Purpose To investigate interhemispheric homotopic functional connectivity in patients with neuropsychological systemic lupus erythematosus(NPSLE)during resting state and its relationship with clinical indicators and neuropsychological scales.Materials and Methods This prospective study enrolled 35 patients with NPSLE and 31 healthy controls(control group)from Taizhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University(June 2020 to March 2023).All participants underwent resting state functional MRI and completed neuropsychological assessments including mini-mental state examination,Montreal cognitive assessment,hospital anxiety and depression scale,fatigue scale for motor and cognitive functions,along with laboratory tests(C3,C4,IgA,IgM,IgG).Image preprocessing and voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity(VMHC)calculations were performed using DPABI V7.0 on Matlab R2013b.Between-group differences in VMHC values were compared,and correlations between VMHC values in significant regions and neuropsychological/clinical data were analyzed.Results The NPSLE group demonstrated significantly lower mini-mental state examination and Montreal cognitive assessment scores compared with those in control group(t=-6.297,-7.001,both P=0.001).Patients with NPSLE exhibited significantly decreased VMHC values in bilateral parahippocampal gyri,precentral gyri,middle frontal gyri,and medial/paracingulate gyri compared with those in control group(family-wise error corrected,voxel-level P<0.001,cluster-level P<0.05).In the NPSLE group,VMHC values in precentral gyri showed positive correlation with IgA levels(r=0.351,P=0.039),while VMHC values in medial/paracingulate gyri positively correlated with IgA(r=0.345,P=0.043)and negatively with C4(r=-0.368,P=0.030).Conclusion Patients with NPSLE demonstrate abnormal interhemispheric homotopic functional connectivity,and the correlation between imaging metrics and clinical data in differential brain regions may facilitate early diagnosis of NPSLE while providing novel insights into the neuropathological mechanisms of cerebral injury.

Objective:To investigate the association of skeletal muscle function(including muscle strength and physical performance) and insulin resistance as well as type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods:The retrospective study included 942 patients who visited the Department of Geriatrics at Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, between October 2020 and July 2024. Low skeletal muscle function was defined as either reduced muscle strength or impaired physical performance. Muscle strength was assessed by grip strength, while physical performance was evaluated using the 5-time chair stand test. The associations between muscle function, insulin resistance, and T2DM were analyzed.Results:A significant association was observed between decreased skeletal muscle function and a higher prevalence of T2DM( P=0.001). Further analysis revealed that decreased physical performance was significantly associated with increased T2DM prevalence( P<0.001), whereas reduced muscle strength showed no significant association with T2DM prevalence( P=0.331). Linear regression analysis indicated that both the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA2-IR) and fasting blood glucose levels increased significantly with longer chair stand times( P<0.05). Restrictive cubic spline(RCS) analysis demonstrated a nonlinear relationship between chair-rising time and HOMA2-IR. Notably, when the cumulative chair-rising time exceed 8.1 s, HOMA2-IR increased significantly with prolonged chair stand time. Logistic regression analysis showed that compared with patients with normal physical performance, those with decreased physical performance had significantly higher odds of T2DM( OR=2.64, P<0.001) and insulin resistance( OR=2.34, P=0.002). Conclusion:Decline in physical performance is significantly positively associated with insulin resistance and the risk of T2DM. Morever, when the cumulative chair stand time exceed 8.1 s, HOMA2-IR increases progressively with further prolongation of chair stand time.

