ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Yueju Wan on the 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT） signaling pathway in rats with functional dyspepsia （FD） and to explore its therapeutic mechanism in the treatment of FD. MethodsSixty Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a normal group， model group， mosapride group （1.575 mg·kg^-1）， and Yueju Wan low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （0.735， 1.47， and 2.94 g·kg^-1， respectively）. The FD rat model was established using GUO's tail-clamping stimulation combined with irregular feeding. After 14 days of modeling， rats were administered the corresponding drugs by gavage for 28 days. After treatment， gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate were measured. Serum levels of 5-HT， tryptophan hydroxylase （TPH）， and substance P （SP） were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， and acetylcholine （ACh） levels were determined by chemical methods. Histopathological changes in the gastric antrum were observed using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to assess the mRNA and protein expression levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine 4 receptor （5-HT4R）， SP， and acetylcholinesterase （AChE） in colon tissue， as well as 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 receptor （5-HT3R）， SP， and AChE in hypothalamic tissue. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to examine the expression of 5-HT and 5-HT4R in the colon and 5-HT and 5-HT3R in the hypothalamus. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate in the model group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Serum levels of 5-HT， SP， ACh， and TPH were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Histopathological examination revealed irregular arrangement of glands in the gastric antrum， slight mucosal atrophy， and mild inflammatory cell infiltration. The mRNA and protein expression levels of 5-HT4R， SP， and AChE in colon tissue， as well as 5-HT3R， SP， and AChE in hypothalamic tissue， were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and 5-HT protein expression in both the colon and hypothalamus was also significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all Yueju Wan groups showed significantly increased gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate （P<0.01）. The glands in the gastric antrum were more regularly arranged， with no inflammatory cell infiltration observed. Serum levels of 5-HT， SP， ACh， and TPH were significantly increased （P<0.01）. The mRNA and protein expression levels of 5-HT4R， SP， and AChE in colon tissue and 5-HT3R， SP， and AChE in hypothalamic tissue were significantly upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and 5-HT protein expression in both the colon and hypothalamus was significantly increased （P<0.01）. ConclusionYueju Wan has preventive and therapeutic effects on FD， and its mechanism may be related to regulation of the 5-HT signaling pathway， promotion of brain-gut peptide secretion， and enhancement of gastric motility.

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy. However, low response rates and immune-related side effects have plagued immunotherapy. Metallic nanoparticles, utilizing metals as their framework, are gaining prominence in cancer immunotherapy. Metal ions have shown the ability to modulate immune status by activating the cGAS-STING pathway and inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD), thereby enabling multidimensional activation of immunotherapy. Metallic nanoparticles offer significant advantages in cancer immunotherapy, leading to their increasing use in enhancing therapeutic outcomes. In view of the ever-increasing research on metallic nanoparticles, this review presents the construction, characterization, and enhanced cancer immunotherapeutic effects of different types of metal nanosystems from the perspective of the immunoregulatory mechanisms of metal ions. We delve into the current limitations and future directions of metallic nanoparticles in this rapidly evolving field. To the best of our knowledge, this review offers the most up-to-date and systematic analysis of metallic nanoparticles in immunotherapeutic applications. It is anticipated that this review of metallic nanoparticles will inspire a more refined and intelligent design of metallic nanoparticles for future research, paving the way for advancing their clinical applications.

