ObjectiveAge-related macular degeneration （AMD） is one of the leading causes of low vision and blindness in people over 50 years old， and dry AMD （dAMD） is one type for which there is currently no clear treatment. On the basis of the diagnosis and clinical characteristics of dAMD in traditional Chinese and Western medicine， this paper evaluated the fitting degrees of existing animal models of dAMD with clinical characteristics according to the evaluation methods of animal models， and put forward suggestions and prospects. MethodsLiterature on animal models of dAMD was searched against database， and the characteristics of the models were assigned according to the diagnosis criteria of diseases and syndromes of traditional Chinese and Western medicine， and the fitting degrees of the models with clinical characteristics were analyzed and evaluated. ResultsAt present， the animal models of dAMD are mainly established targeting complement factors， chemokines， oxidative damage， lipid/glucose metabolism， and natural strains. Most of the models can simulate the major pathological changes of dAMD， showing the fitting degree of 25%-50% with clinical characteristics in Western medicine. However， the evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes， especially the evaluation of secondary syndromes， is missing， and the models present low fitting degrees with the clinical characteristics in TCM. ConclusionExisting animal models of dAMD are mostly established under the guidance of Western diagnostic standards， which reproduce the main disease characteristics of Western medicine and lack observation of TCM syndromes. Future studies can pay attention to the intervention factors and evaluation systems of spleen deficiency Qi deficiency and liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome and build the animal model of dAMD with integration of disease and syndrome based on clinical characteristics of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

ObjectiveAge-related macular degeneration （AMD） is one of the leading causes of low vision and blindness in people over 50 years old， and dry AMD （dAMD） is one type for which there is currently no clear treatment. On the basis of the diagnosis and clinical characteristics of dAMD in traditional Chinese and Western medicine， this paper evaluated the fitting degrees of existing animal models of dAMD with clinical characteristics according to the evaluation methods of animal models， and put forward suggestions and prospects. MethodsLiterature on animal models of dAMD was searched against database， and the characteristics of the models were assigned according to the diagnosis criteria of diseases and syndromes of traditional Chinese and Western medicine， and the fitting degrees of the models with clinical characteristics were analyzed and evaluated. ResultsAt present， the animal models of dAMD are mainly established targeting complement factors， chemokines， oxidative damage， lipid/glucose metabolism， and natural strains. Most of the models can simulate the major pathological changes of dAMD， showing the fitting degree of 25%-50% with clinical characteristics in Western medicine. However， the evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes， especially the evaluation of secondary syndromes， is missing， and the models present low fitting degrees with the clinical characteristics in TCM. ConclusionExisting animal models of dAMD are mostly established under the guidance of Western diagnostic standards， which reproduce the main disease characteristics of Western medicine and lack observation of TCM syndromes. Future studies can pay attention to the intervention factors and evaluation systems of spleen deficiency Qi deficiency and liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome and build the animal model of dAMD with integration of disease and syndrome based on clinical characteristics of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

