Esophageal cancer （EC） is a highly prevalent malignant tumor in China. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway， as one of the key oncogenic pathways， can promote the cell cycle progression， proliferation， migration， and invasion， induce chemoresistance， and inhibit apoptosis and autophagy of EC cells. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， with the advantages of targeting multiple points with multiple components to delay cancer progression， can target the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway for EC treatment. This article preliminarily discusses the molecular mechanism and role of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in EC and elaborates on the specific targets and efficacy of TCM in treating EC through intervention in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the past five years. TCM materials and extracts inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in EC include Borneolum， spore powder of Ganoderma lucidum without spore coat， extract of Celastrus orbiculatus， root extract of Taraxacum， and Bruceae Fructus oil emulsion. TCM active ingredients exerting the effect include flavonoids， terpenoids， saponins， phenols， polysaccharides， alkaloids， and other compounds. TCM compound prescriptions with such effect include Qige San， Huqi San， Xuanfu Daizhetang， Tongyoutang and its decomposed prescriptions， Liujunzi Tang， and Xishenzhi Formula. In addition， TCM injections such as Compound Kushen Injection and Kang'ai injection also inhibit the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in EC. This paper summarizes the role of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in EC and the TCM interventions， aiming to provide reference for the research and clinical application of new drugs for EC.

Objective To investigate the protective effect and mechanism of astragaloside Ⅳ(AS-Ⅳ)on the pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)model induced by monocrotaline(MCT)/monocrotaline pyrrole(MCTP)in SD rats/human pulmonary artery endothelial cell(HPAEC).Methods In vivo experiment,60 male SD rats were randomly assigned to control group,PAH model group,AS-Ⅳ low-dose(20 mg/kg)group,AS-Ⅳ medium-dose(40 mg/kg)group,AS-Ⅳ high-dose(80 mg/kg)group,or sildenafil(Sil,100 mg/kg)group,with 10 rats in each group;except for the control group,PAH rat models were established by single intraperitoneal injection of MCT(60 mg/kg)in other groups.In vitro experiment,HPAECs were randomly assigned to control group,PAH model group,AS-Ⅳ low-dose(10 μmol/L)group,AS-Ⅳ medium-dose(20 μmol/L)group,MCTP+AS-Ⅳ high-dose(40 μmnol/L)group,or p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathway inhibitor(SB203580,5 μmol/L)group;except for the control group,in vitro PAH cell models were established by MCTP(60 μg/mL)induction for 24 h in other groups.In vivo experiments,after 4 weeks of drug intervention,the right ventricular systolic pressure(RVSP)and mean pulmonary artery pressure(mPAP)of rats were measured by hemodynamic methods,the right ventricle hypertrophy index was measured by weighing methods,the percentage of pulmonary arteriole wall thickness to outer diameter(WT％)and percentage of the wall area to total vascular area(WA％)were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining,the expression of cysteine aspartic acid specific protease 3(caspase 3)protein in lung tissue was observed by immunohistochemistry(IHC),and the apoptosis of lung tissue cells was detected by TUNEL assay.In vitro experiments,JC-1 staining was used to detect the mitochondrial membrane potential in cells,and immunofluorescence was used to detect caspase 3 protein expression.In vitro and in vivo experiments,Western blotting was used to detect the expression of caspase 3,B-cell lymphoma gene 2(Bcl-2),Bcl-2 associated X protein(Bax),p38 MAPK,and phosphorylated p38 MAPK proteins in lung tissue and HPAECs.Results In vivo experiments,the RVSP,mPAP,and right ventricle hypertrophy index were decreased in the Sil group and each dose group of AS-Ⅳ(all P＜0.01);the WA％and WT％of each dose group of AS-Ⅳ were decreased(all P＜0.01),the expression of caspase 3 protein in lung tissue was decreased(all P＜0.01),and the apoptosis of lung tissue cells was decreased(all P＜0.01).In vitro experiments showed that after intervention with each dose of AS-Ⅳ and SB203580,the mitochondrial membrane potential of HPAEC was increased(all P＜0.01)and the expression of caspase 3 was decreased(all P＜0.01).In vivo and in vitro experiments,each dose of AS-Ⅳand SB203580 reduced the expression of Bax and phosphorylated p38 MAPK proteins,and increased the expression of Bcl-2 protein(all P＜0.01).Conclusion AS-Ⅳ reduces apoptosis by inhibiting p38 MAPK signaling pathway,improving PAH in SD rats.

