Objective:To investigate the effects of warming needle combined with pelvic floor muscle massage on clinical symptoms,quality of life(QOL),and sex hormone levels in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH).Methods:A total of 140 patients diagnosed with BPH were randomly divided into a control group,a warming needle group,a massage group,and a combined treatment group,with 35 patients in each group.The control group was given oral finasteride tablets for treatment.In addition to oral finasteride tablets,the warming needle group was given warming needle treatment,the massage group was given pelvic floor muscle massage,and the combined treatment group was given both warming needle and pelvic floor muscle massage.After two treatment courses,the total effective rate was compared among the four groups,and changes in such clinical indicators as international prostate symptom score(I-PSS),QOL score,total prostate volume(TPV),testosterone(T),estradiol(E2),luteinizing hormone(LH),and prostate-specific antigen(PSA)were observed.Results:The differences in the total effective rate among the four groups indicated statistical significance(P<0.05),and the combined treatment group showed a significantly higher effective rate than the other three groups(P<0.05).After treatment,the I-PSS,QOL score,TPV,and serum levels of T,E2,LH,and PSA in all four groups improved compared to those before treatment(P<0.05),and the extent of improvement in the combined treatment group was significantly greater than that in the other three groups(P<0.05).Conclusion:Oral finasteride tablets,warming needle,and pelvic floor muscle massage can all improve the I-PSS,QOL score,TPV,and serum levels of T,E2,LH,and PSA in patients with BPH,and the combination of the three therapies demonstrates the most significant effect.

Radiation-induced thrombocytopenia(RIT)faces a perplexing challenge in the clinical treatment of cancer patients,and current therapeutic approaches are inadequate in the clinical settings.In this research,oxy-matrine,a new molecule capable of healing RIT was screened out,and the underlying regulatory mecha-nism associated with magakaryocyte(MK)differentiation and thrombopoiesis was demonstrated.The capacity of oxymatrine to induce MK differentiation was verified in K-562 and Meg-01 cells in vitro.The ability to induce thrombopoiesis was subsequently demonstrated in Tg(cd41:enhanced green fluorescent protein(eGFP))zebrafish and RIT model mice.In addition,we carried out network pharmacological pre-diction,drug affinity responsive target stability assay(DARTS)and cellular thermal shift assay(CETSA)analyses to explore the potential targets of oxymatrine.Moreover,the pathway underlying the effects of oxymatrine was determined by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analyses,Western blot(WB),and immunofluorescence.Oxymatrine markedly promoted MK differentiation and maturation in vitro.Moreover,oxymatrine induced thrombopoiesis in Tg(cd41:eGFP)zebrafish and accelerated thrombopoiesis and platelet function recovery in RIT model mice.Mechanistically,oxymatrine directly binds to toll-like receptor 2(TLR2)and further regulates the downstream pathway stimulator of interferon genes(STING)/nuclear factor-kappaB(NF-κB),which can be blocked by C29 and C-176,which are specific inhibitors of TLR2 and STING,respectively.Taken together,we demonstrated that oxymatrine,a novel TLR2 agonist,plays a critical role in accelerating MK differentiation and thrombopoiesis via the STING/NF-κB axis,suggesting that oxymatrine is a promising candidate for RIT therapy.

ObjectiveThe nucleolar protein PES1 (Pescadillo homolog 1) plays critical roles in ribosome biogenesis and cell cycle regulation, yet its involvement in cellular senescence remains poorly understood. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the functional consequences of PES1 suppression in cellular senescence and elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying its regulatory role. MethodsInitially, we assessed PES1 expression patterns in two distinct senescence models: replicative senescent mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and doxorubicin-induced senescent human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Subsequently, PES1 expression was specifically downregulated using siRNA-mediated knockdown in these cell lines as well as additional relevant cell types. Cellular proliferation and senescence were assessed by EdU incorporation and SA-β-gal staining assays, respectively. The expression of senescence-associated proteins (p53, p21, and Rb) and SASP factors (IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-8) were analyzed by Western blot or qPCR. Furthermore, Northern blot and immunofluorescence were employed to evaluate pre-rRNA processing and nucleolar morphology. ResultsPES1 expression was significantly downregulated in senescent MEFs and HepG2 cells. PES1 knockdown resulted in decreased EdU-positive cells and increased SA‑β‑gal-positive cells, indicating proliferation inhibition and senescence induction. Mechanistically, PES1 suppression activated the p53-p21 pathway without affecting Rb expression, while upregulating IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-8 production. Notably, PES1 depletion impaired pre-rRNA maturation and induced nucleolar stress, as evidenced by aberrant nucleolar morphology. ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that PES1 deficiency triggers nucleolar stress and promotes p53-dependent (but Rb-independent) cellular senescence, highlighting its crucial role in maintaining nucleolar homeostasis and regulating senescence-associated pathways.

