Objective Prepubertal mice are administered subcutaneously with letrozole sustained-release pellets behind the neck and treated with a high-fat diet to establish a mouse model of polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS).The liver transcriptomes of the model mice are compared with those of the placebo control mice to investigate the underlying mechanisms of liver involvement in the pathogenesis of PCOS.Methods A customized 2 mg dose of letrozole sustained-release pellets with a 40-day release period was used.The control placebo and letrozole pellets were implanted subcutaneously in the dorsal cervical region of 3-4-week-old C57BL/6J mice(8 mice per group)to establish the control group and letrozole-induced PCOS model group.Both groups were treated with a high-fat diet starting the day after administration.The modeling period lasted for 5 weeks,during which body weight and 24-hour food intake were monitored in each group every week.When samples were collected,liver weight was recorded.Pathological changes in ovarian and hepatic tissues were examined by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining,while hepatic lipid deposition was observed by Oil Red O staining.The extent of macrophage infiltration in the liver was evaluated via F4/80 immunohistochemical staining,and hepatic fibrosis levels were observed by Masson's trichrome staining.Transcriptomic sequencing was performed to analyze differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in liver tissues between the control and model groups,followed by enrichment analysis of significant DEGs.Quantitative real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(qPCR)was subsequently used to validate the expression of significant DEGs in liver tissues of both groups.Results Compared with the control group,the model group which received subcutaneous letrozole sustained-release pellets combined with a high-fat diet exhibited significantly increased body weight(P＜0.001),prominent polycystic ovarian morphology,and significantly decreased liver-to-body weight ratio(P＜0.05).However,no significant changes were observed in absolute liver weight(P＞0.05),hepatic histomorphology,or lipid deposition.Transcriptome sequencing identified 119 upregulated and 217 downregulated DEGs in the liver tissues of letrozole-treated mice,which were predominantly enriched in pathways related to cholesterol and steroid biosynthesis,steroid hormone metabolism,and inflammatory responses.qPCR validation demonstrated that mRNA expression of HSD3B2 and HMGCR was significantly upregulated in liver(P＜0.01),while mRNA expression of IL4,CCL2 and COL1A1 was downregulated(P＜0.05)in the model group compared with the control group.However,Masson's trichrome staining and F4/80 immunohistochemical analysis showed no significant changes in hepatic fibrosis or macrophage infiltration.Conclusion Subcutaneous administration of letrozole sustained-release pellets combined with a high-fat diet successfully establishes a mouse model of PCOS.The model mice exhibited significant changes in hepatic gene expression.Liver may contribute to PCOS pathogenesis through regulating cholesterol and steroid metabolism.

Objective Prepubertal mice are administered subcutaneously with letrozole sustained-release pellets behind the neck and treated with a high-fat diet to establish a mouse model of polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS).The liver transcriptomes of the model mice are compared with those of the placebo control mice to investigate the underlying mechanisms of liver involvement in the pathogenesis of PCOS.Methods A customized 2 mg dose of letrozole sustained-release pellets with a 40-day release period was used.The control placebo and letrozole pellets were implanted subcutaneously in the dorsal cervical region of 3-4-week-old C57BL/6J mice(8 mice per group)to establish the control group and letrozole-induced PCOS model group.Both groups were treated with a high-fat diet starting the day after administration.The modeling period lasted for 5 weeks,during which body weight and 24-hour food intake were monitored in each group every week.When samples were collected,liver weight was recorded.Pathological changes in ovarian and hepatic tissues were examined by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining,while hepatic lipid deposition was observed by Oil Red O staining.The extent of macrophage infiltration in the liver was evaluated via F4/80 immunohistochemical staining,and hepatic fibrosis levels were observed by Masson's trichrome staining.Transcriptomic sequencing was performed to analyze differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in liver tissues between the control and model groups,followed by enrichment analysis of significant DEGs.Quantitative real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(qPCR)was subsequently used to validate the expression of significant DEGs in liver tissues of both groups.Results Compared with the control group,the model group which received subcutaneous letrozole sustained-release pellets combined with a high-fat diet exhibited significantly increased body weight(P＜0.001),prominent polycystic ovarian morphology,and significantly decreased liver-to-body weight ratio(P＜0.05).However,no significant changes were observed in absolute liver weight(P＞0.05),hepatic histomorphology,or lipid deposition.Transcriptome sequencing identified 119 upregulated and 217 downregulated DEGs in the liver tissues of letrozole-treated mice,which were predominantly enriched in pathways related to cholesterol and steroid biosynthesis,steroid hormone metabolism,and inflammatory responses.qPCR validation demonstrated that mRNA expression of HSD3B2 and HMGCR was significantly upregulated in liver(P＜0.01),while mRNA expression of IL4,CCL2 and COL1A1 was downregulated(P＜0.05)in the model group compared with the control group.However,Masson's trichrome staining and F4/80 immunohistochemical analysis showed no significant changes in hepatic fibrosis or macrophage infiltration.Conclusion Subcutaneous administration of letrozole sustained-release pellets combined with a high-fat diet successfully establishes a mouse model of PCOS.The model mice exhibited significant changes in hepatic gene expression.Liver may contribute to PCOS pathogenesis through regulating cholesterol and steroid metabolism.

