Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome （IBS-D） is a common digestive system disease with high prevalence and recurrence rates for years， high treatment costs， and serious impacts on patients' quality of life and economic burden. Therefore， it is important to explore new and safe treatment methods. The pathogenesis of IBS-D is complex， in which the gut-brain axis is a key factor. The gut-brain axis， a bidirectional signaling pathway connecting the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system， regulates gastrointestinal motility， secretion， and immune responses， playing a key role in the occurrence and development of IBS-D. Up to now， antidiarrheal agents， probiotics， and neurotransmitter modulators are the main methods for the clinical treatment of IBS-D. Although they can partially curb the progression of this disease， the therapeutic effects remain to be improved. Studies have confirmed that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has significant advantages in the treatment of IBS-D since it can regulate the gut-brain axis via multiple pathways and targets to improve the gastrointestinal motility and strengthen immune defenses. However， there is a lack of systematic reviews on the regulation of the gut-brain axis by TCM in the treatment of IBS-D. Based on the review of IBS-D-related articles published in recent years， this paper systematically summarized the relationship between the gut-brain axis and IBS-D and the role of TCM in the treatment， providing new ideas for the treatment of IBS-D.

Objective:To compare the differences in postoperative healing rates, hearing improvement, and complication rates between endoscopic butterfly inlay cartilage tympanoplasty and underlay cartilage tympanoplasty in Small-to-Medium-Sized Tympanic Membrane Perforations, and to provide clinical basis for indication of the butterfly inlay cartilage tympanoplasty. Methods:This study enrolled patients with chronic suppurative otitis media or traumatic tympanic membrane perforations who were treated at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, between January 2022 and May 2023. Inclusion criteria comprised a dry ear period exceeding 3 months, absence of middle ear or mastoid pathology confirmed by temporal bone CT, and an air-bone gap of less than 40 dB. All surgeries were performed by the same surgeon using tympanoplasty techniques. Based on the surgical approach and perforation size, patients were categorized into four groups: Group A（butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty, perforation ≤3 mm）: 23 cases. Group B（butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty, perforation 3-5 mm）: 17 cases. Group C（full-thickness cartilage underlay tympanoplasty, perforation ≤3 mm）: 12 cases. Group D（full-thickness cartilage underlay tympanoplasty, perforation 3-5 mm）: 22 cases. Data collected included perforation duration, preoperative Eustachian Tube Score（ETS）, pure-tone audiometry, otoscopic findings, and postoperative follow-up data on pure-tone thresholds, otoscopic outcomes, and complications such as graft infection and otorrhea. Results: The mean postoperative follow-up period was 4 months （range: 3-12 months）. A total of 74 patients were enrolled, including 40 undergoing butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty and 34 receiving full-thickness cartilage inlay tympanoplasty. In the <3 mm perforation subgroup, the patients receiving butterfly technique （23 cases） exhibited a postoperative air-bone gap （ABG） improvement of （2.33±8.21） dB, and those receiving the inlay technique （12 cases） showed an ABG improvement of （2.49±7.9） dB, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups （P>0.05）. In the 3-5 mm perforation subgroup, the patients receiving butterfly technique （17 cases） demonstrated an ABG improvement of （8.16±5.69） dB, and those receiving the inlay technique （22 cases） achieved an ABG improvement of （8.08±10.42） dB, which were not significantly different （P>0.05）. Tympanic membrane healing rates across the four subgroups were 95.65%, 94.12%, 100%, and 95.45%, respectively, with no statistically significant differences （P>0.05）. Conclusion:In patients with tympanic membrane perforations ≤3 mm and 3-5 mm, butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty achieves comparable audiological outcomes to full-thickness cartilage underlay tympanoplasty. Compared with the underlay technique, the butterfly method is less invasive, preserves the normal anatomical structure of the tympanic membrane, requires a shorter dry ear period, and yields higher patient satisfaction. Therefore, it can be safely recommended for perforations ≤5 mm that do not require tympanotomy exploration.
Humans ; Tympanic Membrane Perforation/surgery* ; Tympanoplasty/methods* ; Treatment Outcome ; Endoscopy ; Cartilage/transplantation* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Myringoplasty/methods* ; Otitis Media, Suppurative/surgery* ; Aged

