BACKGROUND:Early exercise treatment is the main prevention way for traumatic joint contracture and is also a research focus.Swimming may be a potential intervention for joint contracture due to the special physical properties of water. OBJECTIVE:To explore the effects of swimming on the development of joint contracture in a rat model and study its mechanisms. METHODS:Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a blank control group(n=8)and a joint contracture group(n=16).After the surgical operation of knee joint contracture rat models,the joint contracture group was randomly subdivided into a surgical control group(n=8)and a swimming treatment group(n=8).Swimming started in the swimming treatment group in the second week after surgery and lasted for a total of 5 weeks.At the 6th week after surgery,the body mass,knee joint range of motion,and quadriceps diameter were tested,and the diameter/body mass index was calculated.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to detect the pathological changes in the knee joint capsule and quadriceps muscle,and Masson staining was used to observe fibrotic changes in the knee joint capsule.Furthermore,the protein expression of transforming growth factor β1 and type I collagen in the knee joint capsule was quantified by immunohistochemical assay and western blot was performed to detect the protein expression of MuRF1 in the quadriceps femoris. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the blank control group,the knee range of motion decreased in the surgical control and swimming treatment groups(P<0.01),and knee extension deficit and arthrogenic extension deficit were significantly increased(P<0.01),the diameter of the quadriceps muscle was decreased(P<0.01),the joint capsule showed significant fibrosis,the quadriceps muscle was atrophied,and the diameter/body mass index was decreased(P<0.01).Compared with the surgical control group,the swimming treatment group showed a significant increase in knee joint range of motion and quadriceps diameter(P<0.01),and significant improvement in joint capsule fibrosis and quadriceps atrophy.Compared with the blank control group,collagen fiber content and expression of transforming growth factor β1 and type I collagen were increased in the joint capsule of rats in both the surgical control group and the swimming treatment group(P<0.01).Compared with the surgical control group,collagen fiber content and expression of transforming growth factor β1 and type I collagen protein in the joint capsule were decreased in the swimming treatment group.Compared with the blank control group,the expression of MuRF1 protein in the quadriceps muscle of rats in the surgical control group and the swimming treatment group was increased(P<0.05).Compared with the surgical control group,the expression of MuRF1 protein in the quadriceps muscle of rats in the swimming treatment group was decreased(P<0.05).To conclude,early swimming intervention reduces transforming growth factor β1 and type I collagen expression in the joint capsule of traumatic joint contracture rats,decreases MuRF1 expression in the quadriceps muscle,and increases joint range of motion and quadriceps diameter,thereby inhibiting the development of joint contracture.

OBJECTIVE To explore the improvement effect and mechanism of salidroside on radiation-induced parotid gland injury in rats. METHODS Rats were randomly assigned into normal group， radiation group， salidroside low-dose （salidroside-L， 50 mg/kg） group， salidroside high-dose （salidroside-H， 100 mg/kg） group， and salidroside-H+inhibitor （100 mg/kg salidroside+0.1 µmol/kg H-89） group， with 10 rats in each group. Except for the normal group， rats in the other groups were subjected to radiation exposure to establish a model of radiation-induced parotid gland injury. Rats in each group were intraperitoneally injected with the corresponding drug or normal saline， once a day， for 40 consecutive days. After the last administration， the levels of reactive oxygen species （ROS）， cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， and amylase in serum were detected； the pathological changes of parotid gland tissue were observed； the apoptosis rate of parotid gland tissue cells， the expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2） and its associated X protein （Bax）， mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6 （IL- 6） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， the protein expression levels of type Ⅲ collagen （Col Ⅲ）， vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP）， and the phosphorylation level of protein kinase A （PKA） in parotid gland tissue were determined. RESULTS Compared with normal group， the levels of ROS， amylase， apoptosis rate， Bax expression level， mRNA expression levels of IL-6 and TNF- α， and protein expression level of Col Ⅲ in the radiation group were significantly increased， while the levels of cAMP， SOD， Bcl-2 expression level， VIP protein expression level and PKA phosphorylation level were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. Compared with radiation group， the above indicators in the salidroside-L group and salidroside-H group were significantly improved （P＜0.05）， and the improvement in the salidroside-H group was more significant （P＜0.05）； inhibitor H-89 significantly reversed the changes in the above indicators of the salidroside-H group （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Salidroside can effectively alleviate radiation-induced parotid gland injury in rats， and its mechanism may be related to the activation of the VIP-cAMP pathway.

