ObjectiveTo clarify whether METTL14 mediates the core role of acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) in promoting myelination and improving behavior in young autistic rats through gene intervention technology. MethodsThe ASD model was established by intraperitoneal injection of valproic acid (VPA) in pregnant rats. Male offspring were intracerebroventricularly injected with adenovirus-packaged METTL14 shRNA (sh-METTL14) or its control (sh-NC) on postnatal day 1, with a model group set as well. Subsequently, the juvenile rats were divided into model group, acupuncture group, acupuncture+sh-NC group, and acupuncture+sh-METTL14 group. The acupuncture group received acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) from postnatal day 7, once daily for 21 consecutive days. Neurobehavioral changes were evaluated by behavioral tests; METTL14 knockdown efficiency and the expression of METTL14, METTL3, and PTEN were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot (WB); PTEN m⁶A levels were measured by RNA immunoprecipitation-qPCR (RIP-qPCR); myelin ultrastructure, expression of myelin basic protein (MBP) and neurofascin 155 (NF155), and dendritic spine density were observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, and primary neuron culture. ResultsBehaviorally, knockdown of METTL14 significantly counteracted the beneficial effects of acupuncture in improving self-grooming, open field exploration, three-chamber social interaction, and Morris water maze learning and memory (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the acupuncture+sh-NC group, the acupuncture+sh-METTL14 group showed significantly decreased mRNA and protein expression of hippocampal METTL14 (P<0.01), and the upregulating effects of acupuncture on METTL3 and PTEN expression were reversed (P<0.01). Meanwhile, knockdown of METTL14 significantly inhibited the acupuncture-induced increase in PTEN m⁶A levels (P<0.01). Morphologically, knockdown of METTL14 attenuated the improvement of myelin structure by acupuncture, reversed the downregulation of MBP and upregulation of NF155 induced by acupuncture, and blocked the increase in dendritic spine density (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionMETTL14 is a key molecule mediating the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Neiguan. Acupuncture at Neiguan upregulates METTL14, thereby enhancing m⁶A methylation modification of PTEN mRNA to stabilize its expression, ultimately promoting myelin development and improving behavioral symptoms in ASD juvenile rats. This preliminarily reveals the modern biological connotation of “opening Xuanfu and dredging myelin”.

ObjectiveTo clarify whether METTL14 mediates the core role of acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) in promoting myelination and improving behavior in young autistic rats through gene intervention technology. MethodsThe ASD model was established by intraperitoneal injection of valproic acid (VPA) in pregnant rats. Male offspring were intracerebroventricularly injected with adenovirus-packaged METTL14 shRNA (sh-METTL14) or its control (sh-NC) on postnatal day 1, with a model group set as well. Subsequently, the juvenile rats were divided into model group, acupuncture group, acupuncture+sh-NC group, and acupuncture+sh-METTL14 group. The acupuncture group received acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) from postnatal day 7, once daily for 21 consecutive days. Neurobehavioral changes were evaluated by behavioral tests; METTL14 knockdown efficiency and the expression of METTL14, METTL3, and PTEN were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot (WB); PTEN m⁶A levels were measured by RNA immunoprecipitation-qPCR (RIP-qPCR); myelin ultrastructure, expression of myelin basic protein (MBP) and neurofascin 155 (NF155), and dendritic spine density were observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, and primary neuron culture. ResultsBehaviorally, knockdown of METTL14 significantly counteracted the beneficial effects of acupuncture in improving self-grooming, open field exploration, three-chamber social interaction, and Morris water maze learning and memory (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the acupuncture+sh-NC group, the acupuncture+sh-METTL14 group showed significantly decreased mRNA and protein expression of hippocampal METTL14 (P<0.01), and the upregulating effects of acupuncture on METTL3 and PTEN expression were reversed (P<0.01). Meanwhile, knockdown of METTL14 significantly inhibited the acupuncture-induced increase in PTEN m⁶A levels (P<0.01). Morphologically, knockdown of METTL14 attenuated the improvement of myelin structure by acupuncture, reversed the downregulation of MBP and upregulation of NF155 induced by acupuncture, and blocked the increase in dendritic spine density (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionMETTL14 is a key molecule mediating the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Neiguan. Acupuncture at Neiguan upregulates METTL14, thereby enhancing m⁶A methylation modification of PTEN mRNA to stabilize its expression, ultimately promoting myelin development and improving behavioral symptoms in ASD juvenile rats. This preliminarily reveals the modern biological connotation of “opening Xuanfu and dredging myelin”.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to find the identified and validated clinical biomarker data building upon a clinical study of early-phase phase Ⅱ and investigate the correlation analysis of Huanglian Jiedu Wan on syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" based on a machine learning model. Additionally， the effective prediction of clinical biomarker values for the main symptoms of the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome was assessed. MethodsA total of 229 patients meeting the inclusion criteria for "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome were randomly divided into the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group. Syndrome score transition matrices were constructed for the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group based on three main symptoms of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome， such as oral ulcers， sore throat， and gum swelling