Disruption of the intestinal mucosal barrier caused by gut dysbiosis and metabolic imbalance is the underlying pathology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Traditional Chinese medicine Wuji Wan (WJW) is commonly used to treat digestive system disorders and showed therapeutic potential for IBD. In this interdisciplinary study, we aim to investigate the pharmacological effects of WJW against experimental colitis by combining functional metabolomics and gut-microbiota sequencing techniques. Treatment with WJW altered the profile of the intestinal microbiota and notably increased the abundance of Lactobacillus, thereby facilitating the conversion of tryptophan into indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and indoleacrylic acid (IA). These indole derivatives activated the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway, which reduced colonic inflammation and restored the expression of intestinal barrier proteins. Interestingly, the beneficial effects of WJW on gut barrier function improvement and tryptophan metabolism were disappeared in the absence of gut microbiota. Finally, pre-treatment with the AhR antagonist CH-223191 confirmed the essential role of IAA-mediated AhR activation in the therapeutic effects of WJW. Overall, WJW enhanced intestinal barrier function and reduced colonic inflammation in a murine colitis model by modulating Lactobacillus-IAA-AhR signaling pathway. This study provides novel insights into colitis pathogenesis and presents an effective therapeutic and preventive approach against IBD.

Objective To investigate the role of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)in hepatocyte regeneration after acet-aminophen(APAP)-induced injury in human normal liver cell(L02)and its possible mechanism.Methods L02 cells were cultured in vitro,and cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay.The optimal concentration and duration of APAP and the concentration of TLR4 inhibitor(TAK-242)were determined.The protein expression levels of nu-clear factor-κB(NF-κB),microtubule-associated protein light chain 3(LC3),p62,receptor interacting protein kinase 1(RIP1),receptor interacting protein kinase 3(RIP3),signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3),phosphorylation of STAT3(p-STAT3),proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA)and Cyclin D1 were detected by Western blot.The mRNA expression levels of TLR4,NF-κB,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),inter-leukin-6(IL-6),interleukin-1 β(IL-1 β),PCNA,Cyclin D1 and Ki67 were detected by qRT-PCR.Results Ac-cording to the results of CCK-8,L02 cells were treated with 5 mmol/L APAP for 24,36,48 h to simulate liver in-jury and regeneration model in vitro,and TAK-242 100 nmol/L was pretreated 2 ht before APAP to inhibit TLR4.Compared with the control group,the protein levels of NF-κB,RIP1,p-STAT3,PCNA,Cyclin D1 and the mRNA levels of TNF-α,IL-1 β and PCNA increased in the APAP 24 h group;the protein levels of NF-κB,RIP1,RIP3,p-STAT3,PCNA,Cyclin D1 and the mRNA levels of TLR4,NF-κB,TNF-α,IL-1 β,PCNA and Cyclin D1 in-creased in the APAP 36 h group;the protein levels of NF-κB,RIP1,p-STAT3,PCNA,Cyclin D1 and the mRNA levels of TLR4,NF-κB,TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,PCNA,Cyclin D1 and Ki67 increased in the APAP 48 h group.The protein levels of NF-κB,RIP1,RIP3,p-STAT3,PCNA,Cyclin D1 and the mRNA levels of TLR4,NF-κB,TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,PCNA,Cyclin D1,Ki67 significantly decreased in APAP+TAK-242 24 h and 48 h group than the APAP group at the same time point;the protein levels of NF-κB,PCNA and the mRNA levels of TLR4,NF-κB,TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,PCNA and Ki67 in APAP+TAK-242 36 h group were also significantly lower than those in APAP 36 h group.Compared with the control group,autophagy was activated in the APAP group,while autophagy was inhibited in the APAP+TAK-242 group.Conclusion TLR4 may affect the TLR4/NF-κB pathway,up-regulate the levels of inflammatory factors and autophagy,and promote hepatocyte regeneration after APAP-in-duced liver injury in L02 cells.

