Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59％(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49％(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35％(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.

Objective To assess the retention and excretion fractions for uranium intake via wounds in the organs of adult reference computational phantom, and to improve the evaluation of health risks associated with radioactive isotopes intake via wounds. Methods A software for evaluation of the internal radiation dose was developed by combining the wound model in International Commission on Radiological Protection Report 156 and the systemic models in the International Commission on Radiological Protection Report 130 and the subsequent Occupational Intakes of Radionuclides series reports. This study was conducted to calculate the uranium retention fractions in adult reference individuals following ingestion through wounds of seven categories of uranium: weakly retained, moderately retained, strongly retained, very strongly retained, colloids, particles, and fragments. We assessed the retention fractions in the wound sites, bones, and liver, as well as the excretion fractions in urine and feces, and compared these results with authoritative results. Results The retention and excretion fractions of ²³⁸U and ²³⁵U in different forms of intake via wounds showed consistent variations. The retention fractions of weak and moderate uranium in wounds could be ignored after 1 000 d. The retention fractions of strong, avid, and colloid uranium were 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻⁵ after 10 000 d. A significant portion of the uranium present in the forms of particles and fragments exhibited long-term retention in wounds. The bone retention fractions were 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than the liver retention fractions. Following the intake of soluble and insoluble uranium, the retention fractions in these two organs decreased and increased, respectively, compared with those observed on the first day. The urinary excretion fractions were approximately 2 orders of magnitude higher than the fecal excretion fractions. Following the intake of soluble and particulate uranium, the excretion fractions decreased. At 1 000 d after the intake of uranium in the form of fragments, the urinary and fecal excretion fractions were 10⁻⁶ and 10⁻⁸, respectively. Conclusion The calculation results validated the accuracy of the established models, providing data support for the assessment of internal exposure doses in individuals following uranium wound contamination incidents.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a diabetic ocular complication that can lead to poor vision and blindness. This experiment aimed to investigate the ameliorative effect and its mechanism of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) eye drops on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) in rats. All experiments were approved by the Animal Research Committee of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Animal welfare and the animal experimental protocols were strictly consistent with related ethics regulations of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. PZSHUTCM 211115004). Diabetes mellitus was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ into rats. Two months later, PNS solution was dropped binocular twice per day at 6 h intervals at dose of 20, 40, and 80 mg·kg^-1 continuously for 1 month. The morphological structure and activation of microglia of the retina were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical assay. The disruption of the blood-retina barrier (BRB) was conducted by the Evans blue dye leakage assay. The number of acellular capillaries in the retina was assessed by digesting and hematoxylin-eosin staining assay. The number of retinal leukocyte adhesion was observed by fluorescein isothiocyanate-coupled concanavalin A lectin labeling assay. The serum expression of inflammatory factors was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blot experiments were used to detect the expression of relevant proteins in retinal tissue and transcriptional activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB). The results revealed that PNS eye drops significantly increased the thickness of the retina, decreased the number of acellular capillaries, and up-regulated the expression of the tight junction proteins claudin-1 and occludin, thereby alleviating BRB damage. In addition, PNS eye drops were also able to significantly reduce leukocyte adhesion and microglia activation, the expression of inflammatory factors in serum, and the nuclear translocation of retinal p65 proteins, effectively inhibiting the occurrence of retinal inflammation. The above results showed that PNS eye drops played a role in improving NPDR by inhibiting the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway and reducing inflammation.