To explore the feasibility of using UAV-LiDAR for measuring the leaf area index (LAI) of crop canopies, we employed UAV-LiDAR to scan sugarcane canopies during the tillering and elongation stages, acquiring canopy point cloud data. Subsequently, features such as average row height, projected row area, point cloud density at different canopy layers, and the ratios between these parameters were extracted. Three feature selection methods-partial least squares regression (PLSR), XGBoost feature importance (XGBoost-FI), and random forest-recursive feature elimination (RF-RFE)-were adopted to evaluate and identify the optimal input variables for modeling. With these selected variables, LAI inversion models were developed based on random forest (RF) and adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) algorithms, and their performance was assessed. Among the extracted features, the projected row area S_p and the total row point count C_total exhibited strong correlations with LAI, with correlation coefficients of 0.73 and 0.72, respectively. The AdaBoost-based LAI inversion model, using the projected row area S_p, average height H_avg, mid-layer point cloud density C_m, and total row point count C_total as input variables, achieved the best performance, with a coefficient of determination (R_v²) of 0.713 and a root mean square error (RMSE_v) of 0.25 on the validation set. This study provides an effective method for high-throughput acquisition of LAI in field crops, offering valuable scientific support for sugarcane field management and breeding efforts.
Plant Leaves/growth & development* ; Saccharum/growth & development* ; Algorithms ; Unmanned Aerial Devices ; Remote Sensing Technology/methods* ; Crops, Agricultural/growth & development*

Objective: To study the relationship between motor coordination, social communication impairment, and restricted/repetitive behaviors (RRBs) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: A total of 123 ASD children aged 2-12 were recruited from rehabilitation service institutions for autistic children in Guangzhou, including 105 boys and 18 girls. The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire, Social Communication Questionnaire, and Restrictive Behavior Scale Revised were collected to measure motor coordination, social communication skills and RRBs, respectively. Multiple linear regression was used to explore the association between motor coordination and core symptoms. Results: In children aged 2-5 years old, those without motor coordination deficits scored lower in social interaction (7.73±4.00) than others (9.76±2.90)( Z=-2.29, P <0.05). In children aged 6-12 years old, those without motor coordination deficits scored lower in restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior (4.22±1.93), repetitive sensory-motor behaviors (3.91±2.63), and insistence on sameness (13.52±10.59) than those with motor coordination deficits (6.11±1.54, 14.00±8.49, 31.33±15.05)( Z=-2.48, -3.83, -3.28, P <0.01)。Multiple linear regression analysis showed that fine motor/handwriting and control during movement were negatively correlated with the severity of social communication impairment and RRBs respectively among children aged 2-5 and 6-12( β=-0.85--0.03, -2.98--0.17, P <0.05). Conclusion Among autistic children, those with motor deficits suffered from more severe core symptoms. Motor assessment should be included in the ASD screening, diagnosis and management. Motor intervention should also be promoted in the rehabilitation in order to improve the prognosis and life quality.

ObjectiveTo explore the efficacy and mechanism of Danshen Zexie decoction in treating the rats with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD）. MethodSixty male SD rats were randomized into control group， model group， essentiale （polyene phosphatidylcholine capsules， 0.144 g·kg^-1） group， and low-， medium-， and high-dose Danshen Zexie decoction （1.16， 2.32， and 4.64 g·kg^-1， respectively） groups. The rat model of MAFLD was established with high fat diet， and 8-week therapy started at the induction of MAFLD. The serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， and aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， as well as the liver levels of TC， TG， free fatty acid （FFA）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， glutathione （GSH）， and malondialdehyde （MDA）， were measured. The pathological changes of liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and oil red O staining， and the steatosis score and oil red O staining area were calculated. The level of reactive oxygen species （ROS） in the liver was detected by immunofluorescence. The protein levels of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， p-AMPK， nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit （GCLC）， glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit （GCLM）， and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate： quinine oxidoreductase （NQO1） in the liver were determined by Western blot. ResultCompared with control group， the modeling of MAFLD elevated the levels of TC， TG， ALT， and AST in the serum and TC， TG， FFA， MDA， and ROS in the liver （P<0.01）， lowered the levels of SOD and GSH and down-regulated the protein levels of phosphorylation（p）-AMPK， Nrf2， GCLC， GCLM， and NQO1 in the liver （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Further， a large number of lipid droplet vacuoles and balloon-like lesions appeared in the hepatocytes， and the steatosis score and oil red O staining area increased in the model group （P<0.01）. Compared with model group， Danshen Zexie decoction lowered the levels of TC， TG， ALT， and AST in the serum and TC， TG， FFA， MDA， and ROS in the liver （P<0.01）， increased the levels of SOD and GSH and up-regulated the protein levels of p-AMPK， Nrf2， GCLC， GCLM， and NQO1 in the liver （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， the decoction alleviated the degree of liver steatosis （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionDanshen Zexie decoction protects against MAFLD by activating AMPK/Nrf2 signaling pathway and suppressing oxidative stress.

