Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and osteoporosis (OP) are two very common metabolic diseases. A growing body of experimental evidence supports a pathophysiological link between MAFLD and OP. MAFLD is often associated with the development of OP. Rutaecarpine (RUT) is one of the main active components of Chinese medicine Euodiae Fructus. Our previous studies have demonstrated that RUT has lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic effects, and can improve the OP of rats. However, whether RUT can improve both fatty liver and OP symptoms of MAFLD mice at the same time remains to be investigated. In this study, we used C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 months to construct a MAFLD model, and gave the mice a low dose (5 mg·kg^-1) and a high dose (15 mg·kg^-1) of RUT by gavage for 4 weeks. The effects of RUT on liver steatosis and bone metabolism were then evaluated at the end of the experiment [this experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (approval number: IMB-20190124D₃03)]. The results showed that RUT treatment significantly reduced hepatic steatosis and lipid accumulation, and significantly reduced bone loss and promoted bone formation. In summary, this study shows that RUT has an effect of improving fatty liver and OP in MAFLD mice.

BACKGROUND:Traditional surgery for lumbar disc herniation involves extensive excision of tissue surrounding the nerve for decompression and removal of protruding lumbar intervertebral discs,which poses various risks and complications such as nerve damage causing paralysis,lumbar instability,herniation recurrence,intervertebral space infection,and adjacent vertebral diseases. OBJECTIVE:To propose the symmetrically adduction of lumbar decompression induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous technique for lumbar spine symmetrically decompression,showing the induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous phenomenon and early clinical efficacy,and then analyze its decompression mechanism. METHODS:214 patients with lumbar disc herniation at Department of Orthopedics,First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March 2021 to May 2023 were enrolled in this study.Among them,81 patients received conservative treatment as the control group,and 133 patients received symmetrically adduction of lumbar decompression induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous treatment as the trial group.Before surgery,immediately after surgery(7-14 days),and early after surgery(over 1 year),MRI images were used to measure the volume changes of lumbar disc herniation.CT images were used to measure the posterior displacement distance of the lumbar spinous process ligament complex,as well as the width and height of the lateral recess.Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores were used to evaluate the patient's neurological function recovery. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Control group:81 patients with lumbar disc herniation were treated conservatively,with a total of 171 herniated lumbar discs.The average follow-up time was(22.7±23.1)months.The first and second MRI measurements of 171 herniated lumbar discs showed herniated lumbar disc volumes of(551.6±257.9)mm3 and(792.2±330.4)mm3,respectively,with an average volume increase rate of(53.2±44.4)%,showing statistically significant differences(P<0.001).Out of 171 herniated lumbar discs,4 experienced natural shrinkage,with an absorption ratio of 2.3%(4/171)and an absorption rate of(24.5±9.9)%.(2)Trial group:133 patients with lumbar disc herniation had a total of 285 herniated lumbar discs.(1)Immediately after surgery:All patients were followed up immediately after surgery.229 out of 285 herniated lumbar discs experienced retraction,with an absorption ratio of 80.3%(229/285)and an average absorption rate of(21.5±20.9)%,with significant and complete absorption accounting for 6.5%.There were a total of 70 herniated lumbar discs in the upper lumbar spine,with an absorption ratio of 85.7%(60/70),an average absorption rate of(23.1±19.5)%,and a maximum absorption rate of 86.6%.There were 215 herniated lumbar discs in the lower lumbar spine,with an absorption ratio of 78.6%(169/215),an average absorption rate of(21.0±21.3)%,and a maximum absorption rate of 83.2%.Significant and complete absorption of the upper and lower lumbar vertebrae accounted for 5.7%and 6.5%,respectively,with no statistically significant difference(P>0.05).The average distance of posterior displacement of the spinous process ligament complex immediately after surgery was(5.2±2.8)mm.There were no significant differences in the width and height of the left and right lateral recess before and immediately after surgery(P>0.05).The Japanese Orthopaedic Association score immediately after surgery increased from(10.1±3.4)before surgery to(17.0±4.8),and the immediate effective rate after surgery reached 95.6%.(2)Early postoperative period:Among them,46 patients completed the early postoperative follow-up.There were 101 herniated lumbar discs,with an absorption ratio of 94%(95/101)and an average absorption rate of(36.9±23.7)%.Significant and complete absorption accounted for 30.6%,with a maximum absorption rate of 100%.Out of 101 herniated lumbar discs,3 remained unchanged in volume,with a volume invariance rate of 2.97%(3/101).Out of 101 herniated lumbar discs,3 had an increased volume of herniated lumbar discs,with an increase ratio of 2.97%(3/101)and an increase rate of(18.5±18.4)%.The Japanese Orthopaedic Association score increased from preoperative(9.3±5.1)to(23.5±4.0),with an excellent and good rate of 93.4%.(3)The early postoperative lumbar disc herniation absorption ratios of the control group and trial group were 2.3%and 85.9%,respectively,with statistically significant differences(P<0.001).(4)Complications:There were two cases of incision exudation and delayed healing in the trial group.After conservative treatment such as dressing change,no nerve injury or death occurred in the incision healing,and no cases underwent a second surgery.(5)It is concluded that symmetrically adduction of lumbar decompression induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous is a new method for treating lumbar disc herniation that can avoid extensive excision of the"ring"nerve and achieve satisfactory early clinical efficacy.It does not damage the lumbar facet joints or alter the basic anatomical structure of the lateral recess,fully preserves the herniated lumbar discs,and can induce significant or even complete induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous.Symmetrically adduction of lumbar decompression induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous provides a new basis and method for the clinical treatment of lumbar disc herniation.

