ObjectiveTo address the challenges of unstructured classical Chinese expressions， nested entity relationships， and limited annotated data in famous traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） case records， this study proposes a joint relation extraction framework that integrates data augmentation and entity mapping， aiming to support the construction of TCM diagnostic knowledge graphs and clinical pattern mining. MethodsWe developed an annotation structure for entities and their relationships in TCM case texts and applied a data augmentation strategy by incorporating multiple ancient texts to expand the relation extraction dataset. A cascade binary tagging framework for relation triple extraction（CasRel） model for TCM semantics was designed， integrating a pre-trained bidirectional encoder representations from transformers（BERT） layer for classical TCM texts to enhance semantic representation， and using a head entity-relation-tail entity mapping mechanism to address entity nesting and relation overlapping issues. ResultsExperimental results showed that the CasRel model， combining data augmentation and entity mapping， outperformed the pipeline-based Bert-Radical-Lexicon（BRL）-bidirectional long short-term memory（BiLSTM）-Attention model. The overall precision， recall， and F₁-score across 12 relation types reached 65.73%， 64.03%， and 64.87%， which represent improvements of 14.26%， 7.98%， and 11.21% compared to the BRL-BiLSTM-Attention model， respectively. Notably， the F₁-score for tongue syndrome relations increased by 22.68%（69.32%）， and the prescription-syndrome relations performed the best with the F₁-score of 70.10%. ConclusionThe proposed framework significantly improves the semantic representation and complex dependencies in TCM texts， offering a reusable technical framework for structured mining of TCM case records. The constructed knowledge graph can support clinical syndrome differentiation， prescription optimization， and drug compatibility， providing a methodological reference for TCM artificial intelligence research.

Objective: To explore the effects of personality and sleep quality with psychological distress of junior and senior high school stduents, so as to provide a reference basis for precise interventions of junior and senior high school students mental health. Methods: In October 2023, a convenience sampling method was used to select 9 034 students aged 12-17 from Shiyan City as the study subjects. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) were used to collect information on sleep quality and psychological distress of junior and senior high school stduents. Between group comparison was conducted by using t-test and Chi-square test. Generalized linear models were employed to analyze the interaction and joint effects of personality and sleep quality on psychological distress. Results: The generalized linear model analysis showed that the interaction between personality and sleep quality on psychological distress was statistically significant of junior and senior high school students(effect size=0.80, P <0.01). The general linear model analysis indicated that, after adjusting for variables such as age, gender, screen time, and daily sitting time with the extroverted and good sleep quality group as the reference, the introverted and poor sleep quality group had the largest mean difference in psychological distress scores (difference=0.51, P <0.05). When stratified by sleep quality, psychological distress scores were higher in the introverted and neutral personality groups with both poor and good sleep quality compared to the extroverted group (poor sleep quality: introverted difference=3.71, neutral difference=1.14; good sleep quality: introverted difference=2.23, neutral difference=0.57, all P < 0.05). When stratified by personality, psychological distress scores were higher in the poor sleep quality groups for introverted, neutral, and extroverted individuals compared to their good sleep quality counterparts (differences=8.66, 7.83, 7.34, all P < 0.05 ). Conclusions Personality and sleep quality have interactive and joint effects on psychological distress of junior and senior high school stduents. Personalized psychological interventions should be developed based on personality and sleep quality.

