ObjectivePrimary liver cancer, predominantly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is a significant global health issue, ranking as the sixth most diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Accurate and early diagnosis of HCC is crucial for effective treatment, as HCC and non-HCC malignancies like intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) exhibit different prognoses and treatment responses. Traditional diagnostic methods, including liver biopsy and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), face limitations in applicability and objectivity. The primary objective of this study was to develop an advanced, light-weighted classification network capable of distinguishing HCC from other non-HCC malignancies by leveraging the automatic analysis of brightness changes in CEUS images. The ultimate goal was to create a user-friendly and cost-efficient computer-aided diagnostic tool that could assist radiologists in making more accurate and efficient clinical decisions. MethodsThis retrospective study encompassed a total of 161 patients, comprising 131 diagnosed with HCC and 30 with non-HCC malignancies. To achieve accurate tumor detection, the YOLOX network was employed to identify the region of interest (ROI) on both B-mode ultrasound and CEUS images. A custom-developed algorithm was then utilized to extract brightness change curves from the tumor and adjacent liver parenchyma regions within the CEUS images. These curves provided critical data for the subsequent analysis and classification process. To analyze the extracted brightness change curves and classify the malignancies, we developed and compared several models. These included one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (1D-ResNet, 1D-ConvNeXt, and 1D-CNN), as well as traditional machine-learning methods such as support vector machine (SVM), ensemble learning (EL), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and decision tree (DT). The diagnostic performance of each method in distinguishing HCC from non-HCC malignancies was rigorously evaluated using four key metrics: area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC), accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SE), and specificity (SP). ResultsThe evaluation of the machine-learning methods revealed AUC values of 0.70 for SVM, 0.56 for ensemble learning, 0.63 for KNN, and 0.72 for the decision tree. These results indicated moderate to fair performance in classifying the malignancies based on the brightness change curves. In contrast, the deep learning models demonstrated significantly higher AUCs, with 1D-ResNet achieving an AUC of 0.72, 1D-ConvNeXt reaching 0.82, and 1D-CNN obtaining the highest AUC of 0.84. Moreover, under the five-fold cross-validation scheme, the 1D-CNN model outperformed other models in both accuracy and specificity. Specifically, it achieved accuracy improvements of 3.8% to 10.0% and specificity enhancements of 6.6% to 43.3% over competing approaches. The superior performance of the 1D-CNN model highlighted its potential as a powerful tool for accurate classification. ConclusionThe 1D-CNN model proved to be the most effective in differentiating HCC from non-HCC malignancies, surpassing both traditional machine-learning methods and other deep learning models. This study successfully developed a user-friendly and cost-efficient computer-aided diagnostic solution that would significantly enhances radiologists’ diagnostic capabilities. By improving the accuracy and efficiency of clinical decision-making, this tool has the potential to positively impact patient care and outcomes. Future work may focus on further refining the model and exploring its integration with multimodal ultrasound data to maximize its accuracy and applicability.

Objective     To construct a radiomics model for identifying clinical high-risk carotid plaques. Methods     A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with carotid artery stenosis in China-Japan Friendship Hospital from December 2016 to June 2022. The patients were classified as a clinical high-risk carotid plaque group and a clinical low-risk carotid plaque group according to the occurrence of stroke, transient ischemic attack and other cerebrovascular clinical symptoms within six months. Six machine learning models including eXtreme Gradient Boosting, support vector machine, Gaussian Naive Bayesian, logical regression, K-nearest neighbors and artificial neural network were established. We also constructed a joint predictive model combined with logistic regression analysis of clinical risk factors. Results    Finally 652 patients were collected, including 427 males and 225 females, with an average age of 68.2 years. The results showed that the prediction ability of eXtreme Gradient Boosting was the best among the six machine learning models, and the area under the curve (AUC) in validation dataset was 0.751. At the same time, the AUC of eXtreme Gradient Boosting joint prediction model established by clinical data and carotid artery imaging data validation dataset was 0.823. Conclusion     Radiomics features combined with clinical feature model can effectively identify clinical high-risk carotid plaques.