Purpose To investigate interhemispheric homotopic functional connectivity in patients with neuropsychological systemic lupus erythematosus(NPSLE)during resting state and its relationship with clinical indicators and neuropsychological scales.Materials and Methods This prospective study enrolled 35 patients with NPSLE and 31 healthy controls(control group)from Taizhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University(June 2020 to March 2023).All participants underwent resting state functional MRI and completed neuropsychological assessments including mini-mental state examination,Montreal cognitive assessment,hospital anxiety and depression scale,fatigue scale for motor and cognitive functions,along with laboratory tests(C3,C4,IgA,IgM,IgG).Image preprocessing and voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity(VMHC)calculations were performed using DPABI V7.0 on Matlab R2013b.Between-group differences in VMHC values were compared,and correlations between VMHC values in significant regions and neuropsychological/clinical data were analyzed.Results The NPSLE group demonstrated significantly lower mini-mental state examination and Montreal cognitive assessment scores compared with those in control group(t=-6.297,-7.001,both P=0.001).Patients with NPSLE exhibited significantly decreased VMHC values in bilateral parahippocampal gyri,precentral gyri,middle frontal gyri,and medial/paracingulate gyri compared with those in control group(family-wise error corrected,voxel-level P<0.001,cluster-level P<0.05).In the NPSLE group,VMHC values in precentral gyri showed positive correlation with IgA levels(r=0.351,P=0.039),while VMHC values in medial/paracingulate gyri positively correlated with IgA(r=0.345,P=0.043)and negatively with C4(r=-0.368,P=0.030).Conclusion Patients with NPSLE demonstrate abnormal interhemispheric homotopic functional connectivity,and the correlation between imaging metrics and clinical data in differential brain regions may facilitate early diagnosis of NPSLE while providing novel insights into the neuropathological mechanisms of cerebral injury.

Objective:To investigate the association of skeletal muscle function(including muscle strength and physical performance) and insulin resistance as well as type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods:The retrospective study included 942 patients who visited the Department of Geriatrics at Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, between October 2020 and July 2024. Low skeletal muscle function was defined as either reduced muscle strength or impaired physical performance. Muscle strength was assessed by grip strength, while physical performance was evaluated using the 5-time chair stand test. The associations between muscle function, insulin resistance, and T2DM were analyzed.Results:A significant association was observed between decreased skeletal muscle function and a higher prevalence of T2DM( P=0.001). Further analysis revealed that decreased physical performance was significantly associated with increased T2DM prevalence( P<0.001), whereas reduced muscle strength showed no significant association with T2DM prevalence( P=0.331). Linear regression analysis indicated that both the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA2-IR) and fasting blood glucose levels increased significantly with longer chair stand times( P<0.05). Restrictive cubic spline(RCS) analysis demonstrated a nonlinear relationship between chair-rising time and HOMA2-IR. Notably, when the cumulative chair-rising time exceed 8.1 s, HOMA2-IR increased significantly with prolonged chair stand time. Logistic regression analysis showed that compared with patients with normal physical performance, those with decreased physical performance had significantly higher odds of T2DM( OR=2.64, P<0.001) and insulin resistance( OR=2.34, P=0.002). Conclusion:Decline in physical performance is significantly positively associated with insulin resistance and the risk of T2DM. Morever, when the cumulative chair stand time exceed 8.1 s, HOMA2-IR increases progressively with further prolongation of chair stand time.

Osteoarthritis （OA） is a common chronic， highly prevalent， painful， and disabling degenerative joint disease. It has imposed a heavy burden on social healthcare and patients' psychology and economy due to its clinical symptoms such as impaired joint mobility and severe joint pain and the immature therapies. Studies have shown that OA is closely associated with articular cartilage dysfunction， synthesis and degradation disorders of chondrocyte extracellular matrix （ECM）， and joint inflammation. Moderate autophagy can restore the function of damaged chondrocytes， regulate chondrocyte apoptosis， and promote the synthesis and metabolism of ECM to alleviate the inflammation of joints and delay the onset and progression of OA. According to the clinical symptoms， OA can be classified into the category of impediment in traditional Chinese medicine. With the theories of holistic conception， treatment based on syndrome differentiation， and individualised diagnosis and treatment， traditional Chinese medicine has demonstrated definite effects in the treatment of OA in thousands of years of practice. Moreover， traditional Chinese medicine causes mild adverse reactions， and the patients have high tolerance and acceptance. This paper briefly explains the roles of autophagy and the related regulatory proteins， such as Unc-51-like autophagy-activated kinase 1 （ULK1）， Beclin-1， and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 （LC3）， and details the latest research achievements in the prevention and control of OA by traditional Chinese medicines and its related markers via the regulation of autophagy， so as to provide a idea for the in-depth research in this field and the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine in preventing and treating OA.

