Objective:To investigate the pulmonary function in patients with Parkinson's disease(PD)and the association between pulmonary function and motor symptoms.Methods:A total of 104 PD patients were included in the study,and a portable spirometer was used to assess pulmonary function.According to the results of pulmonary function,the patients were divided into ventilation dys-function group with 37 patients and non-ventilation dysfunction with 67 patients,and clinical data were compared between the two groups.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the factors associated with abnormal pulmonary function,and a Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between pulmonary function parameters and motor symptoms.Results:There were significant differences in the scores of bradykinesia and postural gait between the two groups(P<0.05),and the logistic regression analysis showed a positive correlation between pulmonary ventilation dysfunction and postural gait score(regression coefficient β=0.171,95%CI=1.015-1.386,P=0.032).There were significant differences between the patients with different stages of PD in the pulmonary function parameters of the percentage of forced vital capacity in predicted value(t=2.143,P=0.034),the percentage of forced expiratory volume in 1 second(t=2.118,P=0.037),the percentage of predicted peak expiratory flow(t=2.002,P=0.048),maximum expiratory pressure as a percentage of predicted value(t=2.412,P=0.018),and maximum inspiratory pressure as a percentage of predicted value(t=2.119,P=0.036).Conclusion:The pulmonary function parameters of PD patients are lower than expected values,and the incidence rate of pulmonary ventilation dysfunction is 35.58%,with the main manifestation of restrictive ventilatory dysfunction.There is a correlation between pulmonary function and motor symptoms in PD patients.

Objective:To investigate influences of tetrandrine(Tet)on proliferation,apoptosis and immune escape of melanoma cells by regulating cyclic GMP-AMP synthase(cGAS)-stimulator of interferon gene(STING)signal pathway.Methods:MV3 cells were divided into NC group,Tet-L group(5 μmol/L),Tet-M group(10 μmol/L),Tet-H group(15 μmol/L),RU.521(cGAS inhibi-tor)group(1 μmol/L),Tet-H+RU.521 group(15 μmol/L+1 μmol/L).Proliferation of MV3 cells was detected by CCK-8 and plate cloning test;apoptosis of MV3 cells was detected by flow cytometry;Western blot was used to detect expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA),Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax),TGF-β,cGAS,STING proteins in MV3 cells.Cells in above groups were co-cultured with NK cells for 48 h through Transwell chamber,and named NC co-culture group,Tet-L co-culture group,Tet-M co-culture group,Tet-H co-culture group,RU.521 co-culture group,Tet-H+RU.521 co-culture group,respectively.ELISA was used to detect levels of IFN-γ and Granzyme B in supernatant of co-cultured cells;change of NK cell killing activity was detected.Results:Compared with NC group,A450,cloning rate,PCNA and TGF-β protein expressions of MV3 cells in Tet-L group,Tet-M group and Tet-H group were decreased,apoptosis rate,Bax,cGAS,STING protein expressions were increased,which was in a dose dependent man-ner,change trend of corresponding indexes in RU.521 group was contrary to the above(P<0.05);compared with NC co-culture group,levels of IFN-γ,Granzyme B and NK cell killing activity in supernatant of Tet-L co-culture group,Tet-M co-culture group and Tet-H co-culture group were increased,which was in a dose-dependent manner,change trend of corresponding indexes in RU.521 co-culture group was opposite to the above(P<0.05);RU.521 attenuated inhibition of high-dose Tet on MV3 cell proliferation,immune escape and its promotion on apoptosis.Conclusion:Tet may inhibit melanoma cell proliferation,immune escape and promote cell apoptosis by activating cGAS-STING signal pathway.

