Objective Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)is causally associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease(ASCVD).Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9(PCSK9)increases the degradation of low-density lipoprotein receptor(LDL-R),thereby promoting lipid accumulation.This study investigated the mechanism of microRNA(miRNA)-125a-5p in regulating PCSK9 transcriptional expression and lipid accumulation through histone deacetylase sirtuin 6(SIRT6)-mediated histone acetylation.Methods RAW264.7 macrophages exposed to oxidized low-density lipoprotein(ox-LDL)were used to establish a macrophage lipid accumulation model.The cells were divided into eight groups:control group(Group A),ox-LDL group(Group B),SIRT6 agonist group(Group C),si-SIRT6 group(Group D),miR-125a-5p mimic group(Group E),miR-125a-5p mimic negative control group(Group F),miR-125a-5p inhibitor group(Group G),and miR-125a-5p inhibitor negative control group(Group H).Oil red O staining was used to verify lipid ac-cumulation in macrophages.Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR)was employed to detect the gene expression levels of miR-125a-5p,SIRT6 and PCSK9.Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of SIRT6,histone 3 lysine 9 acetylation(H3K9ac),histone 3(H3),and PCSK9.An LDL-C kit was used to measure cellular LDL-C con-tent.Results Compared with Group A,Group B exhibited increased relative gene expression of miR-125a-5p,decreased relative SIRT6 gene and its protein expression,increased H3K9ac/H3 rati-o,increased relative gene and protein expression of PCSK9,and elevated LDL-C levels,with statis-tically significant differences(P＜0.01).In Group B,a positive correlation was observed between H3K9ac and PCSK9 protein expression(r=0.935 0,P＜0.01),as well as between PCSK9 and LDL-C(r=0.981 3,P＜0.01).Compared with Group B,Group C showed no significant change in miR-125a-5p expression(P＞0.05),but increased relative SIRT6 gene and its protein expres-sion,decreased H3K9ac/H3 ratio,decreased relative gene and protein expression of PCSK9,and reduced LDL-C levels(P＜0.01).In contrast,Group D,compared with Group B,had no signifi-cant change in miR-125a-5p gene expression(P＞0.05),but decreased relative gene and protein expression of SIRT6,increased H3K9ac/H3 ratio,increased relative PCSK9 gene and its protein expression,and elevated LDL-C levels(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Group E,compared with Group B,showed increased relative gene expression of miR-125a-5p,decreased relative SIRT6 gene and its protein expression,increased H3K9ac/H3,increased relative PCSK9 gene and its protein ex-pression,and elevated LDL-C levels(P＜0.01).Group G,compared with Group B,had de-creased relative gene expression of miR-125a-5p,increased relative gene and protein expression of SIRT6,decreased H3K9ac/H3 ratio,decreased relative PCSK9 gene and protein expression,and reduced LDL-C levels(P＜0.01).No significant changes were observed in miR-125a-5p,SIRT6,H3K9ac/H3 ratio,PCSK9,or LDL-C levels in Groups F and H compared with Group B(P＞0.05).Conclusion Epigenetics is an important regulatory mechanism in the development of ather-osclerosis(AS).Elevated LDL-C is a significant risk factor for AS,and increased PCSK9 expres-sion exacerbates lipid accumulation.Imbalance in histone acetylation is a novel mechanism involved in PCSK9-mediated lipid accumulation,potentially serving as an early detection marker for lipid me-tabolism disorders.SIRT6 acts as a protective factor by reversibly regulating PCSK9 transcriptional expression,reducing lipid accumulation,and delaying AS progression.MiR-125a-5p,as an up-stream regulatory gene of SIRT6,targets and inhibits SIRT6 transcription,thereby modulating his-tone acetylation,and may serve as a new target for early screening and prevention of dyslipidemia.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 5 516 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer(PCa) at our hospital. Among these, 52 patients aged ≤ 50 years were defined as the early-onset group.For the control group, 228 patients aged >50 years were randomly selected at a ratio of 1∶4.4. The early-onset group predominantly presented with elevated PSA levels at diagnosis and had a lower positive rate of digital rectal examination. There were no significant differences in clinical and pathological characteristics between the early-onset group and the control group. Young PCa patients in the low to intermediate risk categories had similar survival prognosis to older patients. However, young patients with high-risk prostate cancer had 5-year progression-free survival rate of 38.4% compared to 55.6% for older patients, and 5-year cancer-specific survival rate of 70.1% compared to 84.1% for older patients, indicating that high-risk young patients exhibited poorer oncological outcomes.

