Animal experimentation constitutes a critical link between basic research and clinical application, making its research quality and translational efficiency paramount. Although considerable progress has been made in standardizing operational procedures and ethical guidelines, the standardization of outcome evaluation systems has significantly lagged, creating a key bottleneck that constrains the quality of biomedical research and evidence synthesis. This deficiency is manifested by pronounced heterogeneity in outcome selection across similar studies, incomplete methodological reporting, and disparate criteria for result interpretation, which severely impairs the comparability of findings and the evidence integration. To cope with this challenge, this paper systematically introduces a mature methodological tool from clinical research–the core outcome set (COS)–and explores its construction strategies and application potential in the field of animal experimentation. Given the extensive diversity of animal experiments, a pragmatic strategy of "focusing on key areas, implementing phased pilots, and promoting gradual expansion" should be adopted. This approach prioritizes the development of domain-specific COS for disease areas characterized by high research volume, urgent translational needs, and well-established animal models. A multi-source integration pathway for COS development is detailed, comprising systematic literature searches, methodological appraisals, and expert consensus, with the feasibility of leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance efficiency also being examined. The development and promotion of such COS are not intended to restrict scientific exploration; rather, they aim to establish a new, tiered evaluation paradigm consisting of "core outcomes" (mandatory), "recommended outcomes" (encouraged), and "exploratory outcomes" (optional). This framework is expected not only to enhance research quality through standardization and to adhere to the "3R" principles but also to accelerate the accumulation of high-quality evidence. This, in turn, provides a solid foundation for higher-level evidence synthesis, ultimately facilitating the effective translation of basic research findings into clinical practice and providing an essential methodological framework for scientific advancement in relevant disciplines.

Objective: To explore the changes in ribosomal DNA copy number in peripheral blood among patients with pneumoconiosis and its influencing factors, so as to provide insights into prevention and treatment of pneumoconiosis. Methods: Eighty-eight patients with pneumoconiosis who visited a designated hospital and 71 community residents with no history of pneumoconiosis or dust exposure were selected as the pneumoconiosis group and control group, and age, smoking history, drinking history and cumulative years of exposure to dust were collected through questionnaire surveys. The copy number of 45S rDNA and 5S rDNA was detected using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, and the differences between the two groups were compared. Factors affecting the copy number of 45S rDNA and 5S rDNA were identified by a multiple linear regression model. Results: The pneumoconiosis group had a median age of 56.00 (interquartile range, 15.25) and a mean cumulative dust exposure duration of (12.40±8.08) years, with 56.82% smoking and 62.50% drinking. The control group had a median age of 64.00 (interquartile range, 37.00) years, with 32.39% smoking and 26.76% drinking. The median copy number of 45S rDNA in the pneumoconiosis group was 1.29 (interquartile range, 0.59), which was lower than 2.10 (interquartile range, 1.88) in the control group; the median copy number of 5S rDNA in the pneumoconiosis group was 5.33 (interquartile range, 0.85), which was higher than 4.66 (1.34) in the control group (both P<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis identified age (β=-0.034) and pneumoconiosis (β=-1.595) as factors affecting 45S rDNA copy number, age (β=-0.013) as a factor affecting 5S rDNA copy number, and age (β=0.018) as a factor affecting 5S rDNA copy number in the pneumoconiosis group (all P<0.05). Conclusions Compared with community residents with no history of pneumoconiosis or dust exposure, the copy number of 45S rDNA in peripheral blood among patients with pneumoconiosis is reduced and the copy number of 5S rDNA is increased.

