AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic value of serum Th1-type cytokine levels and extraocular muscle-related parameters in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy(TAO).METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 45 patients diagnosed with TAO in our hospital from January 2023 to December 2024, and 20 normal volunteers during the same period as controls. Venous blood samples of the patients were collected to detect the concentrations of Th1-type cytokines [interferon-γ(IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-2(IL-2), and interleukin-12(IL-12)] in the serum. Additionally, the end diastolic velocity(Ved), velocity maximum(Vmax), resistance index(RI)of the central retinal artery, as well as the thickness and left-right diameter of the medial rectus muscle were measured. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors of TAO, and receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)was adopted to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of each index for the occurrence of TAO.RESULTS: The general information of the two groups was comparable. Compared with the normal control group, the serum concentrations of IFN-γ and TNF-α in TAO patients were significantly increased, Ved and Vmax were lower than those in the control group, and RI and the thickness of the medial rectus muscle were higher than those in the control group(all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that serum IFN-γ concentration, Ved, Vmax, and the thickness of the medial rectus muscle were all risk factors for TAO. ROC curve analysis indicated that the AUCs of serum IFN-γ concentration, Ved, Vmax, and the thickness of the medial rectus muscle for the diagnostic efficacy of TAO were 0.756, 0.769, 0.732, and 0.642, respectively. The combined detection of IFN-γ, Ved, Vmax, and the thickness of the medial rectus muscle had an AUC of 0.840 and a Youden index of 0.59, which was superior to the detection of a single indicator.CONCLUSION: The levels of serum Th1-type cytokines and extraocular muscle-related ultrasound indicators have certain value in the diagnosis of TAO. The combination of IFN-γ, Ved, Vmax, and the thickness of the medial rectus muscle has better diagnosis efficiency in TAO, which can provide a certain reference for the early diagnosis of TAO.

Coronavirus-related diseases pose a significant challenge to the global health system. Given the diversity of coronaviruses and the unpredictable nature of disease outbreaks, the traditional "one bug, one drug" paradigm struggles to address the growing number of emerging crises. Therefore, there is an urgent need for therapeutic agents with broad-spectrum anti-coronavirus activity. Here, we provide evidence that ATV006, an anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleoside analog targeting RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), has broad antiviral activity against human and animal coronaviruses. Using mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) and human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) as a model, we show that ATV006 has potent prophylactic and therapeutic activity against murine coronavirus infection in vivo. Remarkably, ATV006 successfully inhibits viral replication in mice even when administered 96 h after infection. Due to its oral bioavailability and potency against multiple coronaviruses, ATV006 has the potential to become a useful antiviral agent against SARS-CoV-2 and other circulating and emerging coronaviruses in humans and animals.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the temporal and spatial changes in the expression of perios-tin during periodontal inflammation in mice.Methods A periodontitis model was constructed using silk thread ligation.Mice were randomly divided into five groups in-cluding control group,4-day ligation group,7-day liga-tion group,14-day ligation group,and self-healing group(thread removal for 14 days after 14-day ligation).Mi-cro-CT and histological staining were performed to char-acterize the dynamic changes in the mouse periodontal tissue in each group.RNAscope and immunohistochemical staining were used to analyze the pattern of changes in peri-ostin at various stages of periodontitis.The cell experiment was divided into three groups:control group,lipopolysac-charide(LPS)stimulation group(treated with LPS for 12 h),and LPS stimulation removal group(treated with LPS for 3 h followed by incubation with medium for 9 h).Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the expression of periostin,transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),and matrix metalloproteinase 2(MMP2).Results Significant alveolar bone resorption was observed 7 days after ligation.With increasing duration of ligation,the damage to the mouse periodontal tissue was aggravated,which manifested as increased osteoclasts,widen-ing of the periodontal membrane space,and decreased alveolar bone height.Some degree of periodontal tissue repair was observed in the self-healing group.Periostin expression decreased at 4 and 7 days compared with the control group and increased at 14 days compared with 4 and 7 days.A significant recovery was found in the self-healing group.The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression of periostin and TGF-β1 in the LPS stimulation group decreased compared with that in the control group but significantly recovered in the LPS removal group.Conclusion Periostin expression in the PDL of mice showed a downward and upward trend with inflammation progression.The significant recovery of periostin expression after removing inflammatory stimuli may be related to TGF-β1,which is crucial to maintain the in-tegrity of the PDL.

