Objective:To compare the efficacy of 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT in guiding surgical treatment of primary aldosteronism (PA) with that of adrenal venous sampling (AVS), and to explore its value in the diagnosis and management of PA. Methods:A total of 83 patients (62 males, 21 females, age (48.5±10.4) years) who received unilateral adrenal PA based on 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT or AVS results at the Department of Urological Surgery of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 1, 2021 to May 31, 2023 were retrospectively enrolled. Clinical data of patients were collected and the postoperative benefit rates guided by the two examination methods were compared according to the international multi-center PA surgical outcome standard. Quantitative indexes in 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT (SUV max, ratio of lesion SUV max to normal-adrenal-tissue SUV mean (LAR), ratio of lesion SUV max to normal-liver SUV mean (LLR), and ratio of lesion SUV max to contralateral SUV max (LCR)) were obtained for comparative analysis in patients with different surgical outcomes. Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test or Fisher′s exact test were used to analyze the data. Results:Among 83 patients, 35 underwent AVS-guided surgery and 48 underwent 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT-guided surgery, with no significant difference of surgical benefit rates (85.7%(30/35) vs 85.4%(41/48); χ2=0.01, P=0.970). There was no significant difference of surgical benefit rates between 2 methods in such subgroups: <35 years (2/3 vs 7/8), ≥35 years (87.5%(28/32) vs 85.0%(34/40)), males (85.2%(23/27) vs 88.6%(31/35), females (7/8 vs 10/13), patients with unilateral lesions indicated by CT results (13/15 vs 83.9%(26/31)), patients with bilateral lesions indicated by CT results (85.0%(17/20) vs 15/17) (all χ2<0.01, all P>0.05). In PET/CT group, the LCR of patients who benefited from surgery ( n=41) was higher than that of patients who did not benefit ( n=7; 3.19(2.24, 4.90) vs 1.89(1.59, 2.88); Z=-2.09, P=0.036), and other quantitative indicators also tended to be higher. Conclusions:The positive results of 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT and AVS have the same clinical value in guiding PA patients to receive unilateral adrenal surgery. 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT is expected to become a non-invasive examination method to guide the treatment decisions in PA patients.

Objective:To explore the differences in bacterial communities within tissues during the process of oral mucosal carcinogenesis, and analyze the relationship between the high-abundance species Prevotella intermedia (Pi) and the occurrence and development of oral mucosal carcinogenesis. Methods:Fresh tissue samples were collected from patients diagnosed with oral leukoplakia (OLK), oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and healthy controls (HC) at Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, from January 2022 to November 2024, following strict inclusion criteria. Bacterial DNA was extracted from these specimens, and the 2bRAD sequencing for microbiome (2bRAD-M) was employed to analyze and compare the α and β diversity, as well as the community composition of bacteria within tissues, aiming to identify specifically expressed bacteria. Subsequently, paraffin-embedded clinical specimens were collected: 15 cases in the OLK group (including 4 cases of simple hyperplasia, 6 cases of mild dysplasia, and 5 cases of moderate to severe dysplasia), 12 cases in the OSCC group, and 5 cases in the HC group. A 4-nitroquinoline N-oxide (4NQO)-induced OLK progression mouse model was also constructed. Mice were randomly divided into three groups using a random number table, with six in each group. The negative control group was given distilled water to drink; Group 1 was given distilled water containing 4NQO to drink until week 12, while Group 2 was given distilled water containing 4NQO to drink until week 22. After the mice were sacrificed, their tongue tissue were collected and fixed. