AIM: To investigate the effect and potential mechanism of liraglutide(LIR)combined with neural stem cells(NSCs)in alleviating diabetic retinopathy(DR)in rats.METHODS:A DR rat model was established using a high-fat diet combined with a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin(STZ). Rats in the control group were fed a normal diet and received an intraperitoneal injection of citric acid-sodium citrate buffer. After modeling, the rats were divided into the control group, DR group, DR+LIR group, DR+BMSCs group, DR+NSCs group, DR+BMSCs+LIR group, and DR+NSCs+LIR group. According to the grouping instructions, rats were given intraperitoneal injection of LIR at 200 μg/(kg·d)and intravitreal injection of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs), or NSCs, or the combined therapy accordingly for 8 wk. Fasting blood glucose(FBG)and serum insulin levels, as well as retinal oxidative stress indexes and serum inflammatory indexes, were detected in each group. Retinopathy was evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining, retinal cell apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining, SIRT1 expression in retinal tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry, and BDNF expression in retinal tissues was detected by immunofluorescence. The transcriptional levels of cZNF532, miR-29a-3p, SIRT1, TGF-β1, NRF2, Keap1, and BDNF in retinal tissues were detected by qRT-PCR, and the protein expression levels of SIRT1, TGF-β1, SMAD2/3, p-SMAD2/3, NRF2, Keap1, p65, and p-p65 in retinal tissues were detected by Western blot. RESULTS:Compared with the other groups of rats, the retinal morphology of rats in the DR+NSCs+LIR group was significantly improved, the levels of FBG, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and MDA were decreased(all P<0.05), the serum insulin level and the levels of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px were increased(all P<0.05), the TUNEL-positive rate of retinal cells was reduced(all P<0.05). The expression levels of cZNF532, SIRT1, NRF2, and BDNF in retinal tissue were up-regulated(all P<0.05), whereas the expression levels of miR-29a-3p, TGF-β1, p-SMAD2/3, Keap1, and p-p65 were down-regulated(all P<0.05). CONCLUSION:LIR combined with NSCs alleviates DR by regulating the cZNF532-miR-29a-3p-SIRT1 network and its downstream TGF-β/SMAD, NF-κB, and Keap1/NRF2 signaling pathways.

Background Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), as one of the major occupational health issues worldwide, have shown an increasing positive rate year by year. Due to the unique demands of work, operating room nurses exhibit a higher positive rate of WMSDs compared to other occupational groups, necessitating active attention and intervention. Objective To estimate the prevalence of WMSDs among operating room nurses in tertiary hospitals, explore the characteristics and latent categories of WMSDs, and analyze the influencing factors associated with the occurrence of WMSDs. Method Using a randomized cluster sampling method, operating room nurses from nine tertiary hospitals in Urumqi were selected as study participants between December 2023 and January 2024. Data were collected through a general information questionnaire, an ergonomic questionnaire for operating room nurses, and the Chinese Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire. Latent class analysis was employed to examine the patterns of WMSDs among the nurses, while chi-square test and multinomial logistic regression were utilized to analyze the influencing factors of WMSDs. Result A total of 411 valid questionnaires were collected in this survey. The positive rate of WMSDs among operating room nurses in the tertiary hospitals of Urumqi over the past year was 91.9%. The positive rates, ordered from highest to lowest by body region, were neck (79.1%), shoulders (70.3%), and lower back (68.1%). The operating room nurses were categorized into three distinct groups by latent class analysis: multi-site pain group, neck-shoulder-back pain group, and neck and lower back pain group. The results of the multinomial logistic regression models revealed that gender, job strain level, ergonomic load level in the operating room, and exposure to cold or drafty working conditions or not were significant influencing factors for reporting WMSDs among operating room nurses. Specifically, having less than 5 years of work experience, low ergonomic load level, low job strain, and moderate job strain were identified as protective factors against WMSDs. Conversely, exposure to cold or drafty working environments and being female were identified as risk factors for WMSDs. The logistic regression models also indicated that compared to the neck-lower back pain group, the neck-shoulder-back pain group had a higher probability of reporting low job strain (OR=0.168, 95%CI: 0.029, 0.968) and being female (OR=4.847, 95%CI: 2.506, 9.378). In contrast, when comparing to the neck-lower back pain group, the multi-site pain group had a higher probability of reporting, low-level ergonomic workload (OR=0.079, 95%CI: 0.015, 0.412), low job strain (OR=0.019, 95%CI: 0.002, 0.145), moderate job strain (OR=0.080, 95%CI: 0.016, 0.401), high job strain (OR=0.132, 95%CI: 0.027, 0.647), less than 5 years of work experience (OR=0.173, 95%CI: 0.044, 0.683), being female (OR=2.424, 95%CI: 1.130, 5.200), and exposure to cold or drafty working environments (OR=3.277, 95%CI: 1.657, 6.481). Conclusion The positive rate WMSDs among operating room nurses in tertiary hospitals is notably high in Urumqi, with distinct co-occurrence characteristics observed within the population. To mitigate the risk of WMSDs, it is essential to implement targeted health education and prevention training programs tailored to different patterns of WMSDs. Additionally, improving working conditions, optimizing human resource allocation , and other proactive measures should be undertaken. These efforts will effectively reduce the incidence of WMSDs among operating room nurses and safeguard their occupational health.

