OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism by which the traditional Chinese medicine formula Xibining Ⅱ modulates cold-stimulus pain sensitivity in rats with cold-damp obstruction-type knee osteoarthritis （KOA） based on the SET domain bifurcated histone lysine methyltransferase 2 （SETDB2）/histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation （H3K9me3） signaling axis. METHODS Fifty SD rats were randomly divided into control group （intragastric administration and intrathecal injection of equal volumes of normal saline）， model group （intragastric administration and intrathecal injection of equal volumes of normal saline）， Xibining Ⅱ low- and high-dose groups （4， 8 g/kg Xibining Ⅱ， intragastric administration）， and high-dose of Xibining Ⅱ+small interfering RNA （siRNA） group （8 g/kg of Xibining Ⅱ via intragastric administration and intrathecal injection of SETDB2 siRNA at 0.2 mmol/L， 20 μL per rat）， with 10 rats in each group. Except for the control group， cold-damp obstruction-type KOA model was induced in other groups. Drug administration commenced 14 days post-modeling and continued for 28 days. Following the final administration， the following were assessed： behavioral changes in cold-stimulation pain sensitivity， histopathological changes in the articular cartilage of the knee joint， the contents of inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）] and pain mediators [calcitonin gene-related peptide （CGRP）， nerve growth factor （NGF）]， as well as the expressions of SETDB2/H3K9me3 signaling axis，inflammatory factors and pain mediators related proteins and mRNAs in dorsal root ganglion （DRG） tissue. RESULTS After 28 days of drug administration， compared with the model group， Xibining Ⅱ low- and high-dose groups exhibited significantly prolonged cold-stimulus paw withdrawal latency （P＜0.05）； the number of positive responses in the acetone low-temperature test was significantly reduced （P＜0.05）； Mankin score and the Osteoarthritis Research Society International score for knee joint tissue， as well as the levels of inflammatory factors and pain mediators in the serum and their expression in DRG tissue were all significantly decreased （P＜0.05）； the protein expressions of SETDB2 and H3K9me3 in DRG tissue were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Intrathecal injection of SETDB2 siRNA reversed the above effects of high-dose of Xibining Ⅱ （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Xibining Ⅱ may alleviate inflammatory and pain responses by activating the SETDB2/H3K9me3 signaling axis， ultimately improving cold-stimulus pain sensitivity in rats with cold-damp obstruction-type KOA.

Chronic heart failure （CHF） is a major global public health problem， and myocardial infarction is one of its main causes. The mouse model of heart failure induced by coronary artery ligation is widely used in the study of CHF， while the TCM syndrome attributes of this model have not yet been clarified. According to the theory of correspondence between prescriptions and syndromes， the method of syndrome identification by prescription efficacy is an important means of current syndrome research of animal models. This method deduces the syndrome characteristics of animal models through prescription efficacy. Taking the four basic syndrome elements of Qi， blood， Yin and Yang as the classification reference， this study used coronary artery ligation to construct a mouse model of CHF and treated the model with four representative TCM injections with the effects of replenishing Qi， warming Yang， nourishing Yin， and activating blood and enalapril. Echocardiography， tongue color parameters， histopathology， serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） and cardiac troponin Ⅰ （cTnⅠ） levels， and systematically explored the TCM syndrome attributes of this model. The results showed that the coronary ligation model presented an obvious cardiac function decline， myocardial fibrosis， infarct size expansion， and purple dark tongue， which were consistent with the basic syndrome characteristics of blood stasis in CHF. Danhong injection had significant effects of improving the cardiac function， alleviating myocardial fibrosis， and reducing serum NT-proBNP and cTnⅠ levels. Huangqi Injection and Shenfu injection can improve the cardiac function and tongue color parameters， with limited effects. The effect of Shenmai injection group was not obvious. This study verifies that the established model conforms to blood stasis syndrome through the method of syndrome identification by prescription efficacy， which provides an experimental basis for the study of TCM syndrome mechanism of CHF.

