Objective To analyze the effect of releasing the lower pulmonary ligament on right residual lung expansion after right upper lobe resection under different body mass index (BMI) levels. Methods The clinical data of patients who underwent thoracoscopic right upper lobe resection in the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University from 2021 to 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into a group A (17 kg/m2＜BMI≤23 kg/m2), a group B (23 kg/m2＜BMI≤29 kg/m2) and a group C (BMI＞29 kg/m2) according to BMI. The presence of residual cavity was judged by chest X-ray at 7-10 days after operation, the degree of compensation change of the right main bronchus angle was measured, and the changes in lung volume were determined by CT three-dimensional reconstruction. Results A total of 157 patients who underwent thoracoscopic right upper lobe resection were included, including 71 males and 86 females, with an average age of (59.7±11.2) years. There were 50 patients in the group A, 75 patients in the group B, and 32 patients in the group C. In the group A, compared with those without releasing the lower pulmonary ligament, patients with releasing had a lower incidence of postoperative residual cavity (P=0.016), greater changes in bronchus angle (P<0.001), and smaller changes in lung volume (P<0.001). In the group B and C, there was no significant effect of releasing the lower pulmonary ligament on postoperative residual cavity, bronchus angle, and lung volume changes (P>0.05). Conclusion For patients with thin and long body shape and low BMI, releasing the lower pulmonary ligament is helpful to promote the expansion of the residual lung after right upper lobe resection and reduce the occurrence of postoperative residual cavity in patients.

AIM:To assess the efficacy of intravitreal conbercept for treating neovascular age-related macular degeneration(nAMD)under a treat-and-extend(T & E)regimen.METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on nAMD patients followed over a 2-year period(May 2020 to May 2022). All eyes received three monthly loading intravitreal injections of conbercept, followed by a T& E regimen in which the injection interval was extended by 2 or 4 wk according to disease activity, up to a maximum of 16 wk. When disease activity recurred, the interval was shortened. Patients were divided into initial and non-initial treatment groups based on treatment history. Best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA), central macular thickness(CMT), injection frequency, and intervals between injections over the 24-month follow-up were compared.RESULTS:Totally 27 patients(15 males and 12 females, 33 eyes)were enrolled. In the initial treatment group(18 eyes, mean age 65.72±12.32 y), BCVA significantly improved at 1, 3, and 6 mo(P<0.05), and CMT significantly improved at 1 and 3 mo(P<0.05). In the non-initial treatment group(15 eyes, mean age 69.00±9.21 y), BCVA improved significantly at 3 mo(P<0.05), whereas CMT remained stable(P >0.05). Baseline CMT was similar between the groups(P>0.05). However, significant differences were observed at multiple post-injection time points(P<0.05). The total number of injections did not differ between the groups(P>0.05). Intervals between injections varied, with the majority at 4 and 3-4 mo in the initial and non-initial treatment groups, respectively.CONCLUSION:Initiating intravitreal conbercept therapy under a T & E regimen results in superior visual and anatomical outcomes compared with non-initial treatment.