Ferroptosis has received great attention as an iron-dependent programmed cell death for efficient cancer therapy. However, with the accumulation of iron in tumor cells, the antioxidant system is activated by reducing glutathione (GSH) with glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), which critically limits the ferroptosis therapeutic effect. Herein, an iron and GPX4 silencing siRNA (siGPX4) co-encapsulated ferritin nanocage (HFn@Fe/siGPX4) was developed to enhance ferroptosis by disruption of redox homeostasis and inhibition of antioxidant enzyme synergistically. The siGPX4 were loaded into the nanocages by pre-incubated with iron, which could significantly improve the loading efficiency of the gene drugs when compared with the reported gene drug loading strategy by ferritin nanocages. And more iron was overloaded into the ferritin through the diffusion method. When HFn@Fe/siGPX4 was taken up by human breast cancer cell MCF-7 in a TfR1-mediated pathway, the excess iron ions in the drug delivery system could for one thing induce ferroptosis by the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), for another promote siGPX4 escaping from the lysosome to exert gene silencing effect more effectively. Both the in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that HFn@Fe/siGPX4 could significantly inhibit tumor growth by synergistical ferroptosis. Thus, the developed HFn@Fe/siGPX4 afforded a combined ferroptosis strategy for ferroptosis-based antitumor as well as a novel and efficient gene drug delivery system.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is linked to an increased prevalence of myocardial infarction (MI). However, research dedicated to elucidating the pathogenesis of AS-MI is lacking. In this study, we explored the biomarkers for enhancing the diagnostic and therapeutic efficiency of AS-MI. Datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. We employed weighted gene co-expression network analysis and machine learning models to screen hub genes. A receiver operating characteristic curve and a nomogram were designed to assess diagnostic accuracy. Gene set enrichment analysis was conducted to reveal the potential function of hub genes. Immune infiltration analysis indicated the correlation between hub genes and the immune landscape. Subsequently, we performed single-cell analysis to identify the expression and subcellular localization of hub genes. We further constructed a transcription factor (TF)-microRNA (miRNA) regulatory network. Finally, drug prediction and molecular docking were performed. S100A12 and MCEMP1 were identified as hub genes, which were correlated with immune-related biological processes. They exhibited high diagnostic value and were predominantly expressed in myeloid cells. Furthermore, 24 TFs and 9 miRNA were associated with these hub genes. Enzastaurin, meglitinide, and nifedipine were predicted as potential therapeutic agents. Our study indicates that S100A12 and MCEMP1 exhibit significant potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for AS-MI, offering novel insights into the underlying etiology of this condition.
Humans ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing/complications* ; Systems Biology/methods* ; Myocardial Infarction/diagnosis* ; Biomarkers/metabolism* ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Machine Learning

Objective To compare the external morphological characteristics and movement patterns between Schistosoma japonicum and S. sinensis cercariae. Methods S. japonicum and S. sinensis cercariae were heat-fixed, and well-extended cercariae, of 50 each species, were randomly selected for measurement of body length, body width, tail stem length, and tail fork length. The external morphological characteristics of S. japonicum and S. sinensis cercariae were compared. In addition, S. japonicum-infected Oncomelania snails and S. sinensis-infected Tricula snails were observed under a microscope and the movement patterns of S. japonicum and S. sinensis cercariae were compared. Results The mean body length, body width, tail stem length, and tail fork length were (0.16 ± 0.01), (0.05 ± 0.01), (0.14 ± 0.01) mm and (0.06 ± 0.01) mm for S. japonicum cercariae, and (0.13 ± 0.01), (0.05 ± 0.01), (0.13 ± 0.01) mm and (0.06 ± 0.01) mm for S. sinensis cercariae, respectively, and there were significant differences in terms of cercaria body length (t = 14.583, P < 0.05) and tail stem length (t = 3.861, P < 0.05), while no significant differences were seen in terms of body width (t = 0.896, P > 0.05) or tail fork length (t = −0.454, P > 0.05). Microscopy revealed that the tails of both S. japonicum and S. sinensis cercariae swung from side to side and there was no significant difference in their movement pattern. Conclusion S. sinensis and S. japonicum cercariae share highly similar external external morphological characteristics and movement patterns.