Objective To analyze the clinical and therapeutic characteristics of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-negative posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in the context of specific cases and literature. Methods A case of EBV-negative DLBCL (GCB type) after kidney transplantation is reported. The patient was a 45-year-old male who underwent living-related kidney transplantation in 2016 and has been receiving triple immunosuppressive therapy with tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and methylprednisolone since then. In 2024, the patient presented with intermittent fever, night sweats and gastrointestinal symptoms. The diagnosis was confirmed by endoscopic pathology, immunohistochemical staining and positron emission tomography/computed tomography. The R-CDOP regimen (rituximab + cyclophosphamide + liposomal doxorubicin + vincristine + dexamethasone) was used for treatment. Results The patient was diagnosed with EBV-negative DLBCL (GCB type, Ann Arbor stage Ⅳ B). After 4 cycles of R-CDOP chemotherapy, the efficacy assessment was partial remission, and the transplant kidney function remained stable. Conclusions For EBV-negative PTLD after kidney transplantation, it is necessary to break through the "virus-dependent" diagnostic thinking. In clinical practice, the focus should be on protecting the transplant kidney, and individualized treatment plans should be developed for patients.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the protective effects of the Tanyu Tongzhi Youhua prescription（TYTZP） against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats via regulation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase （cGAS）/stimulator of interferon genes （STING） signaling pathway. MethodsFifty-six 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into sham group， model group， ticagrelor group （32.4 mg·kg^-1）， RU320521 （RU.521cGAS inhibitors） group （5 mL·kg^-1）， groups of TYTZP with low dose （3.6 g·kg^-1）， medium dose （7.2 g·kg^-1）， and high dose （14.4 g·kg^-1）， with eight rats per group. The ticagrelor group and groups of TYTZP with different doses received pre-treatment for seven days according to their respective protocols. The RU.521 group received an intraperitoneal injection one hour before modeling. A rat model of the no-reflow phenomenon in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery in situ. Myocardial no-reflow area was determined by thioflavin staining. Histopathological morphology of myocardial tissue was observed via hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining. Cardiac function was detected by echocardiography. Myocardial microcirculation function change was observed by using real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography. The myocardial enzyme levels in the serum were measured by serum biochemical analysis. The double-stranded DNA （dsDNA） levels were detected by using PicoGreen. The protein expression of cGAS， STING， and nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） p65 in myocardial tissue was detected by Western blot. The levels of cardiac troponin Ⅰ （cTNⅠ）， cardiac troponin T （cTNT）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the peripheral blood were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. ResultsCompared with the sham group， the model group showed a significantly increased myocardial no-reflow area （P<0.01）. Myocardial fiber rupture and disarray and inflammatory cell infiltration were observed by HE staining. The ultrasound results indicated that left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） and left ventricular fractional shortening （LVFS） （P<0.01） were significantly decreased. Real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography showed that the peak time of myocardial blood perfusion was significantly prolonged （P<0.01）， and the levels of creatine kinase （CK）， creatine kinase isoenzyme （CK-MB）， lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， cTNⅠ， cTNT， and dsDNA were significantly elevated （P<0.01）. Western blot results showed that the myocardial protein expressions of cGAS， STING， and NF-κB p65 were upregulated （P<0.01）. ELISA results showed that the inflammatory factors in the serum such as IL-6， IL-1β， and TNF-α were increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the group of the TYTZP significantly reduced the levels of myocardial enzyme， troponins， and dsDNA （P<0.01， P<0.05）， improved cardiac function and myocardial microcirculation， alleviated histopathological morphology and inflammatory infiltration， inhibited activation of the cGAS/STING pathway， reduced the expression of NF-κB p65 （P<0.01， P<0.05）， and inhibited inflammatory response. ConclusionThe TYTZP mitigates the no-reflow phenomenon in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury， and its mechanism is associated with inhibiting the activation of the cGAS/STING pathway and attenuating inflammatory responses.

Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen for both human bloodstream infections and mastitis in cows. However, little attention has been paid to the cross-host transmission of MRSA from cows to high-risk groups in China. Objective To determine the MRSA colonization rates among dairy cows and dairy farm workers in Xinjiang, identify the antibiotic resistance profiles and molecular characteristics of the isolates, and provide scientific evidence for the formulation of targeted infection control strategies. Method A cross-sectional survey combined with laboratory pathogen analysis was conducted. From June to August 2024, large-scale dairy farms in Xinjiang region were selected as study sites. Nasal swabs (n=96) and skin swabs (n=39) were collected from workers, and bovine nasal swab samples (n=109) were collected simultaneously. All samples were subjected to MRSA isolation, cultivation, and identification, followed by antibiotic susceptibility testing to characterize resistance phenotypes. Staphylococcus aureus protein A (Spa) typing was performed to determine strain genotypes and elucidate MRSA colonization rates and molecular epidemiological patterns. Results A total of 35 MRSA strains was successfully isolated from 244 samples. The MRSA colonization rates among dairy farm workers and dairy cows were 20.83% (20/96) and 12.84% (14/109), respectively, with an overall isolation rate of 14.34% (35/244). Among the workers, the nasal colonization rate was 16.67% (16/96), and the skin colonization rate was 12.82% (5/39). One worker exhibited MRSA colonization at multiple body sites. All MRSA strains were resistant to cefoxitin (100%, 35/35). The resistance rates to erythromycin and clindamycin were 42.86% (15/35) and 34.29% (12/35), respectively. Thirteen strains showed a multidrug-resistant phenotype, whereas all strains were susceptible to vancomycin. The MRSA isolates exhibited high genetic diversity, with 13 Spa types identified, among which t441 was the most prevalent (8 strains). Both t441 and t034 types were detected in samples from both the dairy cows and their handlers. These two Spa types also carried and stably inherited specific resistance combinations, including erythromycin–clindamycin–cefoxitin and ciprofloxacin–erythromycin–clindamycin–gentamicin–cefoxitin–tetracycline, and a statistically significant association was also observed between the two resistance profiles and the bacterial types (P < 0.001). In addition, one novel Spa type strain was identified. Conclusion MRSA colonization rates among dairy cows and dairy farm workers in Xinjiang are relatively high, with evidence of multi-site colonization. The isolates exhibit high levels of multidrug resistance and genetic diversity, indicating a potential risk of cross-host transmission.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the protective effects of the Tanyu Tongzhi Youhua prescription（TYTZP） against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats via regulation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase （cGAS）/stimulator of interferon genes （STING） signaling pathway. MethodsFifty-six 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into sham group， model group， ticagrelor group （32.4 mg·kg^-1）， RU320521 （RU.521cGAS inhibitors） group （5 mL·kg^-1）， groups of TYTZP with low dose （3.6 g·kg^-1）， medium dose （7.2 g·kg^-1）， and high dose （14.4 g·kg^-1）， with eight rats per group. The ticagrelor group and groups of TYTZP with different doses received pre-treatment for seven days according to their respective protocols. The RU.521 group received an intraperitoneal injection one hour before modeling. A rat model of the no-reflow phenomenon in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery in situ. Myocardial no-reflow area was determined by thioflavin staining. Histopathological morphology of myocardial tissue was observed via hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining. Cardiac function was detected by echocardiography. Myocardial microcirculation function change was observed by using real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography. The myocardial enzyme levels in the serum were measured by serum biochemical analysis. The double-stranded DNA （dsDNA） levels were detected by using PicoGreen. The protein expression of cGAS， STING， and nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） p65 in myocardial tissue was detected by Western blot. The levels of cardiac troponin Ⅰ （cTNⅠ）， cardiac troponin T （cTNT）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the peripheral blood were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. ResultsCompared with the sham group， the model group showed a significantly increased myocardial no-reflow area （P<0.01）. Myocardial fiber rupture and disarray and inflammatory cell infiltration were observed by HE staining. The ultrasound results indicated that left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） and