OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of acupuncture on podocyte autophagy and long non-coding RNA SOX2 overlapping transcript (LncRNA SOX2OT)/mammalian target of rapamycin C1 (mTORC1)/Unc-51-like kinase 1 (ULK1) pathway in rats with diabetic kidney disease (DKD), and to explore the mechanism by which acupuncture reduces urinary protein. METHODS: A total of 40 SPF-grade male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group (n=10) and a modeling group (n=30). The DKD model was established by feeding a high-fat, high-sugar diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) in the modeling group. Twenty rats with successful DKD model were randomly divided into a model group (n=10) and an acupuncture group (n=10). The acupuncture group received "spleen and stomach-regulating" acupuncture at bilateral "Zusanli" (ST36), "Fenglong" (ST40), "Yinlingquan" (SP9), and "Zhongwan" (CV12), 30 min per session, once daily, five times per week, for four weeks. The general condition, fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2-hour postprandial glucose (2hPG), serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), 24-hour urinary protein quantification, and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) were compared before and after the intervention. After intervention, urinary podocyte injury marker SPON2 was measured by ELISA. Podocyte autophagosomes and glomerular basement membrane ultrastructure in renal tissue were observed via transmission electron microscopy. Podocyte apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL staining. The protein expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3Ⅱ (LC3-Ⅱ), mTORC1, ULK1, Beclin-1, and p62 in renal tissue was detected by Western blot. LncRNA SOX2OT expression in renal tissue was measured by real-time PCR. RESULTS: After the intervention, compared with the control group, the model group exhibited increased food and water intake, increased urine output, weight loss, and loose stools; compared with the model group, the food and water intake, urine volume, and loose stools were improved in the acupuncture group. Compared with the control group, FBG, 2hPG, SCr, BUN, 24-hour urinary protein quantification, UACR, and urinary SPON2 were all higher in the model group (P<0.01); compared with the model group, the FBG, 2hPG, SCr, BUN, 24-hour urinary protein quantification, UACR, and urinary SPON2 were all lower in the acupuncture group (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the model group showed reduced podocyte autophagosomes and thickened glomerular basement membrane; compared with the model group, the acupuncture group had increased podocyte autophagosomes and less thickened basement membrane. Compared with the control group, the podocyte apoptosis index (AI) was higher in the model group (P<0.01); compared with the model group, the AI was lower in the acupuncture group (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the expression of ULK1, Beclin-1, and LC3-Ⅱ proteins was lower, and the expression of mTORC1 and p62 proteins was higher in the model group (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the expression of ULK1, Beclin-1, and LC3-Ⅱ proteins was higher, and the expression of mTORC1 and p62 proteins was lower in the acupuncture group (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the LncRNA SOX2OT expression was lower in the model group (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, LncRNA SOX2OT expression was higher in the acupuncture group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION The "spleen and stomach-regulating" acupuncture method could improve renal function in DKD rats, reduce blood glucose and urinary protein excretion, alleviate podocyte injury, and enhance podocyte autophagy. The mechanism may be related to modulation of the renal LncRNA SOX2OT/mTORC1/ULK1 pathway.
Animals ; Podocytes/cytology* ; Diabetic Nephropathies/physiopathology* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Rats ; Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1/genetics* ; Autophagy ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Autophagy-Related Protein-1 Homolog/genetics* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism* ; Humans ; Signal Transduction

With the widespread application of deep learning technology in radiotherapy, increasing attention has been directed toward enhancing the precision and personalization of intelligent radiotherapy for osteosarcoma. This review summarizes the recent advances in the application of deep learning to osteosarcoma image preprocessing, automatic target volume delineation, dose prediction and treatment plan optimization, early efficacy assessment, and follow-up monitoring. Bottlenecks such as data sharing, model generalization, and interpretability are analyzed. This review aims to provide a comprehensive reference for technological iteration and clinical implementation in this field, as well as a scientific basis for the determination of future research directions and the development of standardized guidelines.

