ObjectiveTo investigate the association of the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome types of primary liver cancer （PLC） with clinical features and multimodal quantitative radiological features on computed tomography （CT） and magnetic resonance imaging （MRI）， and to provide a reference for the objectification of TCM syndrome differentiation and precise diagnosis and treatment. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 312 patients who were diagnosed with PLC in The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine from March 2020 to June 2025， and according to the TCM syndrome type， they were divided into stagnation of liver Qi group with 40 patients， stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency group with 109 patients， Qi stagnation and blood stasis group with 62 patients， dampness-heat toxin amassment group with 81 patients， and liver-kidney Yin deficiency group with 20 patients. Clinical features and multimodal quantitative radiological features were compared between the patients with different TCM syndrome types. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups； the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the Dunn’s multiple test was used for further comparison between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups， and the Bonferroni method was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsThere were significant differences between the patients with different TCM syndrome types in China liver cancer staging （CNLC）， Child-Pugh class， alanine aminotransferase， aspartate aminotransferase， albumin， direct bilirubin， total bilirubin， prothrombin time， neutrophil， and albumin-bilirubin score （all P<0.05）. In the stagnation of liver Qi group， the patients with Child-Pugh class A accounted for 75.00%； among the patients with CNLC stage I PLC， the patients with stagnation of liver Qi accounted for 60.00%， and those with Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome accounted for 59.68%， while among the patients with CNLC stage IV PLC， the distribution proportion of dampness-heat toxin amassment （27.16%） and liver-kidney Yin deficiency （30.00%） was significantly higher than that of stagnation of liver Qi （2.50%） （all P<0.05）. Radiological examination showed that there were significant differences between the patients with different TCM syndrome types in the number of tumors， ascites， venous tumor thrombus， maximum tumor diameter， intrahepatic metastasis， and lymph node metastasis in the hepatic hilar and retroperitoneal regions （all P<0.05）. Compared with the patients with stagnation of liver Qi， the patients with liver depression and spleen deficiency or liver-kidney Yin deficiency were more likely to develop intrahepatic metastasis； the patients with liver depression and spleen deficiency， dampness-heat toxin amassment， or liver-kidney Yin deficiency were more likely to develop lymph node metastasis in the hepatic hilar and retroperitoneal regions； the patients with liver-kidney Yin deficiency were more likely to experience multiple tumors； the patients with liver depression and spleen deficiency or dampness-heat toxin amassment were more likely to develop ascites （all P<0.05）. Compared with the patients with Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome， the patients with liver depression and spleen deficiency had a significantly longer maximum tumor diameter and a significantly higher proportion of patients with venous tumor thrombus （both P<0.05）. Furthermore， among the 184 patients with MRI diffusion-weighted imaging sequences， the patients with dampness-heat toxin amassment or Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome had significantly higher ADC values and relative ADC values than those with stagnation of liver Qi （all P<0.05）. ConclusionThere are significant differences in CT/MRI radiological features and clinical features between PLC patients with different TCM syndrome types， among whom the patients with liver depression and spleen deficiency， dampness-heat toxin amassment， and liver-kidney Yin deficiency tend to exhibit progressive radiological features， and those with dampness-heat toxin amassment or Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome tend to have higher ADC values. These findings provide an objective basis for TCM syndrome differentiation in PLC.