Objective:To explore the strategy of prostate biopsy in patients with prostate specific antigen(PSA)gray zone based on prostate imaging reporting and data system (PI-RADS).Methods:The clinical data of 427 patients who underwent transperineal prostate biopsy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The median age was 66 (61, 72) years old. The median PSA was 6.62 (5.46, 8.19) ng/ml. The median PSA density (PSAD) was 0.15 (0.11, 0.21) ng/ml 2. The median prostate volume (PV) was 43.68 (31.12, 56.82) ml. PSA velocity (PSAV) data were available in 65 patients with negative MRI examination(PI-RADS <3), and the median PSAV was 1.40 (0.69, 2.89) ng/(ml· year). Among the patients with positive MRI(PI-RADS≥3), there were 174 patients with only 1 lesion and 83 patients with ≥2 lesions. A total of 170 patients with negative MRI underwent systematic biopsy, and 257 patients with positive MRI underwent systematic combined targeted biopsy. The PI-RADS score, regions of interest(ROI), PSAD, f/tPSA and PSAV were analyzed to explore the biopsy strategy for patients with PSA gray area based on bpMRI imaging. Results:Of the 427 patients included in the study, 194 were positive and 233 were negative. Among the patients with positive biopsy pathology, 140 cases were clinically significant prostate cancer (CsPCa). Among the MRI-negative patients, there were 33 cases with PSAV ≥1.4 ng/(ml·year), and 10 cases of prostate cancer and 6 cases of CsPCa were detected by systematic biopsy.In 32 cases with PSAV <1.4 ng/(ml·year), 3 cases of prostate cancer and 0 case of CsPCa were detected by systematic biopsy. The sensitivity of systematic biopsy for the diagnosis of prostate cancer and CsPCa in patients with PSAV≥1.4 ng/(ml·year) were 76.9% (10/13) and 100.0% (6/6) respectively, the specificity were 55.8% (29/52) and 54.2% (32/59) respectively, the negative predictive value were 90.6% (29/32) and 100.0% (32/32) respectively, and the positive predictive value were 30.3% (10/33) and 18.2% (6/33) respectively. In MRI-positive patients with PI-RADS 3, the prostate cancer detection rates of targeted biopsy combined with systematic biopsy, systematic biopsy and targeted biopsy were 41.7% (45/108), 32.4% (35/108) and 35.2% (38/108), respectively ( P=0.349). The detection rates of CsPCa were 27.8% (30/108), 21.3% (23/108) and 25.0% (27/108), respectively ( P=0.541). In patients with PI-RADS 4-5 and PSAD > 0.15 ng/ml 2, the detection rates of CsPCa in targeted biopsy combined with systematic biopsy, systematic biopsy and targeted biopsy were 67.8% (61/90), 58.9% (53/90) and 67.8% (61/90), respectively ( P=0.354). Conclusions:For MRI-negative patients, all CsPCa could be detected by perineal systematic biopsy when PSAV ≥1.4 ng/(ml·year), and active observation could be performed when PSAV <1.4 ng/(ml·year). For MRI-positive patients, targeted combined systemic biopsy was required when PI-RADS score was 3, and targeted biopsy only could be performed when PI-RADS score ≥4 and PSAD >0.15 ng/ml 2, otherwise targeted combined systemic biopsy was required.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 5 516 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer(PCa) at our hospital. Among these, 52 patients aged ≤ 50 years were defined as the early-onset group.For the control group, 228 patients aged >50 years were randomly selected at a ratio of 1∶4.4. The early-onset group predominantly presented with elevated PSA levels at diagnosis and had a lower positive rate of digital rectal examination. There were no significant differences in clinical and pathological characteristics between the early-onset group and the control group. Young PCa patients in the low to intermediate risk categories had similar survival prognosis to older patients. However, young patients with high-risk prostate cancer had 5-year progression-free survival rate of 38.4% compared to 55.6% for older patients, and 5-year cancer-specific survival rate of 70.1% compared to 84.1% for older patients, indicating that high-risk young patients exhibited poorer oncological outcomes.