Aural vertigo frequently encountered in the otolaryngology department of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） mainly involves peripheral vestibular diseases of Western medicine， such as Meniere's disease， benign paroxysmal positional vertigo， vestibular neuritis， and vestibular migraine， being a hot research topic in both TCM and Western medicine. Western medical therapies alone have unsatisfactory effects on recurrent aural vertigo， aural vertigo affecting the quality of life， aural vertigo not relieved after surgery， aural vertigo with complex causes， and children's aural vertigo. The literature records and clinical practice have proven that TCM demonstrates unique advantages in the treatment of aural vertigo. The China Association of Chinese medicine sponsored the "17th youth salon on the diseases responding specifically to TCM： Aural vertigo" and invited vertigo experts of TCM and Western medicine to discuss the difficulties and advantages of TCM diagnosis and treatment of aural vertigo. The experts deeply discussed the achievements and contributions of TCM and Western medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of aural vertigo， the control and mitigation of the symptoms， and the solutions to disease recurrence. The discussion clarified the positioning and advantages of TCM treatment and provided guidance for clinical and basic research on aural vertigo.

Objective To noninvasively predict isocitrate dehydrogenase(IDH)status of glioma via combining imaging and clini-cal features before surgery,so as to provide basis for individualized clinical treatment decision.Methods A total of 47 patients with glioma confirmed by pathological and molecular genetic tests were included,including 20 with IDH mutant type and 27 with IDH wild type.After diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)scanning,fractional anisotropy(FA)and mean diffusivity(MD)values of tumor paren-chyma were calculated.Combining DTI parameters with MRI morphological features of tumor,blood neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio(NLR)and patient's age,binary logistic regression model was established to effectively predict IDH status of glioma patients before surgery.Results There were significant differences in FAmean/FANAWM,MDmin,NLR,tumor location and age between IDH mutant type and IDH wild type groups(P<0.05).The binary logistic regression model concluding,FAmean/FANAWM,MDmin,cystic degeneration,NLR and age,predicted IDH status of glioma with area under the curve(AUC)of 0.961 and 95%confidence interval(CI)of 0.914-1.00.Conclusion The regression model established via combining DTI,MRI morphological features and blood NLR has great performance in classifying IDH status of glioma,and can help predict IDH status noninvasively before surgery,so as to assist clinical individualized treatment.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility of 3D reconstruction techniques based on multi-depth cameras for daily patient positioning in radiotherapy.Methods:Through region of interest (ROI) extraction, filtering, registration, splicing and other processes, multi-depth cameras (Intel RealSense D435i) were used to fuse point clouds in real-time manner to obtain the real optical 3D surface of patients. The reconstructed surface was matched with the external contour of the localization CT to complete the positioning. In this article, the feasibility of the system was validated by using multiple models. Clinical feasibility of 5 patients with head and neck radiotherapy, 10 cases of chest radiotherapy and 5 cases of pelvic radiotherapy was also validated. The data of each group were analyzed by paired t-test. Results:The system running time was 0.475 s, which met the requirement of real-time monitoring. The six-dimensional registration errors in the model experiment were (1.00±0.74) mm, (1.69±0.69) mm, (1.36±0.87) mm, 0.15°±0.14°, 0.25°±0.20°, 0.13°±0.13° in the x, y, z, rotational, pitch and roll directions, respectively. In the actual patient positioning, the mean positioning errors were (0.77±0.51) mm, (1.24±0.67) mm, (0.94±0.76) mm, 0.61°±0.41°, 0.69°±0.55°, and 0.52°±0.35° in the x, y, z, rotational, pitch and roll directions, respectively. The translational error was less than 2.8 mm, and the positioning error was the largest in the pelvic region. Conclusions:Real-time 3D reconstruction techniques based on multi-depth cameras is applicable for patient positioning during radiotherapy. The method is accurate in positioning and can detect the small movement of the patient's position, which meets the requirements of radiotherapy.