BACKGROUND:Zinc-based alloy medical implant materials have excellent mechanical properties,complete degradability and good biocompatibility,and are mainly used in orthopedic implants,cardiovascular stents,bile duct stents,tracheal stents,nerve catheters,etc. OBJECTIVE:To review the research progress of biodegradable zinc-based alloys in bone defect repair and prospect the promising research direction and achievements of zinc-based materials. METHODS:After searching PubMed,Web of Science,WanFang Data,and CNKI databases from the establishment of the database to June 2023,various relevant articles on biodegradable zinc-based alloys for bone implant material research were collected.The basic characteristics of biodegradable zinc based alloys were summarized,and the role of zinc-based alloys in promoting bone tissue repair was sorted and summarized.The current research hotspots and shortcomings were discussed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Zinc-based alloys have good biocompatibility.Using zinc-based alloys as the matrix material,with the help of scaffold structure construction technology and coating optimization process,the bone conductivity of zinc-based alloys will be effectively improved,and their degradation products will have efficient bone induction to regulate the gene expression of osteoblasts and osteoclasts,thereby promoting the repair and reconstruction of bone defects.(2)However,in the research on optimizing zinc-based alloys,the coating process is relatively insufficient,and additive loading technology is still lacking.(3)Zinc-based alloys have excellent mechanical and biological properties.Through special processes,their bone conductivity and osteoinductivity can be increased to effectively improve their ability to promote bone repair and reconstruction,and it is expected to further achieve the development of personalized transplant materials.Further research and development are needed to optimize the integration of coating and additive loading technologies into zinc-based alloys.

Objective:To explore the degree of change in anteversion angle and related risk factors after intramedullary nail fixation of intertrochanteric femur fracture in the elderly.Methods:The data of 256 elderly patients who underwent intramedullary nail fixation for intertrochanteric fractures of the femur at Tianjin Hospital of Tianjin University from March 2020 to March 2023 were selected, including 114 males and 142 females, with an age of 75.40±10.69 years (range, 65-94 years). The degree of change in the anteversion angle of the affected hip before and after the surgery was measured by CT scan of the hip, the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC) was plotted, the area under the ROC curve was analyzed, and the optimal degree of grouping was determined by calculating the Youden Index, then all the patients were divided into two groups. The correlation between various risk factors (age, sex, type of internal fixation, fracture AO type, quality of reduction, fracture medial cortical defect or not, cusp distance) and the change of anterior tilt angle was screened by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.Results:All 256 patients were followed up for 20.7±2.1 months (range, 18-23 months). Anteversion on the healthy side was 12.68°±5.10° (range, 5°-28°); postoperative anteversion on the affected side was 15.04°±7.67° (range, 9°-36°). By comparing the difference in the anterior tilt angle between the affected side and the healthy side, it was found that the anterior tilt angle of 67 patients was completely restored to the healthy side level after the operation. The anteversion angle was enlarged in 131 cases, of which the mildly increased angle (1°-9°) was found in 106 cases, moderately increased (10°-15°) was found in 17 cases, and significantly increased (>15°) was found in 8 cases; 58 patients showed anteversion angle reduction, of which 45 cases were mildly reduced (1°-9°), 13 cases were moderately reduced (10°-14°). The area under the ROC curve for the patient's anteversion angle and its 95% CI were 0.714(0.559, 0.867), and the maximum value of its Youden Index was 0.221, which corresponded to the optimal critical angle of 4°. There was no statistically significant difference in age, gender, reduction quality or fracture AO classification between the group with an anteversion angle>4° and the group with an anteversion angle≤4° ( P>0.05). The types of internal fixation, medial cortical defect and insufficient tip apex distance (TAD) were included in the binary variable logistic regression analysis. The results showed that single-nail internal fixation [ OR=0.412, 95% CI(0.244, 0.695), P=0.007], medial cortical defect [ OR=0.471, 95% CI(0.279, 0.793), P=0.009] and TAD>25 mm [ OR=0.367, 95% CI(0.207, 0.651), P=0.003] are independent risk factors for changes in anteversion angle after intramedullary nail fixation of intertrochanteric femur fractures in elderly. Conclusion:Single-nail internal fixation, medial cortical defect and TAD >25 mm are independent risk factors for the change of anteversion angle after intramedullary nail internal fixation of intertrochanteric fractures in the elderly.