Objective To detect the changes of mitophagy level in rats with endplate cartilage degeneration induced by spinal instability,and explore the role of PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy in endplate cartilage and intervertebral disc degeneration.Methods The rat spinal instability model was established by surgically removing the superspinal and interspinal ligaments of L2 to L5,and cleaning the bilateral articular processes of the L2 to L5.Eighteen SD rats were divided into the normal group,the degenerative group,and the carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone(CCCP)group,with 6 rats in each group.The rats in the normal group had no special treatment,the rats in the degenerative group constructed a rat spinal instability model,and the rats in the CCCP group were injected with 5 μL of CCCP(10 μmol/L)in the intervertebral disc after the construction of spinal instability model.The changes of histomorphology in the endplate cartilage and intervertebral disc were abserved by HE staining,and the change of extracellular matrix of endplate cartilage was observed by safranin O-fast green staining.RT-PCR detected the mRNA expression of type Ⅱ collagen(COL-2A),aggrecan(ACAN),PINK1 and Parkin in each group.The changes of the protein expression levels of COL-2A,ACAN,PINK1,Parkin and mitochondrial membrane proteins of Tomm20 and Timm23 were detected by Western blot.Results Compared with the normal group,the intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus of rats in the degenerative group was significantly destroyed and the secretion of extracellular matrix of endplate chondrocytes decreased;while the structure of intervertebral discs for rats in the CCCP group was more intact,and the secretion of extracellular matrix of endplate chondrocytes was significantly increased compared with that in the degenerative group.Compared with the normal group,the expression of COL-2A and ACAN in endplate cartilage tissues of rats in the degenerative group were significantly down-regulated(P<0.05),the expression of mitochon-drial autophagy-related genes of PINK1 and Parkin were significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the expression of mitochondrial membrane proteins of Tomm20 and Timm23 were increased(P<0.05).Compared with the degenerative group,the expression of COL-2A,ACAN,PINKI and Parkin in the endplate cartilage tissue of rats in the CCCP group were significantly up-regulated(P<0.05),and the protein levels of Tomm20 and Timm23 were significantly down-regulated(P<0.05).Conclusion Rat spinal instability leads to a decrease level of mitophagy mediated by PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway in endplate cartilage,thereby inducing endplate cartilage and intervertebral disc degeneration,and the activation of mitophagy can significantly reduce endplate cartilage and intervertebral disc degeneration.

With the increasing proportion of human papilloma virus(HPV)infection in the pathogenic factors of oro-pharyngeal cancer,a series of changes have occurred in the surgical treatment.While the treatment mode has been im-proved,there are still many problems,including the inconsistency between diagnosis and treatment modes,the lack of popularization of reconstruction technology,the imperfect post-treatment rehabilitation system,and the lack of effective preventive measures.Especially in terms of treatment mode for early oropharyngeal cancer,there is no unified conclu-sion whether it is surgery alone or radiotherapy alone,and whether robotic minimally invasive surgery has better func-tional protection than radiotherapy.For advanced oropharyngeal cancer,there is greater controversy over the treatment mode.It is still unclear whether to adopt a non-surgical treatment mode of synchronous chemoradiotherapy or induction chemotherapy combined with synchronous chemoradiotherapy,or a treatment mode of surgery combined with postopera-tive chemoradiotherapy.In order to standardize the surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer in China and clarify the indications for surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer,this expert consensus,based on the characteristics and treat-ment status of oropharyngeal cancer in China and combined with the international latest theories and practices,forms consensus opinions in multiple aspects of preoperative evaluation,surgical indication determination,primary tumor re-section,neck lymph node dissection,postoperative defect repair,postoperative complication management prognosis and follow-up of oropharyngeal cancer patients.The key points include:① Before the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer,the expression of P16 protein should be detected to clarify HPV status;② Perform enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the maxillofacial region before surgery to evaluate the invasion of oropharyngeal cancer and guide precise surgical resec-tion of oropharyngeal cancer.Evaluating mouth opening and airway status is crucial for surgical approach decisions and postoperative risk prediction;③ For oropharyngeal cancer patients who have to undergo major surgery and cannot eat for one to two months,it is recommended to undergo percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy before surgery to effectively improve their nutritional intake during treatment;④ Early-stage oropharyngeal cancer patients may opt for either sur-gery alone or radiation therapy alone.For intermediate and advanced stages,HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer general-ly prioritizes radiation therapy,with concurrent chemotherapy considered based on tumor staging.Surgical treatment is recommended as the first choice for HPV unrelated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma(including primary and re-current)and recurrent HPV related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma after radiotherapy and chemotherapy;⑤ For primary exogenous T1-2 oropharyngeal cancer,direct surgery through the oral approach or da Vinci robotic sur-gery is preferred.For T3-4 patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer,it is recommended to use temporary mandibu-lectomy approach and lateral pharyngotomy approach for surgery as appropriate;⑥ For cT1-2N0 oropharyngeal cancer patients with tumor invasion depth＞3 mm and cT3-4N0 HPV unrelated oropharyngeal cancer patients,selective neck dissection of levels ⅠB to Ⅳ is recommended.For cN+HPV unrelated oropharyngeal cancer patients,therapeutic neck dissection in regions Ⅰ-Ⅴ is advised;⑦ If PET-CT scan at 12 or more weeks after completion of radiation shows intense FDG uptake in any node,or imaging suggests continuous enlargement of lymph nodes,the patient should undergo neck dissection;⑧ For patients with suspected extracapsular invasion preoperatively,lymph node dissection should include removal of surrounding muscle and adipose connective tissue;⑨ The reconstruction of oropharyngeal cancer defects should follow the principle of reconstruction steps,with priority given to adjacent flaps,followed by distal pedicled flaps,and finally free flaps.The anterolateral thigh flap with abundant tissue can be used as the preferred flap for large-scale postoperative defects.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of lupatadine tablets combined with azelastine hydrochloride nasal spray in the treatment of allergic rhinitis patients.Methods Patients with allergic rhinitis were randomly divided into control group and treatment group.Both groups received general treatment.On this basis,the control group was given azelastine hydrochloride nasal spray 0.14 mg per nostril each time,bid;on the basis of control group,the treatment group received lupatadine tablets 10 mg each time,orally,qd.Two groups were treated for 4 weeks.The clinical efficacy,rhinoconjunctivitis related quality of life questionnaire(RQLQ),serum indexes[interleukin-6(IL-6),IL-1 β,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),immunoglobulin E(IgE)]and safety were compared between the two groups.Results Treatment group were enrolled 53 cases,4 cases dropped out,and 49 cases were finally included in the statistical analysis.Control group were enrolled 53 cases,4 cases dropped out,and 49 cases were finally included in the statistical analysis.After treatment,the total effective rates of the treatment and control groups were 95.92％(47 cases/49 cases)and 81.63％(40 cases/49 cases)with significant difference(P＜0.05).After treatment,the RQLQ scores of treatment and control groups were(49.57±6.97)and(58.18±7.78)points,IL-6 levels were(5.12±1.25)and(7.34±1.46)ng·L-1,IL-1 β levels were(12.25±5.64)and(20.05±6.32)pg·mL-1,TNF-α levels were(3.25±0.62)and(4.45±0.49)pg·mL-1,the IgE levels were(114.28±19.63)and(136.84±30.14)μg·L-1,respectively,the differences were statistically significant difference(all P＜0.05).The adverse drug reactions of two groups were dry mouth,fatigue,dizziness and drowsiness.The total incidences of adverse drug reactions in the treatment and control groups were 16.33％and 10.20％without significant difference(P＞0.05).Conclusion Lupatadine tablets combined with azostine hydrochloride nasal spray have a definitive clinical efficacy in the treatment of allergic rhinitis patients,which can effectively reduce the inflammatory reaction,reduce the IgE levels,improve the quality of life,without increasing the incidence of adverse drug reactions.

