OBJECTIVE:Patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures still have residual back pain after vertebral augmentation.The current research is characterized by limited sample size,complex confounding factors,and inconsistent research results.To gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon,the aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the risk factors for residual back pain after surgery through a systematic review and meta-analysis.METHODS:A comprehensive search was conducted in CNKI,VIP,WanFang,CBMdisc,PubMed,The Cochrane Library,Embase,and Web of Science for case-control studies on residual back pain after vertebral body augmentation for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures from database inception to July 2024.The search terms were a combination of subject terms and free terms.The basic information,patient characteristics,surgical-related indicators,and risk factors for surgical back pain of the included studies were extracted.After evaluating the bias risk of all included studies,a meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 14.0 software on the relevant indicators.RESULTS:(1)21 case-control studies with a total of 8 043 patients were included.Among them,965 patients developed back pain.The quality score of all 21 studies was ≥7.(2)The meta-analysis results showed that age(WMD=0.98,95％CI:0.40-1.56,P=0.010),bone mineral density(WMD=-0.28,95％CI:-0.34 to-0.21,P=0.000),the number of vertebral fractures(OR=3.50,95％CI:2.65-4.62,P=0.000),thoracolumbar fracture index(OR=3.65,95％CI:2.61-5.11,P=0.000),cement volume(OR=6.89,95％CI:2.62-18.17,P=0.000),and cement distribution(OR=2.38,95％CI:1.93-2.93,P=0.000)were risk factors for the development of back pain after vertebral body augmentation in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.CONCLUSION:Current evidence indicates that age,bone mineral density,the number of vertebral fractures,thoracolumbar fracture index,bone cement injection volume,and the distribution of bone cement are risk factors for low back pain.Specifically,bone mineral density,the number of vertebral fractures,thoracolumbar fracture index,and non-uniform distribution of bone cement are identified as independent risk factors for low back pain.Patients exhibiting these high-risk factors require vigilant monitoring and prompt intervention to mitigate the occurrence of clinical low back pain,thereby enhancing patient outcomes and quality of life.

Although global brain science research has progressed rapidly in recent decades, several fundamental questions in neuroscience remain unresolved. In particular, the physical mechanism underlying neural signal transmission remains controversial, and the carriers responsible for neural information storage and retrieval have not yet been fully clarified. These unresolved issues motivate us to re-examine the processes of neural information generation, transmission, integration, storage, and retrieval from multiple perspectives. A key observation is that neural electromagnetic activities are closely associated with time. Their duration, temporal structure, and dynamic evolution play crucial roles in neural information processing. In this work, we analyze neural electromagnetic activities from the perspective of temporal scales (referred to here as the “time course”). By reviewing and integrating findings from previous studies, we examine the characteristic time requirements and dynamic features of neural processes occurring at different stages of information processing. These stages include neural signal generation, signal transmission along axons, synaptic integration, synaptic plasticity, and memory formation and retrieval. Based on this temporal analysis, we outline a framework describing neural electromagnetic activities across a wide range of time scales, spanning from microseconds to minutes, hours, or even longer periods associated with long-term memory, which suggests that neural information processing involves multiple physical processes operating at different time levels. Rapid electromagnetic events may occur on microsecond scales, whereas electrophysiological phenomena such as action potentials typically last on the order of milliseconds. Longer time scales are associated with synaptic plasticity and memory-related processes. From this perspective, we propose that the physical carrier of neural information may be transient electromagnetic pulses with durations on the microsecond scale. In this framework, action potentials can be interpreted as the macroscopic electrophysiological manifestation of underlying electromagnetic processes triggered by ionic currents across neuronal membranes. Rather than being the fundamental neural signal itself, the action potential may represent a measurable membrane-level response associated with the successful activation of these electromagnetic events. Moreover, we discuss a possible mechanism for long-term memory storage. Considering the apparent temporal contradiction between the millisecond-scale excitation of neurons and the long-term persistence of memories, we believe that long-term memory information may be stored within neural network topologies formed by electrical synapse coupling. Such structures, referred to as electrically coupled memory networks (ECMNs), may enable neurons within the same network to respond rapidly and synchronously to stimuli, thereby facilitating efficient memory retrieval. Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of considering the temporal organization of neural electromagnetic activities when interpreting neural signaling mechanisms. It may provide new insights into the physical nature of neural information carriers and the mechanisms of memory storage and retrieval. Furthermore, highlighting the potential role of electromagnetic interactions in neural activity may contribute to the development of new theoretical frameworks and experimental approaches in neuroscience. Such perspectives may also offer valuable references for future research on neural coding, brain function mechanisms, and neuromodulation technologies.

