POEMS syndrome is a rare condition associated with plasma cell disorders， and it often involves multiple systems and has diverse clinical manifestations. This article reports two cases of POEMS syndrome with hepatosplenomegaly as the initial manifestation. During the course of the disease， the patients presented with lower limb weakness， hepatosplenomegaly， lymph node enlargement， ascites， hypothyroidism， positive M protein， and skin hyperpigmentation， and ¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT imaging revealed bone lesions mainly characterized by osteolytic changes and plasma cell tumors. There was an increase in the serum level of vascular endothelial growth factor. The patients were finally diagnosed with POEMS syndrome， and the symptoms were relieved after immunomodulatory treatment.

Objective: To examine the associations of pet ownership and daily outdoor activity duration with depressive symptoms in middle school students, so as to provide evidence for targeted prevention strategies of depressive symptoms in middle school students. Methods: Using a stratified cluster random sampling method, 83 601 middle and high school students from 103 districts and counties in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were selected in 2024. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect demographic data, household pet ownership, outdoor activity duration, and depressive symptoms of the research subjects. The comparison of reporting rates of depressive symptoms among different groups of middle school students was conducted using a χ 2 test. The association between pet ownership and outdoor activity duration and depressive symptoms among middle school students was evaluated using a Logistic regression model, and stratified analysis was conducted among different genders and regions to control for potential confounding factors and evaluate the stability of the association. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms among middleschool students in Inner Mongolia was 17.2%. Significant differences in depressive symptom reporting rates were observed across sex, grade, ethnicity, surveillance site, parental education, menarche/spermarche status, boarding status, smoking and alcohol use, daily breakfast consumption, school bullying, continuous 30 minute headphone use in a noisy environment, and often use the Internet ( χ 2=8.07-2 672.57, all P <0.01). Both pet ownership ( OR =0.78, 95% CI =0.75-0.81) and ≥2 h/d of outdoor activity( OR =0.81, 95% CI =0.78-0.84) were inversely associated with depressive symptoms;compared to the without owning pets and < 2 h of outdoor activity daily group, students who both owned pets and engaged in ≥2 h of outdoor activity daily had an even lower risk ( OR =0.83, 95% CI =0.78-0.87)(all P <0.05). Conclusion Pet ownership and increased daily outdoor activity duration may help mitigate depressive symptoms among middle school students.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most prevalent primary malignant bone tumor affecting children and adolescents. Despite ongoing research efforts, the 5-year survival rate has remained stagnant for many years, highlighting the critical need for novel drug development to enhance current treatment protocols. Ziyuglycoside II (ZYG II), a triterpenoid saponin extracted from S. officinalis, has recently demonstrated antitumor properties. This study evaluates the antitumor effect of ZYG II on osteosarcoma and elucidates its mechanism of action through the co-regulation of p53 and estrogen-related receptor gamma (ESRRG), which inhibits disease progression. The research employs in vitro experiments using multiple established osteosarcoma cell lines, as well as in vivo studies utilizing a nude mouse model of orthotopic xenograft osteosarcoma. Additionally, ESRRG shRNA was used to construct stable ESRRG-reducing OS cell lines to investigate the molecular mechanism by which ZYG II exerts its anti-osteosarcoma effects through the co-regulation of ESRRG and p53. Results indicate that ZYG II administration led to decreased OS cell viability and reduced tumor volumes. Furthermore, cell cycles were arrested at the G₀/G₁ phase, while the proportion of apoptotic cells increased. Expression of p53, ESRRG, p21, Bax, Cleaved Caspase-9, and Cleaved Caspase-3 proteins increased, while expression of CDK4, Cyclin D1, and Bcl-2 proteins decreased. Multiple ZYG II and ESRRG docking patterns were simulated through molecular docking. Comparing the pharmacodynamic response of ZYG II to OS cell lines with reduced ESRRG and normal expression demonstrated that ZYG II inhibits osteosarcoma progression, induces cell cycle arrest, and promotes cell apoptosis through the coordination of p53 and ESRRG. In conclusion, ZYG II inhibits osteosarcoma progression, leads to cell cycle arrest, and promotes cell apoptosis through synergistic regulation of p53 and ESRRG.
Osteosarcoma/physiopathology* ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/genetics* ; Humans ; Animals ; Saponins/chemistry* ; Bone Neoplasms/physiopathology* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Mice, Nude ; Mice ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Receptors, Estrogen/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Female ; Male ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is ubiquitous in the food and feed fields. It has strong hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, seriously threatening the health of humans and animals. Enzymatic degradation of mycotoxins is considered to be a promising method to control mycotoxin contaminations. In this study, a new ochratoxin A amidohydrolase from Microbulbifer thermotolerans (MiADH) was obtained. After heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and purification, the recombinant protein was studied regarding the hydrolysis activity, hydrolysis products, enzymatic properties, and substrate binding mode. MiADH can degrade OTA into ochratoxin α (OTα) and phenylalanine, demonstrating a detoxifying ability. It demonstrated the best performance at 70 ℃ and pH 8.0, and Cu²⁺ had the strongest inhibitory effect on the activity of MiADH. MiADH with good thermal stability exhibited huge potential for industrial application. Rational design guided by three-dimensional structural models and substrate docking analysis revealed the important amino acids affecting substrate binding and obtained multiple mutants with improved activity. Among these mutants, V324A had the highest activity, which was 4.2-fold that of the wild type. The identification of MiADH enriches the ochratoxin A degradation enzyme library and provides a new candidate enzyme for the biological detoxification of ochratoxin A in the food and feed industry.
Amidohydrolases/chemistry* ; Ochratoxins/metabolism* ; Substrate Specificity ; Escherichia coli/metabolism* ; Recombinant Proteins/metabolism* ; Actinomycetales/genetics*