Objective To evaluate early outcomes of transthoracic pulmonary valve implantation for the treatment of moderate and severe pulmonary regurgitation by using homemade self-expanding valve (SalusTM). Methods Patients with severe pulmonary regurgitation who underwent transthoracic pulmonary valve implantation in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital from September 2, 2021 to November 25, 2022 were prospectively enrolled. The early postoperative complications and improvement of valve and heart function were summarized and analyzed. Results A total of 25 patients were enrolled, including 16 males and 9 females, with an average age of 24.5±1.5 years and an average weight of 57.0±3.0 kg. The mean systolic diameters of the bifurcation near the main pulmonary artery, the stenosis of the middle segment of the aorta and near the valve of the right ventricular outflow tract of the patients were 31.8±7.4 mm, 30.6±5.9 mm and 38.4±8.0 mm, respectively. All patients were successfully implanted with valves, and there were no serious complications such as death, coronary compression, stent fracture, valve displacement and infective endocarditis in the early postoperative period. The indexed left atrial longitudinal diameter, indexed right atrial longitudinal diameter, and indexed right ventricular outflow tract anteroposterior diameter decreased significantly after the operation. The degree of tricuspid and pulmonary valve regurgitation and the indexed regurgitation area decreased significantly. The above differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion The early outcomes of transthoracic pulmonary valve implantation with homemade self-expanding pulmonary valve (SalusTM) in the treatment of severe pulmonary regurgitation is relatively good, and the long-term outcomes need to be verified by the long-term follow-up studies with large samples.

Intervertebral disc degeneration(IDD) is the pathological basis of spinal diseases. With the development and change of working and living style, IDD gradually presents the trend of younger in recent years. The effective prevention and treatment of IDD has become a hotspot in clinical research. Recent studies have shown that oxidative stress plays an important role in IDD. The disruption of reactive oxygen species balance in cells or the body leads to changes in extracellular matrix and intervertebral disc cell phenotype, which induces oxidative stress of intervertebral disc and leads to IDD. Oxidative stress can affect the development of IDD through apoptosis, autophagy, senescence and extracellular matrix of intervertebral disc. Currently, opioids and drugs for promoting blood circulation and pain relief are commonly used in clinical treatment of IDD, which can alleviate some symptoms to a certain extent, but is easy to induce gastrointestinal and other adverse reactions. Meanwhile, due to the long treatment cycle and poor patient compliance to a certain extent, which brings great difficulties to the treatment. At the same time, traditional Chinese medicine plays an important role in the treatment of IDD due to its advantages of low cost and fewer adverse reactions. With the in-depth research of modern technologies such as molecular biology and network pharmacology, it has been found that traditional Chinese medicine can intervene in the expression of oxidative stress-related functions, namely, slowing down apoptosis, autophagy and degradation of extracellular matrix, etc, to play a role in the treatment of IDD. In this paper, the role of oxidative stress in IDD and the research results on the intervention of traditional Chinese medicine in oxidative stress will be expounded, in order to provide reference for the prevention and treatment of IDD by traditional Chinese medicine.

Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) of the lower extremities is a common clinical condition characterized by exercise-induced pain in the extremities, which is predominantly observed in people who take an active part in sports, such as athletes. It is mainly presented as post-exercise pain in the lower extremities, probably accompanied by numbness and limb weakness, etc., affecting the patients′ life and work. The symptoms of CECS in the lower limbs are usually present after physical activities of a certain intensity, making them difficult to be identified through routine outpatient physical examination, and likely to be misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed. Furthermore, the absence of universally accepted and unified treatment standards for CECS of the lower extremities complicates the decision-making process regarding the necessity of surgical intervention and choice of surgical approach in the clinical practice. For this purpose, recent developments in the diagnosis and treatment of CECS of the lower extremities were reviewed to provide reference for its standardized diagnosis and treatment.

