Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) with different numbers of ports in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax. Methods We conducted a comprehensive search of CNKI, PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMbase, Wanfang Data, and the Chinese Medical Journal Full-text Database for clinical controlled trials on VATS with different port numbers for spontaneous pneumothorax, from their inception to March 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature and assessed its quality.The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the methodological quality of cohort and case-control studies, and the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to evaluate randomized controlled trials (RCT). Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4.1 software. Results A total of 107 studies were included, comprising 35 RCT, 2 cohort studies, and 70 case-control studies. All cohort and case-control studies included in the analysis had NOS scores≥7. The meta-analysis revealed that compared to two-port VATS (2P-VATS) and three-port VATS (3P-VATS), single-port thoracoscopic surgery (SPTS) was associated with less intraoperative blood loss (SMD=–1.58, 95%CI: –1.93 to –1.22, P<0.001; and SMD=–1.59, 95%CI: –2.03 to –1.14, P<0.001, respectively), shorter postoperative hospital stay (SMD=–1.05, 95%CI: –1.29 to –0.82, P<0.001; and SMD=–1.08, 95%CI: –1.39 to –0.77, P<0.001), shorter duration of postoperative chest tube drainage (SMD=–0.75, 95%CI: –1.00 to –0.50, P<0.001; and SMD=–1.23, 95%CI: –1.72 to –0.75, P<0.001), fewer postoperative complications (OR=0.34, 95%CI: 0.26 to 0.45, P<0.001; and OR=0.47, 95%CI: 0.33 to 0.68, P<0.001), and lower pain scores at 24, 48, and 72 hours after surgery (P<0.05). The operative time for SPTS was shorter than that for 2P-VATS (SMD=–0.53, 95%CI: –0.90 to –0.16, P=0.005) but showed no significant difference compared to 3P-VATS (P=0.21). When comparing 2P-VATS with 3P-VATS, 2P-VATS demonstrated less intraoperative blood loss (SMD=–1.02, 95%CI: –1.81 to –0.22, P=0.01), shorter postoperative hospital stay (SMD=–0.59, 95%CI: –1.11 to –0.06, P=0.03), shorter duration of chest tube drainage (SMD=–0.46, 95%CI: –0.85 to –0.08, P=0.02), fewer postoperative complications (OR=0.36, 95%CI: 0.22 to 0.59, P<0.001), and lower pain scores at 24, 48, and 72 hours after surgery (P≤0.05). Conclusion Both SPTS and 2P-VATS are effective and safe surgical options for spontaneous pneumothorax, deserving further promotion and application in clinical practice. However, due to limitations in the quantity and quality of the included studies, more large-sample, high-quality research is needed to validate these findings.

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in treating esophageal cancer patients of different genders. Methods Computer searches were conducted on PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases to collect randomized controlled trial (RCT) on ICIs treatment for esophageal cancer patients from the establishment of the databases to January 25, 2024. Two researchers independently screened the literature and extracted data according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The outcome indicators were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), and RevMan 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis. The modified Jadad scoring scale was used to evaluate the quality of the included literature. Results A total of 10 RCT involving 5364 esophageal cancer patients were included in this study, with 2684 patients in the trial group and 2680 patients in the control group. The Jadad scores of the included literature were all ≥6 points, indicating high-quality RCT. Meta-analysis results showed that female esophageal cancer patients receiving ICIs treatment [HR=0.72, 95%CI (0.59, 0.87), P<0.001] had a more significant median OS prolongation than male patients [HR=0.73, 95%CI (0.68, 0.78), P<0.001]; while male patients [HR=0.57, 95%CI (0.52, 0.64), P<0.001] had a more significant PFS prolongation than female patients [HR=0.72, 95%CI (0.55, 0.94), P=0.01]. Female patients treated with ICIs alone [HR=0.66, 95%CI (0.50, 0.87), P=0.003] had a more significant median OS prolongation than male patients [HR=0.79, 95%CI (0.72, 0.87), P<0.001]; while male patients receiving ICIs combined with chemotherapy [HR=0.67, 95%CI (0.61, 0.74), P<0.001] had a more significant median OS prolongation than female patients [HR=0.77, 95%CI (0.59, 1.01), P=0.06]. Conclusion Female patients receiving ICIs have a slight advantage in OS compared to male patients, while male patients have an advantage in PFS. Male patients receiving ICIs combined with chemotherapy have better survival benefits than female patients, while female patients using ICIs monotherapy have better survival benefits than male patients.