Osteoarthritis (OA), a highly prevalent degenerative joint disease worldwide, is defined by articular cartilage degradation, abnormal bone remodeling, and persistent chronic inflammation. It severely compromises patients’ quality of life, and currently, there is no radical cure. Abnormal mechanical stress is widely regarded as a core driver of OA pathogenesis, and the exploration of mechanical signal perception and transduction mechanisms has become crucial for deciphering OA’s pathophysiological processes. Piezo1, a key mechanosensitive cation channel belonging to the Piezo protein family, has recently gained significant attention due to its pivotal role in mediating cellular responses to mechanical stimuli in joint tissues. This review systematically examines Piezo1’s expression patterns, regulatory mechanisms, and pathological functions in OA, with a particular focus on its dual roles in modulating chondrocyte homeostasis and bone metabolism disorders, while also delving into the underlying molecular signaling pathways and potential therapeutic implications. Piezo1, consisting of approximately 2 500 amino acids and forming a unique trimeric propeller-like structure, is widely expressed in chondrocytes, osteocytes, mesenchymal stem cells, and synovial cells. It exhibits permeability to cations such as Ca²⁺, K⁺, and Na⁺, and directly responds to membrane tension changes induced by mechanical stimuli like fluid shear stress and mechanical overload. In OA patients and animal models, Piezo1 expression is significantly upregulated, especially in cartilage regions subjected to abnormal mechanical stress (e.g., human temporomandibular joint cartilage). This overexpression is closely associated with aggravated cartilage degeneration, increased chondrocyte apoptosis, accelerated cellular senescence, and intensified inflammatory responses. Mechanical overload and pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-1β) are key inducers of Piezo1 upregulation: IL-1β activates the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway to enhance Piezo1 expression, forming a pathogenic positive feedback loop that inhibits chondrocyte autophagy, promotes apoptosis, and further accelerates joint degeneration. Mechanistically, Piezo1 mediates OA progression through multiple interconnected pathways. When activated by mechanical stress, Piezo1 triggers excessive Ca²⁺ influx, leading to endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and mitochondrial dysfunction, which directly induce chondrocyte apoptosis. This process involves the activation of downstream signaling cascades such as cGAS-STING and YAP-MMP13/ADAMTS5. YAP, a transcriptional regulator, upregulates the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) and aggrecanase (ADAMTS5), thereby accelerating cartilage matrix degradation. Additionally, Piezo1-driven Ca²⁺ overload promotes the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and upregulates senescence markers (p16 and p21), accelerating chondrocyte senescence via the p38MAPK and NF-κB pathways. Senescent chondrocytes secrete senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors (e.g., IL-6, IL-1β), further amplifying joint inflammation. In terms of bone metabolism, Piezo1 maintains joint homeostasis by promoting the differentiation of fibrocartilage stem cells into chondrocytes and balancing bone formation and resorption through regulating the FoxC1/YAP axis and RANKL/OPG ratio. Therapeutically, targeting Piezo1 shows promising potential. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that Piezo1 inhibitors (e.g., GsMTx4) can reduce joint damage and alleviate pain in OA mice. Simultaneously, siRNA-mediated co-silencing of Piezo1 and TRPV4 (another mechanosensitive channel) decreases intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration, inhibits chondrocyte apoptosis, and promotes cartilage repair. Conditional knockout of Piezo1 using Gdf5-Cre transgenic mice alleviates cartilage degeneration in post-traumatic OA models by downregulating MMP13 and ADAMTS5 expression. Despite existing challenges, such as off-target effects of inhibitors, inefficient local drug delivery, and interindividual genetic variability, strategies like developing selective Piezo1 antagonists, optimizing targeted nanocarriers, and combining Piezo1-targeted therapy with physical therapy provide viable avenues for clinical translation. The authors propose that Piezo1 serves as a critical therapeutic target for OA, and future research should focus on deciphering its context-dependent regulatory networks, developing tissue-specific intervention strategies, and validating their efficacy and safety in clinical trials to address the unmet medical needs of OA patients.