Objective:To explore the regulatory role of the melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neural pathway from the lateral hypothalamus (LHA) to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in modulating anxiety-like behavior in mice.Methods:Totally 37 male SPF-grade C57BL/6J mice, aged 6 to 8 weeks and weighed 18-22 g, were used for the following experiment: (1) Five mice received an injection of Fluoro-Gold (FG) into the NAc, followed by retrograde tracing combined with immunofluorescence staining after one week to observe the coexistence of FG and MCH immunopositive neurons in the LHA.(2)Thirty-two mice were injected with adeno-associated virus which could activate the MCH neurons into the LHA.After two weeks, they were randomly divided into four groups and received different drug injections: normal saline (NS, intraperitoneal injection)+ NS (1.5 μL, injection in the NAc) group, NS(intraperitoned injection) + SNAP94847 (SNAP, 2 mg/mL, 1.5 μL, injection in the NAc) group, chlorprothixene N-oxide (CNO, 0.15 mg/kg, intraperitoned injection) + NS(1.5 μL, injection in the NAc) group, and CNO(intraperitoned injection) + SNAP(1.5 μL injection in the NAc) group, and the SNAP94847 was an antagonist for MCH typel receptor.The open field test (OFT), elevated plus maze (EPM), and marble burial test (MBT) were employed to assess the impact of chemogenetic activation of MCH neurons on anxiety-related behavior in mice.Results:(1) The results of FG retrograde tracing combined with immunofluorescence histochemistry showed that MCH neurons in the LHA project their neural fibers to NAc neurons.(2) In the chemogenetic experiment, there was no significant interaction effect between CNO and SNAP in terms of the duration of stay ( Finteraction=2.899, P>0.05) and the distance moved ( Finteraction=1.603, P>0.05) in the central area during OFT experiments.However, the main effects of both CNO and SNAP intervention were significant in the duration of stay ( FCNO=6.767, FSNAP=7.656, both P<0.05) and the distance moved ( FCNO=12.480, FSNAP=7.999, both P<0.01) in the central area.Compared to the NS+ NS group, mice in the CNO+ NS group exhibited a shortened duration of stay ((89.00±19.16)s, (63.75±13.58)s, P<0.05) and a decrease in distance moved ((593.79±108.18)cm, (426.81±66.14)cm, P<0.05) in the central area.In contrast, mice in the CNO+ SNAP group had an extended duration of stay ((87.38±16.57)s) and an increase in distance moved ((569.27±73.20)cm) in the central area compared to the CNO+ NS group.There was no significant interaction effect between CNO and SNAP in the number of entries ( Finteraction=2.79, P>0.05) and the dwell time ( Finteraction=2.871, P>0.05) into the open arms of EPM experiments.However, the main effects of both CNO and SNAP interventions in the number of entries ( FCNO=10.43, P<0.01; FSNAP=4.96, P<0.05) and the dwell time ( FCNO=5.232, FSNAP=7.597, both P<0.05) into the open arms were significant.Compared to the NS+ NS group, mice in the CNO+ NS group showed a decrease in the number of entries ((13.13±3.36), (7.63±3.70), P<0.01) and a decrease in open arm dwell time ((37.68±11.37) s, (22.98±7.00) s, P<0.05) into the open arms.The CNO+ SNAP group had an increased number of entries (12.00±3.02) and an increased dwell time ((39.41±10.58)s) into the open arms compared to the CNO+ NS group(both P<0.05).There was no significant interaction effect between CNO and SNAP in the MBT experiment ( Finteraction=2.746, P>0.05).However, the main effects of both CNO and SNAP interventions were significant ( FCNO=8.125, P<0.01; FSNAP=5.383, P<0.05).Compared to the NS+ NS group, the number of buried beads increased in the CNO+ NS group ((16.13±2.10), (11.88±3.23), P<0.05).Conversely, the number of buried beads decreased in the CNO+ SNAP group compared to the CNO+ NS group ((12.38±2.33), (16.13±2.10), P<0.05). Conclusion:Enhanced activity in the MCHergic neural pathway from LHA to NAc can promote anxiety-like behavior in mice, providing new insights into the mechanisms underlying anxiety.