ObjectiveThis study aims to observe the effect of sinomenine （SIN） on fatty acid binding protein 4 （FABP4） in synovial tissue of rats with osteoarthritis （OA） and investigate the therapeutic mechanism of SIN on OA， further providing new ideas for the management of osteoarthritis by traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. MethodsAn OA rat model was constructed and randomly divided into a control group， an OA group， an OA + SIN-L group （50 mg·kg^-1）， an OA + SIN-M （100 mg·kg^-1）， an OA + SIN-H （200 mg·kg^-1）， and an OA + prednisone （PDN） group （5 mg·kg^-1）. Following surgical modeling for three weeks， an appropriate medication was administered for four weeks. During modeling and administration， a hot plate test was performed to detect the pain and swelling of the knee joints of the rats. The periarticular tissue was collected for arthropathological observation at the end of drug administration. The expression of cleaved Caspase-3， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2 associated X protein （Bax）， and FABP4 in the synovial tissue of rats was detected by Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， and the expression and distribution of FABP4 protein in the synovial membrane were detected by immunofluorescence. ResultsCompared with those in the control group， the levels of inflammatory factors and FABP4 in the serum of rats in the OA group were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and joint swelling was significantly elevated （P<0.01）. The thermal pain threshold was significantly reduced （P<0.01）， and the expression of FABP4 protein and the fluorescence intensity were significantly increased （P<0.01）. The synovial tissue exhibited significantly increased inflammatory infiltration， proliferated fibroblasts， and an elevated apoptotic index （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with those in the OA group， the serum lipid metabolism indexes of rats in the SIN administration group gradually returned to normal （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the levels of inflammatory factors and FABP4 in the serum of rats in the SIN-administered group were significantly reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and joint swelling was significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The thermal pain threshold was significantly elevated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the expression of FABP4 protein and fluorescence intensity in the synovial tissue were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The synovial tissue displayed significantly reduced inflammatory infiltration and a decreased apoptotic index （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionThe therapeutic effect of SIN on OA may be related to the down-regulation of FABP4 expression， reduction of apoptosis， and inhibition of inflammatory factor expression.