and pain. Data from the patients with these three syndromes were also integrated for an overall analysis. The corresponding syndrome score transition matrices were further constructed to visualize symptom change trends of the patients in the two groups via heatmaps. Based on the identified and validated clinical biomarkers related to inflammation， oxidative stress， and energy metabolism in the early phase， Spearman correlation analysis was employed to analyze and evaluate the associations between clinical biomarkers and syndrome improvement. Key clinical biomarkers reflecting the effect of Huanglian Jiedu Wan were screened through the comparison of differences between groups. An extreme gradient boosting （XGBoost） algorithm was used to develop a prediction model for main symptom classification， with classification performance evaluated through 10-fold cross-validation. Feature importance analysis was applied to identify variables with the greatest contribution to the prediction result. ResultsThe syndrome transition matrix results indicated that the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group showed a superior effect to the placebo group in improving oral ulcers， sore throat， and overall symptoms， with significant effects observed especially in sore throat and overall symptom analyses （P<0.01）. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that several clinical biomarkers positively correlated with "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome and its main symptom improvement， were also called "heat-related biomarkers"， including succinic acid， α-ketoglutaric acid， glycine， lactic acid， adenosine monophosphate （AMP）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interferon-γ （IFN-γ）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-4 （IL-4）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-8 （IL-8）， interleukin-10 （IL-10）， and so on. Conversely， clinical biomarkers negatively correlated with symptom severity， were also called "heat-clearing related biomarkers" after administration of Huanglian Jiedu Wan， including malic acid， fumaric acid， cis-aconitic acid， adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH）， IL-1β， IL-4， IL-8， succinic acid， and citric acid. The XGBoost classification model using all 52 biomarkers as variables achieved an average test accuracy of 0.754 and an average F1 score of 0.777. Feature importance analysis identified the scores of glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 were the highest in all the variables， with importance scores of 0.081 and 0.080， respectively. After screening out 14 key variables and optimizing the parameters， model performance improved to an average accuracy of 0.758 and an F1 score of 0.798. Feature importance analysis further determined that the glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 showed obvious changes after screening the variables， confirming the good syndrome prediction ability of the model constructed by these key clinical biomarkers. ConclusionThis study systematically elucidates the correlation between syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers of Huanglian Jiedu Wan in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome. An XGBoost classification model based on key clinical biomarkers is successfully established， achieving effective prediction of the symptoms related to the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome such as oral ulcers and sore throat and providing a new insight for objective identification of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to find the identified and validated clinical biomarker data building upon a clinical study of early-phase phase Ⅱ and investigate the correlation analysis of Huanglian Jiedu Wan on syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" based on a machine learning model. Additionally， the effective prediction of clinical biomarker values for the main symptoms of the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome was assessed. MethodsA total of 229 patients meeting the inclusion criteria for "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome were randomly divided into the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group. Syndrome score transition matrices were constructed for the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group based on three main symptoms of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome， such as oral ulcers， sore throat， and gum swelling and pain. Data from the patients with these three syndromes were also integrated for an overall analysis. The corresponding syndrome score transition matrices were further constructed to visualize symptom change trends of the patients in the two groups via heatmaps. Based on the identified and validated clinical biomarkers related to inflammation， oxidative stress， and energy metabolism in the early phase， Spearman correlation analysis was employed to analyze and evaluate the associations between clinical biomarkers and syndrome improvement. Key clinical biomarkers reflecting the effect of Huanglian Jiedu Wan were screened through the comparison of differences between groups. An extreme gradient boosting （XGBoost） algorithm was used to develop a prediction model for main symptom classification， with classification performance evaluated through 10-fold cross-validation. Feature importance analysis was applied to identify variables with the greatest contribution to the prediction result. ResultsThe syndrome transition matrix results indicated that the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group showed a superior effect to the placebo group in improving oral ulcers， sore throat， and overall symptoms， with significant effects observed especially in sore throat and overall symptom analyses （P<0.01）. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that several clinical biomarkers positively correlated with "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome and its main symptom improvement， were also called "heat-related biomarkers"， including succinic acid， α-ketoglutaric acid， glycine， lactic acid， adenosine monophosphate （AMP）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interferon-γ （IFN-γ）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-4 （IL-4）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-8 （IL-8）， interleukin-10 （IL-10）， and so on. Conversely， clinical biomarkers negatively correlated with symptom severity， were also called "heat-clearing related biomarkers" after administration of Huanglian Jiedu Wan， including malic acid， fumaric acid， cis-aconitic acid， adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH）， IL-1β， IL-4， IL-8， succinic acid， and citric acid. The XGBoost classification model using all 52 biomarkers as variables achieved an average test accuracy of 0.754 and an average F1 score of 0.777. Feature importance analysis identified the scores of glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 were the highest in all the variables， with importance scores of 0.081 and 0.080， respectively. After screening out 14 key variables and optimizing the parameters， model performance improved to an average accuracy of 0.758 and an F1 score of 0.798. Feature importance analysis further determined that the glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 showed obvious changes after screening the variables， confirming the good syndrome prediction ability of the model constructed by these key clinical biomarkers. ConclusionThis study systematically elucidates the correlation between syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers of Huanglian Jiedu Wan in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome. An XGBoost classification model based on key clinical biomarkers is successfully established， achieving effective prediction of the symptoms related to the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome such as oral ulcers and sore throat and providing a new insight for objective identification of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are pivotal mediators of intercellular communication within the tumor immune microenvironment (TME). They are broadly categorized into exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies based on their distinct biogenesis pathways. Exosomes originate from the endosomal system via multivesicular body fusion, microvesicles bud directly from the plasma membrane, and apoptotic bodies are released during programmed cell death. By shuttling diverse bioactive cargoes—including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids such as mRNA, miRNA, and DNA—EVs exert dual modulatory effects on tumor initiation, progression, and immune evasion. Importantly, EVs exhibit remarkable compositional heterogeneity that is intrinsically linked to their cellular origin. Tumor-derived EVs (TDEVs) are typically enriched with immunosuppressive molecules like PD-L1, TGF‑β, and miR-21, which promote tumor immune escape and metastasis. In contrast, EVs derived from immune cells, such as dendritic cells or cytotoxic T lymphocytes, often carry immunostimulatory components including antigens, co-stimulatory molecules, and granzymes, thereby potentiating anti-tumor immunity. This review systematically delineates the biogenesis and molecular composition of EVs, with a particular emphasis on their dynamic regulatory functions within the TME. Specifically, we discuss how EVs mediate intricate crosstalk between immune and tumor cells, facilitating signal transfer that reshapes immune surveillance. For instance, TDEVs can induce macrophage polarization toward an M2-like pro-tumor phenotype, while also suppressing natural killer cell cytotoxicity and dendritic cell maturation. The clinical utility of EV-associated biomarkers in liquid biopsy is increasingly recognized. Circulating EVs carry tumor-specific molecular signatures that mirror the genetic and proteomic alterations of primary tumors, enabling non-invasive early diagnosis, molecular subtyping, and real-time monitoring of therapeutic responses. Their natural biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and intrinsic ability to traverse biological barriers make them ideal candidates for drug delivery systems. This review explores cutting-edge applications, including the use of EVs in immune checkpoint blockade therapy—for instance, engineered EVs displaying anti-PD-1 antibodies or carrying siRNA to silence immunosuppressive genes. Moreover, EV-based tumor vaccines are being developed, leveraging dendritic cell-derived EVs loaded with tumor antigens to elicit potent T cell responses. The feasibility of loading EVs with therapeutic molecules such as chemotherapeutic agents, oncolytic viruses, or CRISPR-Cas9 components is also under active investigation. The advent of engineered EVs has further expanded their therapeutic potential. Through surface modification or cargo encapsulation, EVs can be tailored for targeted delivery and controlled release, enhancing precision immunotherapy. However, several hurdles impede clinical translation. Current isolation and purification methods, such as ultracentrifugation and size-exclusion chromatography, suffer from low yield and purity. Distinguishing EV subpopulations remains technically challenging due to overlapping size and marker expression. Moreover, the lack of standardized protocols for EV production, characterization, and quality control poses significant barriers to regulatory approval and clinical adoption. Looking forward, the convergence of multi-omics technologies with artificial intelligence offers a powerful approach to decipher EV heterogeneity and identify robust diagnostic signatures. Machine learning algorithms can integrate proteomic, transcriptomic, and lipidomic data from large patient cohorts to construct predictive models for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Concurrently, advances in bioengineering are enabling the design of next-generation EVs with enhanced targeting specificity, on-demand drug release, and reduced off-target effects. Future efforts should also focus on establishing good manufacturing practice (GMP)‑compliant production processes and conducting rigorous preclinical and clinical evaluations. In summary, this review provides a comprehensive overview of EV biology, their multifaceted roles in the TME, and their transformative potential in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. By addressing current challenges and leveraging emerging technologies, EV-based strategies are poised to revolutionize precision oncology.