Osteoarthritis （OA）， rheumatoid arthritis （RA）， gouty arthritis （GA）， and intervertebral disc degeneration （IVDD） are the most common bone and joint-related diseases in clinical practice. They can all affect related joints， leading to joint pain， swelling， dysfunction， and other symptoms. The difference is that OA is mainly caused by joint wear and age-related degradation and is manifested as joint pain， stiffness， and limited movement. RA is an autoimmune disease， manifested as joint pain， swelling， morning stiffness， and systemic symptoms. GA is caused by abnormal uric acid metabolism， manifested as acute arthritis， and IVDD is caused by intervertebral disc degeneration. Studies have shown that the mechanism of the occurrence and development of these bone and joint diseases is extremely complex. Pyroptosis is closely related to these bone and joint-related diseases by participating in bone and joint inflammation， cartilage metabolism imbalance， extracellular matrix degradation， and pathological damage of bone and joint. Inhibition of bone and joint-related pyroptosis will effectively prevent and treat bone and joint-related diseases. At the same time， many studies have confirmed that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a prominent curative effect and obvious advantages in the prevention and treatment of bone and joint-related diseases. TCM can reduce the inflammatory reaction of bone and joints， improve the pathological damage of bone and joint diseases， and relieve bone and joint pain by inhibiting pyroptosis. Therefore， this article aims to briefly explain the relationship between pyroptosis and the occurrence and development of bone and joint-related diseases and summarize the latest research reports on the intervention of pyroptosis in the treatment of bone and joint-related diseases by TCM monomers， TCM extracts， and TCM compounds. It offers new ideas for the in-depth study of the pathogenesis and drug treatment of bone and joint diseases and provides a basis for the clinical use of TCM to prevent and treat bone and joint diseases.

Objective To establish an early prediction model for the diagnosis of severe acute pancreatitis based on the improved machine learning models,and to analyze its clinical value.Methods A case-control study was conducted on 352 patients with acute pancreatitis admitted to the Gastroenterology and Hepatobiliary Surgery Departments of the Army Medical Center of PLA and Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Department of No.945 Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of PLA from January 2014 to August 2023.According to the severity of the disease,the patients were divided into the severe group(n=88)and the non-severe group(n=264).The RUSBoost model and improved Archimead optimization algorithm was used to analyze 39 routine laboratory biochemical indicators within 48 h after admission to construct an early diagnosis and prediction model for severe acute pancreatitis.The task of feature screening and hyperparameter optimization was completed simultaneously.The ReliefF algorithm feature importance rank and multivariate logistic analysis were used to analyze the value of the selected features.Results In the training set,the area under curve(AUC)of the improved machine learning model was 0.922.In the testing set,the AUC of the improved machine learning model reached 0.888.The 4 key features of predicting severe acute pancreatitis based on the improved Archimedes optimization algorithm were C-reactive protein,blood chlorine,blood magnesium and fibrinogen level,which were consistent with the results of ReliefF algorithm feature importance ranking and multivariate logistic analysis.Conclusion The application of improved machine learning model analyzing the laboratory examination results can help to early predict the occurrence of severe acute pancreatitis.

