory IU and prospective IU, each of them potentially relating differently to OCD symptom dimensions. For example, inhibitory IU has shown specific associations with procrastination behaviors. Neuroimaging studies indicate that OCD patients demonstrate abnormal neural activity within the fronto-limbic circuit and salience network, including anterior insula, amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, during IU-related psychological processes. This review synthesizes findings across three key areas: symptom presentation, neurobiological mechanisms and intervention strategies, aiming to clarify the role of IU in OCD. Furthermore, the potential of targeting IU therapeutically to complement first-line treatment is discussed, ultimately enhancing clinical intervention outcomes.

The high comorbidity and heterogeneity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) underscore the importance of better understanding its transdiagnostic features. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a transdiagnostic negative psychological trait, has been consistently linked to a variety of psychiatric disorders, including OCD. IU is hierarchically structured, comprising general IU, inhibitory IU and prospective IU, each of them potentially relating differently to OCD symptom dimensions. For example, inhibitory IU has shown specific associations with procrastination behaviors. Neuroimaging studies indicate that OCD patients demonstrate abnormal neural activity within the fronto-limbic circuit and salience network, including anterior insula, amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, during IU-related psychological processes. This review synthesizes findings across three key areas: symptom presentation, neurobiological mechanisms and intervention strategies, aiming to clarify the role of IU in OCD. Furthermore, the potential of targeting IU therapeutically to complement first-line treatment is discussed, ultimately enhancing clinical intervention outcomes.

Background It is a research hotspot to study the changes of metabolites and metabolic pathways in the process of coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) by metabonomics and to explore its pathogenesis. Objective To study the change of metabolites in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with CWP and explore the metabolic regulation mechanism of the disease. Methods Patients with CWP who met the national diagnostic criteria according to Diagnosis of occupational pneumoconiosis (GBZ 70-2015) and underwent massive whole lung lavage were selected as the case group, and patients with tracheostenosis who underwent bronchoscopy were selected as the control group. BALF samples were collected from the cases and the controls. After filtering out large particles and mucus, the supernatant was stored in a −80 ℃ refrigerator. The samples were detected and analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry after adding extraction solution, cold bath ultrasonication, and high-speed centrifugation, and the metabolic profiles and related data of CWP patients were obtained. The differential metabolites related to the occurrence and development of CWP were screened by multiple statistical analysis; furthermore, we searched the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database for potential metabolic pathways involved in the progression. Results There was no significant difference in the general conditions of the subjects, such as weight, height, age, and length of service among the stage I group, the stage II group, the stage III group, and the control group (P˃0.05). When comparing the CWP stage I group with the control group, 48 differential metabolites were screened out, among which 14 were up-regulated and 34 were down-regulated. A total of 66 differential metabolites were screened out between the patients with CWP stage II and the controls, 14 up-regulated and 52 down-regulated differential metabolites. Compared with the control group, 63 differential metabolites were screened out in the patients with CWP stage III, including 11 up-regulated and 52 down-regulated differential metabolites. There were 36 differential metabolites that may be related to the occurrence of CWP, among which 11 differential metabolites were up-regulated, and 25 were down-regulated. Four significant differential metabolic pathways were identified through KEGG database query: linoleic acid metabolic pathway, alanine metabolic pathway, sphingolipid metabolic pathway, and glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway. Conclusion The metabolomic study of BALF show that there are 36 different metabolites in the occurrence and development of CWP, mainly associating with linoleic acid metabolism, alanine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways.