BACKGROUND: While emotional distress, encompassing anxiety and depression, has been associated with negative clinical outcomes, its impact across various clinical departments and general hospitals has been less explored. Previous studies with limited sample sizes have examined the effectiveness of specific treatments (e.g., antidepressants) rather than a systemic management strategy for outcome improvement in non-psychiatric inpatients. To enhance the understanding of the importance of addressing mental health care needs among non-psychiatric patients in general hospitals, this study retrospectively investigated the impacts of emotional distress and the effects of early detection and management of depression and anxiety on hospital length of stay (LOS) and rate of long LOS (LLOS, i.e., LOS >30 days) in a large sample of non-psychiatric inpatients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 487,871 inpatients from 20 non-psychiatric departments of a general hospital. They were divided, according to whether they underwent a novel strategy to manage emotional distress which deployed the Huaxi Emotional Distress Index (HEI) for brief screening with grading psychological services (BS-GPS), into BS-GPS ( n = 178,883) and non-BS-GPS ( n = 308,988) cohorts. The LOS and rate of LLOS between the BS-GPS and non-BS-GPS cohorts and between subcohorts with and without clinically significant anxiety and/or depression (CSAD, i.e., HEI score ≥11 on admission to the hospital) in the BS-GPS cohort were compared using univariable analyses, multilevel analyses, and/or propensity score-matched analyses, respectively. RESULTS: The detection rate of CSAD in the BS-GPS cohort varied from 2.64% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.49%-2.81%) to 20.50% (95% CI: 19.43%-21.62%) across the 20 departments, with a average rate of 5.36%. Significant differences were observed in both the LOS and LLOS rates between the subcohorts with CSAD (12.7 days, 535/9590) and without CSAD (9.5 days, 3800/169,293) and between the BS-GPS (9.6 days, 4335/178,883) and non-BS-GPS (10.8 days, 11,483/308,988) cohorts. These differences remained significant after controlling for confounders using propensity score-matched comparisons. A multilevel analysis indicated that BS-GPS was negatively associated with both LOS and LLOS after controlling for sociodemographics and the departments of patient discharge and remained negatively associated with LLOS after controlling additionally for the year of patient discharge. CONCLUSION Emotional distress significantly prolonged the LOS and increased the LLOS of non-psychiatric inpatients across most departments and general hospitals. These impacts were moderated by the implementation of BS-GPS. Thus, BS-GPS has the potential as an effective, resource-saving strategy for enhancing mental health care and optimizing medical resources in general hospitals.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Psychological Distress ; Inpatients/psychology* ; Aged ; Anxiety/diagnosis* ; Depression/diagnosis*

Objective To construct a prognostic model of centrosome amplification-related genes(CARGs)by machine learning and evaluate its prediction performance for the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).Methods CARGs were obtained from Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)datasets.The RNA-sequencing(RNA-seq)transcriptome datasets of ESCC were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO),and assigned into training and validation sets,respectively.Subsequently,single-sample gene set enrichment analysis(ssGSEA)and weighted gene co-expression network analysis(WGCNA)were employed to screen CARGs.A prognostic model of CARGs was constructed by incorporating 12 machine learning algorithms,and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were applied to evaluate whether the 12 models as an independent prognostic factor or not.Eventually,15 paired ESCC and adjacent non-tumor tissue samples were collected from the Department of Gastroenterology of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University,and real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)and immunohistochemistry staining were performed to detect the expression of these genes ESCC samples.Results Our 9-CARGs prediction model for ESCC prognosis was constructed.RT-qPCR confirmed that the mRNA expression levels of DENR,TRIP13,BRCA2,TTF2,TCFL5 and NUP188 were significantly higher in ESCC tissues than normal tissues(P<0.05),and the protein levels of DENR,TRIP13,TTF2 and TCFL5 were also elevated when compared to normal tissues.Conclusion DENR,TRIP13,TTF2 and TCFL5 are highly expressed and closely associated with poor prognosis of ESCC,suggesting their potential roles in the pathogenesis and progression of this malignancy.