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features and magnetic resonance imaging of non-malignant patients assigned to Prostate Imaging Reporting And Data System (PI-RADS) 5 score.Methods:We performed a retrospective review of 289 patients who underwent magnetic resonance ultrasound targeted combined system biopsy with PI-RADS 5 lesions in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between May 2019 and July 2021. The median age 72 (66, 77)years, median body mass index 24.4(22.3, 27.1)kg/m 2, median prostate volume (PV) 37.39(29.39, 48.86) ml, median PSA 22.24(10.91, 62.69) ng/ml, and median PSAD 0.53(0.30, 1.52)ng/ml 2 were recorded. According to the biopsy pathological results, all patients were divided into benign lesion group and prostate cancer group. PSA, PSAD, PV, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were compared, and magnetic resonance imaging and clinical characteristics of patients with biopsy benign lesions were analyzed. Results:There were 11 cases (3.8%) with benign lesion and 278 cases (96.2%) with prostate cancer. The characters of 11 negative biopsy cases were displayed as follows: median age 69(66, 79)years, median body mass index 22.0(21.0, 25.5)kg/m 2, median PV 62.90(38.48, 71.96)ml, median PSA 5.55(2.99, 20.52)ng/ml, median PSAD 0.16(0.07, 0.24) ng/ml 2, median ADC 714.47(701.91, 801.26)×10 -6 mm 2/s, abnormal digital rectal and amination in 5 cases, smoking in 7 cases, and alcohol consumption in 4 cases. The median PV [62.90(38.48, 71.96) vs. 37.21(29.22, 47.82)ml, P<0.01], the PSA value [5.55(2.99, 20.52) vs. 23.53(11.14, 65.98)ng/ml, P<0.01], and the PSAD value [0.16(0.07, 0.24) vs. 0.58(0.31, 1.57)ng/ml 2, P<0.01] were significantly different between benign condition group and prostate carcinoma group. Benign condition group included 5 chronic prostatitis, 2 acute prostatitis (1 with focal adenocarcinoma), 2 granulomatous inflammation, and 2 tuberculous granulomatous inflammation. In 7 benign cases, PSA was less than 10 ng/ml, combined with frequent urination, urgency of urination and incontinence were founded. In 8 benign cases, the area of lesion was more than 50% of the total prostate area in the axial position and the imaging of magnetic resonance were diffused, with regular shape and uniform signal. The imaging of symmetrical distribution was in 6 cases. Conclusions:The benign condition with PI-RADS 5 lesions included chronic prostatitis, acute prostatitis, granulomatous inflammation and tuberculous granulomatous inflammation, among which prostatitis was the most common cause. The PSA value were less than 10 ng/ml in most benign cases, with symptoms such as frequent urination, urgency of urination and incontinence. The imaging of magnetic resonance were diffused, symmetrically distributed, with regular shape and uniform signal.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of single-plane bi-parameter magnetic resonance imaging (bpMRI) in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 343 patients who underwent transperineal template prostate magnetic resonance-transrectal ultrasound (MRI-TRUS) cognitive fusion biopsy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2020 to July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, with median age of [65.0(59.0, 72.0)] years, median body mass index (BMI) of [24.1(22.2, 25.6)]kg/m 2, median prostate volume (PV) of [41.7(29.1, 53.3)]ml, median PSA[6.9 (5.5, 8.4) ng/ml], median PSAD of[0.17(0.12, 0.22) ng/ml 2], and abnormal rate of digital rectal examination (DRE) [6.4%(22/343)]. All patients underwent initial biopsy and bi-parameter magnetic resonance imaging (bpMRI) examination before biopsy, and the images were interpreted using prostate image reporting and data system version 2.1 (PI-RADS v2.1). The detection rates of prostate cancer and clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) were compared between single-plane bpMRI and bpMRI. When PI-RADS≥3 score, MRI results were positive; when PI-RADS ≤2 score, MRI results were negative. Results:In the single-plane bpMRI group, 121 MRI results were negative and 222 were positive. Positive patients included 95 with PI-RADS 3 score, 94 with PI-RADS 4 score, and 33 with PI-RADS 5 score. In bpMRI group, 141 MRI