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of ciprofol in the anesthesia of elderly patients undergoing bronchoscopy.Methods A total of 96 elderly patients(≥65 years old)undergoing fiberoptic bronchos-copy under sedation and anesthesia were randomly assigned to either the ciprofol group(Group C,n=48)or the propofol group(Group P,n=48).In Group C,anesthesia was induced with an intravenous injection of sufentanil at 0.1 μg/kg and ciprofol at 0.3 mg/kg.In Group P,anesthesia was induced with an intravenous injection of sufent-anil at 0.1 μg/kg and propofol medium/long-chain fat emulsion at 1.5 mg/kg.Hemodynamic parameters,including heart rate(HR),mean arterial pressure(MAP),and peripheral oxygen saturation(SpO2),were recorded at five time points:before anesthesia induction(T1),immediately after the bronchoscope passed through the glottis(T2),immediately after it reached the carina(T3),immediately after the bronchoscope was withdrawn from the nostril post-procedure(T4),and upon full consciousness after leaving the recovery room(T5).Additionally,the success rate of sedation and anesthesia,cough severity scores,induction time(t1),bronchoscopy duration(t2),recovery time(t3),and orientation recovery time(t4)were documented for both groups.Intraoperative complications,such as hypotension,hypoxemia(SpO2<90%),injection pain during induction,airway interventions(e.g.,jaw support,mask ventilation),and the number of additional sedative doses administered,were also recorded.Results Compared with T1,MAP in both groups decreased at T2 and T3(P<0.05).Compared with group P,group C exhibited a higher MAP at T2 and T3(P<0.05).between the two groups in terms of sedation success rate,induction time,cough score,examination time,recovery time,and orientation recovery time(P>0.05).Compared with group P,group C demonstrated lower incidences of hypotension,hypoxemia,injection pain,and fewer airway intervention events(P<0.05).Conclusions Compared with propofol,ciprofol in combination with sufentanil demonstrates superior circulatory stability,a lower incidence of respiratory system-related adverse reactions,and reduced injection pain.Therefore,it can be safely and effectively utilized for painless bronchoscopic diagnosis and treatment in elderly patients.

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of ciprofol in the anesthesia of elderly patients undergoing bronchoscopy.Methods A total of 96 elderly patients(≥65 years old)undergoing fiberoptic bronchos-copy under sedation and anesthesia were randomly assigned to either the ciprofol group(Group C,n=48)or the propofol group(Group P,n=48).In Group C,anesthesia was induced with an intravenous injection of sufentanil at 0.1 μg/kg and ciprofol at 0.3 mg/kg.In Group P,anesthesia was induced with an intravenous injection of sufent-anil at 0.1 μg/kg and propofol medium/long-chain fat emulsion at 1.5 mg/kg.Hemodynamic parameters,including heart rate(HR),mean arterial pressure(MAP),and peripheral oxygen saturation(SpO2),were recorded at five time points:before anesthesia induction(T1),immediately after the bronchoscope passed through the glottis(T2),immediately after it reached the carina(T3),immediately after the bronchoscope was withdrawn from the nostril post-procedure(T4),and upon full consciousness after leaving the recovery room(T5).Additionally,the success rate of sedation and anesthesia,cough severity scores,induction time(t1),bronchoscopy duration(t2),recovery time(t3),and orientation recovery time(t4)were documented for both groups.Intraoperative complications,such as hypotension,hypoxemia(SpO2<90%),injection pain during induction,airway interventions(e.g.,jaw support,mask ventilation),and the number of additional sedative doses administered,were also recorded.Results Compared with T1,MAP in both groups decreased at T2 and T3(P<0.05).Compared with group P,group C exhibited a higher MAP at T2 and T3(P<0.05).between the two groups in terms of sedation success rate,induction time,cough score,examination time,recovery time,and orientation recovery time(P>0.05).Compared with group P,group C demonstrated lower incidences of hypotension,hypoxemia,injection pain,and fewer airway intervention events(P<0.05).Conclusions Compared with propofol,ciprofol in combination with sufentanil demonstrates superior circulatory stability,a lower incidence of respiratory system-related adverse reactions,and reduced injection pain.Therefore,it can be safely and effectively utilized for painless bronchoscopic diagnosis and treatment in elderly patients.