Objective:To explore the diagnostic value of 18F-prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT PRIMAY score combined with multiparameter MRI (mpMRI) PI-RADS score for clinically significant prostate cancer (CsPCa). Methods:The data of 63 patients with prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy at Beijing Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The median age was 70 (64, 75) years old with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 8.46 (5.40, 14.80) ng/ml. All patients underwent 18F-PSMA PET/CT and mpMRI examination before surgery, and pathological large sections of prostate specimens were made after surgery. The prostate lesions were diagnosed and located by two radiologists and one pathologist respectively. Lesions with Gleason scores (GS)≥3+ 4 from the surgical pathology were diagnosed with CsPCa, and lesions with negative or GS=6 were diagnosed with non-CsPCa. The PSMA PET/CT images were evaluated using the PRIMARY study criteria (5-level PRlMARY score): no pattern (score of 1), diffuse transition zone or central zone(not focal) (score of 2), focal transition zone(score of 3), focal peripheral zone(score of 4), or an SUV max of at least 12 (score of 5). The degree of uptake of imaging agent in prostate lesions was semi-quantitatively evaluated using lesion-to-background ratios (LBR) of SUV max. MpMRI was evaluated according to the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) version 2.1. The patients were divided into CsPCa group and non-CsPCa group based on patients and lesions. Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test were used to compare the differences between groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent predictive factors of CsPCa. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal diagnostic threshold for each independent predictor. Predictive models were constructed for PRIMARY score, PI-RADS score, and their combined application, and the diagnostic performance of each model for CsPCa was compared. Results:Of all 63 patients, there were 54 cases in CsPCa group (85.7%) and 9 cases in non-CsPCa group (14.3%).There was significant difference between CsPCa group and non-CsPCa group in the serum PSA level [9.64 (6.1, 15.3) ng/ml vs. 5.6 (4.6, 7.6) ng/ml]( P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in age [71 (64, 75) years vs. 65 (63, 69) years], and number of lesions [2 (1, 2) vs. 2 (1, 3)] (all P>0.05). Of all 109 lesions, there were 81 lesions in CsPCa group(including 49 lesions with Gleason score = 3+ 4, 16 lesions with Gleason score=4+ 3, 14 lesions with Gleason score = 8, and 2 lesions with Gleason score>8) and 28 lesions in non-CsPCa group(including 14 lesions with Gleason score = 3+ 3 and 14 with benign prostate lesions). There was significant difference between CsPCa group and non-CsPCa group in PRIMARY score [4 (3, 5) vs. 2 (1, 4)], LBR [2.69 (2.08, 4.48) vs. 1.89 (1.45, 2.48)], PI-RADS score [4 (3, 5) vs. 2 (2, 3)] (all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the lesion distribution including the number of lesions located in the transition zone [15(18.5%) vs. 8(28.6%)] and in the peripheral zone[66(81.5%) vs. 20(71.4%)]( P>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that PRIMARY score ( OR=2.134, 95% CI 1.429-3.187) and PI-RADS score ( OR=2.689, 95% CI 1.618-4.469) were independent predictors of CsPCa (both P<0.01). ROC curves analysis revealed that the cut-off value for diagnosing CsPCa was both 3 for PRIMARY score and PI-RADS score. The accuracy for PRIMARY score, PI-RADS score, and their combined complication in diagnosing CsPCa was 72%, 67%, and 83%, respectively. The sensitivity was 72%, 63%, and 91%, and the specificity was 75%, 79%, and 57%, respectively. The positive predictive value was 89%, 89%, and 86%, and the negative predictive value was 48%, 42%, and 70%, respectively. The area under the curve of the PRIMARY score, PI-RADS score, and their combined complication of the ROC curve for CsPCa were 0.733 (95% CI 0.624-0.842), 0.708 (95% CI 0.599-0.817), and 0.743 (95% CI 0.623-0.862), respectively. The diagnostic efficacy of their combined complication was higher than PRIMARY score or PI-RADS score alone (both P<0.01). Conclusions:Both the 18F-PSMA PET/CT PRIMAY score and the mpMRI PI-RADS score have good diagnostic value for CsPCa. The combined application of the two imaging parameters can improve the accuracy, sensitivity, and negative predictive value, which have a higher diagnostic efficiency of CsPCa.