Gastroesophageal reflux disease （GERD） is a gastrointestinal motility disorder characterized by the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus， leading to symptoms such as acid reflux and heartburn. The incidence of GERD is closely associated with psychological disorders， including anxiety and depression. The brain-gut axis， serving as a mediator of the bidirectional connection between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract， plays a crucial role in the occurrence and development of GERD with anxiety and depression. Various therapeutic approaches， including compound Chinese medicine internal therapy （such as Pingchong jiangni decoction， Tiaozhong huashi decoction， etc.）， combination therapy of internal and external Chinese medicine （such as Lianzhi xiere decoction combined with acupoint application， acupuncture at the back segment of governor vessel plus Chinese medication of soothing the liver and gallbladder， etc.）， and combination therapy of internal Chinese and western medicine （including Jianpi shugan decoction combined with rabeprazole， rabeprazole combined with Jianzhong jiangni decoction， etc.）， have been shown to regulate brain-gut peptides， intestinal flora， inflammatory factors and gastrointestinal hormones， thereby effectively alleviating GERD symptoms， anxiety and depression， and enhancing patients’ quality of life.

Acute pancreatitis （AP） is one of the most clinically common acute digestive disorders characterized by quick onset，rapid progression，severe condition，and high mortality. If the disease is not timely intervened in the early stage，it can develop into severe AP in the later stage，which damages the long-term quality of life and brings serious economic burden to patients and their families. However， the pathogenesis of this disease is complex and has not been fully explained. The generation and development of AP is closely related to many signaling pathways. Among them，Toll-like receptor 4（TLR4），as a transmembrane signal transduction receptor，can mediate immune response and inflammatory response，and play a key role in the occurrence and development of AP. Traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）can regulate the TLR4 signaling pathway with multiple targets，multiple effects，and multiple administration methods to inhibit inflammatory response，and effectively intervene in the progression of AP， which has gradually become a new craze for preventing and treating AP. Many studies have shown that TCM has obvious advantages in the prevention and treatment of AP. It can effectively treat AP by regulating TLR4 signaling pathway，strengthening immune resistance and defense，and inhibiting inflammatory response. Despite of the research progress，there is still a lack of comprehensive review on TCM regulation of TLR4 signaling pathway in the treatment of AP. Therefore，the literature on TCM regulation of TLR4 signaling pathway published in recent years was systematically reviewed and elaborated，aiming to provide new ideas for the treatment of AP and further drug development.

Sarcopenia and physical deconditioning are common complications in patients with liver cancer,which are frequently caused by insufficient physical activity and poor nutritional status,resulting in physical frailty and a significant impact on the patient's physical fitness.Notably,sarcopenia,frailty,and poor cardiopulmonary endurance have all been linked to higher mortality rates among patients with liver cancer.Exercise intervention significantly improves various health parameters in liver cancer patients,including metabolic syndrome,muscle wasting,cardiorespiratory endurance,health-related quality of life,and reduction in hepatic venous pressure gradient.However,the link between physical exercise and liver cancer is commonly overlooked.In this article,we will examine the impact of exercise on liver cancer and present the most recent evidence on the best types of exercise for various stages of liver cancer.This article also summarizes and discusses the molecular mechanisms that control metabolism and systemic immune function in tumors.In brief,physical exercise should be considered an important intervention in the prevention and treatment of liver cancer and its complications.

Statistics plays an important role in medical research， and the selection of appropriate statistical methods is crucial for drawing reliable and valuable conclusions. This paper provides a brief introduction to commonly used statistical analysis methods for medical data， covering descriptive analysis， parametric test， nonparametric test， correlation analysis， regression analysis， and analysis of survival data. It focuses on discussing the assumptions of multiple linear regression， logistic regression and Cox proportional risk regression， as well as how to choose the appropriate statistical methods for analyzing and interpreting medical data based on different research objectives and data types.