Cerebral small vessel disease represents a group of common vascular disorders involving pathological changes in arterioles,capillaries and venules,with microvascular investigation remaining a key challenge in stroke.With high signal-to-noise ratio and high contrast enabled by enhanced field strength,7T MRI can surpass the resolution limits of 3T MRI,revealing structural and functional abnormalities in cerebral small vessels below 400 μm,as well as detecting subtle lesions in brain tissue.This paper reviews the research progress of multimodal high-resolution imaging techniques based on 7T MRI,such as time-of-flight angiography,phase contrast imaging and susceptibility imaging,in the study of cerebral small vessel disease.Utilizing these technologies,7T MRI can clearly display the structure of cerebral small vessels,such as the lenticulostriate arteries and deep medullary veins,and measure functional parameters like flow velocity and susceptibility.Additionally,it can sensitively detect cerebral microbleeds and cortical cerebral microinfarct.These imaging data provide valuable information for detecting early features of cerebral small vessel disease and assessing its progression,offering new insights into its pathogenesis.Combined with artificial intelligence-based image analysis methods,7T MRI holds great promise for early diagnosis and progression evaluation in cerebral small vessel disease.

To formulate an expert consensus on the principles of preoperative hair removal and provide scientific guidance for standardized removal of hair before surgical procedures so as to reduce the incidence of surgical site infections.METHODS Led by the Hospital Management Institute of National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China,this consensus was reached with the joint efforts from the expects of relevant fields such as surgeries,interventional therapies,nursing,and infection prevention and control.The consensus facilitates the classification and evaluation of literatures by following the evidence grade formulated by Oxford Evidence-based Medicine Center and focuses on the association of preoperative hair removal with surgical site infection,it reaches the evidence grade of expert consensus and recommendation intensity by integrating with discussions on meetings and clinical experience of the expects from relevant fields.RESULTS A total of 6 items of consensus were reached by summarizing the latest evidence on the aspects including the indications for preoperative hair removal,tools,range,timing and places.CONCLUSION The consensus,to some extent,make supplements to and complete the exiting regulations and standards.It provides guidance for the medical institutions to carry out the preoperative hair removal.

Objective To observe the value of deep learning image reconstruction(DLIR)algorithm in brain CT perfusion(CTP)using a protocol of 70 kVp and 40 ml contrast agent dose.Methods Totally 105 patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke(AIS)were prospectively enrolled and randomly divided into 3 groups,who underwent standard dose CTP scanning with 80 kVp and 150 mA combined with reconstruction as adaptive statistic iterative reconstruction V(ASIR-V)at 50％level(CN group,n=35),low dose(LD)scanning with 70 kVp and 100 mA combined with DLIR reconstruction at the highest level(DLIR-H)(LD group,n=35),or ultra-low dose(ULD)scanning with 70 kVp and 70 mA combined with DLIR-H reconstruction(ULD group,n=35).Radiation doses were compared among 3 groups.CT values and standard deviations(SDCT)of ROI of gray matter and white matter in the frontal,parietal and temporal lobes were measured.Signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)between gray and white matter were calculated and compared among groups.Then pseudo-color images of cerebral blood volume(CBV),cerebral blood flow(CBF),mean transit time(MTT)and time to maximum of the tissue residual function(Tmax)were generated.The imaging quality of CTP pseudo-color images was evaluated,and the compatibility of the subjective scores within every kind of CTP pseudo-color images were assessed using Kappa test.Quantitative perfusion parameters were measured and compared among groups.Results Compared with CN group,both LD and ULD groups demonstrated significantly reduced volume CT dose index(CTDIvol),dose-length product(DLP)and effective dose(ED)(all adjusted P＜0.05).In ULD group,SDCT of white matter in frontal,parietal and temporal lobes were higher than those in CN group,and SDCT of white matter in parietal lobe was also higher than that in LD group(all adjusted P＜0.05).No significant difference of SDCT of gray matter was observed among groups(all P＞0.05).SNR of white matter in parietal and temporal lobes in both LD and ULD groups were lower than those in CN group(all P＜0.05),while no significant difference of SNR of white matter in frontal lobe,nor of gray matter in frontal,parietal and temporal lobes was found among groups(all P＞0.05).CNR of gray and white matter in the frontal,parietal and temporal lobes were not significantly different among groups(all P＞0.05).High consistency of inter-observer subjective scores of CBV maps,CBF maps and Tmax maps(Kappa of 0.623,0.644 and 0.638,respectively)were noticed,which of MTT maps had moderate consistency(Kappa=0.560).No significant difference of intra-obsever subjective scores of CTP pseudo-color images was found among groups(all P＞0.05).CBV,CBF,MTT and Tmax values of gray and white matter in frontal,parietal and temporal lobes were not significantly different among groups(all P＞0.05).Conclusion DLIR algorithm applicated in low radiation dose and reduced contrast agent dosage might ensure imaging quality.