Objective:To evaluate the value of ultrasound radiomics combined with machine learning for early diagnosis of seronegative Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (SN-HT) .Methods:This retrospective study included 164 patients from Liaoning Provincial People’s Hospital , Lixin County People’s Hospital, Linghai Dalinghe Hospital, Fengcheng Phoenix Hospital, who underwent thyroidectomy for solitary nodules with normal thyroid function between Nov. 2016 and Jan. 2024. Postoperative pathology confirmed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) in some cases, who were further categorized into antibody-positive and antibody-negative groups based on serum antibody status. Patients without Hashimoto’s thyroiditis served as the control group. A total of 298 ultrasound images were analyzed. Radiomics features were extracted from hypoechoic non-nodular areas within 0.5 cm surrounding the tumor. Two senior pathologists and two senior ultrasound physicians independently assessed lymphocytic infiltration, eosinophilic changes of follicular epithelium, and the proportion of hypoechoic areas in pathology and ultrasound images, respectively. A machine learning model, CCH-NET, was developed using linear regression and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) techniques. The dataset was divided into a training set (80%) and a validation set (20%) to compare the diagnostic accuracy of CCH-NET with that of senior ultrasound physicians. Results:In internal validation, CCH-NET achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 88.89% for both antibody-positive and antibody-negative groups, significantly higher than the 66.67% accuracy of senior ultrasound physicians ( P<0.01). In external validation, CCH-NET achieved 75.00% and 66.67% accuracy for the two groups, compared to 50.00% by senior ultrasound physicians. For the control group, both methods achieved 93.33% accuracy. The AUC of CCH-NET was 0.848, outperforming senior ultrasound physicians (0.681) ,demonstrating superior diagnostic performance. Conclusion:The radiomics-based CCH-NET model, using non-nodular hypoechoic areas as a specific indicator, can accurately identify early SN-HT in euthyroid patients. It significantly outperforms senior ultrasound physicians, improving diagnostic accuracy and reducing missed diagnoses.

Objective:To study the effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula in the treatment of brucellosis.Methods:Patients with brucellosis who were treated at the Beidahuang Industry Group General Hospital from March to November 2024 were selected and their clinical data were collected. A case-control study was conducted, thirty patients treated with conventional therapy plus TCM formula were selected as the TCM group, and 35 patients treated with conventional therapy were selected as the control group. Blood routine, C-reactive protein (CRP), lymphocyte subsets (CD45 +, CD3 +, CD4 +, CD8 +, CD19 +), and related cytokines [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10] were determined before and after treatment to observe the clinical effect of TCM formula in the treatment of brucellosis. Survival curve was draw, and Log-Rank test was used to compare the differences in clinical symptom relief time between the two groups of patients. Results:Compared with pre-treatment, there were statistically significant differences in the numbers of CD45 +, CD3 +, CD4 +, CD8 +, CD19 + lymphocytes, neutrophil (NEUT), and the levels of CRP, IL-6, and IL-10 in the TCM group after treatment ( P < 0.05). After treatment, the comparison of each index between the two groups showed that there were statistically significant differences in the numbers of CD45 +, CD3 +, CD4 +, and CD8 + lymphocytes [control group vs TCM group: 2 470.00 (1 895.50, 3 207.00) vs 1 991.00 (1 720.75, 2 367.25), 1 920.00 (1 364.50, 2 428.00) vs 1 591.00 (1 343.00, 1 884.00), 1 021.00 (785.00, 1 205.50) vs 839.50 (704.25, 1 010.25), (686.42 ± 294.47) vs (596.97 ± 205.32) pieces/μl, P < 0.05]. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of CD19 + lymphocytes, NEUT, and the levels of CRP, IL-6 and IL-10 ( P > 0.05). The Log-Rank test results showed that there were statistically significant differences in the relief time of hyperhidrosis and night sweats ( P = 0.016), fatigue ( P = 0.016), and muscle soreness ( P = 0.004) between the two groups of patients. Conclusion:TCM formula has certain effects in the adjuvant therapy of brucellosis, which can improve the immune function of lymphocytes and relieve clinical symptoms, and has clinical application value.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with brucellosis complicated with epididymo-orchitis (Brucellar epididymo-orchitis, BEO), so as to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment of BEO.Methods:General and clinical data of 293 male patients with acute brucellosis admitted to the Beidahuang Industry Group General Hospital from January 2023 to December 2024 were retrospectively collected. They were divided into a BEO group (30 cases) and a non-BEO group (263 cases) based on the presence or absence of epididymo-orchitis. Epidemic characteristics, clinical manifestations and laboratory examination results were compared and analyzed.Results:Among 293 male patients with acute brucellosis, the incidence of BEO was 10.24% (30/293). Their age was mainly concentrated in 45 - < 60 years old (53.33%, 16/30), and occupation was mostly farmers (63.33%, 19/30). There were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of age, occupation, exposure history and onset season between the BEO group and the non-BEO group ( P > 0.05). The distribution of abdominal pain and urinary frequency/urgency/pain symptoms was compared, and the differences were statistically significant ( P < 0.05). White blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil count (NEUT), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in the BEO group were higher than those in the non-BEO group ( P < 0.05), while the levels of cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were lower than those in the non-BEO group ( P < 0.05). After 6 - 8 weeks of hospitalization, the levels of WBC, NEUT, CRP, albumin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IFN-γ in patients of the BEO group were significantly different from before treatment ( P < 0.05). Twenty-eight patients were cured, 1 patient underwent orchiectomy, and 1 patient experienced recurrence. Conclusions:Middle-aged male patients with brucellosis are more prone to BEO. Clinical manifestations and laboratory tests have certain diagnostic value for BEO. Suspected BEO patients should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible to reduce the occurrence of adverse prognosis.