Objective To establish a rapid and convenient UPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of tamoxifen and its active metabolite endoxifen in plasma of patients with breast cancer.Methods With diazepam as the internal standard,the plasma sample was precipitated with acetonitrile and methanol-acetonitrile was used as mobile phase.The samples were separated by chromatographic column ZORBAX Eclipse plus C18(18 μm,2.1 mm x50 mm)and scanned by electrospray ion source and positive ion multiple reaction monitoring mode.The ion channels were detected as tamoxifen m/z 372.0→72.1,endoxifen m/z 374.0→58.2 and diazepam m/z 285→192.9.Results The linearity of tamoxifen and endoxifen were good in the concentration range of 1-500 ng·mL-1(R2=0.999 5)and 0.5-250 ng·mL-1,respectively(R2=0.999 9).The intra-day and inter-day precision of low,medium and high quality control concentrations were all less than 10％.Tamoxifen and endoxifen were stable at low temperature and stable after repeated freeze-thaw.Conclusion The experimental results show that the method meets the requirements of biological sample analysis,and the sample treatment is simple,specific,and can be used for the accurate and rapid determination of tamoxifen and indoloxifen in human plasma.

ObjectiveAngle-closure glaucoma (ACG) is one of the major eye-blinding diseases. To diagnose ACG, it is crucial to examine the anterior chamber angle. Current diagnostic tools include slit lamp gonioscopy, water gonioscopy, ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM), and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Slit lamp and water gonioscopy allow convenient observation of the anterior chamber angle, but pose risks of invasive operation and eye infections. UBM can accurately measure the structure of the anterior chamber angle. However, it is complex to operate and unsuitable for patients, who have undergone trauma or ocular surgery. Although AS-OCT provides detailed images, it is costly. The aim of this study is to explore a non-invasive, non-destructive optical reflection tomography (ORT) technique. This technique can achieve low-cost three-dimensional imaging and full-field anterior chamber angle measurement of the porcine eye. MethodsThe experiment involved assembling an optical reflection tomography system, which included a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera, a telecentric system, a stepper motor, and a white light source, achieving a spatial resolution of approximately 8.5 μm. The process required positioning the porcine eye at the center of the field of the imaging system and rotating it around its central axis using a stepper motor. Reflection projection images were captured at each angle with an exposure time of 1.0 ms and an interval of 2°. The collected reflection-projection data were processed using a filtered reflection tomography algorithm, generating a series of two-dimensional slice data. These slices essentially represented cross-sectional views of the three-dimensional structural image, and were reconstructed into a complete three-dimensional structural image. Based on the reconstructed three-dimensional structural image of the porcine eye, the anterior chamber angles at different positions were measured, and a distribution map of these angles was drawn. Simultaneously, the ORT measurements were compared with the standard results obtained from optical coherence tomography (OCT) to assess the accuracy of ORT measurements. ResultsIn this study, we successfully obtained the reflection projection data of a porcine eye using ORT technology, reconstructed its three-dimensional structural image, and measured the anterior chamber angle, generating the corresponding distribution map. To better distinguish the different structural parts of porcine eye, the three-dimensional structural image was marked with blue, green, and yellow dashed lines from the outer to the inner layers. The area between the blue and green dashed lines corresponded to the sclera. The area between the green and yellow dashed lines corresponded to the iris. The area inside the yellow dashed line corresponded to the pupil. The three-dimensional structural image clearly revealed the key anatomical features of the porcine eye. It was able to measure the anterior chamber angle at different positions. Additionally, the anterior chamber angle measurements of the porcine eye using ORT were compared with the measurements obtained using a TEL320C1 type OCT system, showing an average deviation of 0.51° and a mean square error MSE of 0.317. ConclusionORT is a non-invasive, non-destructive, low-cost, and high-resolution imaging technique capable of achieving three-dimensional structural imaging and full-field anterior chamber angle measurement of a porcine eye. This technology offers a new perspective for the diagnosis of angle-closure glaucoma and is significant for the screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of eye diseases, potentially benefiting clinics and small hospitals in remote areas in the future.