Objective To systematically evaluate the published models in prediction of the risk of lung infections in elderly patients with hip fracture so as to provide a guidance for medical workers in selection or development of suitable risk prediction models.Methods Relevant studies were searched from databases including CNKI,Wanfang Data,VIP,SinoMed,PubMed,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,Embase and CINAHL,from the inception to 31st January,2024.Data were extracted from the selected literature and a bias assessment tool of risk predictive model was used to evaluate the risk of bias and applicability of the included literature.Results A total of 1,035 articles were retrieved,of which seven studies involving 13 predictive models were finally included after screening.The sample sizes ranged from 305 to 2,669 cases and lung infection rates ranged from 5.40%to 20.02%.The repeatedly reported predictors included age,gender,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,hypoproteinaemia,American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA)Physical Status Classification and white blood cell count.In the 13 models constructed,the reported area under the curve(AUC)of subjects'job characteristics ranged from 0.667 to 0.996.Five out of seven studies had good overall applicability,but all with high risk of bias.Conclusion The predictive models for lung infections in elderly patients with hip fracture are still in the stage of development.Although the predictive models show some predictive performance,however they are still deficient,and all studies have been found with a high risk in bias.

Objective:To investigate the impact of deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-veo (ASiR-V) and filtered back projection (FBP) on the histogram and wavelet features of portal venous phase abdominal CT in patients with hepatic tumor.Methods:The CT data of 68 patients with hepatic tumor who underwent enhanced CT scans were retrospectively collected. FBP, 30%ASiR-V, DLIR-L, DLIR-M and DLIR-H images were reconstructed. The images of portal venous phase were reconstructed with five algorithms, including FBP, ASIR-V at a level of 30% (ASiR-V 30%), DLIR at low (DLIR-L), medium (DLIR-M), and high (DLIR-H). Histogram and wavelet features were extracted from hepatic lesion, liver, spleen, kidney and erector spinae muscle, and compared using one-way analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis test. Two radiologists delineated the three-dimensional lesions independently and one of them repeated the delineation after one month. Intra-class correlation coefficients ( ICC) among five sets of images were calculated to evaluate the consistency of radiomics features of hepatic lesion. P<0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results:Most histogram and wavelet features extracted from hepatic lesion, liver, spleen, kidney and erector spinae muscle showed significant differences among five groups (all P<0.05). The number of features without significant differences decreased with the intensity of DLIR reconstruction increased. For histogram features, there were no significant differences of energy, mean, median, and total energy among five sets of images ( P>0.05). For wavelet features, there were no significant differences of mean and median among five sets of images ( P>0.05). The consistency of all histogram features was high except for the mean value of wavelet feature. The intra-and inter-observer ICC ranged from 0.756 to 1 and 0.767 to 1, respectively. Conclusion:Both 30%ASiR-V and DLIR at three levels algorithms had influence on the histogram and wavelet features of abdominal organs and hepatic tumors extracted from CT images in portal venous phase, and the effects expanded with the strengthening of levels. Median can be a reliable quantitative parameter for CT texture analysis of hepatic tumor.

Objective To systematically evaluate the published models in prediction of the risk of lung infections in elderly patients with hip fracture so as to provide a guidance for medical workers in selection or development of suitable risk prediction models.Methods Relevant studies were searched from databases including CNKI,Wanfang Data,VIP,SinoMed,PubMed,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,Embase and CINAHL,from the inception to 31st January,2024.Data were extracted from the selected literature and a bias assessment tool of risk predictive model was used to evaluate the risk of bias and applicability of the included literature.Results A total of 1,035 articles were retrieved,of which seven studies involving 13 predictive models were finally included after screening.The sample sizes ranged from 305 to 2,669 cases and lung infection rates ranged from 5.40%to 20.02%.The repeatedly reported predictors included age,gender,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,hypoproteinaemia,American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA)Physical Status Classification and white blood cell count.In the 13 models constructed,the reported area under the curve(AUC)of subjects'job characteristics ranged from 0.667 to 0.996.Five out of seven studies had good overall applicability,but all with high risk of bias.Conclusion The predictive models for lung infections in elderly patients with hip fracture are still in the stage of development.Although the predictive models show some predictive performance,however they are still deficient,and all studies have been found with a high risk in bias.