Objective:To explore the potential categories of psychological distress in spousal caregivers of stroke patients and differences in quality of life between categories, in order to provide a theoretical basis for early clinical identification and provision of individualized and targeted interventions for psychological distress in spousal caregivers of stroke patients and improvement of their quality of life.Methods:A total of 207 spouse caregivers of stroke patients hospitalized in three class 1-Grade A hospitals in Yinchuan city of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected from December 2020 to July 2021 by convenience sampling method as study subjects. The general information questionnaire, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and the Mos 36-Item Short from Health Survey were used for a cross-sectional survey.Results:A total of 203 spousal caregivers of stroke patients were finally investigated, 46 males and 157 females with a age of (58.65 ± 9.66) years. Psychological distress among spousal caregivers of stroke patients was categorized into 3 potential categories:no distress group (40%, 81/203), listlessness group (45%, 91/203) and helplessness and restlessness group (15%, 31/203). The psychological distress subgroup was a factor influencing the quality of life of spousal caregivers of stroke patients ( t=-10.03, P<0.05), explaining 33.0% of the variance in quality of life. Conclusions:Psychological distress in spousal caregivers of stroke patients is significantly heterogeneous. Those in the helplessness and restlessness group have the lowest quality of life and should be given focused attention and early intervention.

Objective: To understand smoking behavior and related factors among college and middle school students in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, so as to provide a technical basis for targeted tobacco control interventions. Methods: In September 2023, a total of 93 647 students in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were randomly selected by stratified cluster sampling from 12 league cities and 103 banner counties (cities districts) to conduct a questionnaire survey. The χ2 test and binary Logistic regression analyses were used to explore the current situation of adolescent smoking and its related factors. Results: The prevalence of college and middle school students who tried smoking was 10.2%, and the prevalence of current smokers was 4.4%. The binary Logistic regression model showed that students in high school, vocational high school, university, males, those from unstable family, boarders, individuals who sew someone smoking at home, at school, in public places, drinking alcohol, inhaling volatile solvents for pleasure, using cough suppressant except for coughing, using sedative without a doctors permission, being scolded by parents, experiencing school bullying, being addicted to the Internet, having depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and low selfesteem were more likely to attempt smoking and currently smoke (attempt smoking:OR=1.38, 2.59, 1.75, 3.24, 1.18, 1.43, 1.25, 1.43, 1.43, 0.79, 9.18, 1.42, 1.17, 1.65, 1.52, 1.31, 1.58, 1.41, 1.11, 1.17； current smoking:OR=1.61, 4.76, 3.76, 4.45, 1.17, 1.44, 1.27, 1.58, 1.69, 0.68, 7.99, 1.64, 1.12, 2.31, 1.48, 1.37, 1.26, 1.31, 1.35, P<0.05). Teenagers with parents who had graduated from high school and eat breakfast every day had a relatively low risk of trying and current smoking (OR=0.78, 0.83, 0.79, 0.84, 0.78, 0.68, P<0.05). Conclusions Adolescent smoking behaviours in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region exhibit obvious clustering pattern in the school setting. Associated factors includes demographic characteristics, secondhand smoke exposure, daily behaviours and substance abuse, and psychological behaviours. Schools, families and society should work together to create a smokefree environment to protect adolescents from the harms of tobacco.