Objective To investigate the clinical and genetic features of children with 3-methylcrotonyl-coenzyme A carboxylase deficiency(MCCD).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical manifestations and genetic testing results of six children with MCCD who attended Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to October 2023.Results Among the six children with MCCD,there were 4 boys and 2 girls,with a mean age of 7 days at the time of attending the hospital and 45 days at the time of confirmed diagnosis.Of all children,one had abnormal urine odor and five had no clinical symptoms.All six children had increases in blood 3-hydroxyisovaleryl carnitine and urinary 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid and 3-methylcrotonoylglycine,and five of them had a reduction in free carnitine.A total of six mutations were identified in the MCCC1 gene,i.e.,c.1630del(p.R544Dfs*2),c.269A>G(p.D90G),c.1609T>A(p.F537I),c.639+2T>A,c.761+1G>T,and c.1331G>A(p.R444H),and three mutations were identified in the MCCC2 gene,i.e.,c.838G>T(p.D280Y),c.592C>T(p.Q198*,366),and c.1342G>A(p.G448A).Among these mutations,c.269A>G(p.D90G)and c.1609T>A(p.F537I)had not been previously reported in the literature.There was one case of maternal MCCD,and the child carried a heterozygous mutation from her mother.Five children with a reduction in free carnitine were given supplementation of L-carnitine,and free carnitine was restored to the normal level at the last follow-up visit.Conclusions This study identifies two new mutations,c.269A>G(p.D90G)and c.1609T>A(p.F537I),thereby expanding the mutation spectrum of the MCCC1 gene.A combination of blood amino acid and acylcarnitine profiles,urine organic acid analysis,and genetic testing can facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of MCCD,and provide essential data for genetic counseling.