italic>Lamiophlomis rotata is an important medicinal plant species endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, which is prone to strong climate change impacts on its habitable range due to the high sensitivity of the Tibetan Plateau to climate change. Accurate quantification of species vulnerability to climate change is essential for assessing species extinction risk and developing effective conservation strategies. Therefore, we carried out the α-shape analysis to determine the habitat of L. rotata. We then carried out the climate-niche factor analysis (CNFA) to assess the vulnerability of L. rotata to climate change based on five climate variables (i.e., mean diurnal range, temperature seasonality, mean temperature of warmest quarter, precipitation of driest month and precipitation of warmest quarter) in the context of two shared socioeconomic pathways (i.e., SSP126 and SSP585) and three global climate models (CMCC-ESM2: Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici-Earth System Model version 2; HadGEM3-GC31-LL: Hadley Global Environment Model version 3-Global Coupled configuration 3.1; IPSL-CM6A-LR: Institut Pierre Simon Laplace-Climate Model version 6) during two different periods (2041-2060 and 2081-2100). The vulnerability of L. rotata to climate change was calculated by integrating the sensitivity and exposure indices of L. rotata to five climate variables. The results showed that L. rotata had the highest vulnerability to the precipitation of warmest quarter. Its vulnerability within its habitat range generally showed a spatial pattern of high value in the southern region and low in the northern region, high in the western region and low in the eastern region. In general, the vulnerability of L. rotata under the SSP585 scenario was higher than that under the SSP126 scenario. The climate data of different global climate models have some influence on the results, while the resulted uncertainty can be reduced by data integration methods. As a result of climate change, the pressure on the survival of L. rotata in the future will be intensified in the low-altitude areas such as the Yarlung Zangbo River, Yigongzangbu River, Zayu River, and Jiaomuzu River, etc., while the highly weathered scree flats or stony alpine meadows in the high-altitude zones, such as the eastern Tanggula Mountain Range, the northern part of Hengduan Mountain Range, and the western part of the Qinling Mountains, may become its refuge. It is necessary to focus on and strengthen the protection and management of L. rotata resources in these vulnerble and critical areas.

Objective To understand the infection status of patients with maintenance hemodialysis(MHD)in Guizhou Province,and provide basis for the prevention and control of hemodialysis-related infection.Methods MHD patients in hemodialysis centers of 124 secondary and or higher grade medical institutions in Guizhou Province from July to December 2022 were surveyed.Survey content included the general conditions of patients,hemodialysis-related conditions,infection of pathogens of blood-borne diseases,and other infection-related conditions.Results A total of 15 114 MHD patients were surveyed,with age mainly ranging from 36 to＜60 years old(55.83％).Hemodialysis history ranged mainly from 1 year to＜5 years(59.37％),and the frequency of hemodi-alysis was mainly 3 times per week(73.91％).Autologous arteriovenous fistula(AVF)was the major vascular access for dialysis,with a total of 12 948 cases(85.77％).The main primary disease was chronic renal failure(99.89％).The infection rates of hepatitis B virus(HBV),hepatitis C virus(HCV),human immunodeficiency vi-rus(HIV),and Treponema pallidum in MHD patients were 5.29％,0.64％,0.24％,and 1.70％,respectively.HBV infection rates among MHD patients of different ages,different numbers of dialysis hospitals,and dialysis in-stitutions of different scales showed statistically significant differences(all P＜0.05).HCV infection rates among MHD patients of different ages,with different dialysis times and from institutions of different scales were signifi-cantly different(all P＜0.05).TP infection rates