Objective: To analyse the correlation between unhealthy lifestyles and anxiety symptoms among high school students in Inner Mongolia Region, so as to provide a scientific basis for the prevention of anxiety symptoms among high school students. Methods: From September to November 2023, 35 362 high school students were selected by stratified cluster random sampling method from 12 cities (103 counties) in Inner Mongolia Region, and the survey was conducted by using the questionnaire on student health status and influencing factors. The χ2 test and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the influencing factors of anxiety symptoms. Results: The total number of students with anxiety symptoms was 2 747, and the detection rate of anxiety symptoms was 7.77%. The results of multivariate Logistic regression analyses showed that female students, father having higher education background, never eating breakfast, being overweight and obese, sleeping <8 h/d, being scolded by parents in the past 30 days, and depressive symptoms were positively correlated with the anxiety symptoms of the high school students (OR=1.31, 1.23, 1.53, 1.14, 1.22, 1.51,28.92); nonsmoking, having no alcohol consumption, no Internet addiction and no use of sedatives without doctors permission were all negatively correlated with anxiety symptoms of high school students (OR=0.84, 0.73, 0.57,0.40) (P<0.05). Conclusions Anxiety symptoms of high school students are closely related to unhealthy lifestyle. Measures should be taken to improve unhealthy lifestyle, so as to reduce the occurrence of anxiety symptoms in high school students.

Objective To investigate the application value of point-of-care lung ultrasound (POC-LUS) scoring in selecting respiratory support treatment modalities for neonatal infectious pneumonia (NIP). Methods A total of 89 NIP patients were selected as the study subjects and divided into control group (no assisted ventilation) with 46 cases, noninvasive group (noninvasive assisted ventilation) with 28 cases, and invasive group (invasive mechanical ventilation) with 15 cases based on the degree of dyspnea and blood gas analysis results. The POC-LUS scores of the three groups were compared, and the correlations of POC-LUS scores with arterial oxygen partial pressure [p_a(O₂)] and arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure [p_a(CO₂)] were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to assess the predictive efficacy of POC-LUS scores for the need for noninvasive assisted ventilation or invasive mechanical ventilation in NIP patients. Results The POC-LUS scores of the noninvasive group and the invasive group were (31.7±7.3) and (42.1±8.0), respectively, which were higher than (21.5±7.3) of the control group. Additionally, the score of the invasive group was higher than that of the noninvasive group (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between POC-LUS scores and p_a(O₂) (r=-0.802, P < 0.05), and a significant positive correlation with p_a(CO₂) (r=0.807, P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of POC-LUS scores for predicting the need for noninvasive assisted ventilation and invasive mechanical ventilation were 0.918 (95%CI, 0.862 to 0.973) and 0.938 (95%CI, 0.889 to 0.987), respectively. The sensitivity was 0.767 and 0.933, and the specificity was 0.935 and 0.824, with optimal cutoff values of 29.5 and 31.5, respectively. Conclusion POC-LUS scoring can quantitatively assess the severity of lung lesions in NIP patients and serves as a guiding tool for clinicians in selecting assisted ventilation treatment modalities.

Objective:To explore the potential categories of resourcefulness in primary caregivers of stroke patients and analyze the differences in the characteristics of different types of caregivers, so as to provide basis for clinical construction of effective intervention plans.Methods:The 308 primary caregivers of stroke patients who met the research standards in the Department of Neurology of General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, People′s Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the First People′s Hospital of Yinchuan from December 2020 to August 2021 were selected as the research objects by convenient sampling method.The general information questionnaire, Resourcefulness Scale and Social Support Revalued Scale were used for cross-sectional investigation.Results:The resourcefulness of the primary caregivers of stroke patients were divided into 2 potential categories: low resourcefulness group (62.7%, 193/308) and high resourcefulness group (37.3%, 115/308). Uni-variate analysis showed that there were differences between potential categories: age and education level of stroke patients, whether there was long-term medication history, number of other chronic diseases, had there been any complications due to illness, age, education level and occupation of caregivers, average daily care duration, family relations, and social support ( χ2 values were -3.34 - 23.62, all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that social support and education level of caregivers were the influencing factors of caregiver resourcefulness ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The resourcefulness in the primary caregivers of stroke patients has certain characteristics. Clinically, targeted intervention measures should be formulated according to the different types of caregiver resourcefulness characteristics of caregivers and their influencing factors to improve the caregiver resourcefulness of stroke patients.