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) acts as an oncogene in liver cancer, yet its roles and in-depth molecular mechanisms within the liver cancer immune microenvironment remain mostly undefined. Here, we demonstrated that disruption of tumor-intrinsic PRMT5 enhances CD8⁺ T-cell-mediated antitumor immunity both in vivo and in vitro. Further experiments verified that this effect is achieved through downregulation of the inhibitory immune checkpoint molecule, fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1). Mechanistically, PRMT5 catalyzed symmetric dimethylation of transcription factor 12 (TCF12) at arginine 554 (R554), prompting the binding of TCF12 to FGL1 promoter region, which transcriptionally activated FGL1 in tumor cells. Methylation deficiency at TCF12-R554 residue downregulated FGL1 expression, which promoted CD8⁺ T-cell-mediated antitumor immunity. Notably, combining the PRMT5 methyltransferase inhibitor GSK591 with PD-L1 blockade efficiently inhibited liver cancer growth and improved overall survival in mice. Collectively, our findings reveal the immunosuppressive role and mechanism of PRMT5 in liver cancer and highlight that targeting PRMT5 could boost checkpoint immunotherapy efficacy.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effects of exogenous trigger (hCG/GnRHa) versus endogenous LH surge in natural cycle IVF/ICSI (NC-IVF/ICSI) for patients with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1,118 NC-IVF/ICSI cycles from two reproductive centers between 2013 and 2024. Propensity score matching (PSM) and multivariate logistic regression were used to adjust for confounding factors. The trigger-day hormone threshold was determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Outcome measures included oocyte retrieval rate, 2PN fertilization rate, clinical available embryo rate, high-quality embryo rate, fresh cycle clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), and live birth rate (LBR). RESULTS: After adjusting for confounders via PSM and logistic regression, the exogenous trigger group demonstrated significantly better outcomes across all the evaluated parameters (oocyte retrieval rate, 2PN fertilization rate, transferable embryo rate, high-quality embryo rate, fresh cycle CPR, and LBR) than the endogenous LH surge group (P<0.05). Age-stratified analysis revealed that for the entire cohort, exogenous triggering significantly increased the number of transferable embryos and high-quality embryos (P<0.001). In the 35-39 years old subgroup, exogenous triggering showed significant advantages in oocyte yield, high-quality embryo rate, CPR, and LBR (P<0.05) and resulted in the most pronounced improvement in LBR (OR=6.25, 95% CI: 1.34-29.23). ROC analysis established a decision-day LH threshold of 19.055 mIU/mL (AUC=0.945, specificity=93.3%) for precise stratification of the clinical pathways. CONCLUSIONS For DOR patients undergoing NC-IVF/ICSI, exogenous triggering comprehensively improves the treatment outcomes, particularly providing significant live birth benefits for women aged 35-40 years. An individualized protocol incorporating the LH threshold (19.055 mIU/mL) effectively enhances embryonic developmental potential and live birth rates.
Humans ; Female ; Ovarian Reserve ; Pregnancy ; Propensity Score ; Retrospective Studies ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; Chorionic Gonadotropin ; Pregnancy Rate ; Logistic Models ; Ovulation Induction/methods* ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Adult ; Oocyte Retrieval

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of three different surgical timings of modified cervical cerclage in twin pregnant women with cervical insufficiency.Methods:The clinical data of 73 twin pregnant women who underwent modified cervical cerclage and had pregnancy outcomes in Qilu Hospital of Shandong University (Qingdao) from April 2014 to July 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the different timings of surgery, they were divided into prophylactic cerclage group, ultrasound-indicated cerclage group (further divided into cervical length (CL)≤15 mm and 15 mm10 mg/L was a risk factor for preterm birth before 34 weeks of gestation ( OR=5.230, 95% CI: 1.616-16.929; P=0.006). Conclusions:In twin pregnant women with cervical insufficiency, prophylactic cerclage has the same surgical effect as ultrasound-indicated cerclage, while both prophylactic cerclage and ultrasound-indicated cerclage could significantly improve maternal and fetal outcomes compared with emergency cerclage. Twin pregnancies with CL≤15 mm might benefit from cervical cerclage. Postoperative CRP>10 mg/L is an independent risk factor for preterm birth before 34 weeks of gestation.

Objective:To carry out evidence-based practice in the management of exercise rehabilitation for kinesiophobia patients after degenerative lumbar spine disease surgery, construct review indicators, analyze barriers and facilitators to evidence-based practice, and develop strategies for action change.Methods:Using the integrated-promoting action on research implementation in health services model (i-PARIHS model) as a theoretical framework, clinical nursing problems were identified, the evidence-based practice group was built, evidence was systematically retrieved, evaluated, and summarized, and review indicators were developed and review methodology was clarified. An evidence-based baseline review of 36 healthcare professionals in the Department of Orthopedics of the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University was conducted from October 2023 to January 2024 using the Evidence-based Readiness Scale. Barriers and facilitators to the evidence-based practice were analyzed based on the results of the baseline review, strategies for action were developed accordingly.Results:A total of 23 pieces of best evidence were included and 32 review indicators were developed. In the baseline review, 25 of the review indicators had an accurate implementation rate of < 60% and 14 had an implementation rate of 0. The main barriers of evidence-based practice were lack of effective feedback systems, lack of kinesiophobia mentoring programs, and lack of management processes and educational materials. The main facilitators were active support from organizational leadership and high motivation of patients and their families to participate. A total of 15 action strategies were eventually developed.Conclusions:This study constructed review indicators for the management of exercise rehabilitation in kinesiophobia patients after degenerative lumbar spine disease surgery based on the best evidence. There are several barriers in clinical practice. The action change strategy developed is scientifically sound and feasible.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of radiotherapy in patients with advanced esophageal cancer receiving first-line chemoimmunotherapy.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 137 patients with Stage Ⅳ esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated at our hospital from January 2018 to May 2023. These patients were divided into two groups: a group treated with first-line chemoimmunotherapy combined with radiotherapy (chemoimmunotherapy + radiotherapy group, n = 43) and a group treated with only chemoimmunotherapy ( n = 94). Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was applied to balance baseline characteristics between the groups. With overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) as study endpoints, the survival data were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, the log-rank test, and the Cox regression method. Results:Before calibration, the chemoimmunotherapy + radiotherapy group significantly outperformed the sole chemoimmunotherapy group in median PFS (13.6 months vs. 7.0 months; HR: 0.501, 95% CI: 0.309-0.811, P = 0.005). After calibration using the COX proportional-hazards model for age, gender, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, smoking history, T/N/M stage, and tumor location, the chemoimmunotherapy + radiotherapy group still had significant advantages in PFS (14.7 months vs. 7.0 months; HR: 0.441, 95% CI: 0.261-0.745, P = 0.002). IPTW analysis further confirmed this trend (13.9 months vs. 7.0 months; HR: 0.492, 95% CI: 0.304-0.795, P < 0.001). Specifically, the median OS of the chemoimmunotherapy + radiotherapy group demonstrated significant improvement in all analyses: pre-calibration (29.5 months vs. 18.0 months; HR: 0.507, 95% CI: 0.297-0.867, P = 0.013), after calibration using the Cox model (27.5 months vs. 16.7 months; HR: 0.470, 95% CI: 0.266-0.830, P = 0.009), and after calibration using IPTW (29.5 months vs. 16.9 months; HR: 0.448, 95% CI: 0.262-0.764, P < 0.001). Conclusions:The combination of radiotherapy and first-line chemoimmunotherapy can significantly improve survival outcomes of patients with advanced ESCC, suggesting its potential as a standard treatment strategy.