Objective:To investigate the mechanism of benzyl isothiocyanate(BITC) in the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer(ATC).Methods:Using network pharmacological analysis, key targets of BITC and ATC were screened, followed by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. In order to validate the findings, AutoDock software was used to dock BITC and ATC key targets. BITC was applied to two ATC cell lines(8505C and CAL-62). Flow cytometry was used to analyze cell apoptosis. Autophagy inhibitors hydroxychloroquine sulfate(HCQ) and 3-methyladenine(3MA) were used in combination with BITC. Real-time quantitative PCR was conducted to detect the gene level of LC3B, while Western blotting was utilized to examine the expression of NF-κB, LC3B Ⅱ, Beclin-1, and Bcl-2. In animal experiments, a mouse tumor model was constructed using CAL-62 cells, treated with intraperitoneal injections of BITC(100 mg/kg) and normal saline respectively, administered every other day for a total of 21 days. Immunoblotting of tumor tissue was performed to detect the expression of LC3B Ⅱ, Bcl-2, Beclin-1, and NF-κB.Results:A total of 10 key targets with binding energies≤-4.0 kcal/mol were identified. KEGG analysis showed that these genes are mainly involved in NF-κB signaling pathway and apoptosis. BITC inhibited ATC cells with IC50 values of 27.56 μmol/L for 8505C and 28.30 μmol/L for CAL-62. The expression levels of NF-κB, Beclin-1, and Bcl-2 decreased, while LC3B Ⅱ and LC3B gene expression increased. Combining 3MA with BITC enhanced cell inhibition LC3B Ⅱ expression. HCQ increased LC3B Ⅱ expression without enhancing cell and viability inhibition. In the mouse tumor model, compared to the control group, the treatment group had higher LC3B Ⅱ and lower Bcl-2, Beclin-1, and NF-κB levels.Conclusion:BITC could inhibit the growth of ATC cells in vitro and in vivo, disrupt the autophagy degradation, and inhibit the NF-κB pathway.

Objective:To retrieve, evaluate, and integrate the best evidence for prevention of hemodialysis catheter thrombosis, so as to provide evidence-based basis for catheter thrombosis prevention in hemodialysis patients.Methods:Guidelines, clinical decisions, evidence summaries, systematic reviews, and expert consensus on the prevention of hemodialysis catheter thrombosis were systematically searched on Guidelines International Network, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, UpToDate, British Medical Journal (BMJ) Best Practice, Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence-Based Health Care Center Database, European Renal Association, National Kidney Foundation, UK Kidney Association, Canadian Society of Nephrology, Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy, Medlive, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, and Wanfang Data and Chinese Biomedical Database. The search period was from database establishment to March 31, 2023. Investigators conducted quality evaluations separately and extracted and summarized evidence based on the theme.Results:A total of 16 articles were included, including five clinical decisions, four guidelines, two evidence summaries, and five expert consensuses. Finally, 15 best pieces of evidence were formed, including four themes of indwelling dialysis catheters, anticoagulation strategies, flushing and sealing techniques, and daily management.Conclusions:Nursing staff should choose the best evidence for preventing thrombosis in hemodialysis catheters based on clinical situations, reduce the occurrence of catheter thrombosis, extend the usage time of catheters, and improve patient outcomes.