Objective To explore factors associated with early postoperative hormonal remission in patients with prolactinoma and to develop prediction models based on clinical and radiological features. Methods Data from 107 patients with prolactinoma who underwent transsphenoidal surgery at The First People’s Hospital of Huai’an, Nanjing Medical University between January 2020 and December 2024 was collected, included general clinical characteristics, preoperative laboratory indicators, and imaging features. Based on whether early postoperative prolactin (PRL) levels normalized, patients were divided into a remission group (n=76) and a non-remission group (n=31). Univariate logistic regression was used for preliminary evaluation of candidate variables, followed by LASSO regression for feature selection. Multiple machine learning models were constructed, including logistic regression, random forest, support vector machine, K-nearest neighbors, naive Bayes, decision tree, neural network, and gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT). All models were trained and evaluated using ten-fold cross-validation, with comprehensive assessment of model performance based on the area under the ROC curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and F1 score. Results The maximum diameter of tumors in the non remission group was larger than that in the remission group (P=0.019), and the incidence of tumor stroke and preoperative PRL levels were significantly higher than those in the remission group (P＜0.001). Univariate analysis showed that sex, maximum tumor diameter, tumor stroke, and preoperative PRL levels were influencing factors for early postoperative hormone response in patients with prolactinoma (P＜0.05). The comparison results of machine learning models show that the neural network model performs the best (AUC=0.921) and has good clinical application value, followed by the GBDT model (AUC=0.893) and the support vector machine model (AUC=0.884). Other models also show certain predictive ability. Conclusions Sex, preoperative PRL levels, maximum tumor diameter, Hounsfield unit value, and tumor stroke are important factors affecting early hormone response after prolactinoma surgery. The machine learning model constructed based on the above variables has good predictive performance, and performs the best and has good clinical application value.

AIM To study the chemical constituents from the stems and barks of Maytenus variabilis(Hemsl.)C.Y.Cheng.METHODS The 95％ethanol extract from the stems and barks of M.variabilis was isolated and purified by silica gel,Sephadex LH-20 and semi preparative HPLC,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.RESULTS Twenty-three compounds were isolated and identified as β-amyrin(1),3β-acetoxyolean-12-en-11-one(2),ursa-12-ene-11-one-3-ol octocosate(3),friedelin(4),canophyllol(5),pinoresinol(6),medioresinol(7),isolariciresinol(8),dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol(9),vanillic acid(10),7R,8S-5-methoxydihydrodehydroconiferyl alcohol(11),β-hydroxypropiovanillone(12),triptregeline B(13),triptregeline E(14),(+)-evofolin B(15),2,5-dimethoxybenzoquinone(16),olean-12-ene-3,11-dione(17),β-sitosterol(18),(-)-(7R,7'R,7"S,8S,8'S,8"S)-4',4"-dihydroxy-3,3',3",5-tetramethoxy-7,9',7',9-diepoxy-4,8"-oxy-8,8'-sesquineolignan-7",9"-diol(19),phyllostadimer B(20),rayalinol(21),lyoniresinol(22),dihydrobuddlenol B(23).CONCLUSION Compounds 3,9-11,13-14,16,19-21,23 are isolated from genus Maytenus for the first time,and compounds 2,4-5,7-8,12,15,17,22 are first found from this plant.

AIM To study the chemical constituents of Anaphalis margaritacea(L.)Benth.& Hook.f.and their antioxidant activities.METHODS Separation and purification were performed using silica gel,Sephadex LH-20 and semi-preparative HPLC,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.The antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH method and ABTS method.RESULTS Twenty-three compounds were isolated and identified as trans-tilidroside(1),4'-hydroxydehydrokawain(2),apigenin(3),3-O-kaempferol-3-O-acetyl-6-O-(p-coumamoyl)-α-D-glucopyranoside(4),kaempferol(5),quercetin-3-O-β-D-(6-O-Z-p-coumamoyl)-glucopyranoside(6),tiliroside(7),kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucoside(8),3,5-dihydroxy-7,8-dimethoxyflavone(9),bis(2-ethylhexyl)adipate(10),3,5-dihydroxy-6,7,8-trimethoxyflavone(11),stigmasterol(12),myriophylloside B(13),1-hexadecanol(14),chlorogenic acid(15),4-hydroxy-N-{ 4-[3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-E-acryloylamino]-butyl}-benzamide(16),3,6-dimethylpiperazine-2,5-dione(17),β-adenosine(18),5,6-dehydrokawain(19),kaempferol-3-O-(2",6"-di-O-E-p-coumaroyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside(20),kaempferol-3-O-(3"-O-E-p-coumaroyl)-(6"-O-E-feruloyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside(21),4,5-di-caffeoylquinic acid butyl ester(22),3,4-di-caffeoylquinic acid butyl ester(23).The IC50 values of compounds 1,7,22-23 against DPPH free radicals were(24.67±1.63)-(53.41±1.61)μmol/L,and the IC50 values of compounds 8,21-23 against ABTS+free radicals were(15.22±0.89)-(41.66±6.29)μmol/L.CONCLUSION Compounds 9,19-23 are isolated from genus Anaphalis for the first time,and 2,10,13,14,16,17,19-23 are first isolated from this plant.Compounds 1,7-8,21-23 have strong antioxidant activity.