Objective: To explore the association between takeout fast foods and sugar sweetened beverage consumption with co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among first year junior high school students in Yunnan Province, so as to provide theoretical basis for the prevention of anxiety and depressive symptoms co-occurrence among adolescents. Methods: A random cluster sampling involving 8 500 first year junior high school students in 11 counties in Yunnan Province was conducted by a questionnaire survey from October to December 2022. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) was applied to assess anxiety and depressive symptoms in first year junior high school students. Chi-square test was used to compare the anxiety-depression co-occurrence symptoms of first year junior high school students with different demographic characteristics. The association between takeout fast foods and sugar sweetened beverage consumption with co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive symptoms of adolescents was analyzed by binary Logistic regression models. Results: The detection rate of co-occurrence of anxiety and depression symptoms among first year junior high school students in Yunnan Province was 26.92%. After controlling for demographic variables and other confounders, takeout fast foods and sugar sweetened beverage consumption( OR=1.50, 95%CI =1.27-1.77) was associated with anxiety-depression co-occurrence symptoms among first year junior high school students in Yunnan Province ( P <0.01). Stratified analysis showed that both Han ( OR=1.37, 95%CI =1.07-1.77) and ethnic minorities ( OR=1.60, 95%CI =1.29-2.00) exhibited statistically significant associations between takeout fast foods and sugar sweetened beverage consumption with co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive symptoms(both P <0.05). Conclusions Takeout fast foods and sugar sweetened beverage consumption increases the risk of co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among first year junior high school students in Yunnan Province. It is recommended to strengthen guidance on the consumption of such products among junior high school students to prevent co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Objective To investigate whether there exist differences in the improvement of left ventricular diastolic function between angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor(ARNI)and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor(ACEI)/angiotensin receptor blocker(ARB)in patients with hypertensive heart disease(HHD).Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted on the HHD patients admitted in Department of Cardiovascular Diseases of our hospital from January 2021 to December 2024.The general information,echocardiographic parameters before and after treatment,and results of routine tests were collected.Finally,517 HHD patients were subjected,including 117 receiving ARNI treatment(ARNI group)and 400 getting ACEI/ARB treatment(ACEI/ARB group).A 1∶1 propensity score matching(PSM)was performed with a caliper value of 0.02,resulting in 89 matched cases for each group.Electrocardiography was performed to assess left ventricular diastolic dysfunction(LVDD),with various parameters,including left atrial volume index,early diastolic peak velocity at the interventricular septal portion of mitral annulus(septal e'),early diastolic peak velocity at the lateral wall portion of mitral annulus(lateral e'),tricuspid regurgitation velocity,and E/e'.These parameters were followed up and reassessed during the treatment period.Kaplan-Meier survival curve was plotted to compare the incidence of LVDD between the 2 groups.Multivariable logistic regression model was employed to identify the risk factors contributing to LVDD.Results The median follow-up time was 412(309,736)d in the whole cohort,and was 409(300,729)d for the patients after PSM.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that the incidence of LVDD was lower in the ARNI group than the ACEI/ARB group both before and after PSM(P<0.05).After treatment,the ARNI group obtained lower lateral e'[8.00(7.00,9.40)vs 9.00(7.10,10.30)cm/s,P<0.001],thinner left ventricular posterior wall thickness[12.20(10.80,12.80)vs 12.30(11.20,12.90)mm,P<0.048]when compared with the ACEI/ARB group.After adjusting for confounding factors,multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that advanced age(OR=1.082,P<0.001),increased systolic blood pressure(OR=1.009,P=0.005),thicker left ventricular posterior wall thickness(OR=1.462,P<0.001),left atrial enlargement(OR=1.081,P<0.001),and use of calcium channel blocker(OR=1.548,P=0.006)were independent risk factors for LVDD,and positively correlated with the risk of LVDD.While,male(OR=0.709,P=0.043)and BMI(OR=0.933,P=0.006)were protective factors,which were negatively correlated with LVDD risk.Conclusion In HHD patients,ARNI is superior to ACEI/ARB in reducing the incidence of LVDD.

