Objective: This prospective study evaluated the feasibility of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI for assessing disease activity in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). Materials and Methods: A total of 88 patients with active TAO, 76 with inactive TAO, and 30 healthy controls were enrolled. CEST MRI-derived magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) and MTR asymmetry (MTRasym) at 1 ppm, 2 ppm, and 3.5 ppm were calculated. Clinical data, MTR, and MTRasym values for the extraocular muscles (one representative muscle per eye, yielding two measurements per participant) were compared among the groups. Spearman’s correlation was used to examine associations between imaging parameters and the clinical activity score (CAS) in patients with TAO. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent associations between imaging parameters and disease activity in patients with TAO (active vs. inactive). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic performance for discriminating active from inactive TAO. Results: Patients with active TAO showed lower MTR values (P < 0.001) and higher MTRasym (1 ppm), MTRasym (2 ppm), and MTRasym (3.5 ppm) (all P < 0.001) compared with those with inactive TAO. MTR was negatively correlated with CAS (r = -0.402; P < 0.001), while MTRasym (1 ppm), MTRasym (2 ppm), and MTRasym (3.5 ppm) were positively correlated with CAS (r = 0.369, 0.350, and 0.349, respectively;all P < 0.001). MTR and MTRasym (1 ppm) were independently associated with TAO activity. The areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) for MTR and MTRasym (1 ppm) in discriminating active from inactive TAO were 0.772 and 0.730, respectively. Combining MTR with MTRasym (1 ppm) significantly improved diagnostic performance compared with either parameter alone, achieving an AUC of 0.805 (P = 0.029 and 0.001). Conclusion MTR and MTRasym (1 ppm) were independently associated with TAO activity. Their combination further enhanced diagnostic performance in distinguishing active from inactive TAO, suggesting their potential as quantitative imaging biomarkers to guide treatment in patients with TAO.

Objective To investigate predictive value of soluble growth stimulation-expressed gene 2 protein (sST2), cardiac troponin T (cTnT), and creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB) for steroid resistance and prognosis in patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis (ICIAM). Methods A total of 28 patients with ICIAM were prospectively enrolled from March 2023 to February 2024 at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University. All participants were divided into the steroid-resistant ICIAM (srICIAM) group and the non-srICIAM group. Baseline serum levels of sST2, cTnT and CK-MB were detected prior to treatment initiation. ROC curve analysis was applied to evaluate the predictive value of these biomarkers, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to explore the relationship between sST2 and all-cause mortality. Results Baseline sST2, cTnT, and CK-MB levels were significantly higher in the srICIAM group (n＝15) than in the non-srICIAM group (n＝13, P＜0.05). Combination of cTnT and sST2 improved predictive performance for srICIAM (AUC＝0.857, sensitivity 0.714, specificity 1.000). After 6 months of follow-up, the high sST2 group had a significantly higher all-cause mortality than the low sST2 group (P＝0.016). Conclusions The combination of sST2 and cTnT could effectively predict srICIAM, and elevated sST2 is associated with increased higher all-cause mortality in ICIAM patients, providing a basis for early risk stratification and treatment optimization.

BackgroundAggressive behavior in schizophrenic patients could result in legal disputes and public safety concerns. In patients with illness episodes of different numbers， there may exist differences in the association between levels of novel inflammatory indicators and aggressivity. ObjectiveTo investigate the differences in the correlation between levels of novel inflammatory indicators and aggressivity in patients with first-episode and recurrent schizophrenia， in order to search for inflammatory biomarkers to assess aggression level in schizophrenic patients. MethodsA total of 168 schizophrenic patients were selected as subjects， who were hospitalized for acute disease onset in Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University from October 2022 to April 2024 as well as met the diagnostic criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fifth edition （DSM-5）. Patients were divided into first-episode group （n=58） and recurrent group （n=110）. Meanwhile， 110 healthy controls from community who matched in age and gender with the patient group were recruited. All patients were evaluated with Modified Overt Aggression Scale （MOAS） and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale （PANSS）. All subjects went through examination of the levels of novel inflammatory indicators， including neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio （NLR）， monocyte/lymphocyte ratio （MLR）， platelet/lymphocyte ratio （PLR）， neutrophil/high-density lipoprotein ratio （NHR）， monocyte/high-density lipoprotein ratio （MHR） and platelet/high-density lipoprotein ratio （PHR）. Spearman correlation analysis was adopted to investigate the correlation between levels of novel inflammatory indicators and the total score of MOAS in patients with first-episode and recurrent schizophrenia. ResultsThe levels of NLR， MLR， PLR， NHR， MHR and PHR in first-episode group were higher than those in control group （adjusted P<0.01）. The levels of NLR， MLR， NHR， MHR and PHR in recurrent group were higher than those in control group （adjusted P<0.01）. No significant difference was observed in the comparison in the levels of six novel inflammatory indicators between first-episode group and recurrent group （adjusted P>0.05）. Spearman correlation analysis showed， the MOAS total score of recurrent group was positively correlated with the levels of NLR， MLR and PLR （r=0.234， 0.192， 0.243， P<0.05）. There was no statistical significance in the correlation between MOAS total score and levels of six novel inflammatory indicators in first-episode group （P>0.05）. ConclusionAmong patients with first-episode and recurrent schizophrenia， the correlation between levels of novel inflammatory indicators and aggressivity could differ. NLR， MLR and PLR might be the biomarkers for assessing aggression level in recurrent schizophrenic patients. ［Funded by Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation （number， 2108085MH275）］