Objective:To evaluate strategies for screening and diagnosing Lynch syndrome associated endom-etrial carcinoma(LS-EC)in clinical practice and analyze clinicopathological characteristics of LS-EC.Methods:A total of 258 patients with endometrial carcinoma who underwent surgery in The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2019 to January 2022 were included.All enrolled patients underwent postoperative immu-nohistochemical testing for mismatch repair(MMR)proteins.Based on the expression status of the four MMR proteins,the patients were divided into deficient mismatch repair(d-MMR)group(57 cases)and proficient mis-match repair(p-MMR)group(201 cases).Among them,23 patients in the d-MMR group underwent germline gene testing for Lynch syndrome(LS).According to germline gene testing results,these patients were further classified into LS-EC(n=8)and non-LS-EC(n=15)groups.Clinicopathological features of LS-EC patients were analyzed.Results:Among the 258 endometrial carcinoma patients,57cases(22.1%)exhibited d-MMR,with MLH1 and PMS2 co-deletion being the most common(61.4%,35/57).Among the23 d-MMR patients who under-went genetic testing,8 cases(34.8%)were identified as having LS-EC,including 5 cases(62.5%)of MLH1 gene mutation,1 case(12.5%)of MSH2 gene mutation,1 case(12.5%)of PMS2 gene mutation and 1 case(12.5%)of MSH6 gene mutation.Compared with the non-LS-EC group,the LS-EC patients showed significant familial aggregation and higher pathological grade(P<0.05).Conclusions:Immunohistochemical analysis of MMR proteins combined with family history represents an effective screening strategy for LS-EC,however defini-tive diagnosis requires germline genetic testing.Among LS-EC cases,MLH1 is the most frequently mutated gene.LS-EC patients are characterized by familial clustering and high pathological grade.Discrepancies between immu-nohistochistochemistry and genetic testing results present challenges in the definitive diagnosis of LS-EC.

Objective To explore the clinical value of energy-spectrum CT single-energy imaging in enhancing the image quality and stent display of stent placement CT angiography(CTA)in lower extremity atherosclerotic occlusive disease.Methods Twenty patients[mean(65.61±9.65)years;male/female,16/4]who underwent stenting for chronic occlusive disease of the lower extremity arteries by lower extremity arterial energetic spectral CTA were retrospectively recruited at our hospital.The original images were reconstructed into seven sets of single energy(40-100 keV),120 kVp,virtual unenhanced images(VUE)and metal artifact reduction(MAR)technique images.Images were debossed and then scaffolded for display with volumetric reconstruction(VR),maximum density projection(MIP)and curve planar reconstruction(CPR),and were objectively and subjectively assessed and compared using one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA).Results The 80 keV and MAR images had the highest scores compared to the other reconstruction group images(P＜0.01).Conclusion 80 keV single-energy imaging and de-metallization artifacts MAR improve the image quality of lower extremity arterial stent lumen and structure display;therefore,they have higher diagnostic value for clinicians.