ObjectiveINF2 is a member of the formins family. Abnormal expression and regulation of INF2 have been associated with the progression of various tumors, but the expression and role of INF2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. HCC is a highly lethal malignant tumor. Given the limitations of traditional treatments, this study explored the expression level, clinical value and potential mechanism of INF2 in HCC in order to seek new therapeutic targets. MethodsIn this study, we used public databases to analyze the expression of INF2 in pan-cancer and HCC, as well as the impact of INF2 expression levels on HCC prognosis. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blot, and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression level of INF2 in liver cancer cells and human HCC tissues. The correlation between INF2 expression and clinical pathological features was analyzed using public databases and clinical data of human HCC samples. Subsequently, the effects of INF2 expression on the biological function and Drp1 phosphorylation of liver cancer cells were elucidated through in vitro and in vivo experiments. Finally, the predictive value and potential mechanism of INF2 in HCC were further analyzed through database and immunohistochemical experiments. ResultsINF2 is aberrantly high expression in HCC samples and the high expression of INF2 is correlated with overall survival, liver cirrhosis and pathological differentiation of HCC patients. The expression level of INF2 has certain diagnostic value in predicting the prognosis and pathological differentiation of HCC. In vivo and in vitro HCC models, upregulated expression of INF2 triggers the proliferation and migration of the HCC cell, while knockdown of INF2 could counteract this effect. INF2 in liver cancer cells may affect mitochondrial division by inducing Drp1 phosphorylation and mediate immune escape by up-regulating PD-L1 expression, thus promoting tumor progression. ConclusionINF2 is highly expressed in HCC and is associated with poor prognosis. High expression of INF2 may promote HCC progression by inducing Drp1 phosphorylation and up-regulation of PD-L1 expression, and targeting INF2 may be beneficial for HCC patients with high expression of INF2.

The Huangdi Neijing proposes the " using bitter herbs to nourish or purge" theory to guide clinical prescription and formulation of herbal remedies based on the physiological characteristics and functions of the five zang viscera, along with the properties and flavors of medicinal herbs. This study explored diabetic kidney disease pathogenesis and treatment based on the " using bitter herbs to nourish or purge" theory. Kidney dryness is a key pathological factor in diabetic kidney disease, and the disharmony of kidney dryness is an essential aspect of its pathogenesis. Strengthening is the primary therapeutic principle, and kidney dryness is a persistent factor throughout the occurrence and progression of diabetic kidney disease. In the early stage, the pathogenesis involves heat-consuming qi and injuring yin, leading to kidney dryness. In the middle stage, the pathogenesis manifests as qi deficiency and blood stasis in the collaterals, resulting in turbidity owing to kidney dryness. In the late stage, the pathogenesis involves yin and yang deficiency, with kidney dryness and disharmony. This study proposes the staging-based treatment based on the " need for firmness" characteristic of the kidney. The aim is to provide new insights for clinical diagnosis and treatment in traditional Chinese medicine by rationally using pungent, bitter, and salty medicinal herbs to nourish and moisturize the kidney. This approach seeks to promote precise syndrome differentiation and personalized treatment for different stages of diabetic kidney disease, thereby enhancing clinical efficacy.

Medical artificial intelligence （AI） is a new type of application formed by the combination of machine learning， computer vision， natural language processing， and other technologies with clinical medical treatment. With the continuous iteration and development of relevant technologies， medical AI has shown great potential in improving the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment， and service quality， but it also increases the possibility of triggering ethical issues. Ethical issues resulting from the clinical application of medical AI were analyzed， including the lack of algorithmic interpretability and transparency of medical AI， leading to information asymmetry and cognitive discrepancies； the concerning status of security and privacy protection of medical data； and the complex and unclear division of responsibilities due to the collaborative participation of multiple subjects in the clinical application of medical AI， resulting in increased difficulty in the identification of medical accidents and clarification of responsibilities. The paper proposed the principles of not harming patients’ interests， physician’s subjectivity， fairness and inclusiveness， and rapid response. It also explored the strategies and implementation paths for responding to the ethical issues of medical AI from multiple perspectives， including standardizing the environment and processes， clarifying responsibility attribution， continuously assessing the impact of data protection， guaranteeing data security， ensuring model transparency and interpretability， carrying out multi-subject collaboration， as well as the principles of being driven by ethical values and adhering to the “human health-centeredness.” It aimed to provide guidance for the healthy development of medical AI， ensuring technological progress while effectively managing and mitigating accompanying ethical risks， thereby promoting the benign development of medical AI technology and better serving the healthcare industry and patients.

