Objective To explore the value of oral contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (OCEUS) combined with contrast-enhanced CT in predicting preoperative T staging in patients with gastric cancer. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 80 patients with gastric cancer confirmed via endoscopic biopsy or postoperative pathology at the First People’s Hospital of Jining from January 2021 to November 2024. The cohort included 56 males and 24 females, aged 38-79 years, with a median age of 55.9 years. All patients underwent both OCEUS and contrast-enhanced CT within one week prior to surgery. T staging of gastric cancer was determined using OCEUS, contrast-enhanced CT, or their combination. The results were compared with pathological T staging, and statistical differences in accuracy were analyzed. Results Pathological T staging identified T1 in 9 cases, T2 in 16 cases, T3 in 42 cases, and T4 in 13 cases. OCEUS indicated T1 in 6 cases, T2 in 14 cases, T3 in 50 cases, and T4 in 10 cases, with an accuracy rate of 80.0%. Contrast-enhanced CT indicated T1 in 4 cases, T2 in 12 cases, T3 in 52 cases, and T4 in 12 cases, with an accuracy rate of 75.0%. The combination of OCEUS and contrast-enhanced CT indicated T1 in 6 cases, T2 in 15 cases, T3 in 47 cases, and T4 in 12 cases, with an accuracy rate of 87.5%. The combined approach demonstrated significantly higher accuracy in preoperative T staging compared to either method alone (P < 0.05). Conclusion The combination of OCEUS and contrast-enhanced CT improves the accuracy of preoperative T staging in gastric cancer patients, providing valuable support for their diagnosis and treatment.

Objective To evaluate cardiac involvement in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) using echocardiography combined with electrocardiography. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the detailed medical records of AAV patients treated in Jining First People’s Hospital between January 2020 and December 2024. Eighty patients were enrolled in the AAV group, and the risk of heart disease was compared between the AAV group and a control group with 80 subjects matched for age, sex, and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Results Electrocardiographic abnormalities were observed in 78.75% of patients in the AAV group, while significant electrocardiographic abnormalities only occurred in symptomatic patients in the control group. There were no differences in left atrial enlargement or interventricular septal thickening between the AAV group and the control group. The overall left ventricular systolic function in the AAV group was lower than that in the control group (8.75% vs. 0). The incidence of reduced diastolic function in the AAV group was significantly higher than that in the control group (37.5% vs. 15%). The incidence rates of tricuspid regurgitation, mitral regurgitation, aortic regurgitation, and pericardial effusion in the AAV group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Pericardial thickening, aortic stenosis, pulmonary hypertension, and rare periaortic granulomas were found in the AAV group, but not in the control group. Conclusion Echocardiography and electrocardiography are important examination methods for evaluating cardiac involvement in AAV. These methods have key roles in disease screening, diagnosis and treatment, follow-up, and prognosis judgment.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is still challenging to prevent or treat. Enhanced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and increased pyroptosis in chondrocytes may be responsible for cartilage degeneration. This study aims to investigate the effect of ER stress on chondrocyte pyroptosis and the upstream regulatory mechanisms, which have rarely been reported. METHODS: The expression of the histone methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), microRNA-142-3p (miR-142-3p), and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and the levels of ER stress, pyroptosis, and metabolic markers in normal and OA chondrocytes were investigated by western blotting, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ hybridization, fluorescein amidite-tyrosine-valine-alanine-aspartic acid-fluoromethyl ketone (FAM-YVAD-FMK)/Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide (PI) staining, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assays, and cell viability assessments. The effects of EZH2, miR-142-3p, and HMGB1 on ER stress and pyroptosis and the hierarchical regulatory relationship between them were analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation, luciferase reporters, gain/loss-of-function assays, and rescue assays in interleukin (IL)-1β-induced OA chondrocytes. The mechanistic contribution of EZH2, miR-142-3p, and HMGB1 to chondrocyte ER stress and pyroptosis and therapeutic prospects were validated radiologically, histologically, and immunohistochemically in surgically induced OA rats. RESULTS: Increased EZH2 and HMGB1, decreased miR-142-3p, enhanced ER stress, and activated pyroptosis in chondrocytes were associated with OA occurrence and progression. EZH2 and HMGB1 exacerbated and miR-142-3p alleviated ER stress and pyroptosis in OA chondrocytes. EZH2 transcriptionally silenced miR-142-3p via H3K27 trimethylation, and miR-142-3p posttranscriptionally silenced HMGB1 by targeting the 3'-UTR of the HMGB1 gene. Moreover, ER stress mediated the effects of EZH2, miR-142-3p, and HMGB1 on chondrocyte pyroptosis. In vivo experiments mechanistically validated the hierarchical regulatory relationship between EZH2, miR-142-3p, and HMGB1 and their effects on chondrocyte ER stress and pyroptosis. CONCLUSIONS A novel EZH2/miR-142-3p/HMGB1 axis mediates chondrocyte pyroptosis and cartilage degeneration by regulating ER stress in OA, contributing novel mechanistic insights into OA pathogenesis and providing potential targets for future therapeutic research.
Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein/genetics* ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/pathology* ; Chondrocytes/metabolism* ; Pyroptosis/physiology* ; HMGB1 Protein/genetics* ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress/genetics* ; Humans ; Animals ; Rats ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Middle Aged

This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Daotan Xixin Decoction on APP/PS1 mice. Twelve APP/PS1 male mice were randomized into four groups: APP/PS1 and low-, medium-, and high-dose Daotan Xixin Decoction. Three C57BL/6 wild-type mice were used as the control group. The learning and memory abilities of mice in each group were examined by the Morris water maze test. The pathological changes of hippocampal nerve cells were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and Nissl staining. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the expression of β-amyloid(Aβ)_(1-42) in the hippocampal tissue. The high-dose Daotan Xixin Decoction group with significant therapeutic effects and the model group were selected for high-throughput sequencing. The differentially expressed gene(DEG) analysis, Gene Ontology(GO) analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, and Gene Set Variation Analysis(GSVA) were performed on the sequencing results. RT-qPCR and Western blot were conducted to determine the mRNA and protein levels, respectively, of some DEGs. Compared with the APP/PS1 group, Daotan Xixin Decoction at different doses significantly improved the learning and memory abilities of APP/PS1 mice, ameliorated the neuropathological damage in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, increased the number of neurons, and decreased the deposition of Aβ_(1-42) in the brain. A total of 1 240 DEGs were screened out, including 634 genes with up-regulated expression and 606 genes with down-regulated expression. The GO analysis predicted the biological processes including RNA splicing and protein folding, the cellular components including spliceosome complexes and nuclear spots, and the molecular functions including unfolded protein binding and heat shock protein binding. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed the involvement of neurodegenerative disease pathways, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and splicing complexes. Further GSVA pathway enrichment analysis showed that the down-regulated pathways involved nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)-mediated tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) signaling pathway, UV response, and unfolded protein response, while the up-regulated pathways involved the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. The results of RT-qPCR and Western blot showed that compared with the APP/PS1 group, Daotan Xixin Decoction at different doses down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3), NF-κB, and interleukin-6(IL-6) in the hippocampus. In conclusion, Daotan Xixin Decoction can improve the learning and memory abilities of APP/PS1 mice by regulating the STAT3/NF-κB/IL-6 signaling pathway.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Male ; Alzheimer Disease/metabolism* ; Computational Biology ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/metabolism* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Mice, Transgenic ; Presenilin-1/metabolism* ; Humans ; Memory/drug effects* ; Maze Learning/drug effects* ; Amyloid beta-Peptides/genetics* ; Disease Models, Animal

Through evidence mapping, this paper systematically summarized the research evidence on the use of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) in treating renal anemia, displaying the distribution of evidence in this field. A systematic search was conducted across databases, including CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, Springner, PubMed, Engineering Village, and Web of Science, targeting studies published up to June 30, 2024. The research evidence was summarized and displayed through a combination of graphs, tables, and text. A total of 264 interventional studies, 37 observational studies, and 7 systematic reviews were included. The annual publication volumes related to TCM treatment in renal anemia showed an overall upward trend, with most studies involving sample sizes between 60 and 120 participants(224 articles, 74.42%). Intervention measures were categorized into 21 types, with oral TCM decoctions being the most common medicine(171 times, 56.81%). The use of self-made prescriptions was the most common TCM intervention method. The intervention duration was mainly between 8 weeks and 3 months(239 articles, 79.40%). The most frequently reported TCM syndrome was spleen and kidney Qi deficiency. The top 2 outcome indicators were the anemia indicators and renal injury/renal function markers. However, several issues were identified in these studies, such as insufficient attention to the sources, social/geographical information, and temporal continuity of research subjects in observational research. Randomized controlled trials mostly had a high risk of bias, mainly due to issues such as randomization bias, blinding bias, and failure to register research protocols. The methodology quality of systematic reviews was generally low, mainly due to inadequate inclusion of literature, failure to specify funding sources, and lack of pre-registrations. While the report quality of systematic review was acceptable, there were significant gaps in the reporting of protocols, registration, and funds. The results show that these issues affect the quality of research and the reliability of findings on TCM in treating renal anemia, underscoring the need to address them to conduct higher-quality research and provide more reliable medical evidence for TCM in treating renal anemia.