Objective: Adolescent depression is a highly prevalent and disabling mental disorder with unclear pathophysiology and unfavorable treatment outcomes. Recent efforts have been focusing on searching for biomarkers as specific indicators of adolescent depression. We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis, specifically including studies with healthy control groups as an inclusion criterion. This approach helps to avoid confounding factors and provides more accurate results regarding the inflammatory and immune biomarkers associated with adolescent depression. Methods: Three electronic databases were searched for studies comparing the means and changes in the biomarkers between depressed adolescent patients and healthy controls published in English until February 2024. Two authors independently performed the screening, quality assessment, and data extraction of the studies. A meta-analysis was conducted on outcomes reported by two or more studies using a random-effects model and presented Forrest plots and test statistics (I2) for heterogeneity analysis. Results: Nine studies were included in the review, including seven case-control studies and two cross-sectional studies. These studies included 24 target biomarkers, 13 of which were quantified in 2 or more studies. Compared to the healthy controls, the depressed adolescents had significantly higher values in ten indicators. Additionally, the depressed adolescents had lower procalcitonin levels than the healthy controls. The two groups showed no significant differences in the remaining 13 biomarkers. Conclusion Our findings offer fresh insights into the pathophysiology of inflammatory and immune aspects of adolescent depression and provide helpful guidance in developing targeted and effective intervention and prevention strategies to address adolescent depression.

Background: and Purpose This study aimed to investigate the association between residual inflammatory risk (RIR) and vulnerable plaques using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HRMRI) in symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS). Methods: This retrospective study included 70%–99% symptomatic ICAS patients hospitalized from January 2016 to December 2022. Patients were classified into four groups based on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C): residual cholesterol inflammatory risk (RCIR, hs-CRP ≥3 mg/L and LDL-C ≥2.6 mmol/L), RIR (hs-CRP ≥3 mg/L and LDL-C <2.6 mmol/L), residual cholesterol risk (RCR, hs-CRP <3 mg/L and LDL-C ≥2.6 mmol/L), and no residual risk (NRR, hs-CRP <3 mg/L and LDL-C <2.6 mmol/L). Vulnerable plaque features on HRMRI included positive remodeling, diffuse distribution, intraplaque hemorrhage, and strong enhancement. Results: Among 336 included patients, 21, 60, 58, and 197 were assigned to the RCIR, RIR, RCR, and NRR groups, respectively. Patients with RCIR (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.606; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.346–9.662; P=0.011) and RIR (aOR, 3.361; 95% CI, 1.774–6.368, P<0.001) had higher risks of strong enhancement than those with NRR. Additionally, patients with RCIR (aOR, 2.965; 95% CI, 1.060–8.297; P=0.038) were more likely to have intraplaque hemorrhage compared with those with NRR. In the sensitivity analysis, RCR (aOR, 2.595; 95% CI, 1.201–5.608; P=0.015) exhibited an additional correlation with an increased risk of intraplaque hemorrhage. Conclusion In patients with symptomatic ICAS, RIR is associated with a higher risk of intraplaque hemorrhage and strong enhancement, indicating an increased vulnerability to atherosclerotic plaques.