Objective:To explore the protective effects and mechanisms of an indole-3-acetaldehyde (I3A)-loaded inulin-based hydrogel against radiation-induced intestinal injury.Methods:The gelation properties and injectability of the I3A-loaded inulin-based hydrogel were detected using a rheometer, and its biocompatibility was assessed via a CCK-8 assay. Eighteen C57BL/6 mice (aged: 6-8 weeks) were stratified by body weight and randomly assigned into three groups with 6 mice in each group: blank control, irradiation-only, and irradiation+ hydrogel protection. Abdominal irradiation was administered using 137Cs γ-rays at 17 Gy. The irradiation+ hydrogel protection group received 200 μl/day of I3A-loaded inulin-based hydrogel for two days before and 2-3 days after irradiation. Meanwhile, the irradiation-only group was treated with an equivalent volume of sterile water via gavage. The mice were euthanized four days post-irradiation, and their intestinal tissues were harvested. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, Ki67 immunohistochemistry, and TUNEL immunofluorescence were performed to assess histopathological damage, epithelial cell proliferation, and apoptosis, respectively. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was employed to measure mRNA levels of inflammatory and antioxidant factors. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed via 16S rRNA sequencing. Results:The test results of the rheometer confirmed successful hydrogel formation. CCK-8 assays demonstrated excellent biocompatibility. Compared with the irradiation-only group, the irradiation+ hydrogel protection group exhibited preserved intestinal histoarchitecture, a 1.5-fold increase in intestinal cell proliferation ( t = 8.35, P < 0.05), and a 2-fold reduction in radiation-induced apoptosis ( t = 7.94, P < 0.05). Moreover, the hydrogel group showed significantly elevated expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and antioxidant factors NRF-2 and HO-1 ( t = 3.16, 24.83, 5.92, P < 0.05), alongside reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α ( t = 5.15, 3.82, 3.83, P < 0.05). Gut microbiota analysis revealed significant modulation in microbial composition and abundance in the hydrogel group. Conclusions:The I3A-loaded inulin-based hydrogel can significantly promote intestinal cell proliferation, reduce radiation-induced apoptosis, and enhance both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant responses. In addition, it regulates gut microbiota composition and abundance, protecting against radiation-induced intestinal injury.

Objective:To rapidly and accurately detect volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans with potentially inaccurate radiation doses.Methods:The measurement-based dosimetric verification result of 196 VMAT plans obtained using ArcCHECK phantoms were retrospectively collected. Independent dosimetric calculation and verification were conducted for these plans using the ArcherQA system based on a fast Monte Carlo algorithm. The gamma passing rates of dosimetric verification using ArcCHECK phantom and the ArcherQA system were compared, followed by their correlation analysis and linear regression fitting. The ArcherQA system′s gamma passing rate threshold used to detect positive dosimetric verification result obtained using ArcCHECK phantoms, as well as the specificity of the detection, were calculated. Based on this gamma passing rate threshold, another 50 VMAT plans were selected as a test set to assess the ArcherQA system′s ability to detect positive measurement-based dosimetric verification result.Results:The average gamma passing rates for the dosimetric verification of the VMAT plans using the ArcherQA system and ArcCHECK phantoms were 97.28% and 96.57% (3%/3 mm, TH=10%), respectively. Both rates had a correlation coefficient of 0.71 ( P < 0.01) and a linear fitting coefficient of 0.54 ( R2=0.51). When the gamma passing rate for dosimetric verification using ArcCHECK phantoms was set at 90% (3%/2 mm, TH=10%), the gamma passing rate threshold for dosimetric verification using the ArcherQA system should be adjusted to 94.8% to detect all VMAT plans with positive dosimetric verification result obtained using ArcCHECK phantoms, with a specificity of 67.8%. Using this threshold, the ArcherQA system detected all VMAT plans in the test set for which ArcCHECK phantom-based measurement yielded positive dosimetric verification result. Conclusions:By determining an appropriate gamma passing rate threshold, the ArcherQA system can rapidly and accurately detect VMAT plans with potentially inaccurate doses, thus ensuring treatment accuracy and improving work efficiency.