Objective To investigate the effects of exposure to various concentrations of cigar smoke on gut microbiota in mice.Methods A total of 40 C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control group,the low-dose cigar exposure group,the medium-dose group and the high-dose group,with 10 mice in each group.After 4 weeks of feeding,fecal samples were collected for gene sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA and analysis of differences in gut microbiota.Results Compared to the control group,gut microbiota richness was signifi-cantly reduced in the cigar-exposed groups(P<0.05).Compared with thecontrol group,the Shannon index of mice in the high-dose group was significantly increased(P<0.05).In multi-group comparisons,ten bacterial genera with high abundance-such as Akkermansia,Allobaculum,and Alloprevotella-were identified.Pairwise comparison results indicated that compared to the control group,abundances of Akkermansia,Candidatus_Sac-charimonas,and Lactobacillus decreased while those of Allobaculum,Alloprevotella,Muribaculaceae,and Pre-votellaceae_UCG001 increased(P<0.05).Alistipes and Faecalibaculum showed significant increases in low-dose and medium-dose groups respectively,Blautia and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136 group exhibited notable in-creases in the high-dose group(P<0.05).Linear discriminant analysis effect size revealed that six phyla and forty-four species displayed significant differences across all groups at both phylum and species levels,distinct dose-specific were observed among different cigar exposure groups.Conclusion Cigar smoke exposure and different exposure concentrations can both cause changes in the gut microbiota.The effects of different con-centrations of cigars on the gut microbiota of mice are specific.

Objective To observe the therapeutic effect and mechanism of allicin on uremic-induced myocardial injury in rats.Methods Twenty-four rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group,model group,and low-,and high-dose allicin groups,with six rats in each group.Except for the sham-operated group,the uremic-induced myocardial injury model was constructed using the 5/6 nephrectomy method in all other groups of rats.After successful modeling,corresponding interventions were carried outed.At the end of the intervention,the renal function of rats was observed,the cardiac mass index was calculated,the levels of serum high-sensitive cardiac troponinⅠ(hs-cTnI)and creatine kinase isoenzyme(CK-MB)were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),the pathological changes of rat cardiac tissues were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining,the changes of autophagosomes and autolysosomes were observed by transmission electron microscopy,and the protein expressions of PTEN-induced putative kinase 1(PINK1)and E3 ubiquitin protein ligase(Parkin)in myocardial tissues were detected by Western Blot.Results Compared with the sham-operated group,the serum creatinine(SCr),blood urine nitrogen(BUN),cardiac mass index,CK-MB and hs-cTnI in rats in the model group were elevated(P<0.05),the pathological damage of cardiac tissues were obvious,and the autophagosomes and autolysosomes were decreased,and PINK1 and Parkin protein expressions in myocardial tissues were decreased(P<0.05);compared with the model group,SCr,BUN,cardiac mass index,CK-MB and hs-cTnI in allicin low-and hogh-dose groups were decreased,the changes of pathological damage of cardiac tissues were relieved,the autophagosomes and autolysosomes were increased,and PINK1 and Parkin protein expressions in myocardial tissues were increased(P<0.05).Conclusion Allicin can reduce myocardial injury in uremic rats,and its mechanism may be related to the up-regulation of PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitochondrial autophagy.

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of simultaneous surgical resection combined with thermal ablation in sequential treatment of patients with multiple primary lung cancer (MPLC). Methods Patients with MPLC who underwent simultaneous, sequential surgical resection combined with thermal ablation at Shangjin Branch of West China Hospital of Sichuan University from April 2023 to May 2024 were retrospectively included, and their perioperative and follow-up data were analyzed. Results A total of 23 patients with MPLC were enrolled, including 4 males and 19 females, with a mean age of (51.61±12.38) years. Cumulatively, 48 lesions were resected and 23 lesions were ablated. About half of the patients (52.17%) had surgery and ablation treatment located in the same lung. All patients completed the combined treatment without intraoperative complications. Four patients had postoperative complications, and were effectively managed and successfully discharged. The median postoperative hospital stay was 4.00 (4.00, 4.00) days. The average follow-up duration was (11.78±4.90) months, with a local control rate of 100.00% at 6 months postoperatively. No deaths or tumor occurred during the follow-up. Conclusion Simultaneous surgery with thermal ablation in sequential treatment for MPLC is safe, flexible and effective, providing a new option for this group of patients, but further studies are needed to evaluate its long-term efficacy.