Prostate cancer is a prevalent malignant tumor of the male genitourinary system in China, with a persistently elevated incidence rate.Given the insidious onset, propensity for metastasis in advanced stages, and poor efficacy of traditional treatments, new hormone therapies have garnered increasing attention in recent years.A number of clinical studies have demonstrated that second-generation androgen receptor inhibitors (SGARIs), including enzalutamide, apalutamide, darolutamide, and rezvilutamide, can be beneficial in different stages of advanced prostate cancer.Furthermore, their early application has been shown to delay disease progression while maintaining a controlled safety profile.At present, SGARIs have increasingly become the primary therapeutic agents for advanced prostate cancer in various stages.This article reviews the clinical research progress of SGARIs in recent years, with the aim of offering valuable clinical reference for clinicians.

OBJECTIVE:Patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures still have residual back pain after vertebral augmentation.The current research is characterized by limited sample size,complex confounding factors,and inconsistent research results.To gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon,the aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the risk factors for residual back pain after surgery through a systematic review and meta-analysis.METHODS:A comprehensive search was conducted in CNKI,VIP,WanFang,CBMdisc,PubMed,The Cochrane Library,Embase,and Web of Science for case-control studies on residual back pain after vertebral body augmentation for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures from database inception to July 2024.The search terms were a combination of subject terms and free terms.The basic information,patient characteristics,surgical-related indicators,and risk factors for surgical back pain of the included studies were extracted.After evaluating the bias risk of all included studies,a meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 14.0 software on the relevant indicators.RESULTS:(1)21 case-control studies with a total of 8 043 patients were included.Among them,965 patients developed back pain.The quality score of all 21 studies was ≥7.(2)The meta-analysis results showed that age(WMD=0.98,95％CI:0.40-1.56,P=0.010),bone mineral density(WMD=-0.28,95％CI:-0.34 to-0.21,P=0.000),the number of vertebral fractures(OR=3.50,95％CI:2.65-4.62,P=0.000),thoracolumbar fracture index(OR=3.65,95％CI:2.61-5.11,P=0.000),cement volume(OR=6.89,95％CI:2.62-18.17,P=0.000),and cement distribution(OR=2.38,95％CI:1.93-2.93,P=0.000)were risk factors for the development of back pain after vertebral body augmentation in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.CONCLUSION:Current evidence indicates that age,bone mineral density,the number of vertebral fractures,thoracolumbar fracture index,bone cement injection volume,and the distribution of bone cement are risk factors for low back pain.Specifically,bone mineral density,the number of vertebral fractures,thoracolumbar fracture index,and non-uniform distribution of bone cement are identified as independent risk factors for low back pain.Patients exhibiting these high-risk factors require vigilant monitoring and prompt intervention to mitigate the occurrence of clinical low back pain,thereby enhancing patient outcomes and quality of life.

