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.

Lung cancer, the malignancy with the highest global mortality rate, is currently undergoing a paradigm shift from precision medicine to intelligent medicine in its diagnostic and therapeutic models. Artificial intelligence (AI), leveraging its core advantages in multimodal data fusion and high-dimensional featureextraction, has deeply permeated the entire disease continuum of lung cancer screening, diagnosis, and individualized treatment. AI demonstrates significant value in improving patient outcomes and enhancing clinical efficiency, thereby reshaping the fundamental logic and clinical practice pathways of lung cancer management. This article reviews the latest advances of AI in real-world clinical diagnosis and treatment scenarios for lung cancer, with a focus on multimodal data fusion architectures, breakthrough applications of AI-assisted lung cancer diagnosis and treatment, and the practical barriers to clinical translation. It critically analyzes core challenges including data standardization, privacy protection, and ethical compliance. Finally, it envisions the future landscape of a nationwide intelligent ecosystem for lung cancer diagnosis and treatment—driven by federated learning and empowered by data elements—providing a reference for the standardized application and innovative development of AI in precision lung cancer care.

Objective To analyze the infection status and epidemic trends of soil-borne nematode infections in Yubei, Chongqing City, in 2010,2021, and 2022. Methods The local populations from four survey sites of four towns in 2010 and five sites of five towns in 2021 and 2022 were surveyed regarding their basic information using a unified form. Fecal samples of the participants were collected and tested for soil-borne nematode infections using the modified Kato-Katz thick smear method. Results In 2010, 2 049 participants were surveyed, followed by 1 000 participants in 2021 and 2022. The overall prevalence of parasitic infections declined significantly from 3.86% to 0.20%. In 2010, soil-transmitted nematode included hookworms(3.81%) and roundworms(0.29%). In 2021, the infection rates of roundworms and hookworms were 1.70% and 0.10% respectively. Notably, only Ascaris was identified in 2022(0.20%). The≥60 age group consistently exhibited the highest infection rates across all surveys, followed by the 40-59 age group. The infection rates of males in the three surveys were 3.31%,1.92%, and 0.20% respectively, and those of females were 4.37%, 1.46%, and 0.20% respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the infection rates between males and females. Educational attainment was inversely associated with infection; in 2010, the highest prevalence was observed among those with primary education or below, whereas in 2021, illiterate or semi-literate individuals showed the highest susceptibility. The occupational distribution of infections in 2010 indicated that retirees (8.33%), farmers(4.86%), and homemakers or unemployed individuals(3.45%)were the most affected. However, in 2021 and 2022, farmers emerged as the predominant occupational group with soil-transmitted nematode infections. Conclusions The infection rate of soil-borne nematodes showed a decreasing trend in Yubei, and the infection species changed from hookworms in 2010 to Ascaris in 2022. Farmers, the elderly, and people with low education levels should continue to be the focus of preventive and control efforts.