Objectives:To assess the prognostic impact of the neoadjuvant rectal (NAR) score following neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), as well as its value in guiding decisions for adjuvant chemotherapy.Methods:Between August 2015 and August 2018, patients were eligible from the STELLAR phase III trial (NCT02533271) who received short-course radiotherapy plus consolidation chemotherapy and for whom the NAR score could be calculated. Based on the NAR score, patients were categorized into low (＜8), intermediate (8-16), and high (＞16) groups. The Kaplan-Meier method, log rank tests, and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to evaluate the impact of the NAR score on disease-free survival (DFS).Results:Out of the 232 patients, 24.1%, 48.7%, and 27.2% had low (56 cases), intermediate (113 cases), and high NAR scores (63 cases), respectively. The median follow-up period was 37 months, with 3-year DFS rates of 87.3%, 68.3%, and 53.4% ( P＜0.001) for the low, intermediate, and high NAR score groups. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the NAR score (intermediate NAR score: HR, 3.10, 95% CI, 1.30-7.37, P=0.011; high NAR scores: HR=5.44, 95% CI, 2.26-13.09, P＜0.001), resection status ( HR, 3.00, 95% CI, 1.64-5.52, P＜0.001), and adjuvant chemotherapy ( HR, 3.25, 95% CI, 2.01-5.27, P＜0.001) were independent prognostic factors for DFS. In patients with R0 resection, the 3-year DFS rates were 97.8% and 78.0% for those with low and intermediate NAR scores who received adjuvant chemotherapy, significantly higher than the 43.2% and 50.6% for those who did not ( P＜0.001, P=0.002). There was no significant difference in the 3-year DFS rate (54.2% vs 53.3%, P=0.214) among high NAR score patients, regardless of adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusions:The NAR score is a robust prognostic indicator in LARC following neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy, with potential implications for subsequent decisions regarding adjuvant chemotherapy. These findings warrant further validation in studies with larger sample sizes.

Objectives:To analyze the long-term prognosis of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer in the stage of ypT0~2N0M0 after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Methods:The clinical data of 78 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical resection at ypT0~2N0M0 stage from January 2012 to December 2019 in the Department of Abdominal Surgery/Pancreatic and Gastric Surgery of the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival and disease-free survival, and the survival difference between patients with postoperative ypT0N0M0 and ypT1~2N0M0 was compared. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed on clinical, pathologic and treatment measures that may affect survival.Results:Among the 78 patients, there were 18 cases (23.1%) with ypT0N0M0, 14 cases (17.9%) with ypT1aN0M0, 17 cases (21.8%) with ypT1bN0M0, and 29 cases (37.2%) with ypT2N0M0. Median follow-up time was 74.1 (19.8~132.5) months. Fourteen patients (17.9%) had tumor recurrence and metastasis, and 9 patients died from tumor recurrence and metastasis. The 5-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates were 84.4% and 87.8%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in 5-year overall survival (86.9% vs 87.8%) or 5-year disease-free survival (88.9% vs 83.2%) between patients with ypT0N0M0 and ypT1~2N0M0. Analysis of factors that may affect prognosis revealed that signet ring cell carcinoma, nerve invasion, and lymph node dissection of fewer than 16 were significantly associated with prognosis ( P＜0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis including these three factors showed that only lymph node dissection of fewer than 16 was an independent risk factor affecting prognosis (OS: HR=10.44 ,95% CI: 2.15-50.72, P=0.004; DFS: HR=11.47, 95% CI: 2.85-46.20, P=0.001). Conclusions:The long-term prognosis of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer at ypT0~2N0M0 stage after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is relatively good, and the long-term survival time of patients with ypT1~2N0M0 and ypT0N0M0 is similar. Lymph node dissection of less than 16 nodes may be an independent risk factor affecting prognosis. During surgery, efforts should be made to increase the number of lymph node dissections. For patients with less than 16 nodes dissected, postoperative treatment and follow-up should be strengthened.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) diseases are common clinical conditions. The number of patients with TMJ diseases is large, and the etiology, epidemiology, disease spectrum, and treatment of the disease remain controversial and unknown. To understand and master the current situation of the occurrence, development and prevention of TMJ diseases, as well as to identify the patterns in etiology, incidence, drug sensitivity, and prognosis is crucial for alleviating patients′suffering.This will facilitate in-depth medical research, effective disease prevention measures, and the formulation of corresponding health policies. Cohort construction and research has an irreplaceable role in precise disease prevention and significant improvement in diagnosis and treatment levels. Large-scale cohort studies are needed to explore the relationship between potential risk factors and outcomes of TMJ diseases, and to observe disease prognoses through long-term follw-ups. The consensus aims to establish a standard conceptual frame work for a cohort study on patients with TMJ disease while providing ideas for cohort data standards to this condition. TMJ disease cohort data consists of both common data standards applicable to all specific disease cohorts as well as disease-specific data standards. Common data were available for each specific disease cohort. By integrating different cohort research resources, standard problems or study variables can be unified. Long-term follow-up can be performed using consistent definitions and criteria across different projects for better core data collection. It is hoped that this consensus will be facilitate the development cohort studies of TMJ diseases.

