Hypotension is a leading cause of age-related cognitive impairment. The available literature evidences that vascular factors are associated with dementia and that hypotension alters cerebral perfusion flow and can aggravate the neurodegeneration of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite the discovery of biomarkers and the recent progress made in neurovascular biology, epidemiology, and brain imaging, some key issues remain largely unresolved: the potential mechanisms underlying the neural deterioration observed in AD, the effect of cerebrovascular alterations on cognitive deficits, and the positive effects of hypotension treatment on cognition. Therefore, further well-designed studies are needed to unravel the potential association between hypotension and cognitive dysfunction and reveal the potential benefits of hypotension treatment for AD patients. Here, we review the current epidemiological, pathobiological, and treatment-related literature on neurovascular changes and hypotension-related cognitive dysfunction and highlight the unsettled but imminent issues that warrant future research endeavors.
Humans ; Hypotension/complications* ; Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology* ; Alzheimer Disease/epidemiology* ; Cerebrovascular Circulation/physiology* ; Cognition Disorders/etiology*

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide and a major cause of cancer-related deaths. Early-stage lung cancer is often manifested as pulmonary nodules, and accurate assessment of the malignancy risk is crucial for prolonging survival and avoiding overtreatment. This study aims to construct a model based on image feature parameters automatically extracted by artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate its effectiveness in predicting the malignancy of part-solid nodule (PSN). METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed 229 PSN from 222 patients who underwent pulmonary nodule resection at Lanzhou University Second Hospital between October 2020 and February 2025. According to pathological results, 45 cases of benign lesions and precursor glandular lesion were categorized into the non-malignant group, and 184 cases of pulmonary malignancies were categorized into the malignant group. All patients underwent preoperative chest computed tomography (CT), and AI software was used to extract imaging feature parameters. Univariate analysis was used to screen significant variables; variance inflation factor (VIF) was calculated to exclude highly collinear variables, and LASSO regression was further applied to identify key features. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to determine independent risk factors. Based on the selected variables, five models were constructed: Logistic regression, random forest, XGBoost, LightGBM, and support vector machine (SVM). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the performance of the models. RESULTS: The independent risk factors for the malignancy of PSN include roughness (ngtdm), dependence variance (gldm), and short run low gray-level emphasis (glrlm). Logistic regression achieved area under the curves ( AUCs) of 0.86 and 0.89 in the training and testing sets, respectively, showing good performance. XGBoost had AUCs of 0.78 and 0.77, respectively, demonstrating relatively balanced performance, but with lower accuracy. SVM showed an AUC of 0.93 in the training set, which decreased to 0.80 in the testing set, indicating overfitting. LightGBM performed excellently in the training set with an AUC of 0.94, but its performance declined in the testing set, with an AUC of 0.88. In contrast, random forest demonstrated stable performance in both the training and testing sets, with AUCs of 0.89 and 0.91, respectively, exhibiting high stability and excellent generalizability. CONCLUSIONS The random forest model constructed based on independent risk factors demonstrated the best performance in predicting the malignancy of PSN and could provide effective auxiliary predictions for clinicians, supporting individualized treatment decisions.
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Humans ; Male ; Female ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Artificial Intelligence ; Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Adult ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule/diagnostic imaging* ; ROC Curve

Previous studies have found associations between color discrimination deficits and cognitive impairments besides aging. However, investigations into the microstructural pathology of brain white matter (WM) associated with these deficits remain limited. This study aimed to examine the microstructural characteristics of WM in the non-demented population with abnormal color discrimination, utilizing Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI), and to explore their correlations with cognitive functions and cognition-related plasma biomarkers. The tract-based spatial statistic analysis revealed significant differences in specific brain regions between the abnormal color discrimination group and the healthy controls, characterized by increased isotropic volume fraction and decreased neurite density index and orientation dispersion index. Further analysis of region-of-interest parameters revealed that the isotropic volume fraction in the bilateral anterior thalamic radiation, superior longitudinal fasciculus, cingulum, and forceps minor was significantly correlated with poorer performance on neuropsychological assessments and to varying degrees various cognition-related plasma biomarkers. These findings provide neuroimaging evidence that WM microstructural abnormalities in non-demented individuals with abnormal color discrimination are associated with cognitive dysfunction, potentially serving as early markers for cognitive decline.
Humans ; White Matter/pathology* ; Male ; Female ; Cognitive Dysfunction/physiopathology* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Color Perception/physiology* ; Brain/pathology* ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ; Transcriptome ; Immunotherapy ; Biomarkers, Tumor