Humans ; Anemia/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Kidney Diseases/drug therapy*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the accuracy of human-computer interaction software in identifying and locating type C1 distal radius fractures. METHODS: Based on relevant inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 cases of type C1 distal radius fractures between September 2023 and March 2024 were retrospectively analyzed, comprising 3 males and 11 females(aged from 27 to 82 years). The data were assigned randomized identifiers. A senior orthopedic physician reviewed the films and measured the ulnar deviation angle, radial height, palmar inclination angle, intra-articular step, and intra-articular gap for each case on the hospital's imaging system. Based on the reduction standard for distal radius fractures, cases were divided into reduction group and non-reduction group. Then, the data were sequentially imported into a human-computer interaction intelligent software, where a junior orthopedic physician analyzed the same radiological parameters, categorized cases, and measured fracture details. The categorization results from the software were consistent with manual classifications (6 reduction cases and 8 non-reduction cases). For non-reduction cases, the software performed further analyses, including bone segmentation and fracture recognition, generating 8 diagnostic reports containing fracture recognition information. For the 6 reduction cases, the senior and junior orthopedic physicians independently analyzed the data on the hospital's imaging system and the AI software, respectively. Bone segments requiring reduction were identified, verified by two senior physicians, and measured for displacement and rotation along the X (inward and outward), Z (front and back), and Y (up and down) axes. The AI software generated comprehensive diagnostic reports for these cases, which included all measurements and fracture recognition details. RESULTS: Both the manual and AI software methods consistently categorized the 14 cases into 6 reduction and 8 non-reduction groups, with identical data distributions. A paired sample t-test revealed no statistically significant differences (P>0.05) between the manual and software-based measurements for ulnar deviation angle, radial ulnar bone height, palmar inclination angle, intra-articular step, and joint space. In fracture recognition, the AI software correctly identified 10 C-type fractures and 4 B-type fractures. For the 6 reduction cases, a total of 24 bone fragments were analyzed across both methods. After verification, it was found that the bone fragments identified by the two methods were consistent. A paired sample t-tests revealed that the identified bone fragments and measured displacement and rotation angles along the X, Y, and Z axes were consistent between the two methods. No statistically significant differences(P>0.05) were found between manual and software measurements for these parameters. CONCLUSION Human-computer interaction software employing AI technology demonstrated comparable accuracy to manual measurement in identifying and locating type C1 distal radius fractures on CT imaging.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Radius Fractures/surgery* ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Software ; Wrist Fractures

OBJECTIVE: To explore the current research status and hotspots in the field of biomechanics of diabetic foot by bibliometric analysis methods. METHODS: Literatures related to biomechanics of diabetic foot published in the Web of Scienc Core Collection (WoSCC) from 1981 to 2024 were searched. CiteSpace software and R language bibliometrics plugin were used to conduct a visual analysis of annual publication volume of the literature, including publication volume of each country and region, the publication situation of authors and institutions, the citation situation of individual literature, and the co-occurrence network of keywords. RESULTS: Totally 996 literatures were included, and the number of published papers increased steadily. The United States (261 papers) and China (89 papers) were the top two countries in terms of the number of published papers. The mediating centrality of the United States was 0.94, and that of China was 0.01. Scholars such as Cavanagh and institutions like the Cleveland Clinic were at the core of research in this field. High-frequency keywords include plantar pressure (plantar pressure), diabetic foot (diabetic foot), ulceration (ulcer), etc. The research focuses on plantar pressure, ulcer formation and prevention, etc. CONCLUSION Biomechanical research on diabetic foot mainly focuses on the pressure distribution on the sole of the foot, callus formation, mechanical analysis of soft tissues on the sole of the foot, and the study of plantar decompression caused by Achilles tendon elongation. The research trend has gradually shifted from focusing on joint range of motion to gait and the design of braces and assistive devices, and has begun to pay attention to muscle strength, gait imbalance and proprioception abnormalities.