Radiopharmaceuticals play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases， malignant tumors， central nervous system diseases， and other diseases. Under the urgent need for clinical diagnosis and treatment as well as medical development， the clinical research of radiopharmaceuticals has become a hotspot in international research. By analyzing the current situation of clinical research on radiopharmaceuticals in Europe， America， and China， the ethical issues of clinical research on radiopharmaceuticals were elaborated from four aspects， including lack of relevant laws and regulations， a higher risk of radiopharmaceuticals， dilemmas in ethical review， and insufficient radiation protection. Response principles and measures were proposed from four aspects， including improving regulations and policies， enhancing radiological protection for all parties involved in the research， strengthening ethical review， and reinforcing the training of relevant personnel， to enhance the quality and level of clinical research on radiopharmaceuticals.

AIM: To investigate the correlation of the expression of stromal cell-derived factor-1(SDF-1)and angiopoietin like protein 4(ANGPTL4)in serum with the severity of disease in patients with diabetic macular edema(DME).METHODS: From April 2020 to August 2023, 193 patients with diabetic retinopathy who were admitted to our hospital were prospectively separated into DME group(128 cases)(56 cases in mild group, 44 cases in moderate group, 28 cases in severe group)and non DME group(65 cases)according to whether the patients had macular edema and the severity of disease. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was applied to determine the levels of ANGPTL4 and SDF-1 in serum. Multivariate Logistic regression was applied to analyze the factors that affected the severity of DME; receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was applied to analyze the diagnostic value of ANGPTL4 and SDF-1 levels in serum of DME patients for the severity of DME.RESULTS: The levels of ANGPTL4 and SDF-1 in serum of the DME group were obviously higher than those of the non DME group(P<0.01); the expression levels of ANGPTL4 and SDF-1 in serum of the mild, moderate, and severe groups increased obviously in sequence(P<0.05); multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the levels of ANGPTL4 and SDF-1 in serum were risk factors affecting the severity of DME(P<0.01); The area under the curve(AUC)of serum SDF-1 in the diagnosis of DME severity was 0.772(95%CI: 0.690-0.842), and the AUC of ANGPTL4 in the diagnosis of DME severity was 0.801(95%CI: 0.722-0.867). The AUC of ANGPTL4 combined with SDF-1 in the diagnosis of DME was 0.884(95%CI: 0.816-0.934), the sensitivity was 87.50%, and the specificity was 85.71%, which were significantly higher than ANGPTL4 or SDF-1 alone(Z=2.658, 2.469, all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The levels of ANGPTL4 and SDF-1 in serum of DME patients are significantly increased, and their levels increase with the severity of the disease. They can be used as auxiliary indicators for diagnosing the severity of DME disease, and the combined diagnosis has a better effect.

AIM: To investigate the correlation of the expression of stromal cell-derived factor-1(SDF-1)and angiopoietin like protein 4(ANGPTL4)in serum with the severity of disease in patients with diabetic macular edema(DME).METHODS: From April 2020 to August 2023, 193 patients with diabetic retinopathy who were admitted to our hospital were prospectively separated into DME group(128 cases)(56 cases in mild group, 44 cases in moderate group, 28 cases in severe group)and non DME group(65 cases)according to whether the patients had macular edema and the severity of disease. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was applied to determine the levels of ANGPTL4 and SDF-1 in serum. Multivariate Logistic regression was applied to analyze the factors that affected the severity of DME; receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was applied to analyze the diagnostic value of ANGPTL4 and SDF-1 levels in serum of DME patients for the severity of DME.RESULTS: The levels of ANGPTL4 and SDF-1 in serum of the DME group were obviously higher than those of the non DME group(P<0.01); the expression levels of ANGPTL4 and SDF-1 in serum of the mild, moderate, and severe groups increased obviously in sequence(P<0.05); multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the levels of ANGPTL4 and SDF-1 in serum were risk factors affecting the severity of DME(P<0.01); The area under the curve(AUC)of serum SDF-1 in the diagnosis of DME severity was 0.772(95%CI: 0.690-0.842), and the AUC of ANGPTL4 in the diagnosis of DME severity was 0.801(95%CI: 0.722-0.867). The AUC of ANGPTL4 combined with SDF-1 in the diagnosis of DME was 0.884(95%CI: 0.816-0.934), the sensitivity was 87.50%, and the specificity was 85.71%, which were significantly higher than ANGPTL4 or SDF-1 alone(Z=2.658, 2.469, all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The levels of ANGPTL4 and SDF-1 in serum of DME patients are significantly increased, and their levels increase with the severity of the disease. They can be used as auxiliary indicators for diagnosing the severity of DME disease, and the combined diagnosis has a better effect.