Background Pneumoconiosis is a widespread occupational disease in China at present. As a type of lung diseases, its pathological damage is mainly irreversible fibrotic changes in the lungs. Several studies have shown that the occurrence and development of lung diseases such as coal workers' pneumoconiosis are closely related to intestinal flora. Objective To observe intestinal flora of coal workers' pneumoconiosis patients based on the results of 16SrDNA high-throughput sequencing and evaluate the changes of intestinal flora after treatment with tetrandrine tablets. Methods A total of 80 patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis attending the outpatient clinic of the Department of Occupational Diseases of the Emergency General Hospital from April to July 2022 were enrolled. All patients were treated with tetrandrine tablets for 4 weeks, with group A before the treatment of tetrandrine tablets and group B after the treatment. In the same period, 24 healthy controls (group C) were set up. Stool samples were collected before and after the treatment. Using 16SrDNA high-throughput sequencing, gene V3-V4 sequencing technology, and bioinformatic analysis platform, we evaluated the intestinal flora after treatment by groups. Results The dominant flora at the phylum level and genus level were the same across three groups. The relative abundances of phylum Bacteroidetes, Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Facealibacterium in groups B and C were higher than those in group A, and the relative abundances of phy-lum Actinobacteria, genus Blautia, and genus Romboutsia in groups B and C were lower than those in group A (P＜0.05). The relative abundances of genus Clostridium, genus Megamonas, and genus Lactobacillus in group C was lower than that in groups A and B (P＜0.05). The alpha diversity analysis showed that the Chao1 index was higher in group A than in group C (P＜0.01). Compared with group A, the Shannon index was higher in group B, and the increases of Simpson index were all statistically significant in stage I patients (P＜0.05), but the differences in Chao1 index were not statistically significant (P＞0.05). The differences in the values of Chao1 index, Shannon index, and Simpson index in stage Ⅱ and stage III patients were not statistically significant (P＞0.05). The beta diversity analysis showed that the difference in flora structure between group A and group C was statistically significant (P＜0.05); the differences in flora structure before and after treatment in the same stage patients were statistically significant (P＜0.05). The partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed that there were significant differences between group A and group C, and between group A and group B. The LEfSe analysis showed that the significant markers contributing to the differences were basically the same in stage I, stage Ⅱ, and stage Ⅲ after treatment, which were mainly phylum Bacteroidetes and its subordinate groups, class Negativicutes, or-der Selenomonas, and genus Facealibacterium. Conclusion There are differences in the distribution of flora between coal workers' pneumoconiosis patients and healthy individuals, and the structure and relative abundance of intestinal flora are changed and the number of beneficial flora is increased after treatment with tetrandrine tablets.

Compared with the global average, the incidence rate of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in China is higher, particularly in the southern regions where the mortality rate has remained persistently high. Nimotuzumab, a targeted therapy that acts on the epidermal growth factor receptor, has prompted continuous progress in NPC treatment. The combination of nimotuzumab with traditional radiotherapy and chemotherapy can enhance treatment efficacy, reduce adverse reactions, and improve patients’ quality of life. This article summarizes current research findings from this perspective to provide diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for NPC treatment.