Objective To establish a stable,reliable,and clinically relevant porcine model of endotoxin-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS).Methods Ten 8-month-old male Bama minipigs were deeply sedated,followed by invasive mechanical ventilation and electrocardiographic monitoring.Lipopolysaccharide(LPS)was intravenously pumped at 600 μg/(kg·h)for 3 hours,then maintained at 15 μg/(kg·h)thereafter.Dynamic monitoring was performed at five time points after LPS injection(LPS 0,1,3,5,and 8 h),including arterial blood gas analysis and chest computed tomography(CT)scans.Pathological examination of lung tissues obtained via bronchoscopic biopsy(HE staining and transmission electron microscopy)was conducted.These indicators were comprehensively used to evaluate the success of the animal model.Results At 5 hours after LPS administration,8 minipigs developed symptoms such as skin cyanosis,elevated body temperature,and respiratory distress.The oxygenation index decreased to<300 mmHg.Chest CT scans showed diffuse pulmonary infiltrates.Histopathology revealed alveolar edema and hyaline membrane formation.Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated disruption of pulmonary blood-air barrier,depletion of lamellar bodies in type Ⅱ pneumocytes,inflammatory cell infiltration,and exudation of plasma proteins and fibrin.Compared with LPS 0 h,at LPS 8 h,the oxygenation index and arterial blood pH were significantly decreased(P<0.001),while blood lactic acid and serum potassium were significantly increased(P<0.05);serum calcium and base excess were significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the lung injury score based on HE-stained lung sections was significantly increased(P<0.01).Conclusion The porcine ARDS model established by continuous LPS injection can dynamically simulate the pathophysiological characteristics and typical pathological manifestations of clinical septic ARDS,making it an effective tool to study the pathogenesis,prevention,and treatment strategies of septic ARDS.

Objective To propose a low-dose CT image denoising method based on an improved Corediff model to recover the detailed features of the image and enhance the image quality.Methods An RS-Corediff model was established by modifying the key component U-Net network of the Corediff model.Firstly,the residual module was introduced in the network input stage for feature extraction;secondly,a new downsampling module was designed in the U-Net network encoder,which learned the semantic information of the feature map by convolution and maintained the learning state during the downsampling process so as to fully extract the image features;thirdly,the feature splicing processing was used to further enhance the learning effect during the upsampling process of the U-Net network decoder;finally,the convolutional kernel size was modified to adjust the sensory field during the convolutional process of the whole U-Net network structure so as to obtain rich features.The RS-Corediff model was compared with the residual encoder-decoder convolutional neural network(RED-CNN)model and the Corediff model on the public dataset AAPM 2016 in order to verify its effectiveness for low-dose CT image denoising.Results The RS-Corediff model gained advantages over the RED-CNN and Corediff models with a peak signal-to-noise ratio(PSNR)of 41.269 8,structural similarity(SSIM)of 0.953 4 and root mean square error(RMSE)of 17.568 7.Conclusion The proposed method effectively preserves the texture and details of low-dose CT images during the denoising process to improve the overall quality of the images.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(5):9-13]