Houpo Qiwutang originated from the Synopsis of the Golden Chamber， and it consists of seven medicines： Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex， Rhei Radix et Rhizoma， Aurantii Fructus Immaturus， Cinnamomi Ramulus， Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， and Jujubae Fructus. It is a basic formula for the treatment of abdominal fullness. Through the bibliometric method， the historical history， drug base， preparation and dosage， decoction method， and ancient and modern applications of Houpu Qiwu Tang were analyzed by means of textual research. The research finds that Houpu Qiwu Tang has been passed down through the generations in an orderly manner with fewer changes. The drug base of this formula is basically clear， and the base of Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex， Rhei Radix et Rhizoma， Cinnamomi Ramulus， Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens， and Jujubae Fructus is consistent with the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The mainstream base of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus is the dried young fruit of Citrus aurantium of Rutaceae family， and the historical mainstream base of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma is the dried root of Glycyrrhiza uralensis of Leguminosae family. The modern dosage of this formula is 110.40 g of Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex， 41.40 g of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma， 69 g of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus， 27.60 g of Cinnamomi Ramulus， 69 g of Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens， 41.40 g of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， and 30 g of Jujubae Fructus. In addition， the decoction method is to add 2 000 mL of water with the above seven flavors of the medicine， boil it to 800 mL， and then take 160 mL in a warm state each time. The amount of the medicine taken for each time is 22.08 g of Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex， 8.28 g of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma， 13.80 g of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus， 5.52 g of Cinnamomi Ramulus， 13.80 g of Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens， 8.28 g of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， and 6 g of Jujubae Fructus. The modern application of this formula involves the digestive system， respiratory system， and urinary system. It is more advantageous in digestive system diseases such as early postoperative inflammatory bowel obstruction， functional dyspepsia， gastric pain， functional abdominal distension， and gastric reflux esophagitis. By comprehensively examining the key information of Houpu Qiwu Tang， this paper aims to provide literature support for the development and clinical application of this formula.

Basket trial, as an innovative clinical trial design concept, marks the transformation of medical research from the traditional large-scale and single-disease treatment to the precise and individualized treatment. By gradually incorporating the Bayesian method during development, the trial design becomes more scientific and reasonable and increases its efficiency. The fundamental principle of the Bayesian method is the utilization of prior knowledge in conjunction with new observational data to dynamically update the posterior probability. This flexibility enhances the basket trial's capacity to effectively adapt to variations during the research process. Consequently, it enables researchers to dynamically adjust research strategies based on accumulated data and improve the predictive accuracy regarding treatment responses. In addition, the design concept of the basket trial aligns with the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) principle of "homotherapy for heteropathy". The principle of "homotherapy for heteropathy" emphasizes that under certain conditions, different diseases may have the same treatment. Similarly, basket trials allow using a uniform trial design across multiple diseases, offering enhanced operational and significant practical value in the realm of TCM, particularly within the context of syndrome-based disease research. By introducing basket trials, the design of TCM clinical studies will be more scientific and yield higher-quality evidence. This study systematically categorized various Bayesian methods and models utilized in basket trials, evaluated their strengths and weaknesses, and identified their appropriate application contexts, so as to offer a practical guide for designing basket trials in the realm of TCM.
Bayes Theorem ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Research Design ; Clinical Trials as Topic/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*

This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism of rubioncolin C(RuC) in inhibiting gastric cancer(GC). AGS and MGC803 cell lines were selected as cellular models. After treating the cells with RuC at different concentrations, the effects of RuC on the proliferation ability of GC cells were assessed using the CCK-8 method, real-time cellular analysis(RTCA), and colony formation assays. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe subcellular structural changes. Immunofluorescence was applied to detect LC3 fluorescent foci. Acridine orange staining was used to evaluate the state of intracellular lysosomes. Western blot was employed to detect the expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3Ⅱ, P62, and lysosomal cathepsin D(CTSD). The SuperPred online tool was used to predict the target proteins that bound to RuC, and molecular docking analysis was conducted to identify the interaction sites between RuC and CTSD. The drug affinity responsive target stability(DARTS) assay was performed to detect the direct binding interaction between RuC and CTSD. The results showed that RuC significantly inhibited the proliferation and colony formation of GC cells at low concentrations, with 24-hour half-maximal inhibitory concentrations(IC_(50)) of 3.422 and 2.697 μmol·L~(-1) for AGS and MGC803 cells, respectively. After 24 hours of treatment with RuC at concentrations of 1, 2, and 3 μmol·L~(-1), the colony formation rates for AGS cells were 61.0%±1.5%, 28.0%±0.5%, and 18.2%±0.5%, respectively, while the rates for MGC803 cells were 56.0%±0.5%, 23.3%±1.0%, and 11.8%±1.0%, all of which were significantly reduced. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that RuC promoted an increase in autophagosome formation in GC cells. Immunofluorescence detection showed that LC3 fluorescent foci of GC cells increased with the increase in RuC dose. RuC up-regulated the expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3Ⅱ and P62 in GC cells. Acridine orange staining indicated that RuC altered the acidic environment of lysosomes. SuperPred online prediction identified CTSD as a potential target protein of RuC. Western blot analysis revealed that RuC induced the up-regulation of the inactive precursor of CTSD in GC cells. CTSD activity assays indicated that RuC reduced the activity of CTSD. Molecular docking simulations found that RuC bound to the substrate-binding region of CTSD, forming hydrogen bonds with the Tyr205 and Asp231 residues. Microscale thermophoresis and DARTS assays further confirmed that RuC directly bound to CTSD. In summary, RuC inhibits lysosomal activity by targeting and down-regulating the expression of CTSD, thereby inducing autophagosome accumulation in GC cells.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/enzymology* ; Cathepsin D/chemistry* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Autophagosomes/metabolism* ; Autophagy/drug effects*