Objectives:To assess the prognostic impact of the neoadjuvant rectal (NAR) score following neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), as well as its value in guiding decisions for adjuvant chemotherapy.Methods:Between August 2015 and August 2018, patients were eligible from the STELLAR phase III trial (NCT02533271) who received short-course radiotherapy plus consolidation chemotherapy and for whom the NAR score could be calculated. Based on the NAR score, patients were categorized into low (＜8), intermediate (8-16), and high (＞16) groups. The Kaplan-Meier method, log rank tests, and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to evaluate the impact of the NAR score on disease-free survival (DFS).Results:Out of the 232 patients, 24.1%, 48.7%, and 27.2% had low (56 cases), intermediate (113 cases), and high NAR scores (63 cases), respectively. The median follow-up period was 37 months, with 3-year DFS rates of 87.3%, 68.3%, and 53.4% ( P＜0.001) for the low, intermediate, and high NAR score groups. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the NAR score (intermediate NAR score: HR, 3.10, 95% CI, 1.30-7.37, P=0.011; high NAR scores: HR=5.44, 95% CI, 2.26-13.09, P＜0.001), resection status ( HR, 3.00, 95% CI, 1.64-5.52, P＜0.001), and adjuvant chemotherapy ( HR, 3.25, 95% CI, 2.01-5.27, P＜0.001) were independent prognostic factors for DFS. In patients with R0 resection, the 3-year DFS rates were 97.8% and 78.0% for those with low and intermediate NAR scores who received adjuvant chemotherapy, significantly higher than the 43.2% and 50.6% for those who did not ( P＜0.001, P=0.002). There was no significant difference in the 3-year DFS rate (54.2% vs 53.3%, P=0.214) among high NAR score patients, regardless of adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusions:The NAR score is a robust prognostic indicator in LARC following neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy, with potential implications for subsequent decisions regarding adjuvant chemotherapy. These findings warrant further validation in studies with larger sample sizes.

Objectives:To analyze the long-term prognosis of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer in the stage of ypT0~2N0M0 after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Methods:The clinical data of 78 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical resection at ypT0~2N0M0 stage from January 2012 to December 2019 in the Department of Abdominal Surgery/Pancreatic and Gastric Surgery of the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival and disease-free survival, and the survival difference between patients with postoperative ypT0N0M0 and ypT1~2N0M0 was compared. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed on clinical, pathologic and treatment measures that may affect survival.Results:Among the 78 patients, there were 18 cases (23.1%) with ypT0N0M0, 14 cases (17.9%) with ypT1aN0M0, 17 cases (21.8%) with ypT1bN0M0, and 29 cases (37.2%) with ypT2N0M0. Median follow-up time was 74.1 (19.8~132.5) months. Fourteen patients (17.9%) had tumor recurrence and metastasis, and 9 patients died from tumor recurrence and metastasis. The 5-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates were 84.4% and 87.8%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in 5-year overall survival (86.9% vs 87.8%) or 5-year disease-free survival (88.9% vs 83.2%) between patients with ypT0N0M0 and ypT1~2N0M0. Analysis of factors that may affect prognosis revealed that signet ring cell carcinoma, nerve invasion, and lymph node dissection of fewer than 16 were significantly associated with prognosis ( P＜0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis including these three factors showed that only lymph node dissection of fewer than 16 was an independent risk factor affecting prognosis (OS: HR=10.44 ,95% CI: 2.15-50.72, P=0.004; DFS: HR=11.47, 95% CI: 2.85-46.20, P=0.001). Conclusions:The long-term prognosis of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer at ypT0~2N0M0 stage after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is relatively good, and the long-term survival time of patients with ypT1~2N0M0 and ypT0N0M0 is similar. Lymph node dissection of less than 16 nodes may be an independent risk factor affecting prognosis. During surgery, efforts should be made to increase the number of lymph node dissections. For patients with less than 16 nodes dissected, postoperative treatment and follow-up should be strengthened.