Objective To develop a risk assessment scale for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-associated myocarditis based on multidisciplinary collaboration, and to evaluate its diagnostic performance. Methods Based on multidisciplinary cooperation, integrating clinical experience from oncology and cardiology, literature data, and patient conditions, a risk assessment scale for ICI-associated myocarditis was developed. A total of 101 patients with malignancies who received immunotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, from October 2020 to October 2024 were included as the validation cohort. Patients were stratified into low-risk (0-1 point), medium-risk (2-4 points), and high-risk (≥5 points) groups based on their scale scores. The association between pretictive risk stratifications and actual assessment results was assessed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The predictive value of the scale for ICI-associated myocarditis was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Agreement between the scale scores and actual assessment results was assessed using Cohen’s Kappa coefficient. Results Based on the scale pretictive results, 28(27.7%), 8(7.9%), 65(64.4%) patients were at low risk, medium risk, and high risk for ICI-related myocarditis, respectively; however, 46(45.5%), 8(7.9%), 47(46.5%) were at low risk, medium risk, and high risk actually. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the cumulative incidence of ICI-related myocarditis in the high-risk group was significantly higher than that in the medium- and low-risk groups (P＜0.05). In the multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model, the ICI-related myocarditis risk in high-risk group was about 4 times that in the low-risk group. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the average area under the curve (AUC) for predicting ICI-related myocarditis was 0.81, with an accuracy of 0.74. The Cohen’s Kappa coefficient was 0.55, indicating moderate agreement. In the actual high-risk group, no patient was predicted to be at low risk; in the actual low-risk group, 16 patients were predicted to be at high risk. Conclusions This risk assessment scale for ICI-associated myocarditis shows high predictive performance. It provides oncologists with a simple yet effective multidisciplinary diagnostic reference tool, potentially enhancing early identification of ICI-associated myocarditis.

Objective To develop a postoperative self-management question prompt list for adult liver transplant recipients and conduct preliminary application,aiming to provide an effective tool for facilitating their engagement in postoperative self-management.Methods From August to September 2024,the first draft of the postoperative self-management question prompt list for adult liver transplant recipients was developed through literature search and qualitative interviews,including 9 primary items and 50 secondary items.From October to November 2024,16 experts from Qingdao,Jinan,Beijing,and Fuzhou were interviewed on the Delphi method for 2 rounds to revise the question prompt list.From February to March 2025,19 patients after liver transplantation were selected for the preliminary application of the question prompt list.Results The response rates in the 2 rounds of consultations were both 100％and the authority coefficients of experts were both 0.88.The Kendall's W in the 2 rounds was 0.336 and 0.344(P＜0.001),respectively.The final question prompt list includes 9 primary items and 49 secondary items.The study showed that QPL demonstrated high clinical practicability in helping patients systematically understand the self-management framework after liver transplantation,promoting doctor-patient communication,and enhancing the initiative of self-management.Conclusion The question prompt list of postoperative self-management for adult liver transplant recipients established in this study is scientific,reliable,and practical,which is helpful for patients to obtain information about self-management from medical staff.