left ventricular fractional shortening （LVFS） （P<0.01） were significantly decreased. Real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography showed that the peak time of myocardial blood perfusion was significantly prolonged （P<0.01）， and the levels of creatine kinase （CK）， creatine kinase isoenzyme （CK-MB）， lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， cTNⅠ， cTNT， and dsDNA were significantly elevated （P<0.01）. Western blot results showed that the myocardial protein expressions of cGAS， STING， and NF-κB p65 were upregulated （P<0.01）. ELISA results showed that the inflammatory factors in the serum such as IL-6， IL-1β， and TNF-α were increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the group of the TYTZP significantly reduced the levels of myocardial enzyme， troponins， and dsDNA （P<0.01， P<0.05）， improved cardiac function and myocardial microcirculation， alleviated histopathological morphology and inflammatory infiltration， inhibited activation of the cGAS/STING pathway， reduced the expression of NF-κB p65 （P<0.01， P<0.05）， and inhibited inflammatory response. ConclusionThe TYTZP mitigates the no-reflow phenomenon in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury， and its mechanism is associated with inhibiting the activation of the cGAS/STING pathway and attenuating inflammatory responses.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an increasingly widespread sleep-breathing disordered disease, and is an independent risk factor for many high-risk chronic diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, arrhythmias and diabetes, which is potentially fatal. The key to the prevention and treatment of OSA is early diagnosis and treatment, so the assessment and diagnostic technologies of OSA have become a research hotspot. This paper reviews the research progresses of severity assessment parameters and diagnostic technologies of OSA, and discusses their future development trends. In terms of severity assessment parameters of OSA, apnea hypopnea index (AHI), as the gold standard, together with the percentage of duration of apnea hypopnea (AH%), lowest oxygen saturation (LSpO₂), heart rate variability (HRV), oxygen desaturation index (ODI) and the emerging biomarkers, constitute a multi-dimensional evaluation system. Specifically, the AHI, which measures the frequency of sleep respiratory events per hour, does not fully reflect the patients’ overall sleep quality or the extent of their daytime functional impairments. To address this limitation, the AH%, which measures the proportion of the entire sleep cycle affected by apneas and hypopneas, deepens our understanding of the impact on sleep quality. The LSpO₂ plays a critical role in highlighting the potential severe hypoxic episodes during sleep, while the HRV offers a different perspective by analyzing the fluctuations in heart rate thereby revealing the activity of the autonomic nervous system. The ODI provides a direct and objective measure of patients’ nocturnal oxygenation stability by calculating the number of desaturation events per hour, and the biomarkers offers novel insights into the diagnosis and management of OSA, and fosters the development of more precise and tailored OSA therapeutic strategies. In terms of diagnostic techniques of OSA, the standardized questionnaire and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) is a simple and effective method for preliminary screening of OSA, and the polysomnography (PSG) which is based on recording multiple physiological signals stands for gold standard, but it has limitations of complex operations, high costs and inconvenience. As a convenient alternative, the home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) allows patients to monitor their sleep with simplified equipment in the comfort of their own homes, and the cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) offers a minimal version that simply analyzes the electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. As an emerging diagnostic technology of OSA, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) adeptly pinpoint respiratory incidents and expose delicate physiological changes, thus casting new light on the diagnostic approach to OSA. In addition, imaging examination utilizes detailed visual representations of the airway’s structure and assists in recognizing structural abnormalities that may result in obstructed airways, while sound monitoring technology records and analyzes snoring and breathing sounds to detect the condition subtly, and thus further expands our medical diagnostic toolkit. As for the future development directions, it can be predicted that interdisciplinary integrated researches, the construction of personalized diagnosis and treatment models, and the popularization of high-tech in clinical applications will become the development trends in the field of OSA evaluation and diagnosis.