Objective To evaluate the application of the Huaxi Intelligent Endoscopic Skill Training and Assessment System in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) skills training and provide insights for optimizing MIS training models, we analyzed trainee performance during training and assessment. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the use of this system across 28 medical institutions from January 2022 to January 2025. Results By January 2025, the standardized deployment of 139 simulation units had been completed. A total of 403 trainees from various surgical specialties, including thoracic surgery and general surgery, participated in five customized endoscopic skill training modules: endoscopic recognition, grasping training, positioning and placement, cutting training, and suturing training. Throughout the training period, a total of 78 participants took part in 27 formal assessments. Correlation analysis based on Spearman showed that pre-assessment training pass rates were significantly correlated with final assessment scores, indicating enhancing the quality of each training module and overall training efficacy is a key to improving the effectiveness of MIS training. Conclusion The Huaxi Intelligent Endoscopic Skill Training and Assessment System effectively supports MIS training and evaluation.

Background/Aims: Transmembrane 4 L six family member 1 (TM4SF1) is highly expressed and contributes to the progression of various malignancies. However, how it modulates hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and senescence remains to be elucidated. Methods: TM4SF1 expression in HCC samples was evaluated using immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. Cellular senescence was assessed through SA-β-gal activity assays and Western blot analysis. TM4SF1-related protein interactions were investigated using immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry, co-immunoprecipitation, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, and immunofluorescence. Tumor-infiltrating immune cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. The HCC mouse model was established via hydrodynamic tail vein injection. Results: TM4SF1 was highly expressed in human HCC samples and murine models. Knockdown of TM4SF1 suppressed HCC proliferation both in vitro and in vivo, inducing non-secretory senescence through upregulation of p16 and p21. TM4SF1 enhanced the interaction between AKT1 and PDPK1, thereby promoting AKT phosphorylation, which subsequently downregulated p16 and p21. Meanwhile, TM4SF1-mediated AKT phosphorylation enhanced PD-L1 expression while reducing major histocompatibility complex class I level on tumor cells, leading to impaired cytotoxic function of CD8+ T cells and an increased proportion of exhausted CD8+ T cells. In clinical HCC samples, elevated TM4SF1 expression was associated with resistance to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. Targeting TM4SF1 via adeno-associated virus induced tumor senescence, reduced tumor burden and synergistically enhanced the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy. Conclusions Our results revealed that TM4SF1 regulated tumor cell senescence and immune evasion through the AKT pathway, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target in HCC, particularly in combination with first-line immunotherapy.

Myocardial injury is the leading cause of death in uremic patients.PINK 1/Parkin-mediated mitochondrial autophagy is involved in the progression of myocardial injury.In recent years,pathogenic turbidity has been gradually accepted as a representative of a new type of toxic pathogens by the researchers of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).This paper sorts out literature about pathogenic turbidity,analyzes the etiological and pathogenic characteristics of pathogenic turbidity,and suggests that the pathogenesis of uremia-induced myocardial injury can be more comprehensively clarified from the perspective of healthy-qi deficiency resulting in latent pathogenic turbidity.In the patients with uremia,the down-regulation of PINK1/Parkin causes the weakening of mitochondrial autophagy,which leads to the elevation of levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS)and inflammatory factors,and eventually causes the injury of myocardial cell.The above pathogenic mechanism is similar to the process of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in which the deficiency of the healthy-qi(in particular kidney deficiency)results in the production of the pathogenic turbidity(showing as dampness,blood stasis,phlegm,toxin and so on)and then causes the pathogenic turbidity hide in vessels and collaterals and gradually injure the heart vessels,and eventually results in the deficiency of heart vessels.The mitochondrial autophagy mechanism mediated by the PINK1/Parkin pathway is suitalbe for explaining the TCM pathogenesis of uremia-induced myocardial injury,characterized by healthy-qi deficiency resulting in latent pathogenic turbidity,and also is suitable for interpretating the principle of supporting healthy-qi to eliminate pathogenic turbidity for treating uremia-induced myocardial injury.Under the guidance of the theory of health y-qi deficiency and turbid pathogens in TCM,the development of specific PINK 1/Parkin agonists may expand the approach for the treatment of uremia-induced myocardial injury.