Clinical research reports serve as the presentation of scientific research findings and directly reflect the quality of the research. This article describes the writing of different types of clinical research reports， such as observational studies and randomized controlled trial studies， with a particular focus on randomized controlled trials. Each scientific research design has its reporting focus， and the writing of scientific research papers has uniform requirements and a specific writing format. Mastering the proper format of drafting research reports is of practical value and significant importance for conduction high-quality clinical research.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a kind of primary liver cancer with a high mortality rate. In China, the incidence ratio in males to females with HCC is 2:1–5:1. The difference in sex hormone pathways between males and females and the interaction between androgen/androgen receptors and HBV can lead to an incidence difference between males and females with HCC. Hence, the androgen/androgen receptor oncogenic pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma has received considerable attention. This review mainly summarizes the recent research progress on the androgen/androgen receptor oncogenic pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） has emerged as a significant public health concern， posing a serious threat to the lives and health of residents in China. Furthermore， the incidence and mortality rates of HCC are notably higher in males than in females. Androgen receptors （AR） can contribute to the occurrence of male-specific cancers such as prostate cancer， suggesting a potential link to the increased susceptibility of males to HCC. Elucidating the cancer-promoting mechanism of AR and developing specific targeted interventions are effective ways to advance tertiary prevention of HCC and improve patient prognosis. This paper reviews the relevant evidence of AR’s role in promoting the occurrence and development of HCC， summarizes relevant mechanisms discovered to date， including promoting the stemness of HCC cells， altering the immune microenvironment， regulating key signaling pathways， inducing glycolysis in hepatocellular carcinoma， and synergizing with hepatitis B virus to promote HCC. Additionally， research directions for targeted interventions in HCC through AR-related signaling pathways are discussed.

Objective:To provide scientific basis for prevention and control measures of island regions through analyzing the characteristics of malignant tumor incidence and mortality in eastern island areas of China and comparing the data with the national cancer mortality data in the same period. Methods:Using the incidence and mortality data of malignant tumor in Daishan county,Zhoushan collected by the Daishan Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)from 2014 to 2019,which was stratified by gender,the crude incidence rates(CIR)and crude mortality rates(CMR)were calculated,and the top 10 malignant tumors with the highest incidence or mortality rates were then ranked.The Segi's world standard population was used to calculate the age-standardized incidence(ASIR)and age-standardized mortality rate(ASMR).The local data were compared with the national cancer mortality data from 2014 to 2019,and Chi-square test was used to analyze the differences between these two sets of data using the SPSS software.The difference was considered statistically significant when P<0.05. Results:There was a total of 7 305 incidence cases of malignant tumors in Daishan county,Zhoushan from 2014 to 2019.The CIR was 662.39/105 and the ASIR was 306.81/105.Notably,the CIR was the highest in the age group of 75-79 years old.The top 5 malignant tumors with the highest incidence rates were lung cancer(27.15％),gastric cancer(12.76％),liver cancer(10.95％),colorectal cancer(6.92％)and breast cancer(5.42％),whose ASIR were 75.09/105,32.06/105,31.01/105,17.81/105 and 18.36/105,respectively.There was a total of 3 412 mortality cases of malignant tumors in Daishan county,Zhoushan from 2014 to 2019.The CMR was 309.39/105 and the ASMR was 122.73/105.Notably,the CMR was the highest in the age group of 80-85 years old.The top 5 malignant tumors with the highest mortality rates were lung cancer(24.94％),liver cancer(18.64％),gastric cancer(17.00％),colorectal cancer(7.56％)and esophageal cancer(5.72％),whose ASMR were 29.65/105,24.97/105,19.01/105,8.75/105 and 6.60/105,respectively.The total ASMR of malignant tumors in Daishan county,Zhoushan was higher than national total ASMR from 2014 to 2019(100.34/105)(P<0.001).Specifically,the ASMR of gastric cancer,lung cancer and colorectal cancer in Daishan county were significantly higher than national levels(gastric cancer:12.46/105;liver cancer:16.45/105;colorectal cancer:6.63/105)(P<0.01),whereas no significant difference in the ASMR of lung cancer and esophageal cancer between Daishan county and the whole nation(lung cancer:28.06/105;esophageal cancer:7.61/105)was observed. Conclusion:Lung cancer,gastric cancer,liver cancer and colorectal cancer were malignant tumors with higher incidence and mortality rates in Daishan county,Zhoushan from 2014 to 2019.Particularly,the ASMR of gastric cancer,liver cancer and colorectal cancer were significantly higher than the national levels,and these malignant tumors should be considered as the major focus of cancer prevention and control.