VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome is an adult-onset, X-linked clonal autoinflammatory disease caused by somatic mutations in the UBA1 gene, characterized by systemic inflammation accompanied by hematologic clonal abnormalities. Somatic UBA1 mutations result in impaired ubiquitination, disruption of protein homeostasis, and sustained activation of inflammatory signaling pathways, including nuclear factor-κB and Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT), which together constitute the core pathogenic mechanism. The disease involves multiple systems and tissues including the hematologic system, skin, cartilage and respiratory system, showing remarkable clinical heterogeneity. Diagnosis depends primarily on the combination of characteristic clinical manifestations and molecular confirmation of UBA1 mutations. Current therapeutic strategies lack a unified standard: glucocorticoids can rapidly control inflammation but are associated with high relapse rates, whereas targeted therapies such as JAK inhibitors, interleukin inhibitors, and hypomethylating agents show variable efficacy, and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation offers curative potential in patients with concomitant myelodysplastic syndrome. This review systematically summarizes the genetic background, molecular mechanisms, clinical spectrum, diagnostic criteria, and therapeutic advances of VEXAS syndrome.

Objective To investigate the exposure-response relationships and lag effects between air pollutants (PM_2.5, PM₁₀, O₃, and NO₂) and mortality in Jiading District, Shanghai, and to provide a scientific basis for the formulation of environmental health policies. Methods Using an individual-level time-stratified case-crossover design, conditional logistic regression models in conjunction with a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) were employed to analyze the exposure-response relationship and temporal lag patterns of ambient air pollution on resident mortality in Jiading District (1994–2024). Results A total of 59 048 death cases were collected, including 18,701 deaths from cardiovascular diseases and 11 731 deaths from respiratory diseases. PM_2.5 and NO₂ had a significant impact on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, and respiratory disease mortality, with the most significant effects observed within a lag of 0–3 days. PM₁₀ also had some impact on these three types of mortality, but its effect was generally weaker than that of PM_2.5 and NO₂. The exposure-response curves showed that the risk of death increased rapidly with increasing concentrations of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, while the effect of NO₂ plateaued at higher levels. No significant differences were found across age or gender subgroups. Conclusion Short-term exposure to PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and NO₂ significantly increases all-cause mortality risk in Jiading District, with effects persisting up to 7 days, highlighting the need for enhanced air pollution control measures, particularly targeting fine particulate matter.

To explore the clinical features, systematic diagnostic process, and iron chelation therapy strategies of secondary iron overload in aceruloplasminemia (ACP).

Objective:To evaluate the cost-effectiveness and impact on mortality of health management services for the elderly aged 65 years and older in national essential public health service project.Methods:Based on the data of county-level medical institutions in Henan Province from 2019 to 2024,the Random Forest Method was used to construct a counterfactual framework to predict the hospitalization expenses under the unmanaged scenario,and then the cost-benefit ratio(BCR)and net income were calculated.Time-dependent Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the effect of health management on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease mortality in the elderly.Results:A total of 962 955 elderly patients were included,451 119(46.85%)were included in the management group.The average hospitalization cost of the management group was significantly lower than that of the non-management group(P<0.05).Except for 2020-2021,BCRS in 2019 and 2022-2024 were 6.34,2.05,4.45 and 6.60,respectively.The risk of all-cause death was reduced by 76.96%,and the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular death was reduced by 75.57%in the elderly patients included in the management group compared with those not included in the management group.Suggestions:It is necessary to establish a health outcomes-based evaluation system and promote the transformation and upgrading of the service model from single chronic disease management to"integrated health services with multi-disease management".