OBJECTIVE To screen and quantitatively analyze the quality marker （Q-Marker） associated with anti-renal fibrosis in Shenqi shenshuai mixture （SQSS）， so as to provide references for the analysis of pharmacodynamic substances and new drug transformation of SQSS. METHODS The chemical components of SQSS were characterized by untargeted metabolomics. Combined with network pharmacology， gene expression omnibus （GEO） and connectivity map （CMAP） databases， the anti-renal fibrosis Q-Markers of SQSS were screened. HPLC-MS/MS was applied to determine the contents of Q-Markers in 10 batches of SQSS. RESULTS A total of 1 319 compounds were identified from SQSS via untargeted metabolomics，and 84 active ingredients with anti-renal fibrosis activity were further screened out， such as formononetin. Nine anti-renal fibrosis Q-Markers were obtained by network pharmacology and GEO database， including berberine， quercetin， honokiol， nicotinamide， daidzein， coumarin， kaempferol， formononetin and amygdalin. The quantitative results showed that the average contents of the above components （excluding amygdalin） in 10 batches of SQSS were 2.523， 1.942， 26.848， 1.415， 0.692， 0.171， 0.374， 7.401 μg/mL， respectively. CONCLUSIONS Nine anti-renal fibrosis Q-Markers of SQSS were screened in this study， and the contents of eight among them were determined. The results can provide a basis for elucidating the pharmacodynamic material basis and promoting the new drug transformation of SQSS.

OBJECTIVE To screen and quantitatively analyze the quality marker （Q-Marker） associated with anti-renal fibrosis in Shenqi shenshuai mixture （SQSS）， so as to provide references for the analysis of pharmacodynamic substances and new drug transformation of SQSS. METHODS The chemical components of SQSS were characterized by untargeted metabolomics. Combined with network pharmacology， gene expression omnibus （GEO） and connectivity map （CMAP） databases， the anti-renal fibrosis Q-Markers of SQSS were screened. HPLC-MS/MS was applied to determine the contents of Q-Markers in 10 batches of SQSS. RESULTS A total of 1 319 compounds were identified from SQSS via untargeted metabolomics，and 84 active ingredients with anti-renal fibrosis activity were further screened out， such as formononetin. Nine anti-renal fibrosis Q-Markers were obtained by network pharmacology and GEO database， including berberine， quercetin， honokiol， nicotinamide， daidzein， coumarin， kaempferol， formononetin and amygdalin. The quantitative results showed that the average contents of the above components （excluding amygdalin） in 10 batches of SQSS were 2.523， 1.942， 26.848， 1.415， 0.692， 0.171， 0.374， 7.401 μg/mL， respectively. CONCLUSIONS Nine anti-renal fibrosis Q-Markers of SQSS were screened in this study， and the contents of eight among them were determined. The results can provide a basis for elucidating the pharmacodynamic material basis and promoting the new drug transformation of SQSS.

The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of lung zinc ions to pathogenesis of lung ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. Male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into control group, lung I/R group (I/R group), lung I/R + low-dose zinc chloride group (LZnCl₂+I/R group), lung I/R + high-dose ZnCl₂ group (HZnCl₂+I/R group), lung I/R + medium-dose ZnCl₂ group (MZnCl₂+I/R group) and TPEN+MZnCl₂+I/R group (n = 8 in each group). Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to measure the concentration of zinc ions in lung tissue. The degree of lung tissue injury was analyzed by observing HE staining, alveolar damage index, lung wet/dry weight ratio and lung tissue gross changes. TUNEL staining was used to detect cellular apoptosis in lung tissue. Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to determine the protein expression levels of caspase-3 and ZIP8, as well as the mRNA expression levels of zinc transporters (ZIP, ZNT) in lung tissue. The mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of lung tissue was detected by JC-1 MMP detection kit. The results showed that, compared with the control group, the lung tissue damage, lung wet/dry weight ratio and alveolar damage index were significantly increased in the I/R group. And in the lung tissue, the concentration of Zn²⁺ was markedly decreased, while the cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 ratio and apoptotic levels were significantly increased. The expression levels of ZIP8 mRNA and protein were down-regulated significantly, while the mRNA expression of other zinc transporters remained unchanged. There was also a significant decrease in MMP. Compared with the I/R group, both MZnCl₂+I/R group and HZnCl₂+I/R group exhibited significantly reduced lung tissue injury, lung wet/dry weight ratio and alveolar damage index, increased Zn²⁺ concentration, decreased ratio of cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 and apoptosis, and up-regulated expression levels of ZIP8 mRNA and protein. In addition, the MMP was significantly increased in the lung tissue. Zn²⁺ chelating agent TPEN reversed the above-mentioned protective effects of medium-dose ZnCl₂ on the lung tissue in the I/R group. The aforementioned results suggest that exogenous administration of ZnCl₂ can improve lung I/R injury in rats.