Objective To explore the mediating effect of empowerment ability between type D personality and self-management behavior of patients with diabetes mellitus(DM).Methods A total of 738 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology of three tertiary hospitals in Hainan Province from December 2022 to May 2023 were selected and divided into Type D personality(Type D,n=104)group and T2DM group(n=634).The general data,biochemical indexes,scores of negative emotion(NA),social inhibition(SI),empowerment ability,and scale of DM self-management activities(SDSCA)were compared between the two groups,and the correlation between type D personality,empowerment ability and self-management ability was analyzed.The mediating effect model was used to analyze the mediating effect of empowerment ability on the four self-management behaviors of patients with type D personality,and the chain mediating effect model was used to analyze the relationship between type D personality,empowerment ability,self-management behaviors and HbA1c.Results Compared with the T2DM group,HbA1c,proportion of rural residence,proportion of complications≥3,proportion of education level of junior high school or above,proportion of monthly income<3000 yuan,and NA and SI scores were significantly higher in the Type D group(P<0.05).The empowerment ability and scores of healthy diet,regular exercise,blood glucose monitoring and medication compliance were lower in the Type D group than in the T2DM group(P<0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that the empowerment ability score was positively correlated with the scores of healthy diet,regular exercise,blood glucose monitoring and medication compliance(P<0.05).NA and SI scores were negatively correlated with empowerment ability score,healthy diet,regular exercise,blood glucose monitoring and medication compliance(P<0.05).The results of model analysis with empowerment ability as the mediating variable showed that type D personality had direct,indirect and total effects on regular exercise,blood glucose monitoring,medication compliance and SDSCA total score(P<0.05),and indirect and total effects on regular diet score(P<0.05).The mediating effect of empowerment ability was significant(Bootstrap CI did not include 0).The chain mediating effect analysis showed that type D personality could indirectly affect HbA1c through empowerment ability,healthy diet(γ=0.389,95%CI 0.206～0.591),and medication compliance(γ=0.149,95%CI 0.040～0.265),and the effect proportion was 39.4%and 14.1%,respectively.Conclusions Type D personality can indirectly influence self-management behavior through the mediating effect of empowerment,and simultaneously affecting HbA1c through the chain effect of empowerment,diet,and medication behavior.

Background Prenatal exposure to chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonic acid (Cl-PFESA, commercially known as F-53B) during pregnancy has been associated with fetal growth restriction and adverse birth outcomes. These effects may be mediated by structural and functional impairments of the placenta, potentially resulting from disrupted placental angiogenesis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Objective To explore the impact of prenatal F-53B exposure on fetal development, placental pathology, and the expression of genes involved in angiogenesis by establishing an F-53B exposure animal model. Methods A total of 48 sexually mature female SD rats aged 8 weeks were selected, along with 24 proven male breeders. The rats were acclimatized for one week before mating. Pregnant rats were assigned to four groups: control (0 mg·kg⁻¹), low-dose (0.1 mg·kg⁻¹), medium-dose (1 mg·kg⁻¹), and high-dose (5 mg·kg⁻¹). Half of the pregnant rats in each group were administered the test substance by oral gavage once daily from gestational day (GD) 5.5 to GD17.5. The fetuses and placentas were dissected and weighed, and placental efficiency was calculated as the ratio of fetal weight to placental weight, reflecting the placenta’s capacity to supply nutrients to the fetus. Placental histopathological alterations were assessed after hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was conducted to assess the mRNA expression levels of angiogenesis-related genes, including hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and its receptor (VEGFR2), as well as downstream genes in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway. To evaluate the potential impact of prenatal F-53B exposure on birth outcomes, including birth weight and gestational age, the remaining half of the pregnant rats in each group were continuously exposed to the test substance until delivery. Results F-53B exposure significantly reduced fetal weight across all exposure groups (P<0.05) and markedly increased the incidence of intrauterine growth restriction (P<0.01). Although placental weights did not differ significantly among groups, placental efficiency was significantly decreased in the high-dose group (P<0.05). The histological analysis after HE staining revealed disorganized trophoblast cell structure and a significant reduction in labyrinthine blood sinus area in the medium- and high-dose groups. The qPCR analysis showed that HIF-1α expression was significantly upregulated in the low-dose group (P<0.001), while VEGFA (P<0.01), PI3K (P<0.001), and AKT (P<0.05) expression levels were significantly downregulated in the medium- and high-dose groups. Conclusion Maternal exposure to F-53B during pregnancy may impair placental angiogenesis via VEGFA and its downstream PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, leading to placental pathological damage and increasing the risk of intrauterine growth restriction and reduced birth weight in fetuses.

Diabetic nephropathy(DN)is one of the most common complications of diabetes,and has become the main cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease worldwide.At present,the pathogenesis of DN is not completely clear.For a long time,the routine treatment of DN is a combination of life management,hypoglyce-mic,hypotensive with other symptom-based treatment,but its progress cannot be delayed.Therefore,early detec-tion,diagnosis,and treatment of DN are particularly important,but there is currently no single indicator that can be used for early diagnosis of DN.Therefore,the development of simple,sensitive,and efficient biomarkers is be-coming increasingly important.