Objective:To learn about the levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OH VD), TBNK lymphocyte subsets, and cytokines in peripheral blood of patients with brucellosis.Methods:A prospective design was adopted, one hundred patients with brucellosis admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases, Beidahuang Industry Group General Hospital from May 2024 to February 2025 were selected as the brucellosis group, and one hundred healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations at the hospital during the same period were selected as the control group. The peripheral blood 25-OH VD levels were detected by chemiluminescence method. Further, 100 patients with brucellosis were divided into a brucellosis combined with osteoarthritis group (74 cases) and a brucellosis without osteoarthritis group (26 cases). Flow cytometry was used to detect the counts of peripheral blood TBNK lymphocyte subsets and cytokine levels. Meanwhile, Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the correlation between peripheral blood 25-OH VD levels and TBNK lymphocyte subsets counts as well as cytokine levels in patients with brucellosis complicated by osteoarthritis.Results:The peripheral blood 25-OH VD level in the brucellosis group [20.31 (15.74, 24.35) ng/ml] was significantly lower than that of the control group [25.18 (21.13, 29.59) ng/ml], and the difference was statistically significant ( Z = - 5.07, P < 0.001). The peripheral blood 25-OH VD level [18.05 (13.79, 23.74) vs 22.43 (19.93, 28.25) ng/ml], CD4 + T cell count [(860 ± 275) vs (1 036 ± 376) cells/μl], and interleukin (IL)-6 levels [4.17 (2.14, 9.41) vs 7.83 (5.97, 11.34) ng/L] in the brucellosis combined with osteoarthritis group were significantly lower than those in the brucellosis without osteoarthritis group ( Z/t = - 2.88, 2.20, - 2.85, P = 0.004, 0.035, 0.004). Correlation analysis showed that the peripheral blood 25-OH VD level in patients with brucellosis complicated by osteoarthritis was positively correlated with the counts of CD45 +, CD3 + T, CD4 + T, CD8 + T, and natural killer cells ( r = 0.31, 0.26, 0.25, 0.25, 0.25, P = 0.007, 0.027, 0.032, 0.031, 0.032), and negatively correlated with IL-17A level ( r = - 0.40, P < 0.001). Conclusion:Patients with brucellosis have insufficient 25-OH VD, and those with osteoarthritis have lower 25-OH VD level, CD4 + T cell count, and IL-6 level than those without osteoarthritis.

Objective:To evaluate the value of ultrasound radiomics combined with machine learning for early diagnosis of seronegative Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (SN-HT) .Methods:This retrospective study included 164 patients from Liaoning Provincial People’s Hospital , Lixin County People’s Hospital, Linghai Dalinghe Hospital, Fengcheng Phoenix Hospital, who underwent thyroidectomy for solitary nodules with normal thyroid function between Nov. 2016 and Jan. 2024. Postoperative pathology confirmed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) in some cases, who were further categorized into antibody-positive and antibody-negative groups based on serum antibody status. Patients without Hashimoto’s thyroiditis served as the control group. A total of 298 ultrasound images were analyzed. Radiomics features were extracted from hypoechoic non-nodular areas within 0.5 cm surrounding the tumor. Two senior pathologists and two senior ultrasound physicians independently assessed lymphocytic infiltration, eosinophilic changes of follicular epithelium, and the proportion of hypoechoic areas in pathology and ultrasound images, respectively. A machine learning model, CCH-NET, was developed using linear regression and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) techniques. The dataset was divided into a training set (80%) and a validation set (20%) to compare the diagnostic accuracy of CCH-NET with that of senior ultrasound physicians. Results:In internal validation, CCH-NET achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 88.89% for both antibody-positive and antibody-negative groups, significantly higher than the 66.67% accuracy of senior ultrasound physicians ( P<0.01). In external validation, CCH-NET achieved 75.00% and 66.67% accuracy for the two groups, compared to 50.00% by senior ultrasound physicians. For the control group, both methods achieved 93.33% accuracy. The AUC of CCH-NET was 0.848, outperforming senior ultrasound physicians (0.681) ,demonstrating superior diagnostic performance. Conclusion:The radiomics-based CCH-NET model, using non-nodular hypoechoic areas as a specific indicator, can accurately identify early SN-HT in euthyroid patients. It significantly outperforms senior ultrasound physicians, improving diagnostic accuracy and reducing missed diagnoses.