Objective:To develop a clinical automated diagnostic system for temporomandibular disor-ders(TMD)based on the diagnostic criteria for TMD(DC/TMD)to assist dentists in making rapid and accurate clinical diagnosis of TMD.Methods:Clinical and imaging data of 354 patients,who visited the Center for TMD & Orofacial Pain at Peking University Hospital of Stomatology from September 2023 to January 2024,were retrospectively collected.The study developed a clinical automated diagnostic system for TMD using the DC/TMD,built on the.NET Framework platform with branching statements as its in-ternal structure.Further validation of the system on consistency and diagnostic efficacy compared with DC/TMD were also explored.Diagnostic efficacy of the TMD clinical automated diagnostic system for de-generative joint diseases,disc displacement with reduction,disc displacements without reduction with limited mouth opening and disc displacement without reduction without limited mouth opening was evalua-ted and compared with a specialist in the field of TMD.Accuracy,precision,specificity and the Kappa value were assessed between the TMD clinical automated diagnostic system and the specialist.Results:Diagnoses for various TMD subtypes,including pain-related TMD(arthralgia,myalgia,headache attribu-ted to TMD)and intra-articular TMD(disc displacement with reduction,disc displacement with reduc-tion with intermittent locking,disc displacement without reduction with limited opening,disc displace-ment without reduction without limited opening,degenerative joint disease and subluxation),using the TMD clinical automated diagnostic system were completely identical to those obtained by the TMD spe-cialist based on DC/TMD.Both the system and the expert showed low sensitivity for diagnosing degenera-tive joint disease(0.24 and 0.37,respectively),but high specificity(0.96).Both methods achieved high accuracy(＞0.9)for diagnosing disc displacements with reduction and disc displacements without reduction with limited mouth opening.The sensitivity for diagnosing disc displacement without reduction without limited mouth opening was only 0.59 using the automated system,lower than the expert(0.87),while both had high specificity(0.92).The Kappa values for most TMD subtypes were close to 1,ex-cept the disc displacement without reduction without limited mouth opening,which had a Kappa value of 0.68.Conclusion:This study developed and validated a reliable clinical automated diagnostic system for TMD based on DC/TMD.The system is designed to facilitate the rapid and accurate diagnosis and classi-fication of TMD,and is expected to be an important tool in clinical scenarios.

ObjectiveTo investigate the current status of secondary prevention of stable angina in patients with coronary heart disease in three regions of China， namely Henan Province， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， and Tianjin City， and analyze the the influencing factors. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted to include patients with stable angina with coronary heart disease in Henan， Tianjin and Xinjiang from August 10， 2020 to March 14， 2021. General information， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome elements， prescriptions and other data of patients were collected， and clinical characteristics， blood pressure， blood lipid and blood glucose of patients were analyzed； the patients were divided into groups according to whether their blood pressure， blood lipid and blood glucose were up to standard. With the most common syndrome element as the main variable， region， age and gender as covariables， Logistic regression equation was incorporated to analyze the influencing factors for the patients' blood pressure， blood lipid and blood glucose being up to standard. ResultsA total of 1061 coronary heart disease patients with stable angina were included， including 658 in Henan， 210 in Xinjiang， and 193 in Tianjin. The clinical characteristics of patients in the three regions showed statistical different in age， sex， disease course， complication， blood pressure， blood lipid， blood glucose， smoking， drinking， living habits， and medication treatment （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. For the included patients， qi deficiency （79.55%， 844/1061） and blood stasis （39.96%， 424/1061） were the main syndrome elements. The overall compliance rate of blood pressure was 48.89% （506/1035）， blood lipids 12.68% （133/1049） and blood glucose 48.18% （504/1046）. Qi deficiency was the independent factor affecting the blood pressure of coronary heart disease patients with stable angina combined with hypertension （P = 0.029，95%CI ［1.048， 2.369］）， and the independent factors influencing the blood lipid standard of coronary heart disease patients with stable angina （P = 0.011， 95%CI ［1.133， 2.646］）， but not the independent factors affecting blood glucose standard in coronary heart disease patients with diabetes （P＞0.05）. ConclusionCoronary artery disease patients with stable angina have geographical variability in clinical characteristics and distribution of TCM syndrome elements， and the overall control of blood pressure， blood lipids， and blood glucose is poor， and qi deficiency syndrome is an independent risk factor affecting the control of blood pressure and blood lipids.