[Objective] To compare the clinical efficacy of super pulse thulium laser enucleation of the prostate (SPThuLEP) with "open tunnel" and transurethral holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), in order to provide reference for the treatment options of BPH. [Methods] The clinical data of 112 BPH patients treated in our hospital during Jan.2023 and Jul.2023 were retrospectively analyzed, including 65 treated with SPThuLEP with "open tunnel" and 57 with HoLEP.The operation time, postoperative hemoglobin decrease, postoperative bladder irrigation, catheter indwelling time, hospitalization time and complications were compared between the two groups.The changes of maximum urine flow rate (Qmax), international prostate symptom score (IPSS), quality of life score (QoL), postvoid residual (PVR) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were compared between the two groups before operation and one month after operation. [Results] All operations were successful without conversion to open or transurethral plasmakinetic resection.The postoperative decrease of hemoglobin in SPThuLEP group was lower than that in HoLEP group [(13.12±6.72) g/L vs. (21.02±6.51) g/L], with statistical difference (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the operation time [(63.35±15.73) min vs.(61.02±17.55) min], postoperative bladder irrigation time [(1.07±0.45) d vs. (1.06±0.36) d], catheter indwelling time [(2.98±0.56) d vs. (3.01±0.63) d] and hospitalization time [(3.63±0.61) d vs.(3.79±0.76) d] between the two groups (P>0.05). No blood transfusion, secondary bleeding or unplanned hospitalization occurred, and there were no serious complications such as transurethral electroresection syndrome (TURS), urethral stricture and urinary incontinence.One month after operation, the Qmax, IPSS, QoL, PVR and PSA of the two groups were significantly improved compared with those before operation (P<0.05), but with no statistical difference between the two groups (P>0.05). [Conclusion] SPThuLEP with "open tunnel" has comparable efficacy as HoLEP in the treatment of BPH.With advantages of small amount of bleeding and high safety, this minimally invasive technique can be widely popularized in clinical practice.

[Objective] To evaluate the efficacy and safety of sacral neuromodulation (SNM) in the treatment of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) complicated with underactive bladder (UAB) who respond poorly to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). [Methods] A retrospective analysis was performed on 10 patients with BPH and UAB treated with TURP by the same surgeon in Zhongda Hospital Southeast University during Jan.2018 and Jan.2023.The residual urine volume was not significantly relieved after operation, and the maximum urine flow rate and urine volume per discharge were not significantly improved.All patients underwent phase I SNM, and urinary diaries were recorded before and after surgery to observe the average daily frequency of urination, volume per urination, maximum urine flow rate, and residual urine volume. [Results] The operation time was (97.6±11.2) min.During the postoperative test of 2-4 weeks, if the residual urine volume reduction by more than 50% was deemed as effective, SNM was effective in 6 patients (60.0%). Compared with preoperative results, the daily frequency of urination [(20.2±3.8) times vs. (13.2±3.2) times], volume per urination [(119.2±56.7) mL vs. (246.5±59.2) mL], maximum urine flow rate [(8.7±1.5) mL/s vs. (16.5±2.6) mL/s], and residual urine volume [(222.5±55.0) mL vs. (80.8±16.0) mL] were significantly improved, with statistical significance (P<0.05). There were no complications such as bleeding, infection, fever or pain.The 6 patients who had effective outcomes successfully completed phase II surgery, and the fistula was removed.During the follow-up of 1 year, the curative effect was stable, and there were no complications such as electrode displacement, incision infection, or pain in the irritation sites.The residual urine volume of the other 4 unsuccessful patients did not improve significantly, and the electrodes were removed and the vesicostomy tube was retained. [Conclusion] SNM is safe and effective in the treatment of BPH with UAB patients with poor curative effects after TURP.

Objective To analyze the composition characteristics and biological functions of tumor cell subpopulations in glioblastoma(GBM)through multi-transcriptomics sequencing technology,and explore the hypoxia characteristics and spatial localization features of the mesenchymal-like(MES-like)tumor cell subpopulation in GBM and the influence on malignant biological behaviors.Methods Multi-transcriptomics sequencing data,including single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)data(18 patients),bulk RNA sequencing(bulk RNA-seq)and spatial transcriptomics(ST)data of GBM,were employed to define cell subpopulations in GBM,and Gene Ontology(GO)and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA)were utilized to analyze their functions.The proportions and locations of cell subpopulations in bulk RNA-seq data were evaluated with BayesPrism deconvolution.Immunofluorescence assay was conducted for verification on 12 paraffin samples of GBM from patients who visited the neurosurgical department of our hospital from 2015 to 2023 and met the pathological diagnostic criteria for GBM(10 males and 2 females,at an average age of 53.50 years and a median age of 54.50 years).pySCENIC was applied to predict specific transcription factors of tumor cell subpopulations.Results Tumor cells in GBM were highly heterogeneous,and could be mainly divided into 4 subpopulations:astrocyte-like(AC-like),neural progenitor-like(NPC-like),oligodendrocyte progenitor-like(OPC-like)and MES-like.Differential gene analysis found that the MES-like tumor cells highly expressed vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA),adrenomedullin(ADM),N-myc downstream regulated 1(NDRG1),insulin like growth factor binding protein 5(IGFBP5),and A-kinase anchoring protein 12(AKAP12)(P<0.001).pySCENIC transcription factor prediction found that the high-active transcription factors of the MES-like tumor cells were AT-rich interaction domain 3A(ARID3A),FOS like 2,AP-1 transcription factor subunit(FOSL2),endothelial PAS domain protein 1(EPAS1),CCAAT enhancer binding protein delta(CEBPD),and CCAAT enhancer binding protein beta(CEBPB)(P<0.05).GO and GSEA enrichment analyses found that the MES-like tumor cells were enriched in hypoxia-related pathways,especially the pathway of cell responses to hypoxia levels(NES=2.437,P<0.001).BayesPrism deconvolution showed that the MES-like tumor cells mainly existed in PAN(Pseudopalisading cells around necrosis)and perinecrotic zone.Immunofluorescence assay confirmed CD44+(CD44 antigen)MES-like tumor cells were mainly located in hypoxia areas with highly expression of hypoxia inducible factor 1 subunit alpha(HIF1α)(P<0.01).Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the MES-like tumor cells were significantly correlated with the adverse prognosis of GBM patients(HR=1.71,95%CI:1.38～2.11,P<0.001).Conclusion Tumor cells in GBM are of highly heterogeneity.They could be mainly divided into 4 subpopulations:AC-like,NPC-like,OPC-like and MES-like.MES-like tumor cells,mainly locating in PAN and perinecrotic zone,are characterized by hypoxia,which can promote the malignant progression of GBM.