Objective:To evaluate the diagnosis and treatment of abdominal cocoon.Methods:The clinical data of 8 patients with abdominal cocoon in our hospital from Jan 2015 to Dec 2021 were retrospectively reviewed including clinical and imaging manifestations, treatment and follow-up.Results:One case was asymptomatic, and the other 7 cases suffered from recurrent abdominal pain with complete or incomplete intestinal obstruction. The median course of disease was 6 months (15 days to 40 years). Six cases underwent laparcoscopic cocoon membrane resection and intestinal adhesion lysis, of which 2 cases underwent laparotomy, one case was converted to open surgery, 4 cases underwent concomitant appendectomy. Follow-up ranged from 3 to 69 months, there were 2 cases complicating early inflammatory intestinal obstruction, 1 case suffred wound fat liquefaction and infection, 1 case with a colic 5 months after operation, and the others were doing well.Conclusions:The clinical characteristics of abdominal cocoon disease are not typical. Surgery is the main treatment. The prognosis of the disease is generally fair.

Seed quality plays an important role in the agricultural and animal husbandry production, the effective utilization of genetic resources, the conservation of biodiversity and the restoration and reconstruction of plant communities. Seed aging is a common physiological phenomenon during storage. It is a natural irreversible process that occurs and develops along with the extension of seed storage time. It is not only related to the growth, yield and quality of seed and seedling establishment, but also has an important effect on the conservation, utilization and development of plant germplasm resources. The physiological mechanisms of seed aging are complex and diverse. Most studies focus on conventional physiological characterization, while systematic and comprehensive in-depth studies are lacking. Here we review the recent advances in understanding the physiology of seed aging process, including the methods of seed aging, the effect of aging on seed germination, and the physiological and molecular mechanisms of seed aging. The change of multiple physiological parameters, including seed vigor, electrical conductivity, malondialdehyde content and storage material in the seed, antioxidant enzyme activity and mitochondrial structure, were summarized. Moreover, insights into the mechanism of seed aging from the aspects of transcriptome, proteome and aging related gene function were summarized. This study may facilitate the research of seed biology and the conservation and utilization of germplasm resources.
Germination ; Plants ; Proteome ; Seedlings ; Seeds/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical phenotype and genetic basis for a male neonate featuring hypoparathyroidism, sensorineural hearing loss, and renal dysplasia (HDR) syndrome. METHODS: The child was subjected to genome-wide copy number variation (CNVs) analysis and whole exome sequencing (WES). Clinical data of the patient was analyzed. A literature review was also carried out. RESULTS: The patient, a male neonate, had presented with peculiar facial appearance, simian crease and sacrococcygeal mass. Blood test revealed hypocalcemia, hypoparathyroidism. Hearing test suggested bilateral sensorineural deafness. Doppler ultrasound showed absence of right kidney. Copy number variation sequencing revealed a 12.71 Mb deletion at 10p15.3-p13 (chr10: 105 001_12 815 001) region. WES confirmed haploinsufficiency of the GATA3 gene. With supplement of calcium and vitamin D, the condition of the child has improved. CONCLUSION The deletion of 10p15.3p13 probably underlay the HDR syndrome in this patient.
DNA Copy Number Variations ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/genetics* ; Humans ; Hypoparathyroidism/genetics* ; Infant, Newborn ; Kidney/abnormalities* ; Male ; Syndrome ; Urogenital Abnormalities/genetics*