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with specific probes was used to validate the presence of Pi in human and mouse tissue sections, analyzing the correlation between histopathological grading and the invasion depth of Pi.Results:The 2bRAD-M microbial analysis revealed that the relative abundance of Pi in OSCC tissues (10.80%) was significantly higher than in the HC group (0.50%) ( P=0.001) and OLK group (0.70%) ( P=0.002). FISH probe detection showed that the fluorescence intensity of Pi in human OSCC tissues [123.50 (101.00, 142.30)] was higher than in the HC group [0.00 (0.00, 28.50)], simple hyperplasia OLK [0.00 (0.00, 35.25)], and mild dysplasia OLK [24.50 (0.00, 55.50)] groups, with statistically significant differences respectively ( P=0.002, P=0.003, P=0.005). However, there was no significant difference compared to moderate to severe dysplasia OLK [56.00 (28.00, 62.50)] ( P=0.210). The fluorescence area of Pi in human OSCC tissues [8 615.00 (7 439.00, 11 084.00)] was significantly larger than in the HC group [0.00 (0. 00, 45.00)], simple hyperplasia OLK group [0.00 (0.00, 81.00)], mild dysplasia [49.00 (0.00, 151.00)], and moderate to severe dysplasia groups [1 450.00 (454.00, 2 892.00)], with highly significant differences ( P<0.001). There was a significant correlation between the invasive depth of Pi and the degree of histopathological grading ( P<0.001). In mice, the fluorescence intensity of Pi in OSCC tissues [120.00 (110.00, 127.00)] was significantly higher than in the HC group [0.00 (0.00, 12.25)] ( P<0.01), but showed no significant difference compared with the OLK group [50.00 (0.00, 58.00)] ( P>0.05). The fluorescence area of Pi in mice OSCC tissues [11 020.00 (6 790.00, 12 102.00)] was significantly larger than in the HC group [0.00 (0.00, 56.75)] and the OLK group [0.00 (0.00, 751.50)] ( P=0.006, P=0.043). There is a significant correlation between the depth of invasion of Pi and the degree of histopathological grading ( P<0.01). Conclusions:This study suggests that Pi in oral mucosal tissue may be a potential biomarker for early detection of OSCC and play an important role in the carcinogenesis process of oral mucosa.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of TPCK trypsin on the proliferation pattern of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in Vero cells.The TPCK trypsin and conventional tryp-sin were added for virus proliferation,and RT-qPCR technology was used to analyze the changes in virus adsorption and invasion in Vero cells.The replication ability of porcine epidemic diarrhea vi-rus in Vero cells was explored through growth curve drawing,IFA identification,and cell activity detection.The results showed that the optimal concentrations of TPCK trypsin and conventional trypsin were 1 mg/L and 6 mg/L,respectively.The virus showed a decreasing trend with the pro-longation of TPCK trypsin and conventional trypsin pretreatment time.Adding different pancreatic enzymes during the virus proliferation process did not promote the virus invasion in Vero cells.Af-ter 4 h of invasion,the virus particles of each group gradually increased.By plotting the growth curve,it was found that the virus content of the TPCK trypsin group reached its highest level at 24 h(lgTCID50=(6.30±0.14)/0.1 mL),followed by a decreasing trend at 36 h,and the fluorescence intensity produced at 24 h was higher than that of conventional trypsin.In summary,TPCK trypsin has a better promoting effect on the proliferation of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in Vero cells.It provided theoretical basis for further research on the mechanism of TPCK trypsin affecting porcine epidemic diarrhea virus proliferation,and also provided data support for the isola-tion and purification of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus epidemic strains.

This study aims to develop a recombinase aided amplification(RAA)technology to de-tect porcine epidemic diarrhea virus(PEDV).A set of RAA primers and probes with high amplifi-cation efficiency and specificity was designed,specifically targeting the M gene.The amplification process was monitored in real-time using a fluorescent constant temperature detector to facilitate the rapid,sensitive,and specific detection of PEDV nucleic acids.The results showed that the es-tablished method exhibited excellent sensitivity,with a minimum detection limit of 8.86 × 101 copies/μL.Furthermore,the detection method has good specificity and reproducibility,with no cross-reactions observed with other porcine viruses such as transmissible gastroenteritis virus(TGE),porcine coronavirus,and porcine circovirus.The method also showed clear amplification curves at constant temperatures ranging from 37.0 to 41 ℃,highlighting its good temperature a-daptability.The establishment of fluorescent RAA technology for PEDV detection method provides a method for on-site rapid detection of PEDV.