Objective:To construct an evaluation index system for the core competence of infection control link nurses.Methods:With the core competence theory as the guiding framework, the literature research method, and the expert meeting method preliminarily drew up the index item pool. After two rounds of expert consultation, the evaluation index of the core competence of infection control link nurses was determined.Results:Two rounds of expert inquiry were conducted, with 23 and 22 questionnaires distributed, respectively. A total of 22 and 20 valid questionnaires were collected, with effective response rates of 95.65% and 90.91%, respectively. The expert authority coefficients were 0.92 and 0.91, respectively. Kendall's harmony coefficients for the overall indicator importance and operability evaluation in the second round of expert inquiry were 0.191 and 0.230, respectively (both P<0.01). Finally, the evaluation index system of infection control link nurses consisted of five primary indexes and 43 secondary indexes. Conclusions:The evaluation index system for core competence of infection control link nurses constructed in this study is scientific, reliable, and practical, which can provide a reference for the training and evaluation of infection control link nurses.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the levels of serum neuron-specific enolase(NSE)and tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)and the attack stage and prognosis of children with epilepsy secondary to viral encephalitis(VE).Methods A total of 96 children with VE admitted to the People's Hospital Affiliated to Inner Mongolia Medical University from January 2015 to January 2020 were selected as the research subjects,and they were divided into the control group(children with VE,n=30)and the observation group(children with epilepsy secondary to VE,n=66).In addition,30 healthy children who underwent physical examination in the hospital during the same period were selected as the health group.The levels of serum NSE and TNF-α in the health group,control group and observation group were compared.Children in the observation group were further divided into the 24h relapse group(n=48)and 24h non-relapse group(n=18)according to the attack of disease within 24h after admission.The levels of serum NSE and TNF-α were compared between the two groups.Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between the levels of NSE,TNF-α and the attack stage of epilepsy secondary to VE.Children in the observation group were divided into the good prognosis group(n=45)and the poor prognosis group(n=21)according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale score at discharge.The serum levels of NSE,TNF-α and other possible prognostic factors were compared between the two groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the prognostic factors of children with epilepsy secondary to VE,and the predictive value of serum NSE and TNF-αlevels on the prognosis of children with epilepsy secondary to VE was analyzed by drawing the receiver operating characteristic curve.Results The level of serum NSE in the control group was significantly higher than that in the health group(P＜0.05),and there was no significant difference in the level of serum TNF-α between the control group and the health group(P＞0.05).The serum levels of NSE and TNF-α in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The serum levels of NSE and TNF-α in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The levels of serum NSE and TNF-α in the 24 h relapse group were significantly higher than those in the 24 h non-relapse group(P＜0.05).The proportion of severe abnormal EEG,severe abnormal brain images and complicated respiratory failure,and serum levels of c-reactive protein,NSE and TNF-α in the good prognosis group were lower than those in the poor prognosis group(P＜0.05);there were no significant differences in sex,age,body mass,brain injury site,fever,hypokalemia,hyponatremia,previous convulsions,stress hyperglycemia,complicated organ dysfunction,viral infection,first episode of epilepsy,Glasgow Coma Scale score at admission,duration of convulsion,length of hospital stay,white blood cell count,aspartate transaminase,creatine kinase and cardiac troponin levels between the two groups(P＞0.05).The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that complicated respiratory failure,serum NSE and TNF-α levels were correlated with the prognosis of children with epilepsy secondary to VE(P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of serum NSE and TNF-α levels in predicting the prognosis of children with epilepsy secondary to VE was 0.724(95％confidence interval:0.672-0.776)and 0.689(95％confidence interval:0.637-0.734),respectively,with a sensitivity of 82.22％and 75.56％and a specificity of 76.19％and 71.43％;the AUC of the combination of the two in predicting the prognosis of children with epilepsy secondary to VE was 0.826(95％confidence interval:0.774-0.873),with a sensitivity of 73.33％and a specificity of 80.95％.Conclusion The serum levels of NSE and TNF-α are abnormally high in children with epilepsy secondary to VE.Both of them are factors affecting the prognosis of children with epilepsy secondary to VE,showing a good predictive value for the prognosis of epilepsy secondary to VE.