Animals ; Reperfusion Injury/pathology* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Chlorides/administration & dosage* ; Lung/pathology* ; Zinc Compounds/administration & dosage* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Cation Transport Proteins/metabolism*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prognostic value of molecular minimal residual disease (Mol-MRD) monitored before and after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: Clinical data of 71 pediatric AML patients who underwent HSCT between August 2016 and December 2023 were analyzed. Mol-MRD levels were dynamically monitored in MRD-positive patients, and survival outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: No significant difference in the 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was observed between patients with pre-HSCT Mol-MRD ≥0.01% and <0.01% (77.3% ± 8.9% vs 80.4% ± 7.9%, P=0.705). However, patients with pre-HSCT Mol-MRD <1.75% had a significantly higher 3-year OS rate than those with Mol-MRD ≥1.75% (86.6% ± 5.6% vs 44.4% ± 16.6%, P=0.020). The median Mol-MRD level in long-term survivors was significantly lower than in non-survivors [0.61% (range: 0.04%-51.58%)] vs 10.60% (range: 1.90%-19.75%), P=0.035]. Concurrent flow cytometry-based MRD positivity was significantly higher in non-survivors (80% vs 24%, P=0.039). There was no significant difference in the 3-year overall survival rate between patients with Mol-MRD ≥0.01% and those with <0.01% at 30 days post-HSCT (P=0.527). For children with Mol-MRD <0.22% at 30 days post-HSCT, the 3-year overall survival rate was 80.4% ± 5.9%, showing no significant difference compared to those with molecular negativity (87.0% ± 7.0%) (P=0.523). CONCLUSIONS Patients with pre-HSCT Mol-MRD <1.75% or post-HSCT Mol-MRD <0.22% may achieve long-term survival outcomes comparable to Mol-MRD-negative cases through HSCT and targeted interventions.
Humans ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics* ; Child ; Male ; Female ; Child, Preschool ; Prognosis ; Adolescent ; Infant ; Transplantation, Homologous

Objective:To investigate the pathogen distribution, temporal trends in the rates of antimicrobial resistance, and susceptibility of bloodstream isolates and comparatively explore the epidemiological characteristics of bloodstream infections in hematology departments across 56 healthcare facilities in Guangdong Province from 2020 to 2024.Methods:A multicenter analysis was conducted to evaluate the constituent ratio of different pathogens isolated from clinical isolate data from bloodstream specimens in hematology, respiratory, and intensive care unit (ICU) departments across 56 healthcare facilities in Guangdong Province (2020-2024), and antimicrobial resistance trends in pathogens with high-detection rate over 5 years were assessed. Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative organisms (CRO) were randomly sampled for carbapenemase gene detection and in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility tests with novel antimicrobial agents.Results:From 2020 to 2024, a total of 8 968, 6 440, and 25 511 bloodstream isolates were identified in the hematology, respiratory, and ICU departments, respectively, across 56 participating facilities in Guangdong Province, with significant differences in the pathogen constituent ratio among departments ( P<0.001). Notably, the hematology department demonstrated a predominance of Escherichia coli (24.1%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.5%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11.7%), coagulase-negative Staphylococci (15.2%), and Staphylococcus aureus (5.1%). In the resistance analysis, the rates of meropenem resistance of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia increased from 6.7% and 5.8% (2020) to 14.0% and 15.8% (2024), respectively. Conversely, Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibited a declining trend in the rate of meropenem resistance (6.2% to 1.9%) and imipenem (10.2% to 6.1%) during the same period. Acinetobacter baumannii demonstrated a biphasic resistance pattern to common antimicrobial agents, characterized by an initial decline, followed by a rebound. In this study, the susceptibility rates to conventional antimicrobial agents were significantly higher in Staphylococcus aureus versus coagulase-negative Staphylococci, with no glycopeptide- or linezolid-resistant strains detected. Notably, the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium increased from 0 in 2020 to 23.1% in 2024. CRO carbapenemase phenotypes through active surveillance revealed that 80% Escherichia coli isolates were carrying blaNDM, 90% Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were carrying blaKPC, 10% Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were carrying blaVIM, and 100% Acinetobacter baumannii were carrying blaOXA-23. The results of the antimicrobial susceptibility test in CRO revealed that carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli (CRECO) demonstrated a 0 resistance rate to tigecycline, polymyxin B, and aztreonam/avibactam, whereas carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae exhibited a 0 resistance rate to aztreonam/avibactam, ceftazidime/avibactam, and imipenem/relebactam. Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibited a 95.0% susceptibility rate to amikacin and polymyxin B, with a 45.0% resistance rate to ceftazidime/avibactam. In contrast, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii demonstrated complete susceptibility (100.0%) to sulbactam/durlobactam (MIC90=2 μg/ml), whereas eravacycline showed MIC50 and MIC90 values of 1 and 2 μg/ml, respectively. Conclusion:The pathogen constituent ratio of bloodstream isolates differed significantly among hematology, respiratory, and ICU departments. Notably, although CRO exhibited an escalating prevalence, it sustained high susceptibility to novel antimicrobial agents.

Objective:To construct a prognostic risk model based on lactate metabolism-related genes screened using bioinformatics methods in renal cell carcinoma patients，and investigate the clinical prognosis and immune characteristics of renal cell carcinoma.Methods:Gene expression data and clinical information of patients with renal cell carcinoma were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas-Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma（TCGA-KIRC）dataset. Lactate metabolism-related gene sets were obtained from the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis（GSEA）database. The R package DEseq2 was employed to identify differentially expressed genes associated with lactate metabolism within the TCGA-KIRC dataset. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed using the clusterProfiler package. Prognosis-related genes were screened via univariate Cox regression analysis and the intersection with lactate metabolism-related differentially expressed genes was obtained. A risk model was constructed using LASSO regression followed by multivariate Cox regression analysis to calculate risk scores. This risk model was subsequently validated using the GSE29609 dataset. Patients were stratified into high-risk and low-risk groups based on the median risk score. The expression profiles of key immune molecule genes and immune checkpoint genes were compared between the two groups. Survival analysis curves for immune checkpoint genes were generated using the survival and survminer R packages. Differences in tumor mutation burden（TMB）between the high-risk and low-risk groups were assessed，and corresponding TMB survival analysis curves were plotted. Finally，the tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion（TIDE）algorithm was used to evaluate disparities in immunotherapy response potential between the two risk groups.Results:An optimal prognostic risk model incorporating seven lactate metabolism- and prognosis-related genes（ LDHD，PER2，ACADM，FLI1，LIPA，TCIRG1，SLC25A4）was constructed and successfully validated in the GSE29609 dataset. Univariate Cox regression analysis revealed that a high-risk score was significantly associated with poor prognosis（ HR=2.915，95% CI：2.451-3.470， P<0.001）. Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that this risk model could serve as an independent prognostic factor for patients with renal cell carcinoma（ HR=2.231，95% CI：1.829-2.722， P<0.001）. Patients in the high-risk group exhibited significantly worse outcomes compared to the low-risk group，regardless of whether they had early-stage or advanced-stage renal cell carcinoma（both P<0.001）. Analyses related to the immune microenvironment indicated an upregulated immunosuppressive phenotype in the high-risk group. Furthermore，the TMB was significantly higher in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group（ P=0.032），and patients within the high-risk group exhibiting higher TMB levels demonstrated even poorer survival（ P<0.001）. Finally，the TIDE score was significantly elevated in the high-risk group in comparison to the low-risk group（ P<0.001）. Conclusions:The risk model based on lactate metabolism-related genes constructed in this study can guide the prognosis of renal cell carcinoma. Patients in the high-risk group are more prone to immune escape and formation of an inhibitory immune microenvironment，leading to worse prognoses. This risk model may serve as a biomarker for predicting immunotherapy response.