Background Multi-slice spiral computerized tomography (MSCT) can be used as an auxiliary diagnosis of chest radiography in diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, but there are few studies on the correlations between interstitial images and stage classification of coal workers' pneumoconiosis in the existing literature. Objective To present MSCT imaging manifestations and distribution characteristics of coal workers' pneumoconiosis and complications, evaluate correlations between coal workers' pneumoconiosis stages and pulmonary interstitial lesions, and provide a reliable imaging diagnosis basis for pneumoconiosis interstitial lesions. Methods From June 2022 to June 2023, a total of 1002 patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis confirmed by the pneumoconiosis diagnostic and identification group in the Department of Occupational Diseases of the Emergency General Hospital were enrolled. MSCT was used to observe the abnormal imaging manifestations of the lungs of coal workers' pneumoconiosis patients and the diseases of pulmonary fibrosis related to their own diseases (thickening of the interlobular septum, bronchial perivascular interstitial mass thickening, parenchymal banding, subpleural line, intralobular interstitial thickening, honeycomb, and subpleural interstitial thickening), the occurrence of coal workers' pneumoconiosis and complications (old tuberculosis, active tuberculosis, pneumonia, atelectasis, lung cancer, bronchiectasis), and the density, size, and location of pneumoconiosis nodules. Imaging data were analyzed and statistically processed. Results All 1002 patients were male, with an average age of (60.71±6.87) years and an average dust exposure time of (23.01±7.80) years. Among them, there were 470 patients with stage I, 422 patients with stage II, and 110 patients with stage III. There were significant differences in the distribution of thickening of the interlobular septum, bronchial perivascular interstitial mass thickening, parenchymal banding, intralobular interstitial thickening, subpleural interstitial thickening, and honeycomb across different stages (P<0.05). Statistically significant differences in p, q, and r subsets of round nodules were found in patients with pneumoconiosis at different stages (P<0.05). Observed nodule types included solid nodules, pure ground-glass shadow nodules, and partial solid nodules. There were statistically significant differences in pulmonary tuberculosis and bronchiectasis among different stages of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in interstitial shadows and patches combined with interstitial shadows among different stages of pneumoconiosis complicated with pneumonia (P<0.05). Conclusion MSCT provides images of the progression of coal workers' pneumoconiosis and have a certain relationship with the stages of coal workers' pneumoconiosis, which is conducive to the formulation of reasonable treatment plans in the early clinical stage. Therefore, in the diagnosis and treatment of pneumoconiosis, a great attention should be paid to the imaging technology of chest computerized tomography, especially the use of MSCT examination.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment of patients with perianal necrotizing fasciitis.Methods:This study was a retrospective cohort study. Twenty patients with perianal necrotizing fasciitis who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University (hereinafter referred to as our department) from August 2013 to September 2023, including 19 males and 1 female, aged 24-74 (56±11) years. Based on the spreading route of perianal infection to the lower abdomen, the patients were divided into perianal-inguinal-lower abdominal wall group (12 cases) and perianal-pelvic cavity-retroperitoneal group (8 cases). The following clinical data were compared between the two groups of patients: general data, including gender, age, combined underlying diseases, blood glucose level and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score when admitted to our department, and laboratory risk indicator for necrotizing fasciitis (LRINEC) score when admitted to our department and at 14 d after admitted to our department; infection indicators when admitted to our department, including C-reactive protein level, white blood cell count, lymphocyte count, procalcitonin level, and lactic acid level; clinical outcome-related indicators, including time from onset to definite infection range, number of surgery, treatment in intensive care unit (ICU), length of hospital stay, treatment outcome, and recurrence of necrotizing fasciitis during follow-up; detection of pathogen and bacterial drug resistance in wound necrotic tissue specimen when admitted to our department.Results:Compared with those in perianal-inguinal-lower abdominal wall group, the APACHE Ⅱ score and lactic acid level when admitted to our department and LRINEC score at 14 d after admitted to our department (with t values of -5.98, -5.01, and -2.86, respectively, P<0.05) and ICU treatment ratio ( P<0.05) were significantly increased, the time from onset to definite infection range was significantly prolonged ( Z=-3.75, P<0.05), and the number of surgery was significantly increased ( Z=2.80, P<0.05) in patients in perianal-pelvic cavity-retroperitoneal group. There were no statistically significant differences in other data between the two groups of patients ( P>0.05). Eighteen patients were cured, and no recurrence of perianal necrotizing fasciitis was observed during follow-up of 6 months in 18 cured patients. The main bacteria were Escherichia coliand Klebsiella pneumoniae, and the fungui were Aspergillus and Candida albicans detected in wound necrotic tissue specimens in two groups of patients when admitted to our department. The ratio of multiple drug resistance of bacteria in wound necrotic tissue specimens in perianal-pelvic cavity-retroperitoneal group of patients was significantly higher than that in perianal-inguinal-lower abdominal wall group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Perianal necrotizing fasciitis can spread to the lower abdomen through two routes: the perianal-inguinal-lower abdominal wall route and the perianal-pelvic cavity-retroperitoneal route. The latter is more insidious in disease progression and more challenging in treatment. Establishing a mechanism of multi-disciplinary team diagnosis and treatment can achieve the goal of early diagnosis and precise treatment of perianal necrotizing fasciitis.