results were negative and 202 were positive. Among the positive patients, 67 patients with PI-RADS 3 score, 102 patients with PI-RADS 4 score, and 33 patients with PI-RADS 5 score. The detection rates of single-plane bpMRI and bpMRI for prostate cancer were 22.3% (27/121) and 15.6% (22/141) in MRI negative cases[22.3% (27/121) and 15.6% (22/141), P=0.17], and PI-RADS scores with 3 points [35.8% (34/95) vs. 44.8% (30/67), P=0.25], 4 points [89.4% (84/94)vs. 90.2% (92/102), P=0.85] and 5 points [90.9% (30/33) vs. 93.9% (31/33), P=1.00] showed no significant difference in stratification. The detection rate of csPCa in the single-plane bpMRI group and bpMRI group was significantly different in the MRI negative cases [7.4% (9/121) and 2.1% (3/141), P=0.04]. PI-RADS scores with 3 points [22.1% (21/95) vs. 29.9% (20/67), P=0.27], 4 points [80.9% (76/94) vs. 79.4% (81/102), P=0.80] and 5 points [84.9% (28/33) vs. 90.9% (30/33), P=0.71] showed no significant difference in stratification. Conclusions:For those suspected of prostate cancer patients with PSA 4-10 ng/ml and PI-RADS score ≥3, single-plane bpMRI or bpMRI examination has the same efficacy in term of the detection rate of prostate cancer and csPCa.

Objective:To explore the influencing factors of clinically significant prostate cancer (CsPCa) in patients with PI-RADS score 3.Methods:The data of 133 consecutive patients with the PI-RADS score 3 from January 2019 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent 4-needle transperineal targeted biopsy and 12-needle systematic prostate biopsy (SB). The overall age was 66 (60-72) years, and the overall PSA value was 8.22 (5.95-11.41) ng/ml. All patients underwent multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI), and PI-RADS v2.0 score was 3. Patients were divided into two mutually exclusive groups: non CsPCa group and CsPCa group. The differences of lesion location, laterality, focality and sequence parameters of mpMRI between the two groups were compared, and multivariate binary logistic regression was used to analyze the independent predictors of PI-RADS score 3 in patients with CsPCa.Results:Biopsy results showed 57 cases of prostate cancer, including 41 cases of CsPCa, and 76 cases of non-prostate cancer. The detection rate of prostate cancer was 46.62 %(57/133), and the detection rate of CsPCa was 30.83 %(41/133). There were 41 cases in CsPCa group and 92 cases in non CsPCa group. There was no significant difference between CsPCa group and non CsPCa group in age [66 (58-70) years vs. 66 (60-72) years], body mass index [24.22 (21.82-25.71) kg/m 2 vs. 23.71 (21.99-26.12) kg/m 2], PSA [9.39 (6.35-12.55) ng/ml vs. 7.67 (5.83-10.51) ng/ml], abnormal rate of rectal digital examination [21.95% (9/41) vs. 9.78% (9/92)] (all P > 0.05). There was significant difference in PSAD [0.40 (0.16-0.65) ng/ml 2 vs. 0.17 (0.12-0.24) ng/ml 2] ( P<0.05). In MRI, PI-RADS=3 lesions were mainly located in the transitional zone [46.62 %(62/133)]. In CsPCa group, MRI lesions were located in peripheral zone in 16 cases, transitional zone in 19 cases, and both areas in 6 cases. There were 16 cases on the right, 15 cases on the left and 10 cases on both sides. The lesions were diffused in 19 cases and localized in 22 cases. In the non CsPCa group, 41 lesions were located in the peripheral zone, 43 in the transitional zone, and 8 in both areas. There were 26 cases on the right, 35 cases on the left and 31 cases on both sides. The lesions were diffuse in 56 cases and localized in 36 cases. There was no significant difference in lesion location, side and diffusion degree between the two groups ( P> 0.05). Compared with the non CsPCa group, the positive rate of all MRI sequences in CsPCa group was higher (82.93% vs. 40.22%, P < 0.001), the positive rate of T2 weighted imaging (T2WI) was higher (92.68% vs. 75.00%, P = 0.018), the positive rate of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) was higher (90.24% vs. 56.52%, P < 0.001), the maximum diameter was larger[(0.67(0.30-1.19)mm vs. 0.48(0.20-0.62)mm, P < 0.001], and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was lower[0.70(0.61-0.87) vs. 1.10(0.86-1.50), P < 0.001]. Concurrently, PSAD and lesion ADC were important predictors of CsPCa in logistic regression model [mean 10 fold cross validation AUC: 0.78(95% CI 0.65-0.88)]. Conclusions:Most of the MRI lesions in patients with PI-RADS 3 were located in the transitional zone, and the MRI lesions in CsPCa were more obvious and diffusion limited. PSAD and ADC values are independent predictors for the diagnosis of CsPCa in patients with PI-RADS score 3, and the log 2PSAD-ADC prediction model is helpful to find CsPCa from patients with PI-RADS score 3 and protect patients from unnecessary biopsy.