Objective To explore the value of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(DCE-MRI)combined with diffusion weighted imaging(DWI)in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant prostate lesions in the peripheral zone.Methods A total of 80 patients with prostate lesions in the peripheral zone were selected.With biopsy results as the gold standard,the patients were divided into benign prostate lesion group and malignant prostate lesion group.The value of DCE-MRI combined with DWI in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant prostate lesions in the peripheral zone was analyzed.Results Prostate-specific antigen(PSA)level in the malignant prostate lesion group was significantly higher than that in the benign prostate lesion group(P＜0.05).The Ktrans,Kep and Ve in the malignant prostate lesion group were significantly higher than those in the benign prostate lesion group(P＜0.05),and the apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)value was significantly lower than that in the benign prostate lesion group(P＜0.05).According to the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis,the evaluation model was established.Receiver oper-ating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve(AUC)for distinguishing benign and malignant pros-tate lesions in the peripheral zone was 0.905,the sensitivity and specificity were 0.735 and 0.950.Pearson correlation analysis showed that the Ktrans,Kep and Ve were positively correlated with PSA level in the malignant prostate lesion group,while the ADC value was negatively correlated with PSA level(P＜0.05).Conclusion The quantitative parameters(Ktrans,Kep and Ve)of DCE-MRI and ADC value of DWI are independent influencing factors of malignant prostate lesions in the peripheral zone.The evaluation model construc-ted based on these factors has high value in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant prostate lesions in the peripheral zone.

Objective:To explore the value of metanephrine, normetanephrine, and some steroid hormones in the assessment of adrenal venous sampling (AVS).Methods:This retrospective study enrolled 101 patients with primary aldosteronism who underwent AVS at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between June 1, 2021, and October 1, 2024. Multiple hormones, including aldosterone, cortisol, metanephrine, normetanephrine and steroid hormone profiles, were measured in samples from the inferior vena cava and bilateral adrenal veins during AVS. Selectivity index and lateralization index were calculated based on the levels of different hormones to determine successful AVS cannulation (selectivity index≥2) and aldosterone hypersecretion lateralization (lateralization index≥2). Patients who underwent unilateral adrenalectomy were followed for at least 6 months. Clinical and biochemical outcomes were assessed according to the Primary Aldosteronism Surgical Outcome (PASO) criteria, with biochemical remission defined as achieving complete or partial biochemical remission postoperatively. The efficacy of different hormones relative to cortisol for calculating selectivity index and lateralization index was evaluated for subtype classification.Results:The age at diagnosis of the enrolled patients was (50.5±9.6) years, including 77 males. Regarding the selectivity index, five hormones including metanephrine, normetanephrine, androstenedione, 17α-hydroxypregnenolone, and dehydroepiandrosterone demonstrated significantly higher selectivity index compared to cortisol (all P<0.05). Based on the cortisol-derived selectivity index, AVS cannulation was unsuccessful in 8 patients; using the five indices, unsuccessful cannulation occurred in 2, 2, 3, 4, and 5 patients, respectively. Based on postoperative follow-up, 55 patients were identified as having unilateral surgically relievable primary aldosteronism. In identifying these patients, the performance of metanephrine, normetanephrine, androstenedione, 17α-hydroxypregnenolone, and dehydroepiandrosterone was non-inferior to cortisol, correctly identifying 95% (52/55), 93% (51/55), 91% (50/55), 87% (48/55), and 89% (49/55) of cases, respectively. However, among these patients, there were no statistically significant differences in the success rate of intubation in AVS and the ability to identify patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism between the five indicators and cortisol (all P>0.05). Using cortisol-based lateralization as the reference standard, androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone both achieved an accuracy of 90% (84/93) for determining the lateralized side, while 17α-hydroxypregnenolone, normetanephrine, and metanephrine achieved accuracies of 89% (83/93), 81% (74/93), and 80% (73/93), respectively. Conclusion:Metanephrine, normetanephrine, androstenedione, 17α-hydroxypregnenolone and dehydroepiandrosterone could increase the success rate of intubation in AVS, with a high ability to identify patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism, and are expected to replace cortisol as new indicators of AVS.