ObjectiveTo investigate the toxic effects of monoethylhexyl phthalate （MEHP）， a metabolite of di（2-ethylhexyl） phthalate （DEHP）， on normal hepatocytes AML12 and human hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2， and preliminarily explore its mechanisms. MethodsAML12 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into a control group and a MEHP model group， with the MEHP model group further subdivided into three concentrations （200， 400， and 800 μmol/L）. The expression levels of cell morphology， cell viability， apoptosis， reactive oxygen species （ROS）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， and mRNA of apoptosis-related factors were detected using methods such as RT-qPCR and Western blot， with cellular morphology observed accordingly. ResultsAs MEHP concentration increased， cell viability was significantly inhibited， with a half maximal inhibitory concentration （IC₅₀） of approximately 393 μmol/L. Compared to the control group， the model group exhibited significantly elevated ROS levels （P<0.001）， reduced SOD activity， and a marked increase in MDA expression （P<0.001）. Additionally， the expression of the anti-apoptotic factor bcl-2 decreased， while pro-apoptotic factors （bax， caspase3， etc.） increased （P<0.001）， along with significantly elevated levels of inflammatory factors （IL-1， IL-6， TNF-α）. ConclusionMEHP-induced liver cell damage is associated with apoptosis and oxidative stress， which have important implications for studying the mechanisms of MEHP-mediated liver injury.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the quality of Zhachong-13 pills.METHODS The contents of agarotetrol， costunolide， hypaconitine， dehydrocostus lactone， mesaconitine， aconitine， liquiritigenin， glycyrrhizic acid， ellagic acid， liquiritin， corilagin， and gallic acid in 18 batches of samples were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry （HPLC-MS/MS） method. Cluster analysis （CA） was performed using the Microbioinformatics online analysis platform. Principal component analysis （PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA） were performed using SIMCA 14.1 software. Random forest， extremely randomized trees， and extreme gradient boosting machine learning models were constructed using the SPSSAU online analysis platform. The comprehensive quality of the samples was evaluated by the entropy weight-technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution （TOPSIS） method.RESULTS The contents of the above 12 components were 104.331-694.382， 652.217-1 085.075， 6.051-130.980， 612.174-1 417.179， 1.018-32.239， 0.953-24.967， 65.552-652.239， 2 019.412-5 385.807， 52.867-4 990.450， 156.307-883.180， 10.142-475.722， and 1 102.863-4 826.396 μg/g， respectively. The results of CA and PCA showed that the 18 batches of samples were divided into two categories： S1-S6， S10-S15 were grouped into one category， while S7-S9 and S16-S18 were grouped into another category. The OPLS-DA results showed that the variable importance in projection values of mesaconitine， glycyrrhizic acid， liquiritin， ellagic acid， hypaconitine， liquiritigenin， agarotetrol， gallic acid， and dehydrocostus lactone were greater than 1. The results of the three machine learning models showed that ellagic acid and hypaconitine had relatively large differential contributions. The entropy weight-TOPSIS results showed that the overall quality of samples from manufacturer B was superior to that of the other four manufacturers.CONCLUSIONS The established method is stable and feasible， and can be used to evaluate the quality of Zhachong-13 pills， in combination with multivariate statistical analysis. Ellagic acid and hypaconitine are differential markers that affect its quality.

ObjectiveTo enhance teaching in postoperative cancer rehabilitation, this study developed an integrative Chinese-Western medicine postoperative oncology rehabilitation system, termed the medical oncology generative pre-trained transformer (MedOncoGPT). By introducing MedOncoGPT as an intelligent assistant, an integrated teaching model combining Chinese and Western medicine was established. The study evaluated its impact on students’ integrative clinical reasoning and practical abilities, providing support for instructional reform in related courses. MethodsUsing teaching resources as the knowledge base, MedOncoGPT was built upon the open-source ChatGLM model and incorporated Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) fine-tuning and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) techniques to address postoperative integrative oncology scenarios. The system was applied in courses and clinical clerkships related to integrative oncology. In alignment with course objectives, a five-stage instructional process—pre-class preparation, in-class inquiry, simulated multidisciplinary consultation, clinical reinforcement, and teaching reflection—was designed to guide students in completing syndrome differentiation, comprehensive assessment, and follow-up planning within real or simulated case contexts. Comparative analyses of student engagement, syndrome differentiation thinking, evidence-based awareness, and interdisciplinary integration skills before and after the teaching reform were conducted using questionnaires, course assessments, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. ResultsFollowing the implementation of MedOncoGPT, students demonstrated improved performance in case analysis, prescription formulation, and integrative Chinese-Western medical evaluation compared with those receiving traditional instruction. Classroom participation and the relevance of student inquiries also increased. Self-assessment results indicated high levels of satisfaction with respect to clarity of integrative clinical reasoning, ability to retrieve and apply guideline-based evidence, and awareness of appropriate use of intelligent tools in clinical decision-making. More than 92% of students reported that the system facilitated understanding of abstract theoretical concepts presented in textbooks. Instructors noted that the system helped reduce lesson preparation time, enriched typical case materials and discussion scenarios, and promoted the translation of research findings into classroom teaching. Pilot data showed that, with MedOncoGPT assistance, the mean time for initial syndrome differentiation decreased from 18.4 min to 12.1 min, and the agreement rate increased from 68.3% to 82.5%. In the teaching pilot, the experimental group achieved a higher mean score on the final case analysis assessment than the control group (82.6 vs. 74.3). ConclusionThe integration of MedOncoGPT into teaching on postoperative integrative cancer rehabilitation enabled the establishment of a stable instructional process within existing curricula and enhanced students’ integrative clinical reasoning and evidence-based practice capabilities. The approach demonstrates positive potential for advancing the integration of research, clinical practice, and education and represents a valuable exploratory strategy for instructional reform in courses on integrative Chinese-Western medicine.