Pulmonary electrical impedance tomography (EIT), a noninvasive, continuous, dynamic, and radiation-free bedside imaging technique for monitoring pulmonary ventilation, is now widely utilized in the diagnosis and management of critically ill patients. Beyond ventilation monitoring, hypertonic saline contrast-enhanced EIT for bedside pulmonary perfusion assessment has recently garnered significant attention. This article describes the application of hypertonic saline contrast-enhanced EIT to evaluate pulmonary perfusion in two patients following pulmonary endarterectomy, providing a reference for its perioperative application in such patients.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a prototypical neurodegenerative disorder, encompasses multifaceted pathological processes. As pivotal cellular structures within the central nervous system, ion channels play critical roles in regulating neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission, and neurotransmitter release. Extensive research has revealed significant alterations in the expression and function of ion channels in AD, implicating an important role of ion channels in the pathogenesis of abnormal Aβ deposition, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and disruptions in calcium homeostasis and neural network functionality. This review systematically summarizes the crucial roles and underlying mechanisms of ion channels in the onset and progression of AD, highlighting how these channel abnormalities contribute to AD pathophysiology. We also discuss the therapeutic potential of ion channel modulation in AD treatment, emphasizing the importance of addressing multifactorial nature and heterogeneity of AD. The development of multi-target drugs and precision therapies is proposed as a future direction of scientific research.
Alzheimer Disease/therapy* ; Humans ; Ion Channels/physiology* ; Oxidative Stress ; Animals ; Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism* ; Synaptic Transmission ; Calcium/metabolism*

Objective:To systematically analyze the trends of leukocyte telomere length and methylation levels across different age groups(31-90 years)from the hospital cohort, using nanopore sequencing and the Telomere Boundary Point(TeloBP)algorithm, and to investigate their correlation with aging.Methods:A total of 120 blood samples were collected from six age groups(31-40 years, 41-50 years, 51-60 years, 61-70 years, 71-80 years, and 81-90 years), with 20 samples per group.Leukocyte DNA was extracted by isolating the white blood cell layer.Nanopore sequencing was employed to measure telomere length and assess methylation levels.The TeloBP algorithm was used to calculate telomere length, and nanopolish software was applied for CpG methylation analysis.Spearman correlation was conducted to evaluate the relationship between telomere length and methylation levels, with visualization and statistical analysis performed using R.Results:Telomere length was found to progressively shorten with age(Spearman R=-0.28, P=0.021), with the trend being most pronounced in the 51-60 age group.Additionally, a potential association was observed between methylation levels and telomere length(Spearman R=0.77, P=0.1).In the 51-60 years age group, methylation levels exhibited greater stability, while the 81-90 years age group showed a broader and more variable distribution.Chromosome-level analysis revealed significant differences in telomere length across chromosomes, with longer telomeres observed on chromosomes 3 and 11, and shorter telomeres on chromosomes 16 and 19. Conclusions:This study reveals the age-related shortening of leukocyte telomere length and observes a potential association between methylation levels and telomere length, albeit not statistically significant.These findings provide a foundation for further exploration of the mechanisms underlying the roles of telomeres and methylation in the aging process.