Objective To investigate clinical characteristics and risk factors of different stages of urinary tract infection after kidney transplantation.Methods Clinical data of 209 kidney transplant recipients were retrospectively analyzed.According to time points of postoperative follow-up,all recipients were divided into 3 stages:within 1 month post-kidney transplantation,1-6 months post-kidney transplantation,and 7-12 months post-kidney transplantation.The incidence of urinary tract infection,urine culture results of recipients with urinary tract infection and drug resistance characteristics of common pathogens during different stages after kidney transplantation were analyzed.The strains of patients with recurrent urinary tract infection were identified.The risk factors of urinary tract infection and the effect of urinary tract infection on renal allograft function were analyzed.Results The urinary tract infection rate was 90.0％in the first stage,49.3％in the second stage and 22.5％in the third stage.The urinary tract infection rates of male recipients undergoing living-related organ donation in the second and third stages were lower than those of female recipients(both P＜0.05).Urine culture test yielded positive results in 60 cases,and 84 strains of pathogenic bacteria were detected,mainly Gram-negative bacteria,among which Klebsiella pneumoniae accounted for the highest proportion.Sixty-six recipients had recurrent urinary tract infection,and the detected pathogens included Klebsiella pneumoniae,Escherichia coli and Candida glabrata,etc.Univariate analysis showed that postoperative use of antithymocyte globulin was the risk factor for urinary tract infection in the first stage.Preoperative urinary tract infection and donor type were the risk factors for urinary tract infection in the second stage.Gender and age of the recipients were the risk factors for urinary tract infection in the third stage.Multivariate analysis revealed that postoperative use of antithymocyte globulin was the risk factor for urinary tract infection in the first stage.Gender and age of the recipients were the risk factors for urinary tract infection in the third stage(all P＜0.05).In the third stage,65 cases were cured and 38 cases were not cured.In the treated recipients,the serum creatinine level and white blood cell count were decreased after corresponding treatment than those before treatment(both P＜0.05).Conclusions Gram-negative bacteria are the main pathogens of urinary tract infection in kidney transplant recipients,and drug resistance is relatively high.Postoperative use of antithymocyte globulin,female and old age are the risk factors for urinary tract infection in kidney transplant recipients.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of acute and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with end-stage renal disease(ESRD)after kidney transplantation,to improve the understanding of the causes,diagnosis,treatment and prevention of this complication,and to improve the management of patients with gastrointestinal bleeding after kidney transplantation.Methods:The clini-cal,imaging and pathological data of patients with gastrointestinal bleeding after kidney transplantation in the Department of Urology of The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from August,2015 to December,2020 were collected.The etiology,early clinical manifestations,abnormal laboratory tests and examinations,treatment procedures,late prevention and treatment measures and outcomes of gastro-intestinal bleeding were retrospectively studied,and the relevant literature was summarized and reviewed.Results:A total of 17 patients were included in this study.Nine patients had chronic small amount of bleeding,hemoglobin gradually decreased,melena and fecal occult blood positive in the early stage,and the general condition was good,vital signs were stable,and were cured by drug treatment.Gastroscopy showed small ulcers with active bleeding foci in 2 cases,and the bleeding was stopped by titanium clips,and the prognosis was good.Gastroscopy showed that the anterior wall longitudinal ulcer at the junction of gastric antrum body was not effective in 1 case,and the small branch of right gastroepithelial artery was embolized,and the patient recovered and discharged after 2 weeks.Gastroscopy showed deep pit ulcer at the lesser curvature of gastric antrum in 1 patient,who underwent distal gastroduodenal artery emboliza-tion and had a good prognosis.Gastroscopy showed huge multiple ulcers in the stomach and duodenal bulb in 2 patients,who underwent subtotal gastrectomy and partial duodenectomy,duodenal stump exclu-sion and remnant gastrojejunostomy.One patient recovered and was discharged,and the other patient died of rebleeding on the 12th day after surgery.Two cases of diverticulum underwent surgical resection of diverticulum,and the prognosis was good.Conclusion:The onset of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in kidney transplant patients is insidious,and the condition is acute or slow,which can cause different de-grees of damage to the patient and the transplanted kidney.Active prevention,early diagnosis,timely drug treatment,if the effect is not good,decisive endoscopic titanium clip hemostasis,transvascular in-terventional embolization,and even surgical treatment can minimize the harm of gastrointestinal bleeding.