Objective:To compare the surgical outcomes of robotic natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) and robotic-assisted radical resection for rectal cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis using propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted on 547 patients who had undergone radical resection of rectal cancer at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from June 2018 to March 2024. The study cohort comprised 157 patients in the robotic NOSES group and 390 in the robotic-assisted group. PSM was used in a 1:1 manner to match relevant general clinical preoperative data of the study patients (age, sex, body mass index, preoperative comorbidities, abnormal preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (>6.5 μg/L) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels (>27 kU/L), preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists score, tumor diameter, tumor distance from the anal margin, and TNM stage), with a clamp value of 0.05. After performing PSM to match the general clinical data of the two groups of patients, 77 patients in each of the robotic NOSES and robotic-assisted groups were included in the analysis. We found no statistically significant difference in preoperative general clinical data between the robot NOSES and robot-assisted groups ( P>0.05). We compared the surgical outcomes, postoperative recovery, postoperative pathological data, and incidence of complications between the robotic NOSES and robot-assisted groups. Results:Compared with the robot-assisted groups. the robot NOSES group had a significantly shorter time to first postoperative passage of flatus (48 [38, 50] hours vs. 56 [50, 60] hours, Z=-7.513, P<0.001), time to taking a liquid diet (60 [54,63] hours vs. 66 [62, 72] hours, Z=-6.303, P<0.001), lower pain scores (3 [3, 4] vs. 4 [4, 5], Z=-5.237, P<0.001), and lower incision infection rates (0 vs. 5 [6.5%], χ 2=5.237, P=0.028) within 24 hours after surgery ( P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative anastomotic complications, or incidence of other complications between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Robotic NOSES surgery is a safe and feasible procedure for resecting rectal cancer and postoperative recovery is faster after robotic NOSES than after standard robot-assisted surgery.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of brain metastases in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) undergoing preventive brain radiotherapy after remission and to construct prediction model.Methods:A total of 231 patients with limited-stage SCLC who received chemoradiotherapy and achieved remission in 3201 Hospital from January 2015 to January 2023 were selected as the study objects. Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors on the occurrence of brain metastases after remission in patients with limited-stage SCLC who received preventive brain radiotherapy. Binary logistic regression was used to construct a prediction model. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of each indicator and the prediction model on the occurrence of brain metastases in patients.Results:The median follow-up time of the whole group was 73 months, and 42 cases of brain metastases occurred, with an incidence rate of 18.18%. There were statistically significant differences in the incidence of brain metastases among patients with different T stage ( Z=-4.97, P<0.001), clinical stage ( Z=-8.17, P<0.001), and time from initial treatment to thoracic radiotherapy ( χ2=21.38, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that T stage (stage T 3: OR=6.29, 95% CI: 1.58-25.06, P=0.009; stage T 4: OR=12.91, 95% CI: 3.74-44.57, P<0.001), clinical stage (stageⅡ, OR=8.75, 95% CI: 2.89-26.51, P<0.001; stage Ⅲ, OR=18.43, 95% CI: 7.24-46.92, P<0.001), and time from initial treatment to thoracic radiotherapy ( OR=0.25, 95% CI: 0.11-0.56, P=0.001) were independent influencing factors on the occurrence of brain metastases after remission in patients with limited-stage SCLC who received preventive brain radiotherapy. The diagnostic prediction model based on the above indicators was logit ( P) =-19.91+1.84× stage T 3 +2.56× stage T 4+2.17× stage Ⅱ+2.91× stage Ⅲ-1.38× time from initial treatment to thoracic radiotherapy. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of T stage, clinical stage, time from initial treatment to thoracic radiotherapy, and the diagnostic prediction model for predicting the occurrence of brain metastasis after remission in patients with limited-stage SCLC who received preventive brain radiotherapy were 0.728, 0.660, 0.687, and 0.846, respectively, and the area under the curve of the diagnostic prediction model was significantly larger than those of the other indicators (all P<0.05) . Conclusion:T stage, clinical stage and the time from initial treatment to thoracic radiotherapy are all influential factors for the occurrence of brain metastases after remission in patients with limited-stage SCLC who received preventive brain radiotherapy. The diagnostic prediction model based on the above indicators can help to guide clinicians to accurately screen patients at high risk of brain metastases in the early stage.

Objective:To compare the surgical outcomes of robotic natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) and robotic-assisted radical resection for rectal cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis using propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted on 547 patients who had undergone radical resection of rectal cancer at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from June 2018 to March 2024. The study cohort comprised 157 patients in the robotic NOSES group and 390 in the robotic-assisted group. PSM was used in a 1:1 manner to match relevant general clinical preoperative data of the study patients (age, sex, body mass index, preoperative comorbidities, abnormal preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (>6.5 μg/L) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels (>27 kU/L), preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists score, tumor diameter, tumor distance from the anal margin, and TNM stage), with a clamp value of 0.05. After performing PSM to match the general clinical data of the two groups of patients, 77 patients in each of the robotic NOSES and robotic-assisted groups were included in the analysis. We found no statistically significant difference in preoperative general clinical data between the robot NOSES and robot-assisted groups ( P>0.05). We compared the surgical outcomes, postoperative recovery, postoperative pathological data, and incidence of complications between the robotic NOSES and robot-assisted groups. Results:Compared with the robot-assisted groups. the robot NOSES group had a significantly shorter time to first postoperative passage of flatus (48 [38, 50] hours vs. 56 [50, 60] hours, Z=-7.513, P<0.001), time to taking a liquid diet (60 [54,63] hours vs. 66 [62, 72] hours, Z=-6.303, P<0.001), lower pain scores (3 [3, 4] vs. 4 [4, 5], Z=-5.237, P<0.001), and lower incision infection rates (0 vs. 5 [6.5%], χ 2=5.237, P=0.028) within 24 hours after surgery ( P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative anastomotic complications, or incidence of other complications between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Robotic NOSES surgery is a safe and feasible procedure for resecting rectal cancer and postoperative recovery is faster after robotic NOSES than after standard robot-assisted surgery.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the psychiatric symptoms and associated risk and protective factors among religious adolescents after 2-month home confinement against coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in China. Methods: 11,603 Chinese adolescents in grades 7–9 were recruited in this survey. An online survey was designed to collect the data. Participants were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale. Results: Religious adolescents showed significantly more severe depressive and anxiety symptoms compared to non-religious. 249 (2.2%) reported COVID-19 exposure. Logistic regression analysis revealed that religiosity was a risk factor for the symptoms of depression (p=0.001) and anxiety (p<0.001). Moreover, among those adolescents with religious beliefs, psychological resilience was protective in preventing depressive and anxiety symptoms. At the same time, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and a poor parent-child relationship were risk factors. Conclusion Our finding indicates that religious adolescents easily develop depressive and anxiety symptoms, compared to non-religious adolescents. Moreover, those with emotional abuse, emotional abuse, and poor parent-child relationships are more likely to suffer from mental distress and should pay more attention to cope with their mental health.