OBJECTIVE To explore the role of Yes-associated protein(YAP)in epidermal stem cell(EPSC)differentiation after ionizing radiation(IR).METHODS ① A punch was used to induce skin injuries on the back of mice.The IR group received localized irradiation with 60 Co γ-rays,while the normal control group did not.Samples were collected at 0,1,3,6,9,and 12 d for RNA and protein extraction.Western blotting was used to detect changes in YAP protein expressions during wound healing.Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)was performed to assess the mRNA levels of Yap and its downstream target genes,connective tissue growth factor(Ctgf),and cysteine-rich protein 61(Cyr61).② EPSCs were exposed to 60 Co γ at a dose of 4 or 8 Gy,while the control group was not irradiated.Cells were collected to detect the levels of YAP protein via Western blotting.Cells were collected at 4,12,24,and 36 h post-IR to assess the levels of YAP mRNA by RT-qPCR.③ Short hairpin RNA(shRNA)was used to establish stable YAP knockdown cell lines,and the knockdown efficiency of sh YAP was verified by Western blotting.RT-qPCR was then performed to detect the impact of YAP knockdown on mRNA levels of K1 and K10 after IR.RESULTS① Compared with the control group,the YAP protein level in the IR group during wound healing was significantly reduced(P<0.05,P<0.01),so were the mRNA levels of Yap and its downstream target genes Ctgf and Cyr61(P<0.05,P<0.01).② Compared to the cell control group,the mRNA and protein levels of YAP in the IR group cells were significantly reduced(P<0.01).③ In the sh YAP cells,the YAP protein level was significantly reduced(P<0.01).Furthermore,the mRNA levels of K1 and K10 were significantly decreased after IR in sh YAP cells(P<0.01).CONCLUSION YAP can regulate EPSC differentiation in wound healing after IR.

Objective To explore the correlation between the variability of blood potassium level and risk of renal insufficiency(RI)in elderly heart failure(HF)patients with chronic systolic dys-function.Methods A total of 157 consecutive elderly patients with chronic HF admitted in De-partment of Cardiovascular Medicine of Wuhu First People's Hospital from January 2020 to No-vember 2022 were included,and according to whether RI occurred or not,they were divided into the RI group(36 cases)and the non-RI group(121 cases).Their general data and blood potassium variability was collected and recorded,and all of them were followed up for 6 months.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied for the correlation between blood potassium variability and RI in the elderly patients with chronic HF.Results The range of change,maximum fluctuation rate and coefficient of variation for blood potassium were significantly higher in the RI group than the non-RI group(P＜0.01).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that length of hospi-tal stay(OR=1.174,95％CI:1.067-1.292,P=0.001),age(OR=1.939,95％CI:1.309-2.872,P=0.001),albumin level(OR=0.866,95％CI:0.751-0.997,P=0.046),and range of change(OR=1.774,95％CI:1.519-2.071,P=0.016),maximum fluctuation rate(OR=1.631,95％CI:1.265-2.167,P=0.001)and coefficient of variation of blood potassium(OR=1.670,95％CI:1.212-2.230,P=0.002)were independent influencing factor for RI in the patients.Logistic re-gression analysis indicated that the range of serum potassium change≥0.80,the maximum fluctu-ation rate ≥0.40,and the coefficient of variation of serum potassium ≥8.20 were closely correla-ted with RI in elderly patients with chronic HF(P＜0.01).Conclusion High variability of blood potassium level is a risk factor for RI in elderly patients with chronic HF.

Objective To isolate and culture neural crest cells(NCCs)from lung tissue of mice and to identify the characteristics of the cells in order to provide a new cell model for studying lung injury and injure repair.Methods The mT/mG dual-fluorescence reporter mice and Wnt1-Cre transgenic mice were hybridized,and mT/mG;Wnt1-Cre transgenic mice were screened to obtain enhanced green fluorescent protein(EGFP)permanently labeled NCCs.Cell suspension of mouse lung tissue was prepared by enzymolysis.EGFP+cells(namely NCCs)were har-vested by flow cytometry.Primary culture was performed with DMEM/F12 culture medium optimized in the labora-tory,NCCs was characterized by immunofluorescence microscopy.Then NCCs differentiation was directed by mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells osteogenic induction.Results The mT/mG of EGFP permanently labeled NCCs was successfully obtained by hybridization and high-purity NCCs were isolated from Wnt1-Cre transgenic mice lung tissue.They can be cultured in vitro and with spindle morphology which was,similar to fibroblast adherent proliferation.NCCs expressed the neural crest stem cell marker Sox10 and induced to differentiate into osteoblasts.Conclusions NCCs isolated and cultured from lung tissue of mT/mG;Wnt1-Cre transgenic mice show stable prolif-eration and have the characteristics of neural crest stem cells,which may function as a potential cell model for re-search on lung tissue injury and the mechanism of repair.