Objective To investigate the current status of self-management in adult patients with epilepsy and re-lated influencing factors.Methods Epilepsy Self-Management Scale(ESMS)was used to evaluate the self-management abilities of 180 patients with epilepsy in a district of Shanghai,China,and the impact of related factors on the self-management abilities of patients was analyzed,including demographic factors(sex,age,marital status,and educational level,etc.)and clinical factors(age of onset,course of disease,seizure frequency,and types of medication,etc.).Results The total score of self-management was(102.62±6.11)points for the patients with epilepsy.There was a sig-nificant difference in self-management score between the patients with different occupations(F=2.950,P<0.05)and be-tween the patients with different family incomes(F=7.298,P<0.05).The patients who missed fewer doses of antiepilep-tic drugs had a higher self-management score(F=35.948,P<0.05),and there was a significant difference in self-management score between the patients with different follow-up frequencies(F=15.619,P<0.05).Medication manage-ment showed the strongest correlation with safety management(r=0.435,P<0.05),while safety management showed the lowest correlation with seizure management score(r=-0.152,P<0.05).The multiple linear regression analysis showed that medication compliance and follow-up frequency in specialized care were influencing factors for total self-management score.Conclusion The patients with epilepsy have poor self-management abilities,and improving employment rate,in-creasing family income,enhancing medication compliance,and increasing follow-up frequency in specialized care have a certain clinical significance in improving the self-management abilities of patients.

Objective:To analyze the clinical manifestations and explore the etiology in a family with congenital aniridia and to analyze the influence of candidate variants on the protein structure.Methods:A pedigree investigation was performed.A Han Chinese family with congenital aniridia of two generations consisting of three members from Henan Province, including one patient diagnosed with congenital aniridia, was identified and studied following their admission to Henan Eye Hospital in June 2023.A thorough medical history was obtained for the patient and their family members.Comprehensive ophthalmologic examinations were conducted, including visual acuity, intraocular pressure, anterior segment photography, color fundus photography, ultrasound biomicroscopy, and optical coherence tomography, etc.Peripheral blood samples were obtained from the family members and whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed on the patient and validated by Sanger sequencing for other members.The pathogenicity and protein structure of newly identified variant sites were analyzed.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Henan Eye Hospital (No.HNEECKY-2023[06]).Written informed consent was obtained from each subject.Results:The proband is a 23-year-old male presenting with poor binocular vision, aniridia, corneal degeneration, mild lens opacity, shallow anterior chamber, elevated intraocular pressure, peripheral retinal degeneration, and macular dysplasia.The clinical phenotype of the proband's parents did not show any significant abnormality.WES identified a heterozygous frameshift and nonsense varint c. 734_735del (p.Arg245Asnfs*20) in exon 10 of the PAX6 gene, which consisited of two bases deletion at positions 734 to 735, resulting in the mutation of its arginine at position 245 to asparagine and the early appearance of a termination codon at the next 19 amino acids.The variant had not been identified in the HGMD, Clinvar, 1 000 Genomes, and gnomAD databases.Neither of the proband's parents carried the variant, consistent with the pattern of family co-segregation.Substructural analysis using the SMART tool indicated that the variant is situated within the HOX domain.Amino acid conservation analysis demonstrated that the arginine residue at position 245 in the PAX6 gene is highly conserved across multiple species, including human, house mouse, domestic dog, African clawed frog, and macaque.The variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+ PS2+ PM2+ PP3) based on the ACMG standards and guidelines for the interpretation of sequence variants.Protein structure analysis revealed the absence of both the homologous domain and the proline-serine-threonine-rich domain in the PAX6 protein. Conclusions:A novel pathogenic variant, c.734_735del (p.Arg245Asnfs*20), in the PAX6 gene has been identified in a family affected by congenital aniridia.This variant results in the deletion of both the PAX6 protein homology domain and the proline-serine-threonine-rich domain.