Purpose This study aims to explore the effect of peroxisomal membrane protein 4(PXMP4)on the migration and invasion of cervical cancer(CC)cells,as well as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)process.Methods Bioinformatics and immunohistochemical analysis were employed to examine the expression of PXMP4 in CC tissues and its correlation with clinical pathological characteristics.Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expression of PXMP4 in CC cells.CCK-8 assay,scratch healing assay,and Transwell invasion assay were utilized to assess the proliferation,migration,and invasion capabilities of CC cells.Western blot was conducted to measure the expression of N-cadherin,E-cadherin,vimentin,phosphorylated ERK(p-ERK),and total ERK proteins in cervical CC.Results The TCGA database showed that the mRNA expression level of PXMP4 was significantly elevated in non-paired CC tissues(P=0.000 29),while the GEO database showed that the mRNA expression level of PXMP4 was sig-nificantly elevated in paired CC tissues(P=0.02).Immunohistochemical analysis showed that PXMP4 was primarily localized in the cytoplasm and cell membrane,with a positive rate of 70.31％(45/64)in CC tissues,significantly higher than 29.69％(19/64)in adjacent tissues.Clinical pathological analysis found that PXMP4 expression was as-sociated with maximum tumor differentiation(P=0.000 328)and lymph node metastasis(P=0.000 226),but not with age(P=0.637)or tumor diameter(P=0.304).CCK-8 assay,wound healing assay,and Transwell invasion as-say demonstrated that interference with PXMP4 inhibited the proliferation,invasion,and migration of CC cells,while overexpression of PXMP4 promoted these processes.Western blot results indicated that interference with PXMP4 signif-icantly increased E-cadherin expression and decreased N-cadherin,vimentin,and p-ERK expression(P＜0.05).Conversely,overexpression of PXMP4 led to a significant decrease in E-cadherin and an increase in N-cadherin,vim-entin,and p-ERK expression(P＜0.05).Additionally,stimulation of CC cells with different concentrations of the U0126 inhibitor significantly increased E-cadherin expression and decreased N-cadherin,vimentin,and p-ERK expres-sion(P＜0.05).Conclusion PXMP4 is highly expressed in CC tissues and is closely related to tumor differentiation and lymph node metastasis.PXMP4 promotes the EMT process of CC cells through the phosphorylated ERK1/2 signa-ling pathway.

Objective:To explore the differences in bacterial communities within tissues during the process of oral mucosal carcinogenesis, and analyze the relationship between the high-abundance species Prevotella intermedia (Pi) and the occurrence and development of oral mucosal carcinogenesis. Methods:Fresh tissue samples were collected from patients diagnosed with oral leukoplakia (OLK), oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and healthy controls (HC) at Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, from January 2022 to November 2024, following strict inclusion criteria. Bacterial DNA was extracted from these specimens, and the 2bRAD sequencing for microbiome (2bRAD-M) was employed to analyze and compare the α and β diversity, as well as the community composition of bacteria within tissues, aiming to identify specifically expressed bacteria. Subsequently, paraffin-embedded clinical specimens were collected: 15 cases in the OLK group (including 4 cases of simple hyperplasia, 6 cases of mild dysplasia, and 5 cases of moderate to severe dysplasia), 12 cases in the OSCC group, and 5 cases in the HC group. A 4-nitroquinoline N-oxide (4NQO)-induced OLK progression mouse model was also constructed. Mice were randomly divided into three groups using a random number table, with six in each group. The negative control group was given distilled water to drink; Group 1 was given distilled water containing 4NQO to drink until week 12, while Group 2 was given distilled water containing 4NQO to drink until week 22. After the mice were sacrificed, their tongue tissue were collected and fixed. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with specific probes was used to validate the presence of Pi in human and mouse tissue sections, analyzing the correlation between histopathological grading and the invasion depth of Pi.Results:The 2bRAD-M microbial analysis revealed that the relative abundance of Pi in OSCC tissues (10.80%) was significantly higher than in the HC group (0.50%) ( P=0.001) and OLK group (0.70%) ( P=0.002). FISH probe detection showed that the fluorescence intensity of Pi in human OSCC tissues [123.50 (101.00, 142.30)] was higher than in the HC group [0.00 (0.00, 28.50)], simple hyperplasia OLK [0.00 (0.00, 35.25)], and mild dysplasia OLK [24.50 (0.00, 55.50)] groups, with statistically significant differences respectively ( P=0.002, P=0.003, P=0.005). However, there was no significant difference compared to moderate to severe dysplasia OLK [56.00 (28.00, 62.50)] ( P=0.210). The fluorescence area of Pi in human OSCC tissues [8 615.00 (7 439.00, 11 084.00)] was significantly larger than in the HC group [0.00 (0. 00, 45.00)], simple hyperplasia OLK group [0.00 (0.00, 81.00)], mild dysplasia [49.00 (0.00, 151.00)], and moderate to severe dysplasia groups [1 450.00 (454.00, 2 892.00)], with highly significant differences ( P<0.001). There was a significant correlation between the invasive depth of Pi and the degree of histopathological grading ( P<0.001). In mice, the fluorescence intensity of Pi in OSCC tissues [120.00 (110.00, 127.00)] was significantly higher than in the HC group [0.00 (0.00, 12.25)] ( P<0.01), but showed no significant difference compared with the OLK group [50.00 (0.00, 58.00)] ( P>0.05). The fluorescence area of Pi in mice OSCC tissues [11 020.00 (6 790.00, 12 102.00)] was significantly larger than in the HC group [0.00 (0.00, 56.75)] and the OLK group [0.00 (0.00, 751.50)] ( P=0.006, P=0.043). There is a significant correlation between the depth of invasion of Pi and the degree of histopathological grading ( P<0.01). Conclusions:This study suggests that Pi in oral mucosal tissue may be a potential biomarker for early detection of OSCC and play an important role in the carcinogenesis process of oral mucosa.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of TPCK trypsin on the proliferation pattern of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in Vero cells.The TPCK trypsin and conventional tryp-sin were added for virus proliferation,and RT-qPCR technology was used to analyze the changes in virus adsorption and invasion in Vero cells.The replication ability of porcine epidemic diarrhea vi-rus in Vero cells was explored through growth curve drawing,IFA identification,and cell activity detection.The results showed that the optimal concentrations of TPCK trypsin and conventional trypsin were 1 mg/L and 6 mg/L,respectively.The virus showed a decreasing trend with the pro-longation of TPCK trypsin and conventional trypsin pretreatment time.Adding different pancreatic enzymes during the virus proliferation process did not promote the virus invasion in Vero cells.Af-ter 4 h of invasion,the virus particles of each group gradually increased.By plotting the growth curve,it was found that the virus content of the TPCK trypsin group reached its highest level at 24 h(lgTCID50=(6.30±0.14)/0.1 mL),followed by a decreasing trend at 36 h,and the fluorescence intensity produced at 24 h was higher than that of conventional trypsin.In summary,TPCK trypsin has a better promoting effect on the proliferation of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in Vero cells.It provided theoretical basis for further research on the mechanism of TPCK trypsin affecting porcine epidemic diarrhea virus proliferation,and also provided data support for the isola-tion and purification of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus epidemic strains.

This study aims to develop a recombinase aided amplification(RAA)technology to de-tect porcine epidemic diarrhea virus(PEDV).A set of RAA primers and probes with high amplifi-cation efficiency and specificity was designed,specifically targeting the M gene.The amplification process was monitored in real-time using a fluorescent constant temperature detector to facilitate the rapid,sensitive,and specific detection of PEDV nucleic acids.The results showed that the es-tablished method exhibited excellent sensitivity,with a minimum detection limit of 8.86 × 101 copies/μL.Furthermore,the detection method has good specificity and reproducibility,with no cross-reactions observed with other porcine viruses such as transmissible gastroenteritis virus(TGE),porcine coronavirus,and porcine circovirus.The method also showed clear amplification curves at constant temperatures ranging from 37.0 to 41 ℃,highlighting its good temperature a-daptability.The establishment of fluorescent RAA technology for PEDV detection method provides a method for on-site rapid detection of PEDV.