Objective:To analyze the effects of highdose methotrexate(HD-MTX)and lenalidomide as central nervous system(CNS)prophylaxis strategies in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL).Methods:The data of DLBCL patients with high risk of CNS recurrence who were initially treated in Fujian Provincial Hospital and Fujian Cancer Hospital from January 2012 to June 2022 were analyzed retrospectively.The patients were divided into HD-MTX group and lenalidomide group according to different prophylaxis strategies.Each group was further divided into high-risk group and medium-risk group based on CNS-IPI score and/or testicular involvement.The CNS relapse-free survival(CRFS)rate,adverse effects,and the effects of different prophylaxis strategies on overall survival(OS)rate and progression-free survival(PFS)rate were evaluated in different groups and subgroups.Results:There were 200 patients enrolled in this study,80 cases in lenalidomide group and 120 cases in HD-MTX group.According to the delivery timing of prophylactic HD-MTX,the patients in HD-MTX group were further divided into two groups:80 cases at the end of induction chemotherapy and 40 cases during chemotherapy interval.At a median follow-up of 48(14-133)months,the 4-year CRFS rate,4-year PFS rate,and 4-year OS rate of the HD-MTX group was 93.6％,57.2％,and 68.8％,respectively,while that of the lenalidomide group was 90.4％,69.4％and 75.6％.There were no significant differences in 4-year CRFS rate,4-year PFS rate,and 4-year OS rate between HD-MTX group and lenalidomide group(all P＞0.05),but lenalidomide group showed a trend of improvement in PFS.Further subgroup analysis showed that there was no significant difference in 4-year CRFS rate between high-risk patients of the two groups(91.7％vs 83.4％,P＞0.05),while 4-year PFS rate showed difference(49.5％vs 64.2％,P＜0.05).A total of 248 cycles were collected for adverse reaction analysis in the HD-MTX group,and 25 cycles occurred neutropenia accompanied with infection(10.1％),while in lenalidomide group 240 cycles were collected in which 20 cycles occurred neutropenia accompanied with infection(8.3％).Both the two groups had no treatment-related deaths.Conclusion:Compared with HD-MTX,lenalidomide combined with immunochemotherapy can prevent CNS relapse,at the same time,improve prognosis,which is a safe and well tolerated central prophylaxis strategy.

Objective:To explore the mechanism of hypertension inducing erectile dysfunction(ED)using transcriptomics and network pharmacology.Methods:We randomly divided 12 male rats with spontaneous hypertension(SHT)into an L-arginine(LA)group(n=6)and an SHT model control(MC)group(n=6),took another 6 Wistar Kyoto male rats as normal controls(NC),and treated the animals in the LA group by intraperitoneal injection of LA at 400 mg/kg and those in the latter two groups with physio-logical saline,once a day,all for 7 days.Then we observed the blood pressure and penile erection of the rats,and determined the ex-pressions of the cGMP/PKG signaling pathway-related proteins and mRNAs in different groups using ELISA,Western blot and RT-qPCR.Results:Transcriptomics combined with network pharmacology showed that the cGMP/PKG signaling pathway played a key role in hypertension-induced ED.In vivo animal experiments revealed a significantly lower frequency of penile erections in the MC than in the NC group(1.33±0.52 vs 2.67±0.51,P＜0.05).The protein expressions of eNOS,PKG and sGC were markedly de-creased in the model controls compared with those the normal controls(P＜0.05),but remarkably upregulated in the LA group com-pared with those in the MC group(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Hypertension decreases the expressions of eNOS,NO,sGC,cGMP and PKG proteins and the level of testosterone by inhibiting the cGMP/PKG signaling pathway,which consequently suppresses the relaxa-tion of the penile vascular smooth muscle and reduces erectile function.

Background/Aims: Despite the high efficacy of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), approximately 1–3% of hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients fail to achieve a sustained virological response. We conducted a nationwide study to investigate risk factors associated with DAA treatment failure. Machine-learning algorithms have been applied to discriminate subjects who may fail to respond to DAA therapy. Methods: We analyzed the Taiwan HCV Registry Program database to explore predictors of DAA failure in HCV patients. Fifty-five host and virological features were assessed using multivariate logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and artificial neural network. The primary outcome was undetectable HCV RNA at 12 weeks after the end of treatment. Results: The training (n=23,955) and validation (n=10,346) datasets had similar baseline demographics, with an overall DAA failure rate of 1.6% (n=538). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, poor DAA adherence, and higher hemoglobin A1c were significantly associated with virological failure. XGBoost outperformed the other algorithms and logistic regression models, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 1.000 in the training dataset and 0.803 in the validation dataset. The top five predictors of treatment failure were HCV RNA, body mass index, α-fetoprotein, platelets, and FIB-4 index. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the XGBoost model (cutoff value=0.5) were 99.5%, 69.7%, 99.9%, 97.4%, and 99.5%, respectively, for the entire dataset. Conclusions Machine learning algorithms effectively provide risk stratification for DAA failure and additional information on the factors associated with DAA failure.