Objective: To explore the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on health risk behaviors (HRBs) among college students and the mediating role of psychological symptoms, so as to provide a basis for developing intervention strategies. Methods: From March to April 2023, a convenience cluster sample of 1 801 students from 12 universities in Nanning, Liuzhou, Guilin, Wuzhou of Guangxi completed an online survey. A self designed questionnaire, Adverse Childhood Experiences-International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) and Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) were used for evaluation tools. Binary Logistic regression, structural equation modeling (SEM) and Bootstrap methods were used to analyze the associations and mediating effects. Results: Overall, 71.2% of college students experienced at least one type of ACE, with emotional neglect (40.3%) and emotional abuse ( 25.2 %) having the highest detection rates. The top three HRBs were unhealthy diet (77.8%), physical inactivity (54.1%), and smoking/alcohol use (18.5%). Logistic regression showed that poor family functioning, abuse, and extra familial violence were each associated with an increased risk of smoking/alcohol use ( OR =1.14, 1.11, 1.18) and deliberate self harm ( OR =1.26, 1.19,1.30) (all P <0.05). Experience of abuse increased the risk of high risk sexual behavior and family dysfunction increaded the risk of physical inactivity, respectively ( OR = 1.07 , 1.04, both P <0.05). Mediation analysis revealed that anxiety ( β =0.20) and depression ( β = 0.09 ) partially mediated the pathway from poor family functioning to deliberate self harm; paranoia ( β =0.02) partially mediated the pathway from abuse to high risk sexual behavior; and obsessive-compulsive symptoms ( β =0.26) and depression ( β =0.10) partially mediated the pathway from extra familial violence to deliberate self harm (all P <0.05). Conclusion Psychological symptoms play a mediating role in the association between ACEs and HRBs, and mental health interventions may reduce the risk of HRBs among college students.

Background As one of the most severe occupational diseases in China, pneumoconiosis is significantly burdened by its complications, which adversely affects patients' quality of life. Objective To identify the influencing factors of complications in pneumoconiosis and to construct an early prediction model for pneumoconiosis complications, providing theoretical guidance for clinical diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Methods A case-control study was conducted using data from the Chongqing 5G Pneumoconiosis Rehabilitation Management Information Platform. A total of 1872 pneumoconiosis patients with complications, who received rehabilitation at various rehabilitation stations in Chongqing from January 2021 to December 2024, were enrolled as the case group. Concurrently, 2348 patients without complications from the same platform and period were included as the control group. Univariate analysis, LASSO regression, and logistic regression were employed to identify influencing factors for complications. An extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model was trained using ten-fold cross-validation to predict pneumoconiosis complications. The SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was applied for model visualization. Results The analysis of influencing factors revealed that increased age, silicosis type, advanced stage of pneumoconiosis, dependence in activities of daily living, abnormal muscle strength, increased dyspnea index, presence of cough, viscous sputum, impaired cardiac function, severe abnormality in the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), and increased Borg score were risk factors for complications (P<0.05). The XGBoost model demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic of 0.718, and a Brier score of 0.211 for the calibration curve. Decision curve analysis demonstrated a superior net benefit within the threshold probability range of 0.2 to 1.0 compared to "all-patient intervention" and "no-patient intervention" strategies, indicating good predictive performance and significant clinical utility. SHAP visualization identified the top six important features as Borg score, age, 6MWT, muscle strength, pneumoconiosis stage, and cough symptoms. Conclusion Multiple factors influence the occurrence of complications in pneumoconiosis patients. Clinical attention should be focused on elderly patients with decreased cardiopulmonary reserve, pronounced respiratory symptoms, and diminished muscle strength. The XGBoost model demonstrates satisfactory discrimination, calibration, and clinical applicability in predicting pneumoconiosis complications and may serve as a useful reference for clinical decision-making.