Objective To predict the lymph node metastasis status of patients with invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma by constructing machine learning models based on primary tumor radiomics, peritumoral radiomics, and habitat radiomics, and to evaluate the predictive performance and generalization ability of different imaging features. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 1 263 patients with invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma who underwent surgery at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Province Hospital, from 2016 to 2019. Habitat regions were delineated by applying K-means clustering (average cluster number of 2) to the grayscale values of CT images. The peritumoral region was defined as a uniformly expanded area of 3 mm around the primary tumor. The primary tumor region was automatically segmented using V-net combined with manual correction and annotation. Subsequently, radiomics features were extracted based on these regions, and stacked machine learning models were constructed. Model performance was evaluated on the training, testing, and internal validation sets using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), F1 score, recall, and precision. Results After excluding patients who did not meet the screening criteria, a total of 651 patients were included. The training set consisted of 468 patients (181 males, 287 females) with an average age of (58.39±11.23) years, ranging from 29 to 78 years, the testing set included 140 patients (56 males, 84 females) with an average age of (58.81±10.70) years, ranging from 34 to 82 years, and the internal validation set comprised 43 patients (14 males, 29 females) with an average age of (60.16±10.68) years, ranging from 29 to 78 years. Although the habitat radiomics model did not show the optimal performance in the training set, it exhibited superior performance in the internal validation set, with an AUC of 0.952 [95%CI (0.87, 1.00)], an F1 score of 84.62%, and a precision-recall AUC of 0.892, outperforming the models based on the primary tumor and peritumoral regions. Conclusion The model constructed based on habitat radiomics demonstrated superior performance in the internal validation set, suggesting its potential for better generalization ability and clinical application in predicting lymph node metastasis status in pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

ObjectiveTo learn the density and seasonal variation of adult mosquitoes in Pudong New Area of Shanghai, and to explore the influence of meteorological factors on the density of adult mosquitoes. MethodsFrom April to November in 2017‒2021, adult mosquito density in Pudong New Area was monitored every ten days a time by using CO₂ trapping light method. Meteorological data were collected during the same time, and Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression model were used to investigate the correlation between adult mosquito density and meteorological factors. ResultsThe seasonal variation of adult mosquito density showed a single-peak pattern, with the peak of 7.09 mosquitoes·(set·time)^-1 in July. The adult mosquito density was positively correlated with the monthly average temperature, monthly maximum temperature, monthly minimum temperature, and monthly average relative humidity (r=0.813, 0.793, 0.820, 0.617, all P<0.05), but negatively correlated with monthly average air pressure (r=-0.738, P<0.05). The regression equation of the adult mosquito density and monthly minimum temperature in Pudong New Area of Shanghai was Y=0.066 X₃-0.884, with a corrected R² of 0.673, indicating a good model fitting. ConclusionThe overall seasonal variation of adult mosquito density in Pudong New Area showed a single-peak pattern. The density of adult mosquitoes was correlated with the monthly average temperature, monthly maximum temperature, monthly minimum temperature, monthly average relative humidity, and monthly average air pressure, and linearly correlated with monthly minimum temperature.