ObjectiveTo enhance teaching in postoperative cancer rehabilitation, this study developed an integrative Chinese-Western medicine postoperative oncology rehabilitation system, termed the medical oncology generative pre-trained transformer (MedOncoGPT). By introducing MedOncoGPT as an intelligent assistant, an integrated teaching model combining Chinese and Western medicine was established. The study evaluated its impact on students’ integrative clinical reasoning and practical abilities, providing support for instructional reform in related courses. MethodsUsing teaching resources as the knowledge base, MedOncoGPT was built upon the open-source ChatGLM model and incorporated Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) fine-tuning and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) techniques to address postoperative integrative oncology scenarios. The system was applied in courses and clinical clerkships related to integrative oncology. In alignment with course objectives, a five-stage instructional process—pre-class preparation, in-class inquiry, simulated multidisciplinary consultation, clinical reinforcement, and teaching reflection—was designed to guide students in completing syndrome differentiation, comprehensive assessment, and follow-up planning within real or simulated case contexts. Comparative analyses of student engagement, syndrome differentiation thinking, evidence-based awareness, and interdisciplinary integration skills before and after the teaching reform were conducted using questionnaires, course assessments, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. ResultsFollowing the implementation of MedOncoGPT, students demonstrated improved performance in case analysis, prescription formulation, and integrative Chinese-Western medical evaluation compared with those receiving traditional instruction. Classroom participation and the relevance of student inquiries also increased. Self-assessment results indicated high levels of satisfaction with respect to clarity of integrative clinical reasoning, ability to retrieve and apply guideline-based evidence, and awareness of appropriate use of intelligent tools in clinical decision-making. More than 92% of students reported that the system facilitated understanding of abstract theoretical concepts presented in textbooks. Instructors noted that the system helped reduce lesson preparation time, enriched typical case materials and discussion scenarios, and promoted the translation of research findings into classroom teaching. Pilot data showed that, with MedOncoGPT assistance, the mean time for initial syndrome differentiation decreased from 18.4 min to 12.1 min, and the agreement rate increased from 68.3% to 82.5%. In the teaching pilot, the experimental group achieved a higher mean score on the final case analysis assessment than the control group (82.6 vs. 74.3). ConclusionThe integration of MedOncoGPT into teaching on postoperative integrative cancer rehabilitation enabled the establishment of a stable instructional process within existing curricula and enhanced students’ integrative clinical reasoning and evidence-based practice capabilities. The approach demonstrates positive potential for advancing the integration of research, clinical practice, and education and represents a valuable exploratory strategy for instructional reform in courses on integrative Chinese-Western medicine.

Objectives: Lonely death is defined as “a person living in a state of social isolation, disconnected from family, relatives, and others, who dies from suicide, illness, or other causes”. This study investigated the characteristics of individuals who die alone in Korea. Methods: We constructed a database of lonely death cases by linking data from the Korea Crime Scene Investigation Unit of the Korea National Police Agency with National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) records. A descriptive analysis was performed to evaluate the demographics, underlying diseases, and healthcare utilization patterns among lonely death cases. Results: Among the 3122 individuals identified as lonely death cases, 2621 (84.0%) were male and 501 (16.0%) were female. The most common age group was 50-59 years (n=930, 29.8%). The NHIS covered 2161 individuals (69.2%), whereas 961 individuals (30.8%) were enrolled in Medical Aid (MA). The highest number of lonely deaths occurred in Seoul areas, with 1468 cases (47.0%). Mood disorders were diagnosed in 1020 individuals (32.7%), and various alcohol-related diseases, including alcoholic liver disease, were also observed. Outpatient visits increased leading up to death but declined in the final 3 months, while hospitalizations decreased and emergency room visits slightly increased. Conclusions Most lonely death cases involved male in their 50s, with a disproportionately high number of MA beneficiaries compared to the general population. Many of these individuals also experienced mental health issues or alcohol-related disorders. Preventing social isolation and strengthening social safety nets are critical to reducing the occurrence of lonely deaths.