Objective: To establish an in vitro cell model of Cobalt dichloride(CoCl2)-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) in rat renal tubular epithelial cells(NRK-52E). Methods: NRK-52E cells were cultured in vitro and randomly divided into a blank control group(NC group) and a CoCl2 treatment group. The CoCl2 treatment group underwent 1, 2, 3, and 4 cycles of treatment, with each cycle consisting of CoCl2 treatment for 9 h followed by recovery in CoCl_2-free medium for 3 h. The optimal concentration and time of CoCl_2-induced EMT were screened using the CCK-8 assay. Morphological changes in cells were observed using light microscopy and phalloidin staining. The expression levels of EMT marker proteins were detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence. Results: Compared with the NC group , stimulation by 100 μmol/L CoCl2 for 48 h significantly induced apoptosis (P < 0. 01) , meeting the requirements for subsequent experiments. Western blot results showed that the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 α (HIF-1α ) and α-smooth muscle actin ( α-SMA) significantly increased in the 3-cycle group treated with 100 μmol/L CoCl2 for 9 h followed by recovery for 3 h ( P < 0. 001) , indicating the most pronounced fibrotic response. Observations under light microscopy and rhodamine-labeled phalloidin staining revealed that the morphological changes and cytoskeletal rearrangement of NRK-52E cells were most significant in the 3-cycle group treated with 100 μmol/L CoCl2 for 9 h followed by recovery for 3 h , demonstrating the best model stability. Immunofluorescence results showed that compared with the NC group , the fluorescence intensity of the fibrous matrix protein Collagen I significantly increased in the 3-cycle group treated with 100 μmol/L CoCl2 for 9 h followed by recovery for 3 h ( P < 0. 001) . Conclusion The protocol involves treating NRK-52E cells with 100 μmol/L CoCl2 for 9 h , following 3 h of recovery in CoCl2 -free medium. Repeating this cycle three times can establish an in vitro EMT model.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and influencing factors of single-cigarette use and dual cigarette-cigar use in China.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study that selected 85 638 urban and rural residents who met the inclusion criteria from the 2018 China Health Literacy Survey as research subjects. An analysis was conducted on 21 849 users of cigarettes and cigars among them. Due to the small number of individuals who exclusively used cigars (247 cases), the research subjects were divided into two categories: exclusive cigarette users and dual users of cigarettes and cigars. The groups were categorized by age (18-34 years, 35-54 years, ≥55 years), gender (male, female), education level (primary school and below, junior high school and high school, university and above) and annual household income (<20 000 yuan, 20 000-<80 000 yuan, ≥80 000 yuan) to compare the tobacco usage rate and conduct subgroup analyses for each subgroup. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed, incorporating general demographic characteristic information to explore the influencing factors of exclusive cigarette use and dual use of cigarettes and cigars, respectively.Results:The rate of exclusive cigarette use in our country was 24.3%, while the dual use rate of cigarettes and cigars was 0.9%. The exclusive cigarette use rate and the dual use rate of cigarettes and cigars among males were significantly higher than those among females (48.25% vs 2.48%, and 1.84% vs 0.06%) (both P<0.001). For males, the high-risk factors for exclusive cigarette use included living in urban areas ( OR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.23-1.54), being Han ethnicity ( OR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.51-1.98), and having an annual household income ≥20 000 yuan ( OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.38-1.82) while having a junior high school education or higher was a protective factor ( OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.52-0.90). Age≥35 years ( OR: 3.36, 95% CI: 2.62-4.32) and having a junior high school education or higher ( OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.02-1.67) were risk factors for dual use of cigarettes and cigars in males. Among females, living in urban areas ( OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.19-1.97) and being Han ethnicity ( OR: 5.96, 95% CI: 4.47-7.96) were risk factors for exclusive cigarette use, while having a university education or higher was a protective factor ( OR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.18-0.42). However, for female dual use of cigarettes and cigars, no significant effects were observed for any demographic characteristics. Conclusions:The use rate of cigarettes alone in China is significantly higher than that of cigarette-cigar dual use, and the rates of cigarette use alone and cigarette-cigar dual use in men are significantly higher than those in women. Tobacco use is being affected by sociodemographic factors, among which place of residence, ethnicity and education level are the main influencing factors of cigarette use alone, and gender, age and education level are the main influencing factors of cigarette-cigar dual use.