among MHD patients of different ages and different numbers of dialysis hospitals were all significantly different(all P＜0.05).Infection rates of HBV and HCV in MHD patients aged from 36 to 60 years old(not included)were relatively higher(6.10％and 0.84％,respectively).Patients with dialysis time ≥10 years had a higher HCV infection rate(1.64％).Infection rates of HCV,HIV,and TP in pa-tients dialyzed in medical institutions with ≥90 dialysis beds were relatively higher(0.74％,0.28％,and 1.94％,respectively).Medical institutions with＜30 dialysis beds had the highest HBV infection rate(18.64％).There were 9 cases(0.06％)of vascular puncture infection,12 cases(0.08％)of bloodstream infection,7 cases(0.05％)of vascular access-related bloodstream infection,and 30 cases(0.20％)of pulmonary infection.Vascular access-re-lated bloodstream infection rate and pulmonary infection rate among MHD patients with different types of vascular access showed statistically significant difference(all P＜0.05).Vascular access-related bloodstream infection rate(0.37％)and pulmonary infection rate(1.10％)of patients with non-cuffed catheters vascular access were higher than those of other types.Conclusion MHD patients in Guizhou Province are mainly middle-aged and young peo-ple,with more males than females.The dialysis frequency is mostly 3 times per week,and AVF is the major vascu-lar access.MHD patients are prone to complications such as infections of HBV,HCV,HIV,and TP,as well as bloodstream infection and pulmonary infection.

Objective To explore the effect of shikonin on the recovery of nerve function after acute spinal cord injury(SCI)in rats.Methods 96 male Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were divided into 4 groups randomly:sham operation group(Group A),sham operation+shikonin group(Group B),SCI+DMSO(Group C),SCI+shikonin group(Group D).The acute SCI model of rats was made by clamp method in groups C and D.After subdural catheterization,no drug was given in group A.rats in groups B and D were injected with 100 mg·kg-1 of shikonin through catheter 30 min after modeling,and rats in group C were given with the same amount of DMSO,once a day until the time point of collection tissue.Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan(BBB)scores were performed on 8 rats in each group at 6,12,and 3 d after moneling,and oblique plate tests were performed on 1,3,7 and 14 d after modeling,and then spinal cord tissues were collected.Eight rats were intraperitoneally injected with propidine iodide(PI)1 h before sacrificed to detection PI positive cells at 24 h in each group.Eight rats were sacrificed in each group at 24 h after modeling,the spinal cord injury was observed by HE staining.The Nissl staining was used to observe survivor number of nerve cells.Western-blot technique was used to detect the expression levels of Bcl-2 protein and apoptosis related protein RIPK1.Results After modeling,BBB scores were normal in group A and B,but in group C and D were significantly higher than those in group A and B.And the scores in group D were higher than those in group C in each time point(P＜0.05).At 12 h after modeling,the PI red stained cells in group D were significantly reduced compared with that in group C,and the disintegration of neurons was alleviated(P＜0.05).HE and Nissl staining showed nerve cells with normal morphology in group A and B at 24h after operation.The degree of SCI and the number of neuronal survival in group D were better than those in group C,the differ-ence was statistically significant at 24h(P＜0.05).The expression of Bcl-2 and RIPK1 proteins was very low in group A and B;The expression of RIPK1 was significantly increased in Group C and decreased in Group D,with a statistically significant dif-ference(P＜0.05);The expression of Bcl-2 protein in group D was significantly higher than that in group C(P＜0.05).Conclu-sion Shikonin can alleviate the pathological changes after acute SCI in rats,improve the behavioral score,and promote the re-covery of spinal nerve function.The specific mechanism may be related to the inhibition of TNFR/RIPK1 signaling pathway mediated necrotic apoptosis.