Panvascular disease， with vascular diseases as the common pathological feature， is mainly manifested as atherosclerosis. Panvascular disease mainly affects the important organs of the heart， brain， kidney， and limbs. It is one of the leading causes of death for Chinese residents at present. Previously， due to the narrow branches of disciplines， too much attention was paid to local lesions， resulting in the neglect of panvascular disease as a systemic one. The fact that panvascular disease has overall pathology and comprehensive and individualized treatment strategies， makes the disease highly compatible with the principles of holism concept and syndrome differentiation and treatment in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. It is believed that blood stasis is the core pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and is involved in the whole process of atherosclerosis. The theories of ''blood vessel''， ''meridians''， ''visceral manifestation''， and ''organs-meridians'' in TCM are helpful to comprehensively understand the complexity of panvascular diseases. Moreover， those theories can provide systematic treatment strategies. The TCM syndromes of panvascular diseases evolve from ''phlegm， stasis， stagnation， and deficiency''. Panvascular arteriosclerosis is related to the syndrome of ''stasis and phlegm''， and the treatment mainly promotes blood circulation and removes phlegm. There are different specific drugs and mechanisms of action for coronary atherosclerosis， cerebral atherosclerosis， and renal artery atherosclerotic stenosis. Panvascular venous lesions are related to the syndrome of ''deficiency and stasis'' in TCM， and the TCM treatment mainly invigorates Qi and promotes blood circulation， which can inhibit venous thrombosis， improve venous ulcers， and resist venous endothelial damage. Panvascular microcirculatory lesions are inseparable from the ''stagnation and stasis'' in TCM， and the treatment mainly promotes Qi and dredges collaterals， which has a good effect on coronary microvascular lesions， diabetic microvascular lesions， pulmonary microvascular lesions， and pancreatic microvascular lesions. Panvascular lymphatic lesions are related to the syndrome of ''water and stasis'' in TCM. The treatment method focuses on promoting blood circulation and water excretion， which can promote lymphangiogenesis and enhance lymphatic reflux. In addition， the combination of TCM and modern technology， especially the application of artificial intelligence， can improve the efficiency of early identification and personalized treatment， resulting in early screening and comprehensive management of panvascular diseases. Therefore， TCM will play a vital role in the prevention and treatment of panvascular diseases.

BackgroundAlcohol dependence patients are prone to relapse after their attempts to quit drinking， which poses a considerable threat to their physical and mental health and creates a heavy burden on their families. Currently， empowerment education is increasingly being utilized in the rehabilitation management of chronic diseases， but there remains a striking lack of empirical research on the application of "Internet +" empowerment education based on timing it right in alcohol dependence patients. ObjectiveTo explore the impact of "Internet +" empowerment education based on timing it right on patients with alcohol dependence， in order to maximize the reduction in relapse rates， craving for alcohol and severity of anxiety symptoms. MethodsA total of 120 patients who were hospitalized in the Department of Addiction Medicine， Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center from May 2022 to April 2023 and met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence in the International Classification of Diseases， tenth edition （ICD-10） were enrolled， and they were classified into study group （n=62） and control group （n=58） using random number table methods. Both groups received standard medication and routine care. Additionally， study group underwent a 6-month "Internet +" empowerment education based on timing it right. At baseline， all subjects were assessed using Penn Alcohol Craving Scale （PACS） and Self-rating Anxiety Scale （SAS）. Three months and six months after intervention， assessments were conducted using PACS， SAS and Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test （MAST）. ResultsThe relapse rates after three and six months of intervention were both lower in study group than those in control group， with statistically significant differences （χ²=8.575， 8.828， P<0.01）. ANOVA with repeated measures on PACS total score and scores of each item revealed a significant time effect， group effect and time×group interaction effect （F=159.714~837.751， 84.645~393.606， 24.302~137.896， P<0.01）. And significant time effect， group effect and time×group interaction effect were also reported on SAS scores （F=166.237， 65.325， 24.724， P<0.01）. Conclusion"Internet +" empowerment education based on timing it right may help reduce relapse rates， alcohol cravings and severity of anxiety symptoms among patients with alcohol dependence. ［Funded by 2023 Annual Hebei Provincial Medical Scientific Research Project Plan （number， 20231537）］