Background and aims:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a malignant tumor with a high mortality rate,but there are still no effective treatments.The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer po-tential of the combined use of brefeldin A(BFA)and tunicamycin(TM)in HepG2 cells,as well as the underlying mechanisms.Methods:HepG2 cells were treated with different concentrations of BFA(0.1-2.5 mg/L)and TM(1-5 mg/L)for 24 h.DMSO(0.1％,v/v)was used as a vehicle control.Cell viability and cell migration were measured using MTT assay and scratch wound assay,respectively.Apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry and acridine orange(AO)staining.The protein and mRNA levels of various factors involved in apoptosis(poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1(PARP-1),caspase-12,caspase-3,and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1)and endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress(binding immunoglobulin protein(BiP),protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(PERK),p-PERK,phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2alpha(p-eIF2α),activating transcription factor(ATF)4,and C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP))were measured using Western blotting and qRT-PCR,respectively.Results:Both BFA and TM alone significantly reduced the viability of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent way.The co-incubation with TM(1 mg/L)further significantly reduced the viability of HepG2 cells treated with BFA(0.25 mg/L)alone(P＜0.05).BFA significantly increased the protein and mRNA levels of caspase-3 and PARP-1(P＜0.05)compared to control and DMSO-treated cells,indicating that BFA induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells by increasing the expression of caspase-3 and PARP-1.The induction of apoptosis by BFA could be further significantly enhanced by co-incubation with TM.In addition,BFA significantly increased the mRNA levels of BiP,PERK and ATF4(P＜0.05)compared to control and DMSO-treated cells.After co-incubation of BFA and TM,the protein levels of BiP,p-PERK,p-eIF2α and CHOP were significantly increased,indicating that TM could enhance BFA-induced ER stress in HepG2 cells through the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP pathway.Conclusions:BFA could induce apoptosis and ER stress,and TM could enhance the ability of BFA to induce apoptosis and ER stress in HepG2 cells through the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP pathway.The findings highlight the therapeutic potential of the combined use of BFA and TM in treating HCC.

ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanism of the Yiqi Jiedu formula （YQ） in treating ischemic stroke （IS） from the perspective of the microbial-gut-brain axis （MGBA）. MethodRats were randomly divided into five groups， with six in each group， including sham surgery group， model group， and low， medium， and high dose YQ groups （1， 5， and 25 mg·kg^-1）. Except for the sham surgery group， all other groups were established with a middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） model using the thread occlusion method. The success of modeling was determined through neurobehavioral scoring， and the protective effect of YQ on IS was evaluated. Then， the changes in gut microbiota before and after MCAO modeling and YQ administration were compared using 16S rDNA sequencing technology， and the possible biological pathways related to the effect of this formula were analyzed. The expression of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-17A （IL-17A）， and interleukin-10 （IL-10） in serum was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Western blot was used to detect the expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and Occludin in brain and intestinal tissue， and hematoxylin-eosin staining （HE） was used to observe pathological changes in the cerebral cortex and colon， so as to validate the possible mechanism of action. ResultYQ significantly improved the neurobehavioral score of MCAO rats （P<0.01） and played a good regulatory role in intestinal microbial disorders caused by enriched pathogens and opportunistic pathogens during the acute phase. Among them， significantly changed microorganisms include Morgentia， Escherichia Shigella， Adlercreutzia， and Androbacter. Bioinformatics analysis found that these bacteria may be related to the regulation of inflammation in the brain. Compared with the blank group， the detection of inflammatory factors in the serum of IS model rats showed an increase in inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-17A （P<0.01） and a decrease in the content of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the content of inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-17A in the serum of the treatment group decreased （P<0.05）， and that of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 increased （P<0.01）. The expression results of barrier proteins ZO-1 and Occludin in brain and intestinal tissue showed that the expression levels of both decreased in IS model rats （P<0.05）， while the expression levels of both increased in the treatment group （P<0.05）. ConclusionAcute cerebral ischemia can lead to an imbalance of intestinal microbiota and damage to the intestinal barrier， and it can increase intestinal permeability. YQ can regulate intestinal microbiota imbalance caused by ischemia， inhibit systemic inflammatory response， and improve the disruption of the gut-blood brain barrier， preventing secondary cascade damage to brain tissue caused by inflammation. The MGBA may be an important mechanism against the IS.