Objective To investigate changes in the urinary metabolite profiles of children exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)during critical brain development and explore their potential link with the intestinal microbiota. Methods Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine ten hydroxyl metabolites of PAHs(OH-PAHs)in 36-month-old children.Subsequently,37 children were categorized into low-and high-exposure groups based on the sum of the ten OH-PAHs.Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to identify non-targeted metabolites in the urine samples.Furthermore,fecal flora abundance was assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing using Illumina MiSeq. Results The concentrations of 21 metabolites were significantly higher in the high exposure group than in the low exposure group(variable importance for projection>1,P<0.05).Most of these metabolites were positively correlated with the hydroxyl metabolites of naphthalene,fluorine,and phenanthrene(r=0.336-0.531).The identified differential metabolites primarily belonged to pathways associated with inflammation or proinflammatory states,including amino acid,lipid,and nucleotide metabolism.Additionally,these distinct metabolites were significantly associated with specific intestinal flora abundances(r=0.34-0.55),which were mainly involved in neurodevelopment. Conclusion Higher PAH exposure in young children affected metabolic homeostasis,particularly that of certain gut microbiota-derived metabolites.Further investigation is needed to explore the potential influence of PAHs on the gut microbiota and their possible association with neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Objective To explore the biomarkers and potential mechanisms of chronic restraint stress-induced myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia ApoE-/-mice.Methods The hyperlipidemia combined with the chronic stress model was established by restraining the ApoE-/-mice.Proteomics and bioinformatics techniques were used to describe the characteristic molecular changes and related regulatory mechanisms of chronic stress-induced myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia mice and to explore potential diagnostic biomarkers.Results Proteomic analysis showed that there were 43 significantly up-regulated and 58 sig-nificantly down-regulated differentially expressed proteins in hyperlipidemia combined with the restraint stress group compared with the hyperlipidemia group.Among them,GBP2,TAOK3,TFR1 and UCP1 were biomarkers with great diagnostic potential.KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that fer-roptosis was a significant pathway that accelerated the myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia combined with restraint stress-induced model.The mmu_circ_0001567/miR-7a/Tfr-1 and mmu_circ_0001042/miR-7a/Tfr-1 might be important circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks related to ferroptosis in this model.Conclusion Chronic restraint stress may aggravate myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia mice via ferrop-tosis.Four potential biomarkers are selected for myocardial injury diagnosis,providing a new direction for sudden cardiac death(SCD)caused by hyperlipidemia combined with the restraint stress.

Objective To analyze the clinical efficacy of nape needling at six points with electroacupuncture combined with Huayu Jingbi Decoction in the treatment of cervical spondylotic vertebralartery(CSA).Methods A retrospective study was conducted to collect 126 patients with CSA admitted to Haikou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from May 2021 to May 2023.According to different treatment regimens,they were divided into observation group(59 cases)and control group(67 cases).The observation group was treated with nape needling at six points with electroacupuncture combined with Huayu Jingbi Decoction,while the control group was treated with conventional acupuncture combined with Huayu Jingbi Decoction.Two weeks was a course of treatment,and both groups were treated for two courses.The changes of neck disability index(NDI)and cervical physiological curvature were observed before and after treatment in the two groups.The changes of hemorheology and hemodynamic indexes were compared before and after treatment between the two groups,and the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated.Results(1)The total effective rate of the observation group was 96.61%(57/59),and the control group was 77.61%(52/67).The efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the NDI scores and cervical physiological curvature of the patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the NDI scores and cervical physiological curvature,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the whole blood high cut viscosity,whole blood low cut viscosity,plasma viscosity and fibrinogen of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving whole blood high cut viscosity,whole blood low cut viscosity,plasma viscosity and fibrinogen,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the Vs,Vm,PI and RI of the two groups of patients were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving Vs,Vm,PI and RI,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).Conclusion Nape needling at six points with electroacupuncture combined with Huayu Jingbi Decoction has remarkable efficacy in the treatment of cervical spondylotic vertebralartery,which can significantly improve the cervical spine function of the patients,improve the blood rheology and haemodynamic indexes,and promote the recovery of the cervical spine function of the patients.