Objective:To investigate the impact of preoperative sarcopenia on chronic postsurgical pain(CPSP)after cardiac surgery in elderly patients.Methods:Elderly patients undergoing elective open-chest cardiac surgery at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from September 2022 to May 2024 were collected.According to the updated diagnostic criteria and revised by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia(AWGS2019)in 2019, patients were classified into sarcopenia and non-sarcopenia groups Elderly patients were divided into two groups based on the occurrence of chronic pain at 3 months postoperatively: CPSP group and non-CPSP group.Indicators with statistically significant differences in univariate regression analysis were included in multifactorial regression to analyze the influencing factors of chronic pain after cardiac surgery in elderly patients.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was plotted and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to compare the predictive efficacy of sarcopenia, commonly used clinical pain assessment tools(gender+ acute postoperative pain), and(gender+ acute postoperative pain+ sarcopenia)in predicting CPSP after cardiac surgery in elderly patients.Results:The study ultimately included 379 patients, consisting of 238 males(62.8%), with an average age of(66.6 ± 5.3)years.Among them, 83 patients had sarcopenia, and 119 patients developed CPSP.Univariate regression analysis showed that gender, history of atrial fibrillation, acute postoperative pain, American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA)Physical Status Classification System, New York Heart Association(NYHA)Classification of Cardia Function, sarcopenia, and duration of extracorporeal circulation were associated with the occurrence of CPSP after cardiac surgery in elderly patients.However, after adjusting for all possible confounders, multifactorial regression analysis showed that gender, acute postoperative pain, and sarcopenia were independent risk factors for CPSP after cardiac surgery in elderly patients(all P<0.05), with sarcopenia patients having a 2.913-fold risk of developing CPSP compared with non-sarcopenia patients.The AUCs of the ROC curves for commonly used clinical perioperative pain assessment tools and those with the addition of sarcopenia determination were 0.731 and 0.802, respectively. Conclusions:Preoperative sarcopenia is an independent risk factor for the development of chronic pain after cardiac surgery in elderly patients, and the inclusion of sarcopenia determination in commonly used clinical pain assessment tools can significantly improve the predictive efficacy for chronic pain.

N,N-Dimethylglycine (DMG) is a glycine derivative, and its sodium salt (DMG-Na) has been demonstrated to possess various biological activities, including immunomodulation, free radical scavenging, and antioxidation, collectively contributing to the stability of tissue and cellular functions. However, its direct effects and underlying mechanisms in wound healing remain unclear. In this study, a full-thickness excisional wound model was established on the dorsal skin of mice, and wounds were treated locally with DMG-Na. Wound healing progression was assessed by calculating wound closure rates. Histopathological analysis was conducted using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and keratinocyte proliferation, migration, and differentiation were evaluated using CCK-8 assays, scratch wound assays, and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Inflammation-related cytokine expression in keratinocytes was analyzed via ELISA and qRT-PCR. Results revealed that DMG-Na treatment significantly accelerated wound healing in mice and improved overall wound closure quality. The wound healing rates on days 3, 6, and 9 were 49.18%, 68.87%, and 90.55%, respectively, with statistically significant differences compared to the control group ( P<0.05). DMG-Na treatment downregulated the mRNA levels of keratinocyte differentiation markers while enhancing cell proliferation and migration ( P<0.05). Furthermore, DMG-Na decreased the secretion of LPS-induced keratinocyte inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and CXCL10 ( P<0.05). These findings indicate that DMG-Na regulates inflammatory responses and promotes keratinocyte proliferation and migration, thereby facilitating the healing of skin wounds.
Animals ; Wound Healing/drug effects* ; Mice ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Keratinocytes/drug effects* ; Cell Movement/drug effects* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Glycine/pharmacology* ; Skin/injuries* ; Male