Objective: To analyze the results of colorectal cancer screening among residents in Baoshan District, Shanghai Municipality from 2013 to 2021, so as to provide the basis for promoting colorectal cancer screening and prevention. Methods: Permanent residents aged 50 to 74 years in Baoshan District from 2013 to 2021 were selected as the screening population. The initial screening was conducted using a risk assessment form and fecal occult blood test. Positive results on either the risk assessment form or fecal occult blood test were considered positive for the initial screening. Participants with positive initial screening results were invited to undergo colonoscopy. The positive rate of the initial screening, colonoscopy compliance rate, and colonoscopy results were analyzed. Results: A total of 264 907 individuals underwent the initial colorectal cancer screening in Baoshan District from 2013 to 2021, with 65 333 individuals (24.66%) testing positive. Among them, the positive rate of the risk assessment form was 12.16%, and the positive rate of fecal occult blood test was 14.64%. A total of 14 473 individuals completed colonoscopy, with a compliance rate of 22.15%. A total of 1 284 precancerous lesions were detected, with a detection rate of 8.87%, and 386 cases of colorectal cancer were identified, with a detection rate of 2.67%. The positive rate of the initial screening, colonoscopy compliance rate, precancerous lesion detection rate, and colorectal cancer detection rate were higher in males than in females (25.55% vs. 24.06%, 23.12% vs. 21.45%, 11.60% vs. 6.74%, 3.62% vs. 1.93%, all P<0.05). With increasing age, the positive rate of the initial screening increased, the colonoscopy compliance rate decreased, the precancerous lesion detection rate and colorectal cancer detection rate increased (all P<0.05). From 2013 to 2021, the positive rate of the initial screening among residents showed a downward trend, while the colonoscopy compliance rate showed an upward trend (both P<0.05). Conclusions The detection rate of precancerous lesions in colorectal cancer was 8.87%, and the detection rate of colorectal cancer was 2.67% in Baoshan District from 2013 to 2021. Male and older individuals were the key populations for screening, and the colonoscopy compliance among residents needs to be improved.

Objective:To investigate the practicality of TrueFidelity deep learning reconstruction algorithm in low-dose abdominal and pelvic CT angiography (CTA).Methods:The patients who required abdominal and pelvic CTA were prospectively included at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University from June 2020 to March 2021. All patients underwent low-dose CTA with a tube voltage of 80 kV and smart tube current modulation (100-720 mA). Images were reconstructed using the traditional FBP, adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction with a strength of 50% (ASIR-V 50%), TrueFidelity with medium (TF-M) and high (TF-H) strength. The CT value and standard deviation (SD value) of the abdominal aorta, psoas major muscle and subcutaneous fat in the same layer were measured, signal to noise ratio (SNR) and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) were calculated. We also introduced the measurement of skewness of CT value in psoas major muscle with uniform density. The above indexes of the four groups of reconstructed images were compared. A 5-point scoring method was used to evaluate the granularity, fuzziness and beam-hardening artifacts of all images. Objective measurement indicators, such as CT values, were tested by repeated measure ANOVA with the Bonferroni post hoc test.Results:There were forty-six patients in the study. The volume CT dose index of the scan was low at (1.09±0.31)mGy. There was no significant difference in CT values of vessels and muscles between the four groups ( P>0.05), but there was a significant difference in SD value( P<0.001). The SD value of the FBP group was the largest and that of the TF-H group was the smallest. The difference between SNR and CNR was statistically significant ( P<0.001), and the overall trend was opposite to that of the SD value. There was no significant difference in the skewness between the four groups. The granularity score of the FBP group was the largest, that of the TF-H group was the smallest, and there was a significant difference among the four groups. The score of fuzziness in the TF-H group was slightly higher than that in the other three groups, but there was no significant difference. The beam-hardening artifact score of FBP and ASIR-V 50% group was the worst, and the TF-H group was the best ( P<0.001). Conclusions:Compared with FBP and ASIR-V, TrueFidelity reconstruction algorithm provides better image quality (comprehensively considering image noise, fuzziness, uniformity, and hardening artifacts) in low-dose CT scanning of abdominal and pelvic vessels, and TF-H has the best image quality.