Objective:To explore the effect of flipped classroom combined with scenario simulation in the teaching reform on four basic medical puncture techniques of clinical skills training.Methods:A total of 1 275 students majoring in five-year clinical medicine in Guangzhou Medical University were enrolled in the study. The control group (647 cases from Batch 2015) were given the traditional teaching pattern and the experimental group (628 cases from Batch 2016) adopted flipped classroom combined with scenario simulation. At the end of the course, the performance in the tests of four basic medical puncture techniques in the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) of the two groups were compared. The feedback and evaluation of this teaching mode in the experimental group were investigated by questionnaires. SPSS 19.0 was used for independent samples t test. Results:All the scores of the tests of four basic medical puncture techniques in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group: abdominocentesis [(87.89±7.13) vs. (82.60±10.74) points], thoracocentesis [(85.20±7.39) vs. (81.96±7.76) points], bone marrow aspiration [(88.13±6.00) vs. (83.50±9.63) points], and lumbar puncture [(91.91±7.19) vs. (80.74±12.20) points], with significant differences ( P<0.001). The results about the feedback and evaluation in the experimental group showed that the students gave an average score of 8.4 points to their satisfaction with the new teaching mode. The approval rates of the teaching effect evaluation items such as teaching arrangement, improving learning ability, improving clinical practice ability and school promotion were higher than 90.0%. Conclusion:Flipped classroom combined with scenario simulation, which is worthy to be popularized, can not only improve the students' performance in the tests of four basic medical puncture techniques in the OCSE, but also improve teaching satisfaction and teaching effect.

Objective: To investigate the effect of over-expression of paired related homoeobox 1 (PRRX1) on apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC7721 cells, and to explore its detailed mechanism. Methods： ：Lentivirus-mediated PRRX1 over-expression vector (pGMLV-PRRX1) and empty vector (Vector) were respectively infected into SMMC7721 cells, and the mRNA and protein expression levels of PRRX1 in infected cells were detected by qPCR and WB. The effect of PRRX1 over-expression on the cell proliferation and apoptosis of SMMC7721 cells were assessed by CCK-8 assay and Annexin-V FITC/PI double staining flow cytometry assay, respectively. The change of mitochondrial membrane potential of SMMC7721 cells was detected by mitochondrial membrane potential assay kit (JC-10 staining assay). The enzymatic activities of caspase-8 and caspase-9 in infected cells were detected by using caspase activity assay kit (spectrophotometric method). The protein expression levels of p53, Bcl-2, Bax, Fas, Cleaved-caspase-3 and Cty C expressed in mitochondria and cytosol were evaluated by WB. Results： ：PRRX1 over-expressed SMMC7721 cell line was successfully constructed, and the protein and mRNA expression levels of PRRX1 were significantly increased in lentivirus infected cells (all P< 0.01). Compared with control group and vector group, over-expression of PRRX1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, weakened mitochondrial membrane potential, but increased the rate of apoptosis, elevated the shear level of caspase-3, promoted the release of Cyt C protein from mitochondrial into cytosol and increased the enzymatic activity of caspase-9 (all P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, over-expression of PRRX1 also promoted the protein expressions of p53 and Bax but inhibited the protein expression of Bcl-2 (all P< 0.05 or P<0.01); however,it had no significant effect on the expression of Fas protein and the enzymatic activity of caspase-8 (all P＞ 0.05). Conclusion： ：Over-expression of PRRX1 induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC7721 cells, which may be related to the activation of p53-mediated mitochondrial apoptotic pathway

Through detailed investigation of the market circulation of Ligustici Rhizoma et Radix, at the same time, this article collected relevant articles, conducted comparative study on genuine and conventionally used Ligustici Rhizoma et Radix from the aspects of textual research, functions, chemical composition and pharmacological effect, and discussed the results of the study.