Objective To investigate the value of serum lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2(Lp-PLA2)for predicting high-risk coronary plaques in elderly males.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 46 elderly males aged ≥60 years undergoing health check-ups and coro-nary computed tomography angiography in our hospital between May and July 2024.Their general clinical data were collected.Artificial intelligence software was used to analyze coronary calcium scores and plaque characteristics.The participants were divided into a high-risk plaque group(n=15)and a non-high-risk plaque group(n=31).The differences were compared between the two groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the influencing factors for high-risk coronary plaques.ROC curve was plotted to determine the predictive value of serum Lp-PLA2 for high-risk plaques,and its AUC value was calculated.Results The high-risk plaque group had significantly larger proportions of smoking history and hyperlipidemia,and higher level of homocysteine and Lp-PLA2 than the non-high-risk plaque group(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Multiva-riate logistic regression analysis indicated that Lp-PLA2 was an independent risk factor for high-risk coronary plaques(HR=1.030,95％CI:1.008-1.053,P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis revealed that the AUC value of Lp-PLA2 in predicting high-risk coronary plaques was 0.833(95％CI:0.694-0.927,P＜0.01),with a sensitivity of 93.3％,a specificity of 71.0％,a positive predictive value of 62.5％,and a negative predictive value of 100％.Conclusion Serum Lp-PLA2 is of signif-icant value in predicting high-risk coronary plaques in elderly men.

Severe open tibiofibular fractures account for approximately 28.1% of all open fractures. Among them, Gustilo-Anderson type IIIB/C fractures present significant clinical challenges due to associated bone and soft tissue defects, high infection rates, and risk of amputation. Inadequate preoperative assessment may lead to suboptimal emergency surgical planning or intraoperative complications. Historically, external fixation was often preferred, but this approach has been associated with limitations such as restricted joint mobility, delayed bone union, joint stiffness, and disuse osteoporosis, resulting in poor functional recovery. With advancements of debridement techniques, standardization of antibiotic use, and popularization of early soft tissue coverage, early internal fixation has gained broader acceptance. Nevertheless, controversies persist regarding the choice of fixation method, timing of definitive fixation, use of reamed versus unreamed intramedullary nailing, and necessity of fibular fixation. To standardize the diagnosis and early management of severe open tibiofibular fractures, reduce complication rates, and improve functional recovery, the Society of Microsurgery of the Chinese Medical Association organized a panel of domestic experts to develop the Evidence-based guideline for the diagnosis and early fixation of severe open tibiofibular fractures ( version 2025), using evidence-based methodology. The guidelines provided 12 recommendations covering diagnostic and early fixation strategies of severe open tibiofibular fractures, aiming to provide clinicians with scientifically grounded and standardized guidance.

BACKGROUND: In China, stroke burden remains severe as it is a major cause of mortality and disability. Detailed analyses across different subtypes will help optimize intervention strategies, enhance resource allocation efficiency, and ultimately reduce the overall disease burden. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive analysis of the incidence, prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years of life lost (YLLs), and years lived with disability (YLDs) of stroke and its subtypes using data (1990-2021) from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database. A Joinpoint regression model was applied to quantitatively analyze the indicators and calculate the annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC). We applied the Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) model to project trends for 2022-2040. RESULTS: Incidence of stroke increased by 100.64% from 1990 to 2021, with ischemic stroke (IS) exhibiting the largest increase (201.13%) among all the subtypes, and the incidence being consistently higher in males than in females. The YLL/YLD ratio for stroke and its subtypes has decreased, with the YLL/YLD ratio falling from 20.13 to 9.48 in 1990-2021, indicating an increase in non-fatal burden. After adjusting for age, the age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) of stroke and its subtypes declined, except for IS. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) for subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) decreased significantly (APC: -15.31%; 2000-2004), with the largest reduction in the age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR) also occurring during this period (APC: -14.22%). Furthermore, BAPC projections (2022-2040) indicate that stroke ASIRs in males will slightly decline but increase in females. Meanwhile, the ASIR of IS is expected to continue to rise. Overall, the ASMR and ASDR are projected to decline. CONCLUSIONS Although China has made some progress in stroke prevention and control, several challenges remain. Controlling IS must be prioritized, especially due to the high stroke burden among males.