The pediatric reference intervals in clinical laboratory play an important role in diagnosis of illness,therapeutic monitoring,prediction of prognosis and health evaluation.Compared with establishing reference interval for adults,there are more challenges to establish pediatric reference intervals.Therefore,the procedure and key technologies of direct method and indirect method are stated based on the characteristics of children population and pediatric,by which to define,transfer and validate pediatric reference intervals.This study will provide systematically methodological ideas for clinical laboratories to establish pediatric reference intervals.

Objective To observe the clinical effect of drug moxibustion in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods A total of 90 patients with acute myocardial infarction in Taihe Hospital emergency department were randomly divided into the control group (n=30) and the treatment group (n=90).The patients in the control group were treated with routine western medicine, while treatment group was treated with drug moxibustion on the basis of the control group treatment. Both groups were treated for 6 weeks.The pulmonary function was assessed, and the clinical effect was evaluated.Results The total effective rate was 86.7% (52/60) in the treatment group and 70.0% (21/30) in the control group. The difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (χ2=6.059,P=0.048). After treatment, the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) (1.07 ± 0.3l L vs. 1.05 ± 0.41 L,t=15.272) in the treatment group were significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.01).Conclusions The drug-separated moxibustion can improve the curative effect and improve the lung function of patients with stable COPD.

Objective To investigate the psychological measurement index for the effectiveness and discrimination of drug packaging (color code) in the medicine for self-aid and mutual-aid .Methods The classical priming paradigm was used to inves-tigate whether there were influences on the recognition accuracy (ACC) and reaction time (RT) by memorizing the characteris-tics of three series of color code ,with a 2 (relevant or irrelevant priming )× 3 (color code categories) within subject experimen-tal design .Results ①The recognition (RT ) of the relevant-priming group was 1 387 .18 ms ,compared with the irrelevant-priming group 1 475 .12 ms .The independent two-sample t-test showed statistically significant difference between the relevant-priming and irrelevant-priming groups (t=2 .264 ,P=0 .02) .②The analysis of variance of factorial design showed a significant difference among the three series in the recognition (RT) (F=9 .945 ,P<0 .001) .The priming effect was significant in color code 1 and 3 ,while not significant in color code 2 .③The recognition (RT) in color code 2 was different by the judgment task :using directives< class-1 categorical attributes < class-2 categorical attributes ,consistent with the order of difficulty of the judgment task .The P value for the priming effect was 0 .03 ,0 .21 and 0 .7 in the judgment task for using directives ,class-1 cat-egorical attributes and class-2 categorical attributes .The priming effect was significant in using directives ,while not significant in class-1 categorical attributes and class-2 categorical attributes .Conclusion The priming effect of the characteristic of the color code is significant ,and the characteristic of the color code can promote the process of memorization of the medicine for self-aid and mutual-aid .