Objective:Near-infrared(NIR)spectroscopy technology faces the problem of insufficient model generalization due to individual differences in non-invasive blood glucose testing,in order to solve this problem,to improve data utilization,and to build predictive models with stronger generalization ability,this study introduces a transfer learning method to study the NIR spectroscopy non-invasive glucose testing.Methods:Migration learning is a machine learning technique that aims to improve task performance in the target domain by transferring knowledge from the source domain to the target domain.In this study,we used community population data as the source domain and student population data as the target domain to improve the performance of the noninvasive glucose detection model on the target domain.In order to verify the effectiveness of migration learning,this study compares the performance of the model before and after migration learning.Results:the model's performance on the noninvasive glucose detection task is significantly improved by the migration learning strategy,and the MAPE and MAE of the migrated model decreases by 52.5460％and 6.0805％,respectively,and the RMSE and MSE decreases by 10.7215％and 12.1135％.Conclusions:This study demonstrates the promising application of transfer learning in the field of non-invasive blood glucose detection,which is expected to realize portable and continuous blood glucose monitoring in the future by migrating the features that are difficult to access in the source domain but are related to blood glucose values to the target domain,which will greatly improve the quality of life of diabetic patients.Advances in noninvasive glucose testing technology will not only reduce patients' pain,but also provide a more convenient means of glucose monitoring,which will provide strong support for diabetes management.

Objective:To analyze the relationship between microRNA-21(miR-21)expression and the risk of very early relapse post-induction chemotherapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL).Methods:A total of 110 newly diagnosed children with ALL admitted to Huanggang Central Hospital from March 2020 to September 2022 were included.All patients received induction chemotherapy according to the CCLG-2008 protocol.The patients who achieved complete response(CR)after induction chemotherapy were followed up for 18 months,with very early relapse as the endpoint event.Then the patients were divided into a relapse group and a non-relapse group.Cox regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.ROC curve and decision curve were used to evaluate the predictive value of peripheral blood miR-21 for very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.Restricted cubic splines were used to analyze the dose-response relationship between peripheral blood miR-21 and very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.Results:A total of 102 children with ALL achieved CR after induction chemotherapy,among whom 24 cases(23.53％)experienced very early relapse,with a median relapse time of 14 months.The proportions of patients with high-risk stratification at initial diagnosis,extramedullary infiltration,and minimal residual disease(MRD)positivity were significantly higher in the relapse group than those in the non-relapse group;The absolute lymphocyte count(ALC)in peripheral blood was significantly lower,while the expression levels of miR-21 and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)were significantly higher in the relapse group compared with the non-relapse group(all P＜0.05).Cox regression analysis showed that very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL was associated with medium risk and high risk at initial diagnosis,extramedullary infiltration,decreased ALC in peripheral blood,MRD positivity,as well as high expression levels of miR-21 and LDH(all P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve(AUC)of peripheral blood miR-21 for predicting very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL was 0.800,with an optimal cutoff value of 4.830.Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed that there was a non-linear dose-response relationship between peripheral blood miR-21 and the risk of very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.When the expression level of peripheral blood miR-21 exceeded 4.830,the risk of very early relapse increased with the elevation of miR-21 expression.Decision curve analysis demonstrated that combining peripheral blood miR-21 with other risk factors enhanced the predictive performance for the risk of very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.Conclusion:Very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL is associated with elevated expression of miR-21 in peripheral blood,and high expression of miR-21 may increase the risk of very early relapse.Detecting miR-21 before induction chemotherapy has predictive significance for very early relapse in children with ALL,and combining it with other risk factors can improve the predictive efficacy.

Objective:To analyze the association between standardized management of clinical research, initiated by investigators and guided by clinical research management policies in healthcare institutions, and changes in the research behavior of graduate students.Methods:Theses related to cardiovascular health published by graduate students in the Sichuan-Chongqing region of China between January 2019 and June 2024 were retrieved from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database. Multilevel models were used to analyze changes in ethical compliance awareness, research methodology standardization, and academic collaboration of graduate students before and after policy implementation. Using Shapiro Wilk test and percentage representation.Results:Among the 712 theses included in this study, the proportion of studies with ethical review reports increased from 44.50% to 55.32% following the implementation of standardized management [odds ratio ( OR)=1.80, P=0.017]. Standardized management significantly improved the quality scores of cross-sectional studies and randomized controlled trials ( P<0.001), as well as significantly increased the frequencies of multi-center collaboration ( OR=2.84, P=0.001) and intra-provincial collaboration ( OR=2.80, P=0.001). Conclusions:Standardized clinical research management shows significant association with positive changes in the research behavior of graduate students. Further optimization of management measures is recommended to comprehensively enhance the clinical research capabilities of graduate students.