Objectives:To investigate the mutation of PIK3CA in colorectal cancer and to analyze their clinicopathological features, and evaluate their role in clinical treatment and prognostication.Methods:A total of 128 paraffin-embbeded tissue samples of colorectal cancer from Shanxi Cancer Hospital from 2018 to 2021 were collected. DNA was extracted from the samples, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to detect PIK3CA mutation. The relationship between PIK3CA mutation, their clinicopathological features, and prognosis were analyzed.Results:Among the 128 colorectal cancer samples, there were 75 males and 53 females; with aged range 32-86 years, median 61.5 years, 27 (21.09%) had PIK3CA mutations. Colorectal cancer with PIK3CA mutation was more likely to occur in male patients ( P=0.007), which was related to tumor site ( P=0.032), tumor size ( P=0.029) and TP53 wild-type ( P=0.001). The common site mutations of PIK3CA mostly occurred in tumors with tumor mutation burden≥10 Muts/Mb ( P=0.031).PIK3CA mutation had no significant effect on the survival prognosis of patients, but the efficacy of anti-angiogenic therapy was poor in these patients. Conclusions:PIK3CA mutation is a common mutation in colorectal cancer and plays an important role in the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer. PIK3CA mutation may lead to resistance to anti-angiogenic drugs in colorectal cancer, but its impact on survival and prognosis to patients needs further study.

Objective:To explore the application of flash glucose monitoring (FGM) system in patients with type 2 diabetes and its impact on patients, and to provide reference for improving blood glucose management in patients with type 2 diabetes.Methods:Qualitative research method was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to select patients with type 2 diabetes who received FGM in Nanjing Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing First Hospital from December 2023 to February 2024 as interview subjects. Semi-structured interview method was conducted for one-to-one in-depth interview, and thematic analysis was used to sort out and analyze data, identify and refine themes.Results:A total of 15 interviewees were included, including 7 males and 8 females, aged (61.27 ± 14.07) years. The interview results were summarized into five themes: behavioral changes of wearing FGM system (including changes of patients′blood glucose monitoring, diet, exercise and medication behaviors); FGM system improves the convenience and comfort of blood glucose monitoring; FGM system can effectively improve patients′sense of security; the advice of medical staff affects the willingness of patients to wear FGM system; price factors affect patients′willingness to wear FGM systems on a regular basis.Conclusions:The FGM system plays an important role in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes, improving patients′self-management behavior and blood glucose monitoring experience, and improving patients′sense of security. Medical personnel play an important role in the decision-making of patient disease management. However, price is an important factor restricting patients to wear regularly, and efforts should be made to improve the popularity of FGM system.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in some regions of China. Methods Serum samples were collected from 3 131 patients with chronic HBV infection in 10 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions of China from March 2021 to June 2022, and anti-HDV IgG ELISA was used for the detection of all serum samples. Nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (nRT-PCR) was used to detect HDV RNA in anti-HDV IgG-positive samples, and the nRT-PCR amplification products of HDV RNA-positive samples were sequenced and analyzed to determine HDV genotype. The clinical features of anti-HDV IgG-positive patients were analyzed. The Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results The positive rate of anti-HDV IgG in the 3 131 patients with chronic HBV infection was 0.70% (22/3 131), and that in the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Beijing, and Hunan Province was 1.81% (16/886), 0.88% (2/226), 0.28% (2/708), and 1.00% (2/200), respectively; the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region had a significantly higher positive rate of anti-HDV IgG than those in Beijing ( P =0.004), and there was no significant difference between the other regions ( P > 0.05). Clinical features of the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region showed that compared with the anti-HDV IgG-negative group, the anti-HDV IgG-positive group had a significantly higher proportion of patients with Mongol nationality ( P =0.001), abnormal alanine aminotransferase ( P =0.007), or antiviral treatment ( P =0.029), as well as a significantly lower median HBV DNA level ( P =0.030). A total of 19 HDV RNA-positive samples were identified, all of which had HDV genotype 1. Conclusion The prevalence rate of HDV varies greatly across different regions of China, with a higher prevalence rate of HDV in patients with chronic HBV infection from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. HDV genotype 1 is the predominant genotype in some provinces and cities of northern China.