Objective:To investigate the effect and preliminary mechanism of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) on the immune response to sepsis induced by liver abscess in mice. Methods:C57BL/6 mice were intraperitoneally injected with hvKP strain NTUH-K2044 or classical Klebsiella pneumoniae (cKP) strain HS11286 suspension to prepare the model of sepsis. The survivals rates of mice within 24 h were recorded. HE staining was used to observed the inflammatory cell infiltration in mouse liver tissues. The levels of neutrophil marker lymphocyte antigen 6G (Ly6G) in mouse liver tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. The activity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mouse liver macrophages and peripheral blood monocytes was measured by ROS assay kit. The activation of p105/p50 and p65 in NF-κB signaling pathway in mouse liver macrophages and peripheral blood monocytes was detected by Western blot. The expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α at mRNA and protein levels in mouse liver macrophages and peripheral blood monocytes were detected by qRT-PCR and ELISA, respectively. One-way analysis of variance and t test were used for statistical analysis. Results:Compared with cKP, hvKP infection could induce C57BL/6 mice to develop obvious liver abscess with massive inflammatory cell infiltration. Moreover, the level of Ly6G in liver tissues was significantly higher in hvKP-infected mice than in cKP-infected mice ( P<0.000 1), but the survival rate of hvKP-infected mice was significantly lower than that of cKP-infected mice ( P<0.000 1). hvKP significantly promoted the ROS activity ( P<0.000 1) and enhanced the phosphorylation of p105/p50 and p65 in NF-κB signaling pathway in mouse liver macrophages and peripheral blood monocytes as compared with cKP ( P<0.001). The expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α at mRNA and protein levels in mouse liver macrophages and peripheral blood monocytes were significantly higher in hvKP-infected mice than in cKP-infected mice ( P<0.001). Conclusion:hvKP can promote the development of liver abscess and induce sepsis in mice.

With the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence(GAI)technologies,their widespread application in academic research and writing is continuously expanding the boundaries of sci-entific inquiry.However,this trend has also raised a series of ethical and regulatory challenges,inclu-ding issues related to authorship,content authenticity,citation accuracy,and accountability.In light of the growing involvement of AI in generating academic content,establishing an open,controllable,and trustworthy ethical governance framework has become a key task for safeguarding research integrity and maintaining trust within the academic community.This expert consensus outlines ethical requirements across key stages of AI-assisted academic writing-including topic selection,data management,citation practices,and authorship attribution.It aims to clarify the boundaries and ethical obligations surrounding AI use in academic writing,ensuring that technological tools enhance efficiency without compromising in-tegrity.The goal is to provide guidance and institutional support for building a responsible and sustainable research ecosystem.