Objective: To systematically evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and maintenance effects of digital psychological therapies on depressive symptoms among adolescents, so as to provide a reference for clinical practice. Methods: Randomized controlled trial(RCT) investigating digital psychological therapies to improve depressive symptoms among adolescents were searched across databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database, VIP database, and SinoMed, from database inception to November 20, 2025. Following literature screening, quality assessment, and data extraction, a Meta analysis was performed using Stata 18.0 software. Results: A total of 20 studies involving 2 042 adolescents aged 11-19 were included. The Meta analysis revealed that digital psychological therapies significantly alleviated depressive symptoms in adolescents ( SMD =-0.59, 95% CI =-0.85 to -0.32, P <0.01). The therapeutic effect was sustained at long term follow up ( SMD =-0.21, 95% CI =-0.34 to -0.09, P <0.01). Furthermore, depression scores in the intervention group showed a continued decrease from post intervention to long term follow up ( SMD =-0.28, 95% CI =-0.41 to -0.14, P <0.01). Egger s linear regression test indicated possible publication bias (Kendall s tall=0.28, P <0.01). Conclusions Digital psychological therapies can effectively improve depressive symptoms among adolescents, with stable long term efficacy. However, current evidence remains limited and exhibits substantial heterogeneity. Therefore, further large sample, high quality RCTs are warranted to validate the effectiveness of this intervention.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and safety of simplified diagnosis and treatment strategies and regimens in the treatment of patients with human immunodeficiency virus （HIV）/hepatitis C virus （HCV） co-infection. MethodsThis multicenter prospective real-world study was conducted among 198 patients with HIV/HCV co-infection who received hepatitis C treatment in 10 designated primary hospitals for hepatitis C in Yuxi， China from July 2023 to June 2024， and according to whether genotype detection was performed， they were divided into genotype detection group with 122 patients and non-genotype detection group with 76 patients. The patients were observed in terms of sustained virologic response at 12 weeks （SVR12）， safety， and liver biochemical parameters. Propensity score matching was used to match the two cohorts， using caliper matching （caliper value = 0.02） at a ratio of 1∶1. The independent-samples t test or the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. ResultsAmong the 122 patients in the genotype detection group， 63.11% （77/122） had genotype 3， while the non-genotype detection group had 76 patients； both groups achieved an SVR12 rate of 100%. From baseline to 12 weeks after treatment， both groups had a significant increase in the serum level of albumin， significant reductions in the serum levels of total bilirubin， alanine aminotransferase， aspartate aminotransferase， and alpha-fetoprotein， and a significant reduction in FibroScan value （all P<0.05）. A total of 54 patients （27.27%） experienced at least one adverse reaction， and anemia was the most common adverse reaction （38 patients， 19.19%）， with an incidence rate of 50.00% （33/66） in patients with liver cirrhosis. HIV viral load remained <50 IU/mL before and after treatment， and there was no significant change in CD4⁺ T lymphocyte count after treatment （Z=-0.969， P=0.202）. Compared with the genotype detection group， the non-genotype detection group had a significantly shorter time from positive HCV RNA testing to treatment initiation （4±2 days vs 19±4 days， t=5.321， P<0.05） and significantly lower testing costs （618±97 yuan vs 789±129 yuan， t=3.661， P<0.05）. ConclusionFor patients with HIV/HCV co-infection， the simplified diagnosis and treatment strategies can achieve a relatively high SVR12 rate， improve biochemical indicators， and effectively reduce time cost and economic burden， with a favorable safety profile.