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of fractional CO 2 laser combined with topical delivery of fluorouracil versus compound betamethasone injections in the treatment of vitiligo. Methods:Clinical data were collected from 94 patients with localized, non-segmental, and stable vitiligo, who received fractional CO 2 laser combined with drug delivery at the Cosmetological Center, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University from October 2018 to May 2023, and were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, there were 40 cases in the fractional CO 2 laser combined with fluorouracil injection group, and 54 cases in the fractional CO 2 laser combined with compound betamethasone injection group. All the patients received the above treatment once a month for 5 sessions. A 4-level grading scale was used to evaluate the pigmentation improvement, and the clinical efficacy and safety of the two therapeutic regimens were compared. Comparisons between groups were performed using chi-square test, Fisher′s exact test, and t test. Results:In the fractional CO 2 laser combined with fluorouracil injection group, there were 22 males and 18 females, their ages were 21.95 ± 12.88 years, and the disease duration was 25.46 ± 11.42 months; in the fractional CO 2 laser combined with compound betamethasone injection group, there were 36 males and 18 females, their ages were 22.26 ± 8.79 years, and the disease duration was 26.51 ± 12.81 months. One month after the first treatment, no significant difference was observed in the efficacy between the two groups ( χ2 = 1.39, P = 0.238). One month after the fifth treatment, 2 (5.0%) patients showed an excellent response, 4 (10.0%) showed a good response, 12 (30.0%) showed a mild response, and 22 (55.0%) showed a poor response in the fractional CO 2 laser combined with fluorouracil injection group; in the fractional CO 2 laser combined with compound betamethasone injection group, 8 (14.8%) patients showed a good response, 8 (14.8%) showed a mild response, and 38 (70.4%) showed a poor response; there was no significant difference in the efficacy between the two groups after 5 sessions of treatment ( χ2 = 2.35, P = 0.125). After either 1 or 5 sessions of treatment, there were no significant differences in the efficacy for lesions on the face and neck, trunk and limbs, hands and feet between the two therapeutic regimens (all P > 0.05). Comparisons of the efficacy for skin lesions on different body sites showed that one session of the fractional CO 2 laser combined with fluorouracil injection was more effective for the treatment of skin lesions on the face and neck compared with those on the hands and feet ( P = 0.039) ; after 5 sessions of treatment, the two therapeutic regimens both showed better efficacy for facial skin lesions compared with hand and foot skin lesions ( P = 0.005, 0.049). There was no significant difference in the occurrence of adverse reactions such as pigmentation, infection and scarring between the two groups. Conclusion:The fractional CO 2 laser combined with topical delivery of fluorouracil and compound betamethasone injections showed similar efficacy and safety in the treatment of vitiligo, and both can be used as treatment options for vitiligo.

Objective:To investigate the value of CT imaging radiomics in predicting the therapeutic effect of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for pancreatic duct stones.Methods:The clinical data of 167 patients with pancreatic duct stones treated with ESWL in the Department of Gastroenterology, the First People's Hospital of Hangzhou, Westlake University from July 2016 to January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into complete lithotripsy group (stone diameter ≤3 mm, n=94) and incomplete lithotripsy group (stone diameter>3 mm, n=73), according to the size of the largest residual stone after the first ESWL treatment. ITK SNAP software was used to delineate the images of pancreatic duct stones, and the artificial intelligence tool kit developed by United Shadow Company was used to extract the image radiomics characteristics. The pancreatic duct stone data set was randomly assigned into the training set ( n=118) and the test set ( n=29) in the ratio of 8∶2, and the absolute maximum normalization treatment was used, followed by peacekeeping selection through the minimum absolute contraction and selection operator (Lasso) to calculate the CT image radiomics score, and the logistic regression classifier was used to construct the ESWL treatment effect prediction model of pancreatic duct stones. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were plotted, and the area under the curve (AUC) and sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated to assess the performance of the prediction model. Decision curve analysis was used to evaluate the clinical value of CT radiomics score in the diagnosis of ESWL for pancreatic duct stones. Results:A total of 2 287 imaging radiomics characteristics were extracted, and 11 optimal imaging radiomics characteristics were finally screened by Lasso regression dimensionality reduction to establish a prediction model for ESWL treatment effect of pancreatic duct stones. The AUC values of the training set and the test set were 0.89 and 0.87, respectively, and the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 82% and 79%, 82% and 82%, 82% and 80%, respectively. The AUC value in the independent validation set was 0.90, and the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 78%, 90%, and 85%, respectively. The results of decision curve analysis showed that when the probability of ESWL efficacy in the diagnosis of pancreatic duct stones with CT image radiomics score was >0.05, the use of CT image radiomics score in the diagnosis of ESWL efficacy in pancreatic duct stones was more beneficial to patients in clinical practice than not.Conclusions:The treatment effect of ESWL for pancreatic duct stones can be predicted by CT imaging radiomics model.