Objective:To determine the prevalence, risk factors, and longitudinal associations of loneliness during mid- to late pregnancy with anxiety and depressive symptoms in late pregnancy.Methods:In this prospective cohort study, 1 107 pregnant women at 24-28 weeks' gestation were enrolled between June 2021 and December 2022. Psychological status was assessed during mid-pregnancy (24-28 weeks) and late pregnancy (≥32 weeks) using standardized electronic questionnaires, including the Revised University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA) Loneliness Scale-Short Form (Cronbach's α=0.82), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 ( α=0.86), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 ( α=0.88). Multivariate logistic regression identified independent risk factors for loneliness. Cross-lagged path models analyzed the longitudinal predictions between loneliness and anxiety/depressive symptoms. Results:The prevalence of loneliness decreased significantly from 10.8% (120/1 107) in mid-pregnancy to 4.8% (37/777) in late pregnancy ( χ2=21.81, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis identified independent risk factors for loneliness: age <30 years ( OR=1.70, 95% CI: 1.15-2.50), annual household income <50 000 CNY ( OR=2.53, 95% CI: 1.28-5.02), unemployment during pregnancy ( OR=1.57, 95% CI: 1.03-2.39), history of alcohol consumption ( OR=1.63, 95% CI: 1.03-2.56), and the presence of mid-pregnancy depressive ( OR=2.76, 95% CI: 1.51-5.04) and anxiety symptoms ( OR=1.65, 95% CI: 1.01-2.71) (all P<0.05). Cross-lagged path models indicated bidirectional associations between loneliness and both anxiety ( β=0.32, P<0.01) and depressive symptoms ( β=0.28, P<0.01). However, the predictive effect of loneliness on subsequent depressive and anxiety symptoms ( β=0.28-0.32) was substantially stronger than the reverse prediction (mid-pregnancy anxiety on late-pregnancy loneliness: β=0.12; mid-pregnancy depression on late-pregnancy loneliness: β=0.11). Loneliness demonstrated high temporal stability (autoregressive effects β=0.29-0.32). Conclusion:Loneliness in mid-pregnancy exhibits a symmetric bidirectional association with anxiety and depressive symptoms in late pregnancy, suggesting it may be a core driver in the development of these emotional symptoms. Younger maternal age (<30 years), low household income (<50 000 CNY/year), unemployment during pregnancy, and a history of alcohol consumption were associated with a higher risk of loneliness and should be prioritized for psychological screening and intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To precise classify sacral meningeal cysts, effective guide minimally invasive neurosurgery and postoperative personalized rehabilitation by multiple dimensions radiographic reconstruction MRI. METHODS: From March to December 2021, based on the original 3D-fast imaging employing steadystate acquisition (FIESTA) scanning sequence, 92 patients with sacral meningeal cysts were pre-operatively evaluated by multiple dimensional reconstruction MRI. The shape of nerve root and the leakage of cyst were reconstructed according to the direction of nerve root or leakage track showed on original MRI scans. Sacral canal cysts were accurately classified as including nerve root and without nerve root, so as to accurately design the incision of skin and formulate corresponding open range of the posterior wall of the sacral canal. Under the microscope intraoperation, the shape of the nerve roots inside cysts or leakage track of the cysts without nerve roots were verified and explored. After the reinforcement and shaping operation, several reexaminations of multiple dimensional reconstruction MRI were performed to understand the deformation of the nerve root and hydrops in the operation cavity, so as to formulate a persona-lized rehabilitation plan for the patients. RESULTS: Among the 92 patients with sacral mengingeal cyst, 58 (63.0%) cysts with nerve root cyst, 29 (31.5%) cysts without nerve root cyst, and 5 (5.4%) cysts with mixed sacral canal cyst. In 58 patients with nerve root cysts, the accuracy of preoperative clinical classification on MRI image reached 96.6% (56/58) through confirmation by operating microscope. Only 2 cases of large single cyst with nerve root on the head of cyst were mistaken for without nerve root type. In 29 patients with sacral cyst without nerve root, the accuracy of preoperative image reached 100% through confirmation by operating microscope. The accuracy of judging the internal nerve root and leakage of 12 cases with recurrent sacral cyst was also 100%. Two cases of delayed postoperative hydrops were found one month after operation. After rehabilitation treatment by moxibustion and bathing, the hydrops disappeared 4-6 months after operation. CONCLUSION Multiple dimensional reconstruction MRI can precisely make clinical classification of sacral meningeal cysts before operation, guide minimally invasive neurosurgery effectively, and improve the rehabilitation effect.
Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Sacrum/surgery* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods* ; Cysts/rehabilitation* ; Aged ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Spinal Nerve Roots/diagnostic imaging* ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; Neurosurgical Procedures/methods*

BACKGROUND: The clinical impact of post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) quantitative flow ratio (QFR) in patients treated with PCI for chronic total occlusion (CTO) was still undetermined. METHODS: All CTO vessels treated with successful anatomical PCI in patients from PANDA III trial were retrospectively measured for post-PCI QFR. The primary outcome was 2-year vessel-oriented composite endpoints (VOCEs, composite of target vessel-related cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was conducted to identify optimal cutoff value of post-PCI QFR for predicting the 2-year VOCEs, and all vessels were stratified by this optimal cutoff value. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI. RESULTS: Among 428 CTO vessels treated with PCI, 353 vessels (82.5%) were analyzable for post-PCI QFR. 31 VOCEs (8.7%) occurred at 2 years. Mean value of post-PCI QFR was 0.92 ± 0.13. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis shown the optimal cutoff value of post-PCI QFR for predicting 2-year VOCEs was 0.91. The incidence of 2-year VOCEs in the vessel with post-PCI QFR < 0.91 (n = 91) was significantly higher compared with the vessels with post-PCI QFR ≥ 0.91 (n = 262) (22.0% vs. 4.2%, HR = 4.98, 95% CI: 2.32-10.70). CONCLUSIONS Higher post-PCI QFR values were associated with improved prognosis in the PCI practice for coronary CTO. Achieving functionally optimal PCI results (post-PCI QFR value ≥ 0.91) tends to get better prognosis for patients with CTO lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic potential of pseudolaric acid B (PAB) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its underlying molecular mechanism in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice (n=32) were fed either a normal chow diet (NCD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks. The HFD mice were divided into 3 groups according to a simple random method, including HFD, PAB low-dose [10 mg/(kg·d), PAB-L], and PAB high-dose [20 mg/(kg·d), PAB-H] groups. After 8 weeks of treatment, glucose metabolism and insulin resistance were assessed by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and insulin tolerance test (ITT). Biochemical assays were used to measure the serum and cellular levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). White adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT) and liver tissue were subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining or Oil Red O staining to observe the alterations in adipose tissue and liver injury. PharmMapper and DisGeNet were used to predict the NAFLD-related PAB targets. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) pathway involvement was suggested by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and search tool Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) analyses. Luciferase reporter assay, cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), and drug affinity responsive target stability assay (DARTS) were conducted to confirm direct binding of PAB with PPARα. Molecular dynamics simulations were applied to further validate target engagement. RT-qPCR and Western blot were performed to assess the downstream genes and proteins expression, and validated by PPARα inhibitor MK886. RESULTS: PAB significantly reduced serum TC, TG, LDL-C, AST, and ALT levels, and increased HDL-C level in HFD mice (P<0.01). Target prediction analysis indicated a significant correlation between PAB and PPARα pathway. PAB direct target binding with PPARα was confirmed through luciferase reporter assay, CETSA, and DARTS (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The target engagement between PAB and PPARα protein was further confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations and the top 3 amino acid residues, LEU321, MET355, and PHE273 showed the most significant changes in mutational energy. Subsequently, PAB upregulated the genes expressions involved in lipid metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis downstream of PPARα (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Significantly, the PPARα inhibitor MK886 effectively reversed the lipid-lowering and PPARα activation properties of PAB (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION PAB mitigates lipid accumulation, ameliorates liver damage, and improves mitochondrial biogenesis by binding with PPARα, thus presenting a potential candidate for pharmaceutical development in the treatment of NAFLD.
Animals ; PPAR alpha/metabolism* ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/pathology* ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Lipid Metabolism/drug effects* ; Diterpenes/therapeutic use* ; Organelle Biogenesis ; Diet, High-Fat ; Humans ; Mice ; Liver/metabolism* ; Insulin Resistance ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; Molecular Docking Simulation