Objective:To observe the efficacy and safety of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) therapy in children with steroid dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS)/frequently relapsed nephrotic syndrome (FRNS).Methods:The clinical data of children with SDNS/FRNS who received treatment with prednisone acetate tablets were retrospectively collected from June 2019 to June 2023 in the Nephrology Department of Xi′an Children′s Hospital. The children were divided into glucocorticoid+ACTH group and glucocorticoid group, according to whether ACTH was used or not. The differences in cortisol, total cholesterol and 24 hour urinary protein quantity between 2 groups of children at baseline and follow-up endpoints were compared, and the effectiveness (the proportion of no recurrence and discontinuation of glucocorticoid) and occurrence of adverse reactions were evaluated.Results:A total of 39 patients with SDNS/FRNS were included in this study, with 21 cases in the glucocorticoid+ACTH group and 18 cases in the glucocorticoid group. Among the 39 children, there were 33 cases of SDNS and 6 cases of FRNS, respectively. The proportion of baseline low cortisol levels was 76.9% (30/39). The proportion of cortisol levels returning to normal after ACTH treatment in the glucocorticoid+ACTH group was 76.2% (16/21). The baseline and follow-up endpoint for cortisol levels in the glucocorticoid+ACTH group were 28.0(19.8, 51.5) μg/L and 79.9(58.9, 113.0) μg/L, respectively. The baseline and follow-up endpoint for cortisol levels in the glucocorticoid group were 21.0(15.8, 37.4) μg/L and 25.3(18.2, 51.4) μg/L, respectively. In the 2 groups of cortisol levels, there was statistically significant difference in the interaction effect between time and group ( Wald χ2=11.595, P=0.001), there was a statistically significant difference at the follow-up endpoint between the 2 groups ( Wald χ2=19.462, P<0.001), and the difference was statistically significant in the time effect of the glucocorticoid+ACTH group ( Wald χ2=21.100, P<0.001). The baseline and follow-up endpoint for total cholesterol in the glucocorticoid+ACTH group were 4.95(4.23, 5.26) mmol/L and 4.38(4.04, 5.24) mmol/L, respectively. The baseline and follow-up endpoint for total cholesterol in the glucocorticoid group were 4.80 (4.17, 5.28) mmol/L and 5.74 (5.04, 6.88) mmol/L, respectively. In the 2 groups of total cholesterol, there was statistically significant difference in the interaction effect between time and group ( Wald χ 2=9.842, P=0.002), there was statistically significant difference at the follow-up endpoint between the 2 groups ( Wald χ 2=12.187, P<0.001), the difference was statistically significant between the 2 groups in the time effect at baseline and the follow-up endpoint (glucocorticoid+ACTH group: Wald χ 2=6.488, glucocorticoid group: Wald χ2=7.112; all P<0.05). The baseline and follow-up endpoint for 24 hour urinary protein quantity in the glucocorticoid+ACTH group were 115 (105, 128) mg/d and 121 (113, 128) mg/d, respectively. The baseline and follow-up endpoint for 24 hour urinary protein quantity in the glucocorticoid group were 118 (113, 125) mg/d and 138 (119, 2 100) mg/d, respectively. In the 2 groups of 24 hour urinary protein quantity, there was statistically significant difference in the interaction effect between time and group ( Wald χ2=7.743, P=0.005), there was statistically significant difference at the follow-up endpoint between the 2 groups ( Wald χ2=7.779, P=0.005), and the difference was statistically significant in the time effect of the glucocorticoid group ( Wald χ2=13.331, P<0.001). The proportion of no recurrence (17/21) and discontinuation of oral glucocorticoid (16/21) in the glucocorticoid+ACTH group were higher than those in the glucocorticoid group (the proportion were both 6/18), and the differences between the 2 groups were statistically significant (the chi square values were 9.084 and 7.240, respectively; all P<0.01). No adverse reactions occurred in the glucocorticoid group. The incidence of adverse reactions in the glucocorticoid+ACTH group was 14.3% (3/21), of which 2 cases developed generalized urticaria and 1 case developed hypertension. Conclusions:ACTH has a good efficacy and safety in children with SDNS/FRNS. The results of this study need to be further validated by increasing the sample size and conducting multicenter studies.