Mineral oil contaminants composed of saturated hydrocarbons(MOSH)and aromatic hydrocarbons(MOAH)are commonly found in edible oils and related processed foods.Currently,the analysis of mineral oils primarily employs the liquid chromatography-gas chromatography-flame ionization detector(LC-GC-FID)method.Liquid chromatography is used to purify and separate MOSH and MOAH from interfering substances,and the interface technology transfers MOSH or MOAH into different GC channels for quantitative analysis.The MOSH and MOAH chromatograms typically exhibit an irregular hump shape,with sharp peaks above the hump representing natural hydrocarbon interferences,which usually do not affect the identification of the hump profile.However,when the purification of interferences is incomplete,they can form one or more gaps above the hump,interfering with the accurate judgment and delineation of the hump profile,and leading to poor reproducibility of analysis results of mineral oil.In this study,an algorithm that mimicked the manual drawing of the hump shape or contour was proposed for automatically determining the mineral oil hump contour(i.e.,the lower envelope line).The algorithm used a multiple second-order difference quotient filtering method to identify and remove the gaps above the hump.The method involved first searching and determining the lowest value of the mineral oil hump,which was the valley point sequence,and then applying second-order difference quotient filtering to the valley point sequence.Compared to the hump,the second-order difference quotient of sharp peaks was a significantly larger negative value.By filtering out the points in the valley point sequence with larger negative second-order difference quotients(or multiple second-order difference quotients),the sharp peaks above the hump were removed.To verify the accuracy of the algorithm,42 different types of samples,including edible oils and milk powders were analyzed,using both the automatic algorithm and manual methods.The results showed that there were no significant differences in the detected mineral oil contents between these two methods.

A pyrene-phenol-based fluorescent probe PyP which showed typical intramolecular charge transfer(ICT)and monomer-excimer activities was synthesized by using pyrene carboxaldehyde hydrazone and 4-tert-butyl-2,6-diformylphenol as the raw materials.The effects of solvents on PyP were studied,and the results showed that the color of protic polar solvents(Ethanol,N,N-dimethylformamide,methanol and H2O)were successfully identified.Based on the solvent polarity-regulated PyP monomer-excimer switching,the rapid and highly sensitive ratiometric probe,"Turn-off"and"Turn-on"multimodal probes were established for detection of trace water content in organic solvents(Dimethyl sulfoxide,N,N-dimethylformamide,ethanol and methanol),with detection limits(3σ/k)of 0.0021％,0.046％,0.062％and 0.024％.The method was successfully used to detect water content in dimethyl sulfoxide,N,N-dimethy lformamide,ethanol and methanol commercial organic solvents,with recoveries ranging from 97.2％to 108.0％.The developed method showed good accuracy and stability,and had good application prospect.

Xiaoyao Powder has pharmacological action such as neuroprotection, anti-tumor, anti-depression, liver protection, regulation of intestinal flora, anti-fatigue and so on. Based on the five aspects of quality transfer and traceability, component measurability, component effectiveness, component specificity and compound compatibility environment, the quality marker (Q-marker) of Xiaoyao Powder was predicted and analyzed. It was considered that paeoniflorin, atractylenolide Ⅰ, atractylenolid Ⅱ, atractylenolide Ⅲ, liquiritin,glycyrrhizic acid, Saikosaponin A, Saikosaponin D, ferulic acid, Z-ligustilide, pachymic acid, Menthol,6-gingerol 8-gingerol and 10-gingerol have strong measurability and can be used as Q-marker of Xiaoyao Powder.