Objective:To explore the cortical abnormalities in brain regions in adolescent with self-injury and the correlation between cortical structural changes and clinical emotional manifestations.Methods:From April 2023 to June 2024, totally 38 adolescents with self-injury(self-injury group) from psychological outpatient department of First People’s Hospital of Changzhou and 41 healthy volunteers (HC group) matched with age, gender and years of education were selected.T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and clinical data of all participants were collected. All of them were investigated by the 17-item Hamilton depression scale (HAMD-17) and Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA). Image preprocessing and surface-based morphometry analysis were performed by the DPABISurf software. Cortical parameters from regions showing significant differences were extracted, which were then evaluated the correlation with the emotional scores based on Spearman correlation analysis by SPSS 29.0 software.Results:Compared with HC group, self-injury group showed reduced thickness in areas primarily involving the left somatosensory and motor cortex, left paracentral lobular and mid cingulate cortex, left posterior cingulate cortex and premotor cortex(MNI: cluster 1: x=-17.73, y=-32.81, z=43.87, cluster 2: x=-35.97, y=-8.72, z=52.01, cluster 3: x=-18.94, y=-41.39, z=65.94)(all P<0.05). Lower sulcal depth in the left orbital and polar frontal cortex (MNI: x=-39.9, y=47.92, z=-5.42) ( P<0.05) and higher mean curvature in the right superior parietal cortex (MNI: x=21.89, y=-61.89, z=50.55) ( P<0.05) were found in the self-injury group. In the self-injury group, Spearman correlation analysis revealed negative correlations between cortical thickness in the regions of interest and clinical emotional scores (HAMD-17: r=-0.385, -0.332, P<0.05; HAMA: r=-0.395, -0.481, P<0.05), primarily involving the left supplementary motor area, left premotor cortex and the left somatosensory and motor cortex. Conclusion:The perception and execution cortex of adolescents with self-injury shows surface morphological abnormalities, which may be relevant to clinical emotional manifestations.

Objective To investigate the effectiveness and safety of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) hypofractionated radiotherapy and intensity modulated conformal radiotherapy technique (IMRT) conventional fractionated radiotherapy after breast cancer radical operation.Methods Eighty-five patients with breast cancer modified radical operation admitted and treated in this hospital from March 1,2021 to De-cember 30,2021 were selected as the research subjects and divided into the VMAT group (n=41) and the IM-RT group (n=42) according to the random number table method.The VMAT group adopted the hypofrac-tionated radiotherapy,with the single fractionated dose of 2.9 Gy/frequency and radiotherapeutic total dose of 43.5 Gy/15 frequencies;the IMRT group adopted the IMRT conventional fractionated radiotherapy,with the single fractionated dose of 2.0 Gy/frequency and radiotherapeutic total dose of 50.0 Gy/25 frequencies.The planning target region V95,V110,conformity index,homogeneity index,treatment time,V5,V20,V30,average dose (Dmean) in the affected side lung,humeral head Dmean and heart V30,Dmean were compared between the two groups.Meanwhile,local recurrence,distant metastasis,disease-free survival and acute and chronic radiation injury were compared between the two groups.Results Compared with the IMRT group,V95 in the VMAT was higher,V110 and homogeneity index were lower,the treatment time was shorter,V5 in the affected lung,Dmean and Dmean in the affected humeral head were lower,V30 in the affected lung was higher,heart V30 in the left side breast cancer was lower,heart Dmean in the right side breast cancer was lower,and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).All patients survived without local relapse.The distant metastasis rate and disease free survival rate had no statistical difference between the two groups (P>0.05).Follow up lasted for 12 months,the incidence rates of grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ acute radiodermatitis,radiation esophagitis,chronic radioder-matitis and radiation pneumonia had no statistical differences between the two groups (P>0.05).The inci-dence rate of grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ shoulder dysfunction in the VMAT group was lower than that in the IMRT group with statistical difference (P<0.05).No grade Ⅱ and above acute and chronic radiation injury in the two groups occurred.Conclusion VMAT hypofractionated radiotherapy after breast cancer radical operation is safe and effective.