The correlation between hearing loss (HL) and physical performance in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) remains poorly investigated. This study explored the association between HL and physical performance in patients on MHD. Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2020 and April 2021 in seven hemodialysis centers in Shanghai and Suzhou, China. The hearing assessment was performed using pure-tone average (PTA). Physical performance was assessed using the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), handgrip strength, and gait speed. Results: Finally, 838 adult patients (male, 516 [61.6%]; 61.2 ± 2.6 years) were enrolled. Among them, 423 (50.5%) had mild to profound HL (male, 48.6% and female, 53.4%). Patients with HL had poorer physical performance than patients without HL (p < 0.001). TUGT was positively correlated with PTA (r = 0.265, p < 0.001), while handgrip strength and gait speed were negatively correlated with PTA (r = –0.356, p < 0.001 and r = –0.342, p < 0.001, respectively). Physical performance in patients aged <60 years showed significant dose-response relationships with HL. After adjusting for confounders, the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for HL across the TUGT quartiles (lowest to highest) were 1.00 (reference), 1.15 (0.73–1.81), 1.69 (1.07–2.70), and 2.87 (1.69–4.88) (p for trend = 0.005). Conclusion: Lower prevalence of HL was associated with a faster TUGT and a stronger handgrip strength in patients on MHD.

Objective This study aims to investigate the agreement between the Huaxi Emotional Index(HEI)and the Nurses'Global Assessment of Suicide Risk(NGASR)in assessing high suicide risk and to explore the predictive value of HEI in identifying high suicide risk among patients with depression.Methods Convenience sampling was used and 386 inpatients with depression were included in this cross-sectional study.All patients were admitted to the Mental Health Center,West China Hospital between June and December 2023.The inclusion criteria were as follows,a diagnosis of depression according to the International Classification of Diseases,Tenth Revision(ICD-10),age over 18,and completion of both NGASR and HEI assessments.According to the exclusion criteria,depression patients who had other comorbid mental disorders or those who had severe cognitive impairments and were unable to communicate effectively were excluded.The study was approved by the Biomedical Ethics Review Committee of West China Hospital(Approval No.647,2021).Demographic data such as age,sex,ethnicity,marital status,and educational attainment were collected using a self-designed questionnaire.Both the HEI and NGASR were applied to evaluate the patients.We conducted statistical analyses with SPSS 27,employing Spearman's rank correlation for correlation analysis,Kappa tests for consistency between the two instruments,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves for evaluating the predictive performance of HEI scores for high suicide risk,with the optimal HEI cutoff value determined on the basis of the Youden Index.Results The study included 386 depression inpatients with an average age of 32 years and an average length-of-stay of 14 days.Of these participants,252 were female(65.3% )and 134 were male(34.7% ).Regarding ethnicity,most of the participants were Han Chinese(89.4% ),Tibetans accounted for 7.3%,and other minorities,3.3%.Regarding marital status,51.3% of the participants were married,41.2% single,6.5% divorced,and 1.0% widowed.Regarding educational attainment,26.2% had an undergraduate or graduate education,20.7% had junior college education,24.8% had high school or secondary technical school education,and 28.2% had middle school education or less.The NGASR identified 57.3% of the participants as being at high suicide risk,while the HEI identified 53.6% as having severe emotional distress.There was a moderate agreement between the HEI and the NGASR scores,with a Kappa value of 0.518(P<0.001),indicating statistically significant differences.At an HEI score of 17,the Youden Index peaked at 0.52,predicting high suicide risk with a specificity of 76.36%,a sensitivity of 76.02%,and an area under the ROC curve of 0.829(95% CI:0.787-0.871),demonstrating statistically significant differences.Conclusion HEI and NGASR demonstrate moderate agreement in assessing high suicide risk among depression patients.The HEI questionnaire effectively predicts high suicide risk in patients with depression,with 17 being the optimal cutoff value for assessing high suicide risk.