Humans ; Diabetic Foot/physiopathology* ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Bibliometrics

Cervical spine health issues not only seriously affect patients' quality of life but also impose a heavy burden on the social healthcare system. Existing guidelines lack sufficient clinical guidance on lifestyle and work habits, such as exercise, posture, daily routine, and diet, making it difficult to meet practical needs. To address this, relying on the China Association of Chinese Medicine, Wangjing Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences took the lead and joined hands with more than ten institutions to form a multidisciplinary guideline development group. For the first time, the group developed the Guidelines for Cervical Spine Health Intervention based on evidence-based medicine methods, strictly following the standardized procedures outlined in the World Health Organization Handbook for Guideline Development and the Guiding Principles for the Formulation/Revision of Clinical Practice Guidelines in China (2022 Edition). This proposal systematically explains the methods and steps for developing the guideline, aiming to make the guideline development process scientific, standardized, and transparent.
Humans ; Practice Guidelines as Topic/standards* ; Cervical Vertebrae ; China

This study primarily aimed to investigate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and other common pathogens of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in spermatozoa of infertile men and their effects on semen parameters. These pathogens included Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium , herpes simplex virus 2, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus agalactiae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Staphylococcus aureus . A total of 1951 men of infertile couples were recruited between 23 March 2023, and 17 May 2023, at the Department of Reproductive Medicine of The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province (Kunming, China). Multiplex polymerase chain reaction and capillary electrophoresis were used for HPV genotyping. Polymerase chain reaction and electrophoresis were also used to detect the presence of other STIs. The overall prevalence of HPV infection was 12.4%. The top five prevalent HPV subtypes were types 56, 52, 43, 16, and 53 among those tested positive for HPV. Other common infections with high prevalence rates were Ureaplasma urealyticum (28.3%), Ureaplasma parvum (20.4%), and Enterococcus faecalis (9.5%). The prevalence rates of HPV coinfection with Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium , herpes simplex virus 2, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus agalactiae , and Staphylococcus aureus were 24.8%, 25.4%, 10.6%, 6.4%, 2.4%, 7.9%, 5.9%, 0.9%, and 1.3%, respectively. The semen volume and total sperm count were greatly decreased by HPV infection alone. Coinfection with HPV and Ureaplasma urealyticum significantly reduced sperm motility and viability. Our study shows that coinfection with STIs is highly prevalent in the semen of infertile men and that coinfection with pathogens can seriously affect semen parameters, emphasizing the necessity of semen screening for STIs.
Humans ; Male ; Infertility, Male/epidemiology* ; Coinfection/microbiology* ; Papillomavirus Infections/virology* ; Adult ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases/complications* ; China/epidemiology* ; Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification* ; Chlamydia trachomatis/isolation & purification* ; Prevalence ; Mycoplasma genitalium/isolation & purification* ; Ureaplasma urealyticum/isolation & purification* ; Neisseria gonorrhoeae/isolation & purification* ; Enterococcus faecalis/isolation & purification* ; Streptococcus agalactiae/isolation & purification* ; Herpesvirus 2, Human/genetics* ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/isolation & purification* ; Semen/virology* ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa/microbiology* ; Human Papillomavirus Viruses