ObjectiveTo assess changes in the incidence， prevalence， and disability-adjusted life-year （DALY） burden of ulcerative colitis （UC） in China and worldwide from 1990 to 2023 using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 （GBD 2023）， and to examine demographic drivers and future trends. MethodsUC data for China， the world， and 204 countries and territories were extracted from the GBD 2023 Results Tool. Age-standardized incidence rate （ASIR）， age-standardized prevalence rate （ASPR）， and age-standardized DALY rate （ASDR）， with 95% uncertainty interval （UI）， were obtained. Joinpoint regression was used to estimate average annual percent change （AAPC） and 95% confidence interval （CI）. Spearman rank correlation， inequality and frontier analyses， Das Gupta decomposition， and autoregressive integrated moving average （ARIMA） models were used to assess associations with the sociodemographic index （SDI）， cross-country burden disparities， demographic drivers， and trends from 2024 to 2035， respectively. ResultsIn 2023， the ASIR， ASPR， and ASDR in China were 0.94， 5.95， and 5.94 per 100 000 population， respectively， lower than the corresponding global estimates of 2.87， 28.48， and 13.82 per 100 000 population. From 1990 to 2023， China’s ASIR and ASPR increased， with AAPCs of 2.720% （95% CI： 2.133%-3.309%） and 2.261% （95% CI： 1.617%-2.908%）， whereas the ASDR decreased （AAPC=-3.056%， 95% CI： -3.449% to -2.662%）. Globally， ASIR increased slightly， whereas ASPR and ASDR decreased. In China， the crude incidence， prevalence， and DALY rates peaked at ages 50-54 years， 60-64 years， and ≥95 years， respectively. ASIR and ASPR were positively correlated with SDI （r_s=0.5794 and 0.6177， both P<0.001）， whereas the correlation between ASDR and SDI was not statistically significant （r_s=0.0666， P=0.343）. In China， epidemiological change contributed most to increases in incident and prevalent cases， and changes in age-specific rates contributed most to the decline in DALYs； globally， population growth and population aging contributed most to the increase in DALYs. By 2035， China’s ASIR， ASPR， and ASDR were projected to be 1.23， 6.37， and 2.55 per 100 000 population， respectively. ConclusionsFrom 1990 to 2023， the age-standardized incidence and prevalence rates of UC increased in China， whereas the age-standardized DALY rate decreased， and peaks in absolute burden generally shifted toward middle-aged and older age groups. The projected directions may persist. These findings may provide reference for long-term UC management and health-resource planning.

ObjectiveTo assess changes in the incidence， prevalence， and disability-adjusted life-year （DALY） burden of ulcerative colitis （UC） in China and worldwide from 1990 to 2023 using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 （GBD 2023）， and to examine demographic drivers and future trends. MethodsUC data for China， the world， and 204 countries and territories were extracted from the GBD 2023 Results Tool. Age-standardized incidence rate （ASIR）， age-standardized prevalence rate （ASPR）， and age-standardized DALY rate （ASDR）， with 95% uncertainty interval （UI）， were obtained. Joinpoint regression was used to estimate average annual percent change （AAPC） and 95% confidence interval （CI）. Spearman rank correlation， inequality and frontier analyses， Das Gupta decomposition， and autoregressive integrated moving average （ARIMA） models were used to assess associations with the sociodemographic index （SDI）， cross-country burden disparities， demographic drivers， and trends from 2024 to 2035， respectively. ResultsIn 2023， the ASIR， ASPR， and ASDR in China were 0.94， 5.95， and 5.94 per 100 000 population， respectively， lower than the corresponding global estimates of 2.87， 28.48， and 13.82 per 100 000 population. From 1990 to 2023， China’s ASIR and ASPR increased， with AAPCs of 2.720% （95% CI： 2.133%-3.309%） and 2.261% （95% CI： 1.617%-2.908%）， whereas the ASDR decreased （AAPC=-3.056%， 95% CI： -3.449% to -2.662%）. Globally， ASIR increased slightly， whereas ASPR and ASDR decreased. In China， the crude incidence， prevalence， and DALY rates peaked at ages 50-54 years， 60-64 years， and ≥95 years， respectively. ASIR and ASPR were positively correlated with SDI （r_s=0.5794 and 0.6177， both P<0.001）， whereas the correlation between ASDR and SDI was not statistically significant （r_s=0.0666， P=0.343）. In China， epidemiological change contributed most to increases in incident and prevalent cases， and changes in age-specific rates contributed most to the decline in DALYs； globally， population growth and population aging contributed most to the increase in DALYs. By 2035， China’s ASIR， ASPR， and ASDR were projected to be 1.23， 6.37， and 2.55 per 100 000 population， respectively. ConclusionsFrom 1990 to 2023， the age-standardized incidence and prevalence rates of UC increased in China， whereas the age-standardized DALY rate decreased， and peaks in absolute burden generally shifted toward middle-aged and older age groups. The projected directions may persist. These findings may provide reference for long-term UC management and health-resource planning.