Objective    To summarize the early outcomes of totally thoracoscopic minimally invasive aortic valve replacement (AVR) and double valve replacement (DVR). Methods    The clinical data of patients who underwent totally thoracoscopic minimally invasive AVR or DVR in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital from April 2020 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into an AVR group and a DVR group according to the surgical method, and the clinical data of the two groups were compared. Results    Finally 22 patients were enrolled, including 14 males and 8 females with an average age of 50.0±11.2 years at operation. Eight patients were degenerative disease, 8 were rheumatic heart disease combined with valvular disease, and 6 were bicuspid aortic valve. Out of the 22 patients, 16 underwent AVR alone, and 6 underwent DVR. All patients completed the operation successfully, and there was no death. Perivalvular leakage during surgery occurred in 2 patients. The average cardiopulmonary bypass time was 187.0±39.9 minutes, and aortic cross-clamping time was 117.0 (99.0, 158.0) minutes. Duration of mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit stay was 9.5 (4.8, 18.3) hours and 41.0 (34.0, 64.0) hours, respectively. The volume of chest drainage at the first 24 hours after surgery was 214.0±124.6 mL, and the postoperative hospital stay was 5.5 (4.0, 8.3) days. The cardiopulmonary bypass time and aortic cross-clamping time in the DVR group were longer than those in the AVR group, and the volume of chest drainage at 24 hours after surgery was more than that in the AVR group, with a statistical difference (P<0.05). Echocardiography before hospital discharge showed paravalvular leakage in 1 patient. There was no death during follow-up of 5.9±3.0 months. Conclusion    The early outcome of totally thoracoscopic minimally invasive AVR and DVR is satisfactory, and the approach of surgery is worth exploring.

Objective:To evaluate the calf muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and fat fraction (FF) in amateur marathon runners based on T 2WI-Flex fat-suppression sequence and iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetrical and least-squares estimation quantitation sequence (IDEAL-IQ) technique, and to explore the correlation between them and age, body mass index (BMI), running age, speed exercise, and monthly exercise. Methods:From September to November 2022, 37 amateur marathon group (marathon group) and 12 healthy volunteers (control group) who did not often exercise were recruited in Shijiazhuang. T 2WI-Flex fat-suppression sequence and IDEAL-IQ sequence were performed on all subjects. The anterior group of the right calf (tibialis anterior, extensor hallucis longus, extensor digital longus), external group of the calf (peroneus longus, peroneus brevis), soleus, medial head and lateral head of the gastrocnemius were delineated along the edge of the muscle contour as regions of interest, and the CSA and FF values of the muscles were obtained. Twelve subjects matched with the clinical data of the control group were selected from the marathon group (marathon matched group), and the differences in CSA and FF were compared by independent sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test. Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between CSA and FF values of the right calf and running-related indicators including age, BMI, running age, speed exercise, and monthly exercise in 37 amateur marathon runners. Results:The CSA of the right calf soleus muscle in the marathon matched matched group was larger than that in the control group ( t=-2.09, P=0.048). There was no significant difference in CSA of other calf muscles between the two groups ( P>0.05). The FF values of the right calf anterior group, the outer group, the soleus muscle, the medial head and the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle in the marathon matched group were lower than those in the control group ( P<0.05). The BMI of 37 amateur marathon runners was positively correlated with the CSA and FF values of the anterior group, the outer group, the soleus, the medial head and the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle (CSA: r=0.628, 0.468, 0.680, 0.566, 0.615, respectively, all P<0.05; FF value: r=0.395, 0.567, 0.631, 0.482, 0.516, respectively, all P<0.05). The FF values of the anterior group, the outer group, the soleus, the medial head and the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle were negatively correlated with monthly exercise ( r=-0.337, -0.405, -0.437, -0.338, -0.446, respectively, all P<0.05). Conclusions:Long-term running training can reduce the FF value of each calf muscle group, and the FF value of calf muscles is negatively correlated with the amount of running each month. Long-term running training has the greatest effect on the CSA of soleus muscle.