AIM: To explore the diagnostic value of 18 MHz color Doppler ultrasonography for epiretinal membrane.METHODS: A total of 44 cases(80 eyes)of patients with proposed diagnosis of cataract and vitreous opacity by fundus examination in our hospital between January 2020 and January 2022 were collected, and the affected eyes were examined by optical coherence tomography(OCT)and 18 MHz color Doppler ultrasonography, and the differences in the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were compared between 18 MHz color Doppler ultrasonography and OCT for the diagnosis of epiretinal membrane.RESULTS: In the 80 eyes detected by 18 MHz color Doppler ultrasonography, 62 had epiretinal membrane and 18 had non epiretinal membrane. Totally 54 eyes were confirmed to have epiretinal membrane by OCT, 13 eyes were not diagnosed with epiretinal membrane, 5 eyes were missed diagnosis, and 8 eyes were misdiagnosed. The diagnostic consistency between 18 MHz color Doppler ultrasonography and OCT was high(Kappa=0.892, P<0.05); the 18 MHz color Doppler ultrasonography detection sensitivity of epiretinal membrane was 92%, specificity was 62%, missed diagnosis rate was 8%, misdiagnosis rate was 38%, and accuracy was 84%; compared with OCT detection, 18 MHz color Doppler ultrasonography detected a lower specificity, correct rate, positive prediction accuracy, negative prediction accuracy, and higher misdiagnosis rate(all P<0.05), and the difference in diagnostic sensitivity compared with leakage rate was not statistically significant(all P>0.05).CONCLUSION: 18 MHz color Doppler ultrasonography has some value in identifying epiretinal membrane lesions and is consistent with OCT testing.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between postoperative spinal sagittal parameters and reinforced vertebral recompression fractures in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) who have undergone percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP).Methods:Data on patients with OVCFs treated with PKP at the Department of Orthopaedics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, from August 2020 to August 2024, were collected. Among these, 31 patients who underwent single-segment PKP experienced postoperative reinforced vertebral recompression fractures (recompression fracture group), comprising 8 males and 23 females, with a mean age of 73.74±8.76 years, a body mass index (BMI) of 23.83±1.87 kg/m 2, and a bone mineral density T-value of -2.29±0.55. The remission rate of the visual analogue scale (VAS) after surgery was 80.14%±4.86%, with a mean volume of bone cement used at 5.37±0.69 ml. The surgical segments involved included T 5 (1 case), T 8 (1 case), T 10 (1 case), T 11 (4 cases), T 12 (9 cases), L 1 (7 cases), L 2 (4 cases), L 3 (2 cases), and L 4 (2 cases). Following a 1∶1 matching principle, 31 patients whose vertebrae did not experience reinforced recompression fractures during the same period (non-recompression fracture group) were included. This group also comprised 8 males and 23 females, with a mean age of 74.88±8.31 years, a BMI of 23.15±2.04 kg/m 2, a bone mineral density T-value of -2.76±0.64, and a VAS remission rate of 79.75%±5.01%. The mean volume of bone cement used in this group was 5.41±0.72 ml. The surgical segments involved included T 8 (1 case), T 10 (1 case), T 11 (4 cases), T 12 (8 cases), L 1 (7 cases), L 2 (5 cases), L 3 (2 cases), L 4 (2 cases), and L 5 (1 case). There were no statistically significant differences in the aforementioned indicators between the two patient groups ( P>0.05). A comparison of the postoperative spinal sagittal parameters between the two groups was conducted, focusing on the local kyphosis angle (LKA), lumbar lordosis (LL), thoracic kyphosis (TK), pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), and the lumbar-pelvic matching value (PI-LL). Indicators that exhibited statistically significant differences were included in the binary logistic regression analysis to evaluate the impact of spinal sagittal parameters following PKP on the recompression of the reinforced vertebral. Results:The time to reinforced vertebral recompression fractures after PKP ranged from 35 to 184 d, with a median of 69 d. The TK in the recompression fracture group (46.56°±7.02°) was significantly greater than that in the non-recompression fracture group (41.95°±5.76°). Additionally, the LKA, PI and SS were all smaller in the recompression fracture group (9.84°±2.13°, 41.36°±4.27°, 22.69°±5.53°, respectively) compared to the non-recompression fracture group (12.37°±2.64°, 48.09°±6.33°, 28.41°±7.64°), with all differences being statistically significant ( P<0.05). However, no significant differences were observed between the LL, PT, and PI-LL values ( P>0.05). TK, LKA, PI, and SS were included in the binary logistic regression analysis, which indicated that TK [ OR=1.533, 95% CI(1.47, 1.59)] after PKP was positively correlated with the occurrence of reinforced vertebral recompression fractures. Conversely, LKA [ OR=0.882, 95% CI(0.80, 0.96)], PI [ OR=0.815, 95% CI(0.71, 0.91)], and SS [ OR=0.833, 95% CI(0.73, 0.93)] were negatively correlated. Conclusions:The incidence of reinforced vertebral recompression fractures following PKP is associated with spinal sagittal parameters, including TK, LKA, PI, and SS. Specifically, a larger TK and smaller values of LKA, PI, and SS are correlated with an elevated risk of reinforced vertebral recompression fractures.