Objective To explore the variable pressure matress and thermoplastic mold applied to cone beam CT-guided radiotherapy of abdominal and pelvic cancer in terms of translation error,rotation angle error and setup reproducibility of patients with different body mass indexes(BMIs),so as to provide references for the selection of body fixation mode.Methods Totally 70 patients with abdominal and pelvic tumors admitted to some hospital from April 2021 to March 2022 were retrospectively selected,and divided into a variable pressure mattress group and a thermoplastic mold group according to the fixation method,with 35 patients in each group.All the patients in the two groups underwent examinations with cone beam computed tomography(CBCT)at the first radiotherapy treatment and during the course of the treatment,and the image registration was carried out between validation images and planning images.The two groups were compared in terms of rotation angle error and thranlation error at the directoins of x axis(lateral directions),y axis(cranial-caudal)and z axis(ventral-dorsal).Taking the center point image of the initial positioning as the reference,the errors of the center points of the two groups at z and y axes(Δz and Δy)were compared.The setup reproducibility was set as Δz≤5 mm and Δy≤3 mm,and the setup reproducibility rates of the two groups were summarized.All the patients were categorized into non-overweight ones(BMI<25 kg/m2)and overweight ones(BMI≥25 kg/m2),and the setup reproducibility rates of the patients with different BMIs were counted.SPSS 26.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results The two groups had no significant differences in translation error at the directions of x and y axes(P>0.05).The variable pressure mattress group had the translation error at the direction of z axis statistically lower than that of the thermoplastic mold group(P<0.05).There were no significant differences between the two groups in rotation angle error(P=0.219 3).The two groups had significant differences in setup reproducibility(P=0.033 4).The non-overweight patients had the setup reproducibility rate being 40.00%in the variable pressure mattress group,and 77.14%in the thermoplastic mold group;the overweight patients had the setup reproducibility rate being 25.71%in the variable pressure mattress group and only 2.86%in the thermoplastic mold group,with the differences between the two groups being statistically significant(P=0.002 9).Conclusion The variable pressure mattress and thermoplastic mold both result in low setup errors when applied to fixation during the radiotherapy of abdominal and pelvic cancer,the thermoplastic mold fixation can be used for the patients with BMIs lower than 25 kg/m2 with decreased translation errors at the direction of z axis,and the variable pressure mattress fixation was suitable for the patients with BMIs not lower than 25 kg/m2.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(7):45-50]