Objective To investigate the association between polymorphisms at rs1044122 of the metalloprotease12(ADAM12)gene and rs1553005 of the calcitionin related peptide alpha(CALCA)gene and disease susceptibility in patients with knee osteoarthritisc(KOA).Methods A total of 188 KOA patients admitted to the First Hospital of Qinhuangdao from January 2022 to January 2024 were selected as the study objects.Another 100 healthy subjects in the same hospital during the same period were selected as the control group.The polymorphisms of ADAM12 rs1044122 and CALCA rs1553005 were analyzed by PCR+gel imaging system.The frequency distribution of alleles and genotypes was compared between control group and KOA group.Logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between ADAM12 rs1044122 and CALCA rs1553005 and susceptibility to KOA under three genetic models(co-dominant,dominant and recessive).Results The genotypes of ADAM12 rs1044122 and CALCA rs1553005 in control group and KOA group were consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium law(all P>0.05),indicating population representation.Compared with the control group,the allele C frequency(41.49%vs 32.00%)of ADAM12 rs1044122 and the allele C(42.55%vs 30.00%)and genotype CC(18.08%vs 9.00%)frequencies of CALCA rs1553005 in KOA group were significantly increased,with statistical significance(χ2=4.980,8.715,8.631,all P<0.05).Logistic regression model showed that in the co-dominant model(AA vs CC)of ADAM12 rs1044122,the risk of KOA occurrence in CC genotype was significantly higher than that in AA genotype(OR=1.656,P<0.05).In the dominant model(AC+CC vs AA),the risk of developing KOA was higher in patients with C allele than in patients with A allele(OR=1.458,P<0.05).Under the codominant model(GG vs CC)of CALCA rs1553005,the risk of KOA in CC genotype was significantly higher than that in GG genotype(OR=1.643,P<0.05).Under the dominant model(GC+CC vs GG)and recessive model(GC+GG vs CC),the risk of developing KOA with C allele was significantly higher than that with G allele(OR=1.491,0.795,all P<0.05).Conclusion ADAM12 gene rs1044122 allele C and CALCA gene rs1553005 allele C and genotype CC increased the risk of KOA.

Coronavirus-related diseases pose a significant challenge to the global health system. Given the diversity of coronaviruses and the unpredictable nature of disease outbreaks, the traditional "one bug, one drug" paradigm struggles to address the growing number of emerging crises. Therefore, there is an urgent need for therapeutic agents with broad-spectrum anti-coronavirus activity. Here, we provide evidence that ATV006, an anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleoside analog targeting RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), has broad antiviral activity against human and animal coronaviruses. Using mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) and human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) as a model, we show that ATV006 has potent prophylactic and therapeutic activity against murine coronavirus infection in vivo. Remarkably, ATV006 successfully inhibits viral replication in mice even when administered 96 h after infection. Due to its oral bioavailability and potency against multiple coronaviruses, ATV006 has the potential to become a useful antiviral agent against SARS-CoV-2 and other circulating and emerging coronaviruses in humans and animals.

AIM To investigate the ameliorative effects of Compound Fufangteng Mixture(CFM)on cyclophosphamide(CTX)-induced immunosuppression in mice.METHODS Forty-eight male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into the blank control group,the model group,the levamisole hydrochloride group(40 mg/kg)and the low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose CFM groups(3.75,7.5,10 g/kg),with 8 mice in each group,and given respective intervention orally once daily for 14 days.On the 5th to 7th day of administration,with the blank control group given normal saline intraperitoneally,the other groups underwent intraperitoneal CTX injections(80 mg/kg).24 hours after the last administration,organ indices of thymus and spleen were calculated;splenic histopathological alterations were assessed by HE staining;serum levels of IL-2,IL-6 and IgG were quantified using ELISA;splenic CD4+,CD8+T lymphocytes,alongside CD86+and CD206+macrophages populations were analyzed by flow cytometry;and splenic expression of CD4,CD8 and F4/80 was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining.RESULTS In CTX-treated mice,CFM administration mitigated body weight loss;enhanced thymus weight and thymic index;ameliorated splenic immune cell populations,elevated serum levels of cytokines IL-2,IL-6 and IgG in serum;and upregulated splenic levels of CD45+CD3+T lymphocytes and F4/80+CD11b+macrophages,alongside increasing the expression of CD4,CD8 and F4/80 surface markers.CONCLUSION CFM alleviates CTX-induced immunosuppression state in mice by modulating immune cells,restoring immune function and enhancing anti-inflammatory and tissue repair capabilities.