Objective:To observe the efficacy of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in the treatment of different types of chorioretinal coloboma with retinal detachment (RD).Methods:A single-center, retrospective clinical study. From April 2021 to March 2023, 24 eyes of 23 patients who were diagnosed as chorioretinal coloboma with RD in Henan Provincial Eye Hospital were included in this study. There were 11 males with 12 eyes and 12 females with 12 eyes. The mean age was (33.3±13.7) years old. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), spectral domain optical coherence tomography were performed. The BCVA examination was performed using a international standard logarithmic visual acuity chart, which was converted into logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity during statistics. According to the types of chorioretinal coloboma, the affected eyes were divided into the coloboma involved the optic disc group and the coloboma not involved the optic disc group, with 15 eyes and 9 eyes. According to whether the RD containing the coloboma area, the affected eyes were divided into RD containing the coloboma area group and the RD not containing the coloboma area group, with 15 eyes and 9 eyes. All eyes underwent standard pars plana three-channel 25G PPV, retinal laser photocoagulation combined with silicone oil tamponade. The follow-up time after surgery was (19.5±16.3) months. The last follow-up was the time point for efficacy determination. The retinal reattachment, BCVA recovery and postoperative complications were observed. Paired t-test or t test was performed for comparison of quantitative data. Fisher's exact test was performed for comparison of qualitative data. Results:At the last follow-up, retinal reattachment was achieved in 20 eyes (83.3%, 20/24). The logMAR BCVA of the coloboma involved the optic disc group before and after surgery were 1.85±0.62 and 1.71±0.71, the difference was no significant ( t=0.845 , P=0.412). The logMAR BCVA of the coloboma not involved the optic disc group before and after surgery were 1.75±0.45 and 0.84±0.26, the difference was statistically significant ( t=6.153 , P<0.001). The improvement of BCVA in the coloboma not involved the optic disc group was significantly higher than that in the coloboma involved the optic disc group after surgery, with statistically significant differences ( t=3.024 , P=0.006). There was no significant difference in the retinal reattachment rate between the two groups ( P=0.615). There was no significant difference in the retinal reattachment rate between the RD containing the coloboma area group and the RD not containing the coloboma area group ( P=0.259). Postoperative complications included elevated intraocular pressure in five eyes, cataract progression in ten eyes, recurrent RD in two eyes, bullous keratopathy in one eye and band-shaped keratopathy in one eye. Conclusion:PPV combined with silicone oil tamponade is safe and effective in the treatment of chorioretinal coloboma with RD, the improvement of visual acuity in the coloboma not involved the optic disc group is better than that in the coloboma involved the optic disc group after surgery.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on the relations of the American Heart Association's ideal cardiovascular health (ICH) with mortality in Asians is sparse, and the interaction between behavioral and medical metrics remained unclear. We aimed to fill the gaps. METHODS: A total of 198,164 participants without cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) were included from the China Kadoorie Biobank study (2004-2018), Dongfeng-Tongji cohort (2008-2018), and Kailuan study (2006-2019). Four behaviors (i.e., smoking, physical activity, diet, body mass index) and three medical factors (i.e., blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood lipid) were classified into poor, intermediate, and ideal levels (0, 1, and 2 points), which constituted 8-point behavioral, 6-point medical, and 14-point ICH scores. Results of Cox regression from three cohorts were pooled using random-effects models of meta-analysis. RESULTS: During about 2 million person-years, 20,176 deaths were recorded. After controlling for demographic characteristics and alcohol drinking, hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) comparing ICH scores of 10-14 vs. 0-6 were 0.52 (0.41-0.67), 0.44 (0.37-0.53), 0.54 (0.45-0.66), and 0.86 (0.64-1.14) for all-cause, CVD, respiratory, and cancer mortality. A higher behavioral or medical score was independently associated with lower all-cause and CVD mortality among the total population and populations with different levels of behavioral or medical health equally, and no interaction was observed. CONCLUSIONS ICH was associated with lower all-cause, CVD, and respiratory mortality among Chinese adults. Both behavioral and medical health should be improved to prevent premature deaths.