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are one of the major populations susceptible to tuberculosis. However, little is known about the unique characteristics and diagnostic biomarkers of tuberculosis in this population. In this study, 81 AYAs were recruited, and the high-quality serum proteome of the AYAs with tuberculosis was profiled by quantitative proteomics. The data of serum proteomics indicated that the relative abundance of hemoglobin and apolipoprotein was significantly reduced in the patients with active tuberculosis (ATB). The pathway enrichment analysis showed that the downregulated proteins in the ATB group were mainly involved in the antioxidant and cell detoxification pathways, indicating extensive oxidative stress damage. Random forest (RF) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) were employed to evaluate protein importance, which yielded a set of candidate proteins that can distinguish between ATB and non-ATB. The analysis with the support vector machine algorithm (recursive feature elimination) suggested that the combination of apolipoprotein A-I (APOA1), hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB), and hemoglobin subunit alpha-1 (HBA1) had the highest accuracy and sensitivity in diagnosing ATB. Meanwhile, the levels of hemoglobin (HGB) and albumin (ALB) can be used as blood biochemical indicators to evaluate changes in the protein levels of APOA1 and HBB. This study established the serum proteome landscape of AYAs with tuberculosis and identified new biomarkers for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in this population.
Humans ; Proteomics/methods* ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Apolipoprotein A-I/blood* ; Machine Learning ; Tuberculosis/blood* ; Proteome/analysis* ; Male ; Hemoglobins/analysis* ; Female ; Blood Proteins/analysis* ; Adult

Objective To discuss the regulatory mechanism of nucleotide-binding oligomerzation domain 2(NOD2)/receptor interacting protein 2(RIP2)signaling pathway on inflammatory activation of macrophages in intestinal mucosa and provide experimental evidence for intestinal mucosal inflammation caused by bacterial products.Methods Using the THP-1 monocyte cell line,macrophages were stimulated with muramyl dipeptide(MDP)at varying concentrations and durations.mRNA and protein expression levels of NOD2 and RIP2 were detected.The secretion levels of tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α and interleukin(IL)-1β in the cell culture supernatant were measured.The most effective siRNA targeting RIP2 and optimal transfection concentration were screened,and the impact of RIP2 gene silencing on MDP-induced inflammatory activation of macrophages was observed.Results After silencing the RIP2 gene,MDP induced a significant decrease in TNF-α and IL-1βsecretion in macrophages,but the changes in cell phenotype were not significantly affected.Conclusion This study revealed the important role of NOD2/RIP2 signaling pathway in inflammatory activation of macrophages,and it is possible to effectively inhibit inflammatory activation of macrophages by interfering with this signaling pathway.

Objective·To preliminarily investigate the regulatory effect and underlying mechanism of fibroblast growth factor 2(FGF2)on R-spondin 1(Rspo1)expression in CD34+CD81+stromal cells from the mouse colon.Methods·Colonic CD45-CD326-CD31-GP38+CD81+Rspo1-tdTomato+stromal cells were sorted from Rspo1-tdTomato reporter mice by flow cytometry and subsequently cultured in vitro.The expression of surface protein markers was evaluated by flow cytometry after 14 d of culture.qPCR was employed to quantify Rspo1 expression in response to stimulation with FGF2,FGF9,epidermal growth factor(EGF),platelet-derived growth factor-bb(PDGF-bb),insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF1),or hepatocyte growth factor(HGF).RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses were used to identify the signaling pathways underlying FGF2-mediated regulation of Rspo1,followed by preliminary validation with pathway-specific inhibitors and qPCR.Results·After 14 d of culture,the sorted colonic stromal cells retained expression of CD34,CD81,and glycoprotein GP38,while remaining negative for other lineages markers CD45,CD326,and CD31.qPCR revealed that 20 ng/mL FGF2 significantly suppressed Rspo1 expression,whereas the other tested growth factors exerted no notable effect.RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analysis indicated that mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathway played a key role in the regulatory effect of FGF2 on Rspo1.qPCR further demonstrated that pretreatment with U0126,an inhibitor of mitogen extracellular kinase 1/2(MEK1/2),reversed FGF2-mediated suppression of Rspo1 expression.Conclusion·FGF2 may inhibit Rspo1 expression in mouse colonic CD34+CD81+stromal cells via the MEK1/2-extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2(ERK1/2)signaling pathway.