Panvascular disease， with vascular diseases as the common pathological feature， is mainly manifested as atherosclerosis. Panvascular disease mainly affects the important organs of the heart， brain， kidney， and limbs. It is one of the leading causes of death for Chinese residents at present. Previously， due to the narrow branches of disciplines， too much attention was paid to local lesions， resulting in the neglect of panvascular disease as a systemic one. The fact that panvascular disease has overall pathology and comprehensive and individualized treatment strategies， makes the disease highly compatible with the principles of holism concept and syndrome differentiation and treatment in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. It is believed that blood stasis is the core pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and is involved in the whole process of atherosclerosis. The theories of ''blood vessel''， ''meridians''， ''visceral manifestation''， and ''organs-meridians'' in TCM are helpful to comprehensively understand the complexity of panvascular diseases. Moreover， those theories can provide systematic treatment strategies. The TCM syndromes of panvascular diseases evolve from ''phlegm， stasis， stagnation， and deficiency''. Panvascular arteriosclerosis is related to the syndrome of ''stasis and phlegm''， and the treatment mainly promotes blood circulation and removes phlegm. There are different specific drugs and mechanisms of action for coronary atherosclerosis， cerebral atherosclerosis， and renal artery atherosclerotic stenosis. Panvascular venous lesions are related to the syndrome of ''deficiency and stasis'' in TCM， and the TCM treatment mainly invigorates Qi and promotes blood circulation， which can inhibit venous thrombosis， improve venous ulcers， and resist venous endothelial damage. Panvascular microcirculatory lesions are inseparable from the ''stagnation and stasis'' in TCM， and the treatment mainly promotes Qi and dredges collaterals， which has a good effect on coronary microvascular lesions， diabetic microvascular lesions， pulmonary microvascular lesions， and pancreatic microvascular lesions. Panvascular lymphatic lesions are related to the syndrome of ''water and stasis'' in TCM. The treatment method focuses on promoting blood circulation and water excretion， which can promote lymphangiogenesis and enhance lymphatic reflux. In addition， the combination of TCM and modern technology， especially the application of artificial intelligence， can improve the efficiency of early identification and personalized treatment， resulting in early screening and comprehensive management of panvascular diseases. Therefore， TCM will play a vital role in the prevention and treatment of panvascular diseases.

Background Metals and metalloids in fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) may cause damage to the respiratory and circulatory systems of the human body, and long-term exposure is prone to causing chronic poisoning, cancer, and other adverse effects. Objective To assess the distribution characteristics of metals and metalloids in outdoor PM_2.5 in a southern city of China, conduct source apportionment, and evaluate the associated health risks, thereby providing theoretical support for further pollution control measures. Methods PM_2.5 samples were collected in districts A, B, and C of a southern China city, and the concentrations of 17 metals and metalloids were detected by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Pollution sources were assessed through enrichment factor and principal components analysis, and the main pollution sources were quantified using absolute principal component scores-multivariate linear regression (APCS-MLR). Health risks were evaluated based on the Technical guide for environmental health risk assessment of chemical exposure (WS/T777—2021). Results The ambient air PM_2.5 concentrations in the city were higher in winter and spring, and lower in summer and autumn. The annual average concentrations of ambient PM_2.5 in districts A, B, and C were 36.7, 31.9, and 24.4 μg·m⁻³, respectively. The ambient PM_2.5 levels in districts B and C were below the second-grade limit set by the Ambient air quality standards (GB 3095—2012). The enrichment factors of cadmium (Cd), aluminum (Al), and antimony (Sb) were greater than 10, those of copper (Cu), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), nickel (Ni), mercury (Hg), and molybdenum (Mo) fell between 1 and 10, and those of manganese (Mn), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), barium (Ba), beryllium (Be), and uranium (U) were below or equal to 1. The comprehensive evaluation of source analysis showed that the main pollution sources in districts A and C and the whole city were coal-burning. In district B, the main pollution source was also coal combustion, followed by industrial process sources and dust sources. The carcinogenic risks of As and Cr were between 1×10⁻⁶ and 1×10⁻⁴. However, the hazard quotients for 15 metals and metalloids in terms of non-carcinogenic risk were below 1. Conclusion Cr and As in the atmospheric PM_2.5 of the city present a certain risk of cancer and should be paid attention to. In addition, preventive control measures should be taken against relevant pollution sources such as industrial emission, dust, and coal burning.