Objective To investigate the relationship between prolactin and mild cognitive impairment(MCI)in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods A total of 319 postmenopausal women with T2DM who were hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology,Drum Tower Hospital,Affiliated Hospital of Medical School,Nanjing University were enrolled in this study from August 2016 to October 2023.All the patients were divided into two groups according whether they had MCI:T2DM group(n=161)and MCI group(n=158).Differences in clinical characteristics were compared between the two groups.Pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlation between sex hormones and cognitive domains,and Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influencing factors for MCI development.Results Serum prolactin levels were significantly lower in the MCI group than in the T2DM group[(5.5±2.1)vs(7.2±2.9)μg/L,P<0.05].Serum prolactin level was positively correlated with mini-mental state examination score,Montreal cognitive assessment score,immediate memory score,visuopatial constructional score,attention score and hippocampal volume(P<0.05),and negatively correlated with processing speed test(time)and executive function test(time)(P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that serum prolactin level was an influencing factor for the risk of MCI in postmenopausal women with T2DM(OR 0.715,95%CI 0.605～0.845,P<0.01).Conclusions The decrease of serum prolactin level is associated with an increased risk of MCI in postmenopausal women with T2DM.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair with tunneled esophagogastric fundoplication and diaphragmatic dome suspension-fixation (HHR-TEF-DDSF) in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease.Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinical data of 32 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease who were admitted to Yifu Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from October 2024 to June 2025 were collected. There were 20 males and 12 females, aged (68±7)years. All patients underwent laparoscopic HHR-TEF-DDSF. Observation indicators: (1) surgical and intraoperative conditions; (2) postoperative conditions; (3) follow-up. Measurement data with normal distribution were expre-ssed as Mean± SD, while measurement data with skewed distribution were expressed as M( Q1, Q3) or M(range). Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages. Results:(1) Surgical and intraoperative conditions. All 32 patients successfully underwent laparoscopic HHR-TEF-DDSF. The operation time was (75±10)minutes, and volume of intraoperative blood loss was 50(50,100)mL. Among the 32 patients, there was no conversion to open surgery, no blood transfusion, no intra-operative complications such as unexpected massive hemorrhage or adjacent organ injury, no intra-operative adverse event or death. (2) Postoperative conditions. For the 32 patients, the time to post-operative first flatus was 1(1,2)days, the time to postoperative first defecation was 1(1,3)days, the time to postoperative first intake of liquid food was 1(1,3)days, the duration of postoperative drainage tube indwelling was 3(3,6)days, the postoperative hospital stay was 6(5,14)days, and the time to relief of postoperative dysphagia was 5(5,8)days. No obvious hiccup was observed in any patient in the short term after surgery. (3) Follow-up. All 32 patients were followed up for 7.5(range, 3.0-11.0)months. Among the 32 patients, 26 cases achieved subjective relief of overall postoperative digestive tract symptoms, and 32 cases achieved subjective relief of overall postoperative respiratory tract symptoms. The proton pump inhibitor (PPI) withdrawal rate was 84.4%(27/32), and the treatment satisfaction rate was 87.5%(28/32). The incidences of postoperative complications inclu-ding abdominal distension, dysphagia, diarrhea, and increased flatus were 21.9%(7/32), 18.8%(6/32), 6.3%(2/32), and 3.1%(1/32), respectively. Dysphagia was significantly relieved in all affected patients within 2 months after surgery, and no patient had persistent dysphagia by the end of the follow-up period. There was no death, symptom recurrence, or reoperation.Conclusion:HHR-TEF-DDSF is safe and feasible in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, with favorable short-term efficacy.

Pancreatic cancer has emerged as one of the most challenging malignancies worldwide,with its high resistance to chemotherapy being the primary cause of treatment failure.Therefore,enhancing the chemosensitivity of pancreatic cancer has become a major focus of current research.In this study,we in-vestigated how Bufotaline,a bufadienolide extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine toad venom,exhibits its antitumor activity.Specifically,we explored the potential of Bufotaline to enhance the chemo-sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to Adriamycin and elucidated its underlying molecular mechanisms.Using CCK-8 and colony formation assays,we demonstrated that Bufotaline enhances the inhibitory effect of Adriamycin on the survival of pancreatic cancer cell lines Patu-8988T,Aspc-1,and Patu-8988S.No-tably,Bufotaline treatment reduced the IC50 of Adriamycin in drug-resistant pancreatic cancer cells to lev-els comparable to those in non-resistant cells.Results from Western blot,immunofluorescence,comet as-say,and TUNEL assays revealed that Bufotaline promotes Adriamycin-induced DNA damage in pancreatic cancer cells.RNA-seq analysis of Patu-8988T cells treated with Adriamycin alone or in combination with Bufotaline showed significant changes in gene expression,and qRT-PCR analysis further confirmed that Bu-fotaline downregulates the expression of DNA damage repair proteins NBS1 and RAD50.Moreover,Western blot analysis revealed that Bufotaline reduces the levels of DNA damage response repair proteins,and Im-munofluorescence experiments indicated that Bufotaline inhibits the activation of the ATM/CHK2 signaling pathway.Finally,in a subcutaneous xenograft mouse model,the combination of Adriamycin and Bufotaline treatment significantly suppressed pancreatic cancer cell growth.In conclusion,Bufotaline enhances Adria-mycin-induced chemosensitivity in pancreatic cancer cells;the combination of Adriamycin and Bufotaline downregulates the expression of DNA damage response repair proteins NBS1 and RAD50,and inhibits the ATM/CHK2-mediated DDR signaling pathway,thereby delaying DNA damage repair.