Objective To explore the role of miR-1260b targeting activating transcription factor 6β(ATF6β)in osteogenic differentia-tion of human periodontal ligament stem cells(hPDLSCs).Methods The periodontal ligament tissue was scraped from the third molar extracted from the patient with periodontitis,and hPDLSCs were isolated and cultured.The proportions of positive cells of CD34,CD45,CD29,CD90 and CD105 were detected by flow cytometry,and the expression of vimentin and pan-cytokeratin were detected by immunofluo-rescence staining.The cellular luciferase activities of ATF6β-WT and ATF6β-MUT in the miR-1260b mimic+WT/MUT group(transfected with miR-1260b mimic and ATF6β-WT/MUT)and the mimic-NC group(transfected with miR-NC and ATF6β-WT/MUT)were analyzed by the dual luciferase reporter gene assay.In addition,the cells were divided into the miR-1260b mimic group(transfected with miR-1260b mimic alone),the ATF6β-OE group(transfected with the ATF6β overexpression vector alone),the combined group(transfected with miR-1260b mimic and ATF6β overexpression vector simultaneously),and the NC group(transfected with empty vector).Alizarin red S staining and alkaline phosphatase staining were performed on hPDLSCs in the NC group,the miR-1260b mimic group,the ATF6β-OE group and the combined group.Meanwhile,the mRNA expression levels of miR-1260b,ATF6β,Runt-related transcription factor 2(Runx2),osteocalcin(OCN),and osteopontin(OPN)in each group of cells were detected by qRT-PCR.The protein expressions of glucose-regulated protein 78(GRP78),C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP),and protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(PERK)in each group of cells were detected by Western blot.Results The flow cytometry detection showed that CD29,CD90 and CD105 on the surface of the isolated and cultured cells were positive,while CD34 and CD45 were negative.Immunofluorescence staining showed that vimentin in the cells was positive and pan-cytokeratin was negative,which was in line with the characteristics of hPDLSCs.Luciferase assay showed that miR-1260b mimic could significantly reduce the luciferase activity of ATF6β-WT(P<0.05),but had no significant effect on the luciferase activity of ATF6β-MUT(P>0.05).After alizarin red S staining,the staining of hPDLSCs gradually deepened after 3 days,5 days and 7 days of culture,suggesting an enhanced osteogenic differentiation ability.With the enhancement of osteogenic differentiation ability of hPDLSCs,the expression of miR-1260b in the cells showed a gradually increasing trend,while the mRNA and protein expression levels of ATF6β showed a gradually decreasing trend(P<0.05).The results of alizarin red S staining and alkaline phosphatase staining showed that the proportions of positive area in the miR-1260b mimic group were higher than those in the NC group(P<0.05),while the proportions of positive area in the ATF6β-OE group and the combined group were lower than those in the NC group(P<0.05).The mRNA and protein levels of ATF6β in the miR-1260b mimic group were lower than those in the NC group(P<0.05),while the mRNA and protein levels of ATF6β in the ATF6β-OE group and the combined group were higher than those in the NC group(P<0.05).The mRNA levels of Runx2,OCN and OPN in the miR-1260b mimic group were significantly higher than those in the NC group(P<0.05).The mRNA levels of Runx2,OCN and OPN in the ATF6β-OE group and the combined group were significantly lower than those in the NC group(P<0.05).The protein expression levels of GRP78,CHOP and PERK in the miR-1260b mimic group were significantly lower than those in the NC group(P<0.05).The protein expression levels of GRP78,CHOP and PERK in the ATF6β-OE group and the combined group were significantly higher than those in the NC group(P<0.05).Conclusion miR-1260b can inhibit endoplasmic reticulum stress level and promote osteogenic differentiation of hPDLSCs by targeting ATF6β.