Objective:To study the effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula in the treatment of brucellosis.Methods:Patients with brucellosis who were treated at the Beidahuang Industry Group General Hospital from March to November 2024 were selected and their clinical data were collected. A case-control study was conducted, thirty patients treated with conventional therapy plus TCM formula were selected as the TCM group, and 35 patients treated with conventional therapy were selected as the control group. Blood routine, C-reactive protein (CRP), lymphocyte subsets (CD45 +, CD3 +, CD4 +, CD8 +, CD19 +), and related cytokines [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10] were determined before and after treatment to observe the clinical effect of TCM formula in the treatment of brucellosis. Survival curve was draw, and Log-Rank test was used to compare the differences in clinical symptom relief time between the two groups of patients. Results:Compared with pre-treatment, there were statistically significant differences in the numbers of CD45 +, CD3 +, CD4 +, CD8 +, CD19 + lymphocytes, neutrophil (NEUT), and the levels of CRP, IL-6, and IL-10 in the TCM group after treatment ( P < 0.05). After treatment, the comparison of each index between the two groups showed that there were statistically significant differences in the numbers of CD45 +, CD3 +, CD4 +, and CD8 + lymphocytes [control group vs TCM group: 2 470.00 (1 895.50, 3 207.00) vs 1 991.00 (1 720.75, 2 367.25), 1 920.00 (1 364.50, 2 428.00) vs 1 591.00 (1 343.00, 1 884.00), 1 021.00 (785.00, 1 205.50) vs 839.50 (704.25, 1 010.25), (686.42 ± 294.47) vs (596.97 ± 205.32) pieces/μl, P < 0.05]. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of CD19 + lymphocytes, NEUT, and the levels of CRP, IL-6 and IL-10 ( P > 0.05). The Log-Rank test results showed that there were statistically significant differences in the relief time of hyperhidrosis and night sweats ( P = 0.016), fatigue ( P = 0.016), and muscle soreness ( P = 0.004) between the two groups of patients. Conclusion:TCM formula has certain effects in the adjuvant therapy of brucellosis, which can improve the immune function of lymphocytes and relieve clinical symptoms, and has clinical application value.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with brucellosis complicated with epididymo-orchitis (Brucellar epididymo-orchitis, BEO), so as to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment of BEO.Methods:General and clinical data of 293 male patients with acute brucellosis admitted to the Beidahuang Industry Group General Hospital from January 2023 to December 2024 were retrospectively collected. They were divided into a BEO group (30 cases) and a non-BEO group (263 cases) based on the presence or absence of epididymo-orchitis. Epidemic characteristics, clinical manifestations and laboratory examination results were compared and analyzed.Results:Among 293 male patients with acute brucellosis, the incidence of BEO was 10.24% (30/293). Their age was mainly concentrated in 45 - < 60 years old (53.33%, 16/30), and occupation was mostly farmers (63.33%, 19/30). There were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of age, occupation, exposure history and onset season between the BEO group and the non-BEO group ( P > 0.05). The distribution of abdominal pain and urinary frequency/urgency/pain symptoms was compared, and the differences were statistically significant ( P < 0.05). White blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil count (NEUT), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in the BEO group were higher than those in the non-BEO group ( P < 0.05), while the levels of cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were lower than those in the non-BEO group ( P < 0.05). After 6 - 8 weeks of hospitalization, the levels of WBC, NEUT, CRP, albumin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IFN-γ in patients of the BEO group were significantly different from before treatment ( P < 0.05). Twenty-eight patients were cured, 1 patient underwent orchiectomy, and 1 patient experienced recurrence. Conclusions:Middle-aged male patients with brucellosis are more prone to BEO. Clinical manifestations and laboratory tests have certain diagnostic value for BEO. Suspected BEO patients should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible to reduce the occurrence of adverse prognosis.