Objective:The prediction model of postoperative recurrence of ovarian endometriosis cyst(OEM)was constructed to provide a reference for evaluating postoperative recurrence of OEM patients.Methods:The clinical,pathological and follow-up data of 342 patients who underwent the initial laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy for OEM at The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 1,2017 to October 31,2021 were retro-spectively analyzed.Based on univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis,the relevant factors affecting OEM recurrence were identified.According to the results of multivariate analysis,a nomogram was drawn.The C index and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve were used to test the efficiency of the prediction model.Results:The 2-year recurrence rate of OEM patients was 20.4%and the 5-year recurrence rate was 35.2%.Uni-variate and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that menstrual cycle(HR 0.916,95%CI 0.860-0.976,P=0.006),delivery≥1(HR 0.376,95%CI 0.171-0.827,P=0.015),CA125≥100 U/ml(HR 1.790,95%CI 1.167-2.746,P=0.008),total cyst diameter≥10 cm(HR 2.254,95%CI 1.318-3.854,P=0.003),and postoperative medications(HR 0.434,95%CI 0.292-0.644,P=0.000)were associated with OEM recurrence and were included in the no-mogram prediction model.The C-index of the nomogram prediction model was 0.710(95%CI 0.665-0.754),and the area under the curve(AUC)of the ROC for OEM patients with recurrence at 2 years after surgery was 0.786 and 0.708 at 5 years.Conclusions:In this study,we developed a nomogram to predict the probability of recur-rence at 2 years and 5 years for OEM patients under 45 years who underwent conservative surgery,which has i-deal predictive performance and helps clinicians to screen high-risk patients,and thus give high-risk OEM patients additional attention and intervention.

Objective·To investigate the effect of plasma exchange combined with classical chemotherapy on renal function in patients with multiple myeloma(MM).Methods·A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from patients newly diagnosed with MM in the Department of Hematology,Ruijin Hospital,Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine,between October 2021 and September 2023.Sixty-eight MM patients admitted from October 2021 to September 2022 served as the control group,and 41 patients admitted from October 2022 to September 2023 comprised the experimental group.The control group received classical chemotherapy for MM[PAD(bortezomib+adriamycin+dexamethasone)or PCD(bortezomib+cyclophosphamide+dexamethasone)],and the experimental group underwent plasma exchange before classic chemotherapy.The frequency of plasma exchange was determined according to the clearance rate of M-protein in patients,with the criterion being a reduction of more than 40%in plasma M-protein levels after exchange,and the total number of exchanges ranged from 1 to 3 sessions.After 2 chemotherapy courses,the free light chain difference(dFLC),serum creatinine(Scr),and other renal function indexes were compared between the two groups.Results·Compared with the control group,the experimental group showed no statistically significant difference in dFLC levels.The Scr level decreased[67.00(54.00,75.00)μmol/L vs 77.50(63.00,94.00)μmol/L,P=0.011],and the estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)increased[97.80(92.80,101.30)mL/(min·1.73 m2)vs 85.80(61.35,95.35)mL/(min·1.73 m2),P<0.001]after treatment.Before treatment,the numbers of patients with MM-related severe renal injury[eGFR<50 mL/(min·1.73 m2)]were 41 in the control group and 28 in the experimental group.After treatment,8 patients(19.51%)in the control group achieved complete renal response[eGFR≥60 mL/(min·1.73 m2)],while 12 patients(42.86%)in the experimental group achieved the same,with the difference being statistically significant(P=0.036).After two courses of treatment,the overall response rates(ORR)of the control group and the experimental group were 76.47%and 92.68%,respectively,and the difference in overall therapeutic efficacy was statistically significant(P=0.031).Conclusion·Plasma exchange combined with classical chemotherapy can significantly reduce the Scr levels and increase eGFR in MM patients within a short period,ameliorating the MM-related renal impairment to some extent and improving clinical treatment outcomes.