Objective To discuss the regulatory mechanism of nucleotide-binding oligomerzation domain 2(NOD2)/receptor interacting protein 2(RIP2)signaling pathway on inflammatory activation of macrophages in intestinal mucosa and provide experimental evidence for intestinal mucosal inflammation caused by bacterial products.Methods Using the THP-1 monocyte cell line,macrophages were stimulated with muramyl dipeptide(MDP)at varying concentrations and durations.mRNA and protein expression levels of NOD2 and RIP2 were detected.The secretion levels of tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α and interleukin(IL)-1β in the cell culture supernatant were measured.The most effective siRNA targeting RIP2 and optimal transfection concentration were screened,and the impact of RIP2 gene silencing on MDP-induced inflammatory activation of macrophages was observed.Results After silencing the RIP2 gene,MDP induced a significant decrease in TNF-α and IL-1βsecretion in macrophages,but the changes in cell phenotype were not significantly affected.Conclusion This study revealed the important role of NOD2/RIP2 signaling pathway in inflammatory activation of macrophages,and it is possible to effectively inhibit inflammatory activation of macrophages by interfering with this signaling pathway.

Objective·To preliminarily investigate the regulatory effect and underlying mechanism of fibroblast growth factor 2(FGF2)on R-spondin 1(Rspo1)expression in CD34+CD81+stromal cells from the mouse colon.Methods·Colonic CD45-CD326-CD31-GP38+CD81+Rspo1-tdTomato+stromal cells were sorted from Rspo1-tdTomato reporter mice by flow cytometry and subsequently cultured in vitro.The expression of surface protein markers was evaluated by flow cytometry after 14 d of culture.qPCR was employed to quantify Rspo1 expression in response to stimulation with FGF2,FGF9,epidermal growth factor(EGF),platelet-derived growth factor-bb(PDGF-bb),insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF1),or hepatocyte growth factor(HGF).RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses were used to identify the signaling pathways underlying FGF2-mediated regulation of Rspo1,followed by preliminary validation with pathway-specific inhibitors and qPCR.Results·After 14 d of culture,the sorted colonic stromal cells retained expression of CD34,CD81,and glycoprotein GP38,while remaining negative for other lineages markers CD45,CD326,and CD31.qPCR revealed that 20 ng/mL FGF2 significantly suppressed Rspo1 expression,whereas the other tested growth factors exerted no notable effect.RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analysis indicated that mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathway played a key role in the regulatory effect of FGF2 on Rspo1.qPCR further demonstrated that pretreatment with U0126,an inhibitor of mitogen extracellular kinase 1/2(MEK1/2),reversed FGF2-mediated suppression of Rspo1 expression.Conclusion·FGF2 may inhibit Rspo1 expression in mouse colonic CD34+CD81+stromal cells via the MEK1/2-extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2(ERK1/2)signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the value of serum lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2(Lp-PLA2)for predicting high-risk coronary plaques in elderly males.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 46 elderly males aged ≥60 years undergoing health check-ups and coro-nary computed tomography angiography in our hospital between May and July 2024.Their general clinical data were collected.Artificial intelligence software was used to analyze coronary calcium scores and plaque characteristics.The participants were divided into a high-risk plaque group(n=15)and a non-high-risk plaque group(n=31).The differences were compared between the two groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the influencing factors for high-risk coronary plaques.ROC curve was plotted to determine the predictive value of serum Lp-PLA2 for high-risk plaques,and its AUC value was calculated.Results The high-risk plaque group had significantly larger proportions of smoking history and hyperlipidemia,and higher level of homocysteine and Lp-PLA2 than the non-high-risk plaque group(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Multiva-riate logistic regression analysis indicated that Lp-PLA2 was an independent risk factor for high-risk coronary plaques(HR=1.030,95％CI:1.008-1.053,P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis revealed that the AUC value of Lp-PLA2 in predicting high-risk coronary plaques was 0.833(95％CI:0.694-0.927,P＜0.01),with a sensitivity of 93.3％,a specificity of 71.0％,a positive predictive value of 62.5％,and a negative predictive value of 100％.Conclusion Serum Lp-PLA2 is of signif-icant value in predicting high-risk coronary plaques in elderly men.