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect and potential mechanism of 717 Jiedu decoction in ameliorating local tissue injury induced by Gloydius brevicaudus venom via regulating macrophage phenotype transformation.METHODS Rat blank-serum and drug-containing serum were prepared by intragastric administration of normal saline， tail-vein injection of anti- G. brevicaudus venom serum （0.6 mL per rat）， and intragastric administration of 717 Jiedu decoction at doses of 0.495， 0.99 and 1.98 g/kg （calculated as crude drug）. M0-type macrophages derived from human leukemia monocytic THP-1 cells induced and differentiated by PMA were divided into normal control group， model group， positive control group， and low-， medium- and high-concentration 717 Jiedu decoction drug-containing serum groups. Except for the normal control group， all other groups were treated with 10 μg/mL G. brevicaudus venom working solution and 10% blank or drug-containing serum. After the cultivation period， the cellular ultrastructural changes in each group were observed； the proportions of M1- and M2-type macrophages， as well as the mRNA and protein expression of macrophage phenotype transformation and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α） were detected.RESULTS Compared with the normal control group， cells in the model group presented ultrastructural injuries including mitochondrial swelling， cristae rupture and cytoplasmic vacuolization. The proportion of M1-type macrophages and the mRNA and protein expression levels of related phenotype transformation markers [inducible nitric oxide synthase， tumor necrosis factor-α， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β] and HIF-1α were significantly increased （ P ＜0.05），whereas the proportion of M2-type macrophages and the mRNA and protein expression levels of related phenotype transformation markers （arginase-1， IL-10， mannose receptor C type 1 and chitinase-3-like protein 1） were significantly decreased （ P ＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， cellular ultrastructural injuries were obviously alleviated， and the above-mentioned indexes were significantly reversed in the high-concentration 717 Jiedu decoction drug-containing serum group （ P ＜0.05）.CONCLUSIONS717 Jiedu decoction can exert anti-inflammatory and tissue-repairing effects by regulating the balance of M1-， M2-type macrophages phenotype transformation and repairing cellular ultrastructural damage. Its mechanism may be related to inhibiting the excessive activation of the HIF-1α pathway.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent mucosal inflammation. Although biologics and small-molecule therapies can effectively suppress inflammation, only 13%-34% of patients achieve deep histological remission, and most experience relapse within 2-3 years. Existing biomarkers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), fecal calprotectin, and endoscopic measures, have limited ability to detect subclinical molecular abnormalities, suggesting that disease-driving factors may persist even during clinical remission. Recently, Pang et al. reported a study in Science that investigated the role of epithelial cell-death signaling using a prospective adult IBD cohort comprising 80 participants and more than 900 biopsy specimens. By integrating bulk and spatial transcriptomics, patient-derived organoids, and 24-36 months of longitudinal follow-up, the authors characterized epithelial cell-death programs associated with IBD persistence. They found that the necroptosis-associated marker pRIPK3 could be detected in the absence of overt histological inflammation and persisted during advanced therapy. IFN‑γ and TNF reshaped the transcriptional landscape of specific colonic epithelial cells, inducing an inflammatory macrophage-like program termed cluster B and triggering RIPK1-independent RIPK3 signaling. This was followed by NOS2/iNOS-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis driving colonocyte death, whereas PUMA-dependent apoptosis contributed to intestinal stem-cell loss. Higher baseline pRIPK3 levels were associated with subsequent disease activity, although their independent predictive value remains to be established. These findings suggest that persistent IBD may reflect not only residual immune inflammation but also inflammation-induced pathological epithelial states. Future therapeutic strategies may therefore need to extend beyond inflammation control toward “molecular repair”, including targeting noncanonical RIPK3 signaling, modulating iNOS/PUMA-dependent mitochondrial apoptosis, and developing relapse-risk stratification strategies based on tissue biomarkers such as pRIPK3. Such approaches may help shift the therapeutic goal from “clinical remission” toward “molecular healing”.