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Tongren Niuhuang Qingxin Pills combined with telmisartan tablets in the treatment of hypertensive vertigo syndrome of phlegm-heat disturbance.Methods:Randomized controlled trial was conducted. Totally 80 patients with hypertension vertigo and phlegm-heat disturbance syndrome were selected from March 2021 to August 2022 at Beijing Tongrentang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine as the observation objects. They were randomly divided into two groups using a random number table method, with 40 cases in each group. The control group received oral telmisartan tablets, while the experimental group received Tongren Niuhuang Qingxin Pills in addition to the control group. Both groups were treated for 28 days and followed up for 1 month. The patients' room blood pressure before and after treatment was measured, and TCM syndrome scores were evaluated. The dizziness assessment rating scale (DARS) was used to evaluate the severity of dizziness, adverse reactions during treatment were recorded, drug safety was observed, and clinical efficacy was evaluated.Results:The total effective rate of the experimental group was 85.0% (34/40), and that of the control group was 7.5% (3/40), with statistical significance between the two groups ( χ2=48.32, P<0.001). Compared with before treatment, the experimental group had SBP [(136.63 ± 6.01) mmHg vs. (159.30 ± 9.01) mmHg, t=-21.00] and DBP [(84.48 ± 4.36) mmHg vs. (95.30 ± 3.75) mmHg, t=-13.80] after treatment; after treatment, SBP [(137.34 ± 6.39) mmHg vs. (158.00 ± 10.06) mmHg, t=-5.28] and DBP [(86.08 ± 4.43) mmHg vs. (95.18 ± 6.61) mmHg, t=-8.09] decreased in the control group ( P<0.01), but there was no statistical significance between the two groups after treatment ( P>0.05). After treatment, the TCM syndrome scores in the experimental group (8.68 ± 3.39 vs. 15.12 ± 3.03, Z=-6.61) were lower than those in the control group ( P<0.001), and DARS score [(8.53 ± 3.93) vs. (12.20 ± 3.95), Z=-3.63] was lower than that in the control group ( P<0.001). After treatment, the therapeutic effect index of TCM syndromes in the experimental group improved compared to before treatment in the same group. The therapeutic effect index of each symptom, from high to low, was as follows: rotation of oneself or visual objects>numbness of limbs>dry stool>dizziness and dizziness>liking cold drinks>bitter and dry mouth>red urine>red tongue, yellow coating, and greasy tongue>vomiting sticky and turbid phlegm>tinnitus>smooth pulse. There were no significant adverse reactions during the treatment of the two groups. Conclusion:Tongren Niuhuang Qingxin Pills combined with telmisartan can reduce the blood pressure of patients with hypertensive vertigo syndrome of phlegm-heat disturbance, improve the vertigo symptoms and TCM syndromes of patients, and the efficacy evaluation is superior to that of telmisartan alone.

Objective:To investigate the value of serum miR-145 and matrixmetallo proteinase-2 (MMP-2) levels in predicting pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer.Methods:125 patients with triple-negative breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the Hospital from Jan. 2022 to Dec. 2023 were prospectively included as the study objects, and 130 healthy people matching the age of the case group who underwent physical examination in our hospital during the same period were included as the healthy control group. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the serum miR-145 level of all subjects. Serum MMP-2 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, patients were evaluated according to Miller-Payne (MP) grading criteria and divided into pCR group and non-PCR group.Results:The serum miR-145 level in patients with tertiary breast cancer was 1.49±0.27, which was significantly lower than that in healthy control group (2.79±0.49), with statistical significance ( t=20.33, P<0.001). The serum MMP-2 level in triple negative breast cancer patients was (153.07±38.36) ng/mL, which was significantly higher than that in healthy control group (84.38±12.63) ng/mL, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=26.13, P<0.001). After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the serum miR-145 level in non-PCR patients before treatment was 1.36±0.21, which was significantly lower than that in pCR group (1.74±0.20), with statistical significance ( t=9.93, P<0.001). After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the serum MMP-2 level in non-PCR patients before treatment was (169.57±30.45) ng/mL, which was significantly higher than that in pCR group (121.61±31.79) ng/mL, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=8.24, P<0.001). Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a significant negative correlation between serum miR-145 and MMP-2 levels in patients with triple-negative breast cancer before treatment ( r=-0.47, P<0.001). ROC curve analysis results showed that serum miR-145 and MMP-2 levels before treatment predicted the sensitivity and specificity of pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer were 82.9% and 74.4%, 45.1% and 99.8%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer were 84.1% and 88.4%, respectively. Conclusion:Serum miR-145 and MMP-2 levels are related to the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, and the combined application of the two has certain predictive value.