Objective:To investigate the impact of preoperative sarcopenia on chronic postsurgical pain(CPSP)after cardiac surgery in elderly patients.Methods:Elderly patients undergoing elective open-chest cardiac surgery at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from September 2022 to May 2024 were collected.According to the updated diagnostic criteria and revised by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia(AWGS2019)in 2019, patients were classified into sarcopenia and non-sarcopenia groups Elderly patients were divided into two groups based on the occurrence of chronic pain at 3 months postoperatively: CPSP group and non-CPSP group.Indicators with statistically significant differences in univariate regression analysis were included in multifactorial regression to analyze the influencing factors of chronic pain after cardiac surgery in elderly patients.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was plotted and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to compare the predictive efficacy of sarcopenia, commonly used clinical pain assessment tools(gender+ acute postoperative pain), and(gender+ acute postoperative pain+ sarcopenia)in predicting CPSP after cardiac surgery in elderly patients.Results:The study ultimately included 379 patients, consisting of 238 males(62.8%), with an average age of(66.6 ± 5.3)years.Among them, 83 patients had sarcopenia, and 119 patients developed CPSP.Univariate regression analysis showed that gender, history of atrial fibrillation, acute postoperative pain, American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA)Physical Status Classification System, New York Heart Association(NYHA)Classification of Cardia Function, sarcopenia, and duration of extracorporeal circulation were associated with the occurrence of CPSP after cardiac surgery in elderly patients.However, after adjusting for all possible confounders, multifactorial regression analysis showed that gender, acute postoperative pain, and sarcopenia were independent risk factors for CPSP after cardiac surgery in elderly patients(all P<0.05), with sarcopenia patients having a 2.913-fold risk of developing CPSP compared with non-sarcopenia patients.The AUCs of the ROC curves for commonly used clinical perioperative pain assessment tools and those with the addition of sarcopenia determination were 0.731 and 0.802, respectively. Conclusions:Preoperative sarcopenia is an independent risk factor for the development of chronic pain after cardiac surgery in elderly patients, and the inclusion of sarcopenia determination in commonly used clinical pain assessment tools can significantly improve the predictive efficacy for chronic pain.

Objective:To investigate the impact of deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-veo (ASiR-V) and filtered back projection (FBP) on the histogram and wavelet features of portal venous phase abdominal CT in patients with hepatic tumor.Methods:The CT data of 68 patients with hepatic tumor who underwent enhanced CT scans were retrospectively collected. FBP, 30%ASiR-V, DLIR-L, DLIR-M and DLIR-H images were reconstructed. The images of portal venous phase were reconstructed with five algorithms, including FBP, ASIR-V at a level of 30% (ASiR-V 30%), DLIR at low (DLIR-L), medium (DLIR-M), and high (DLIR-H). Histogram and wavelet features were extracted from hepatic lesion, liver, spleen, kidney and erector spinae muscle, and compared using one-way analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis test. Two radiologists delineated the three-dimensional lesions independently and one of them repeated the delineation after one month. Intra-class correlation coefficients ( ICC) among five sets of images were calculated to evaluate the consistency of radiomics features of hepatic lesion. P<0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results:Most histogram and wavelet features extracted from hepatic lesion, liver, spleen, kidney and erector spinae muscle showed significant differences among five groups (all P<0.05). The number of features without significant differences decreased with the intensity of DLIR reconstruction increased. For histogram features, there were no significant differences of energy, mean, median, and total energy among five sets of images ( P>0.05). For wavelet features, there were no significant differences of mean and median among five sets of images ( P>0.05). The consistency of all histogram features was high except for the mean value of wavelet feature. The intra-and inter-observer ICC ranged from 0.756 to 1 and 0.767 to 1, respectively. Conclusion:Both 30%ASiR-V and DLIR at three levels algorithms had influence on the histogram and wavelet features of abdominal organs and hepatic tumors extracted from CT images in portal venous phase, and the effects expanded with the strengthening of levels. Median can be a reliable quantitative parameter for CT texture analysis of hepatic tumor.

Objective To study the changes of blood glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px),superoxide dis-mutase (SOD),malondialdehyde (MDA) and pathological tissues in the rat contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) model,and to determine the role of oxidation mechanism in CIN.Methods A total of 40 adult male SD rats were selected and divided into three big groups and five small groups.After constructing the model,six rats with good status were taken from each group for conducting the experiment.The serum GSH-px,SOD and MDA levels were measured,the renal tissue biopsy was performed and the morphological changes of kid-ney cells were compared.Results There was no statistically significant difference in the baseline data among the blank control group,the control group and the experimental group (P>0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in serum GSH-px,SOD and MDA levels before model construction,at 24,48 h after model construction between the blank control group and the control group (P>0.05).There were statistical-ly significant differences in serum GSH-px,SOD and MDA levels of the experimental group between before model construction and after model construction (P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in serum GSH-px,SOD and MDA level in the experimental group between at 24 h after modelling and 48 h af-ter modeling (P>0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in serum GSH-px,SOD and MDA levels at 24 h after modeling among the three groups (P>0.05).There were statistically significant differ-ences in serum GSH-px,SOD and MDA levels at 48 h after modeling among the three groups and their pairs (P<0.05).The pathological sections of the blank control group and control group showed no obvious abnor-mal changes in glomeruli,renal tubule and renal interstitium.Renal interstitial fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration were seen after 24 h in the experimental group,but there was no obvious change in the renal tu-bules.After 48 h,moderate focal-like atrophy of renal tubules,epithelial cell granule degeneration and vacuolar changes were obviously seen.Conclusion The oxidative stress mechanism plays a role in CIN.The contrast a-gent acute renal injury mainly acts on the renal tubules and renal interstitium,and there is no obvious damage to the glomeruli.