Abstract: Objective To investigate the changes in expression of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) and interferon-α (IFN-α) in patients with different clinical outcomes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection treated with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs), and to explore the relationship between the expression of TLR3 and IFN-α with the clinical outcomes of HCV infection. Methods A total of 149 HCV infected patients who received initial treatment were selected from Hainan General Hospital between September 2020 and August 2022. The patients were divided into two groups: chronic hepatitis C (CHC) group (n=129) and liver cirrhosis (LC) group (n=20). Additionally, 28 volunteers were selected as the control group during the same period. All patients with HCV infection were first treated with Sofosbuvir/Vipatavir tablets for 12 weeks. Blood samples were collected at 0, 4, 12, 24 and 48 weeks after treatment. Liver function indicators were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while TLR3 mRNA were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRCR), IFN-α was detected by Luminex multiplex cytokine assays. Measurement data subject to normal distribution were represented by x±s, and t test was used between groups. Compare differences between groups. Results TLR3 mRNA in CHC group was higher than that in LC group and control group at baseline (P<0.05). After 4 weeks of DAAs treatment, TLR3 mRNA in CHC and LC groups was significantly up-regulated (P<0.05). TLR3 mRNA in the CHC group was gradually down-regulated to the level of the control group at 12, 24, and 48 weeks. In addition, IFN-α expression gradually increased with prolonged treatment, while it decreased in the LC group. The liver inflammation indicators in both the CHC and LC groups partially recovered after treatment with DAAs. Conclusions TLR3 is involved in viral clearance and chronic inflammatory response. The expression difference of TLR3 in patients with different clinical outcomes of HCV infection after DAAs treatment may be related to the severity of the disease.

In recent years,with the rapid development of medical research,cancer diagnosis and treatment technology have significantly improved young cancer patient's survival rate.Anticancer therapy such as chemotherapy,radiother-apy,or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can lead to premature ovarian insufficiency.The endocrine and reproductive function of the ovary is critical to women's physical and mental health.Ovarian tissue cryopreser-vation and transplantation can protect not only female fertility but also preserve ovarian endocrine function.This paper interprets the guidelines for ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation issued by the Chinese Society of Gynecological Endocrinology affiliated to the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology.The purpose of this guideline's interpretation is to promote more medical workers to understand the technology of ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation,which can provide patients with more choices of fertility protection methods and improve their quality of life.

Objective:To establish a three-dimensional （3D） quantitative measurement and evaluate the condylar bone remodeling of temporomandibular joint (TMJ).Methods:Pre-and post-treatment cone-beam CT (CBCT) data were obtained from 41 patients ［10 males, 31 females, mean age of (19.7±4.4) years (12-30 years old)］, who visited the Center for TMD and Orofacial Pain, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology from November 2014 to August 2019, and diagnosed with acute disc displacement without reduction or disc displacement with reduction, with intermittent locking and treated by manual disc reduction followed by anterior repositioning splint. First, condylar bone remodeling was evaluated according to the number of “double contour image” and qualitatively classified as no remodeling (no double contour image), partial remodeling (1-4 double contour images) and remarkable remodeling (5-6 double contour images). Then, condylar bone remodeling was quantitatively evaluated by CBCT based 3D measurement: segmenting condylar images using a semi-automatic method of the manually preliminary mark combined with watershed algorithm, reconstructing the surface models, superimposing the pre-and post-treatment condylar images and finally calculating the volumetric differences of condyle and condylar head, respectively.Results:The Kappa values of two-dimensional (2D) qualitative evaluation were 0.66-0.87, and 3D quantitative measurements of condyle and condylar head volume were also reliable, with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values of intra-observer 0.998/0.941 and inter-observer 0.999/0.942 respectively. The volumetric increment of the condyle and condylar head after treatment was (41.7±90.2) mm3 and (62.8±70.9) mm3, respectively. Eighty-two condyles were divided into three sub-groups: no remodeling (21), partial remodeling (20) and remarkable remodeling (41). Ranking of the volumetric increment of the condyle and condylar head after treatment was as follows: remarkable remodeling group>partial remodeling group>no remodeling group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The 3D quantitative measurement for evaluating condylar bone remodeling had excellent consistency and reliability, which was consistent with the qualitative classification for condylar bone remodeling. The condylar head as a region of interest was more sensitive to the volumetric changes.