Objective:To investigate the dynamic imaging characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following Yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy ( 90Y-SIRT) and to compare these with imaging findings after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Methods:This retrospective case-control study included 24 HCC patients who received 90Y-SIRT at Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, and West China Hospital, Sichuan University, between September 2021 and June 2023, establishing the 90Y-SIRT group. Additionally, 45 HCC patients who underwent their first TACE treatment at Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University during the same period were included as the TACE group. Patients underwent MRI and/or CT follow-ups at 1-3 months (first follow-up) and 3-6 months (second follow-up) after treatment. The analyzed imaging features included tumor characteristics, peritumoral features, and measurements of tumor and liver volumes, with postoperative change rates calculated. Imaging differences between the 90Y-SIRT and TACE groups were statistically compared using the Mann-Whitney U test or χ2 test. Results:At the first follow-up, compared to baseline, a higher proportion of lesions in the 90Y-SIRT group exhibited a reduction in arterial phase enhancement in the viable region (10/13) than in the TACE group (10/29), with a statistically significant difference ( P=0.040). The necrotic region of the tumor on T 1WI showed significantly lower signal intensity in the 90Y-SIRT group than in the TACE group ( Z=2.98, P=0.006). The change in the apparent diffusion coefficient value in the viable region compared to baseline was 157.0×10 -3(-62.0×10 -3, 311.5×10 -3) mm2/s in the 90Y-SIRT group and -56.0×10 -3 (-216.8×10 -3, 110.0×10 -3) mm2/s in the TACE group, with a statistically significant difference ( Z=-2.71, P=0.008). At the first and second follow-up, the contralateral liver lobe volume increased significantly in the 90Y-SIRT group, with a statistically significant difference from the TACE group ( Z=-3.21, -3.78, both P=0.001). Regarding peritumoral imaging characteristics, a statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups in the low signal intensity of the liver lobe or segment where the tumor waslocated during the hepatobiliary phase ( P=0.020, 0.040). Both HCC groups exhibited progressive tumor volume reduction after treatment. In the 90Y-SIRT group, the change rates of lesion volume relative to baseline at the two follow-ups were -23.0% (-45.6%, 7.9%) and -68.7% (-82.7%, -28.5%), respectively. In the TACE group, the values were -29.8% (-53.6%, -2.7%) and -38.0% (-65.3%, -10.7%). The differences between the two groups were not statistically significant ( Z=-0.52, P=0.605; Z=-1.79, P=0.073). Conclusion:There is a statistically significant difference in the tumor imaging features and peritumoral imaging characteristics between 90Y-SIRT and TACE. 90Y-SIRT demonstrates a notable advantage in promoting contralateral liver lobe regeneration while also contributing to tumor size reduction.

Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease（NIID）is a rare hereditary neurodegenerative disorder that can affect multiple systems. However，it is uncommon for urinary dysfunction to be the initial symptom. This article reports five cases. The five patients began to experience voiding dysfunction such as frequent urination，weak urination，and incomplete urination at the mean ages of 55.4（47 - 65）years old. Four months to twelve years after urinary onset，neurological symptoms such as headache，memory decline，transient loss of consciousness，and unsteady gait began to appear. Four of the five cases had a family history. Brain MRI revealed the “ribbon sign” or “crest sign” in all cases. Skin biopsy revealed eosinophilic inclusions in the cell nuclei，and NOTCH2NLC gene testing identified abnormal GGC mutations. Three of the five patients underwent cystostomy due to secondary hydronephrosis，while the other two received no special treatment. After a follow-up of 18 to 35 months since diagnosis，the patients who underwent cystostomy had normal renal function. Neurological symptoms in all five patients worsened to varying degrees.