Adult ; Humans ; Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention & control* ; East Asian People ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Smoking

With the advance of the economy and population aging, the acceleration of urbanization and the change of people's lifestyles, the prevalence of chronic diseases has become very serious. However, the etiologies and pathogeneses of the diseases are not yet clear, and the evidence of effective prevention and treatment strategies is lacking. Cohort study is an important method for exploring etiology and pathogenesis. Therefore, based on the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology for precision medicine in 2016, we launched a prospective cohort study of common chronic and non-communicable diseases in three provinces (Hubei, Hunan and Henan) in central China. Three independent and integratable sub-cohorts consisting of 115 424 participants at baseline survey and 107 252 participants in follow up were established, including dynamic measurements in 39 000 subjects in Dongfeng-Tongji prospective cohort. Each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire survey, an anthropometric measurement, a laboratory measurement, and blood and urine samples were collected from them. The cohort study contributes greatly to elucidating the etiologies and pathogeneses of common chronic and non-communicable disease in Chinese population and the development of precision medicine in China. This paper briefly introduces the design concept, basic information, major achievements and progress, and challenges of the prospective cohort study of common chronic and non-communicable diseases in central China.

Objective:To compare the consistency and difference of non-mydriatic two-field 45° ultra-wide field Optos and Clarus500 fundus imaging in a large-scale diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening.Methods:A diagnostic methodology study. From November 2020 to August 2021, 526 eyes of 277 patients with type 2 diabetes who diagnosed in Department of Ophthalmology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital were included in the study. Among them, there were 175 males with 328 eyes and 102 females with 198 eyes; the age was 53±10 years old. The same experienced technician performed the non-mydriatic dual-field 45° fundus imaging and the non-mydriatic ultra-wide-angle imaging system Optos, Clarus500 single-field fundus imaging examination on the patient on the same day, and obtained the dual-field 45° fundus image and Optos, Clarus500 single-field fundus image. The Optos and Clarus500 single-field fundus images in the same area as the dual-field 45° fundus image were captured by Photoshop software, and the Optos and Clarus500 dual-field fundus images were obtained. Subsequently, two experienced ophthalmologists performed interpretation and DR grading of the 5 groups of images, respectively. Images with inconsistent grading results were interpreted by a third ophthalmologist and used as the final grading result. In order to avoid the mydriatic dual-field 45° imaging interpretation results as the standard, the consistency and detection rate difference of the two ultra-wide-angle imaging systems in the rapid DR screening results were evaluated. The weighted Kappa ( κ) test was used to analyze the consistency of DR diagnosis between dual-field 45° fundus imaging and Optos and Clarus500 fundus imaging; χ2 test was used to compare the detection rates of DR between different imaging systems. Results:Compared with the dual-field 45° fundus image, the Clarus500 single-field had a higher DR detection rate ( χ2=24.965, P<0.001), and the Optos dual-field fundus image had a lower DR detection rate ( χ2=49.559, P<0.001). Compared with the DR detection rate of dual-field 45° fundus image, Optos single-field fundus image, Clarus500 double-field fundus image had no significant difference ( χ2=2.572, 0.649; P=0.109, 0.421). Compared with Optos, Clarus500 single-field and dual-field fundus images DR detection rate, the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=43.214, 61.216; P<0.001). Consistency assessment of DR grading results: dual-field 45° fundus images and Clarus500 dual-field fundus images ( κ value=0.932, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 0.907-0.956) were highly consistent; dual-field 45° fundus images and Optos single-field fundus images [ κ value=0.474, 95% CI 0.417-0.532], Optos dual-field fundus image ( κ value=0.495, 95% CI 0.438-0.551), Optos dual-field fundus image ( κ value=0.495, 95% CI 0.438-0.551) and Clarus500 dual-field fundus image ( κ value=0.452, 95% CI 0.395-0.506) were moderately consistent; dual-field 45°fundus images and Clarus500 single-field fundus images ( κ value=0.354, 95% CI 0.303-0.403) and Optos single-field fundus images and Clarus500 single-field fundus images ( κ value=0.347, 95% CI 0.287-0.393) showed general agreement. Conclusions:Compared with Optos dual-field fundus image, dual-field 45°fundus image and Clarus500 dual-field fundus image have high consistency in the grading results of DR rapid screening. Compared with Optos single-field fundus image, the detection rate of the DR of Clarus500 single-field fundus image is higher.