OBJECTIVES: Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging has been successfully applied to assess the status of cartilage biochemical components. This study aimed to investigate the performance of 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging T mapping combined with texture analysis for evaluating the early degeneration of lumbar facet joints. METHODS: A total of 38 patients (20 in the asymptomatic group and 18 in the symptomatic group) were enrolled. All patients underwent 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging conventional sequences, water excitation three-dimensional spoiled gradient echo sequence (3D-WATSc), and T mapping scans. The bilateral L and L/S lumbar facet joints were morphological graded using the Weishaupt criteria, T values, and texture parameters derived from T mapping of cartilage. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the differences of parameters among different groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to obtain the independent predictive factors for evaluating the early degeneration of lumbar facet joints. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed and the area under curve (AUC) was calculated. Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation of the independent predictors of cartilage T value and texture parameters with the subjects' Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score or Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score. RESULTS: A total of 148 facet joints were selected, including 70 in Weishaupt 0 (normal) group, 58 in Weishaupt 1 group, and 20 in Weishaupt 2-3 group. T value, entropy, and contrast increased significantly as the exacerbation of facet joint degeneration (all <0.05), while the inverse difference moment, energy, and correlation decreased (all <0.05). Entropy among different groups was significantly different (all <0.05), and the differences of T value, contrast, inverse difference moment, and energy between Weishaupt 0 and Weishaupt 1 groups, or Weishaupt 0 and Weishaupt 2-3 groups were statistically significant (all <0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that T value and inverse difference moment were the independent predictors for evaluating early degeneration of facet joints. The combination of T value with inverse difference moment achieved the best performance in distinguishing Weishaupt 0 from Weishaupt 1 (AUC=0.85), with sensitivity and specificity at 92.7% and 76.5%, respectively. In the symptom group, the cartilage T value combined inverse difference moment was positively correlated with JOA score (=0.475, <0.05) and VAS score (=0.452, <0.05). CONCLUSIONS 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging T mapping combined with texture analysis is helpful to quantitatively evaluate the early degeneration of lumbar facet joints, in which the T value and inverse difference moment show an indicative significance．.
Algorithms ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spondylosis ; Zygapophyseal Joint

Objective:To investigate the influence of cognitive-behavior therapy on the psychological status of family members of terminal cancer patients. Method:A total of 60 families of terminal cancer patients were selected and randomly divided into observation group (30 cases) and control group (30 cases). The observation group was treated with cognitive-behavior therapy, while the control group was given general supportive psychological care. The Hamilton Depression Scale ( HAMD) , Hamilton Anxiety Scale ( HAMA) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ( PSQL) were used to evaluate the family members of the two groups of patients before and after the intervention. Results: Before the intervention, there was no statistical significance difference in the scores of HAMA, HAMD and PSQI between the two groups (P>0. 05). After the intervention, the scores of HAMA, HAMD and PSQI in the observation group were significantly lower than those before the intervention ( P <0 . 05 ); and the scores of HAMA, HAMD and PSQI in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0 . 05 ) . Conclusion:Cognitive-behavior therapy can significantly improve the negative emotions of depression, anxiety and sleep disorder among family members of terminal tumor patients.