Objective: To determine the clinical efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection combined with warm acupuncture and moxibustion for treating patients with knee osteoarthritis and cold dampness obstruction syndrome. Methods: One hundred and twenty-eight patients with knee osteoarthritis and cold dampness obstruction syndrome who visited the Rehabilitation Department and Orthopedics Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from January 2023 to March 2024 and who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly divided into an experimental (n=64) and control group (n=64) using the random number table method. The experimental group was treated with PRP injection combined with warm acupuncture and moxibustion, whereas the control group was treated with normal saline injection combined with warm acupuncture and moxibustion treatment. PRP and normal saline injections were administered once every two weeks, a total of four times. Patients were treated with warm acupuncture and moxibustion once a day, six times a week, for four consecutive weeks. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome, visual analog scale (VAS), and Lysholm scores were determined before treatment, at week 4 and week 8 of treatment, and week 16 of follow-up. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), osteoprotegerin (OPG), bone gla protein(BGP), and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) levels were compared between the two groups before and after 8 weeks of treatment. The clinical efficacy and safety indicators between the two groups were also compared. Results: There was no statistical difference in baseline data such as gender, age, disease duration, and body mass index between the two groups of patients. Compared with before treatment, both groups showed decreased WOMAC total and subscale, TCM syndrome total score and symptom scores, and VAS scores, and an increase in Lysholm scores at 4, 8, and 16 weeks after treatment. After treatment, serum IL-6, MMP-3, TNF-α, and COMP levels decreased, whereas serum OPG and BGP levels increased (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, patients in the experimental group showed decreased WOMAC total and subscale, TCM syndrome total score and symptom scores, and VAS scores, and an increase in Lysholm score at 4, 8, and 16 weeks after treatment. Compared with the control group, patients in the experimental group showed decreased serum IL-6, MMP-3, TNF-α, and COMP levels and an increase in serum OPG and BPG levels after treatment (P<0.05). The total effective rate of the experimental group was 91.94%, higher than that of the control group (81.97%; P<0.05). Conclusion PRP injection combined with warm acupuncture and moxibustion can improve various TCM symptoms, improve knee joint function and bone metabolism, and reduce inflammation in patients with knee osteoarthritis and cold dampness obstruction syndrome.

The accumulation of uremic toxins such as urea nitrogen, blood creatinine, and uric acid of patients with renal failure in vivo would lead to aggravated kidney damage. In this study, coated aldehyde oxy-starch (CAO) was used as an adsorbent to investigate its in vitro adsorption performance on renal failure indexes for urea, indoxyl sulfate (INS), monomethylamine (MMA), dimethylamine (DMA), uric acid (UA), and creatinine (Cr). The effects of variables such as pH, temperature, concentration, dosage, and time on the adsorption capacity of CAO were systematically investigated, employing analytical techniques of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). The results revealed that CAO exhibited a strong adsorption capacity for urea, INS, and MMA, alongside a moderate adsorption capacity for DMA, UA, and Cr. The adsorption kinetics and thermodynamic studies indicated that the adsorption of urea and UA by CAO were fitted in pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the adsorption isotherm aligned with the Freundlich adsorption model. The enthalpy change ΔH of urea in adsorption was in the range of 40 to 60 kJ·mol^-1, which demonstrated the presence of strong adsorption force due to the interactions of coordinating groups. The ΔH of UA was greater than 80 kJ·mol^-1, indicating the generation of chemical bonds during the adsorption. Both of them, Gibbs free energy ΔG was less than 0, within the range of -20 to 0 kJ·mol^-1, suggested that the adsorption of urea and UA by CAO occurred spontaneously as physical adsorption process. The adsorption entropy ΔS of urea and UA was > 0, which indicated an increase in entropy throughout the adsorption. The infrared spectroscopygram showed the formation of a chemical bond, specifically the imine bond, following the adsorption of urea by CAO, thereby indicating a chemical reaction during the adsorption. This study elucidates the adsorption mechanism of CAO on various indexes of renal failure, providing a scientific basis for its clinical usage.

Cataract surgery is one of the most common ophthalmologic procedures. Advances in technology and medical policies have made it more precise. Residual refractive errors and deviation of target diopters are a main cause of dissatisfaction among patients. Refractive enhancement after cataract surgery can correct or eliminate these errors, improving patients' visual quality of life. There are multiple options for correcting residual refractive errors. The best approach depends on factors like the cause of the error, degrees of residual refractive errors, type of intraocular lens, ocular comorbidities, and patient preference. This paper summarizes the incidence and types of residual refractive errors, advancements in refractive enhancement surgeries, and provides practical solutions for clinical practice.