Background/Aims: Liver transplantation (LT) following total hepatectomy is a life-saving treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The HCC recurrence after LT hinders the effectiveness of the procedure. The objective of this study is to develop a pre-operative risk stratification model based on a liquid biopsy. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive multi-omics study of 260 HCC patients from three centers, including clinical data, low-coverage whole-genome sequencing of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from plasma, as well as whole-exome, single-nucleus RNA, and spatial transcriptomics from matched tumor and non-tumor tissues. Results: We identified cfDNA-derived copy number alteration (CNA) signatures associated with post-transplant recurrence. By integrating cfDNA-derived CNA profiles with single-cell transcriptomic data, we traced recurrence-associated cfDNA to a distinct subpopulation of malignant cells within the primary tumor. These cells were embedded in a pro-metastatic microenvironment of specialized endothelial subtypes and cancer-associated fibroblasts. Notably, most recurrence-associated lesions were detectable in cfDNA prior to liver transplantation (LT). Building on these insights, we developed the ZJU Criteria based on CNA fragments and tumor markers, a pre-LT risk prediction tool that integrates conventional clinical factors with cfDNA-derived CNA signatures, and validated it using internal and independent external cohorts. Conclusion Our findings suggest that post-transplant recurrence commonly originates from advanced subclones that emerge late during tumor evolution. The ZJU Criteria provides an accurate, non-invasive strategy that significantly improves pre-LT risk stratification and clinical decision-making for patients with HCC.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which Shangxia Liangji pills improve cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease （AD） mice based on the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） pathway， aiming to provide experimental evidence for its clinical use in AD treatment. MethodsFifty APP/PS1 double-transgenic mice were randomly divided into a model group， Shangxia Liangji pills low-dose group， medium-dose group， high-dose group， and donepezil hydrochloride group， with 10 mice in each group. Additionally， 10 C57BL/6 mice of the same genetic background were assigned to the normal group. Cognitive function was assessed using the Morris water maze and novel object recognition tests. Hippocampal pathological changes were observed using transmission electron microscopy and Nissl staining. Neuroinflammation in hippocampal tissue was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Protein expression levels of PI3K/Akt pathway-related proteins， postsynaptic density protein 95 （PSD95）， and amyloid precursor protein （APP） in hippocampal tissue were measured by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group exhibited significantly increased total swimming distance and escape latency， significantly reduced number of platform crossings （P<0.01）， and a decreased recognition index （P<0.01）. Marked neuronal apoptosis was observed in the hippocampal region， with a marked reduction in the number of neurons in the CA3 region （P<0.01）. Levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in hippocampal tissue were significantly elevated （P<0.01）. APP expression in hippocampal tissue was markedly upregulated （P<0.01）， while PSD95， p-PI3K/PI3K， and p-Akt/Akt protein expression were significantly downregulated （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the Shangxia Liangji pills high-dose group showed significantly reduced total swimming distance and escape latency， significantly increased number of platform crossings （P<0.01）， and an elevated recognition index （P<0.01）. Hippocampal neuronal apoptosis was alleviated， with a significant increase in the number of neurons in the CA3 region （P<0.01）. Levels of IL-6， IL-1β， and TNF-α were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. APP expression was downregulated （P<0.05）， while PSD95， p-PI3K/PI3K， and p-Akt/Akt protein expression were significantly upregulated （P<0.01）. ConclusionShangxia Liangji pills may improve cognitive function in AD mice by modulating the PI3K/Akt pathway， thereby reducing neuroinflammation and alleviating neuronal and synaptic injury.

AIM To investigate the effects of Shuyu Pills combined with evolimus on the epithelial mesenchymal transformation of triple negative breast cancer cells 4T1 and MDA-MB-231 induced by TGF-β1.METHODS The 4T1 and MDA-MB-231 cells were divided into the blank group and the induction group to induce the epithelial mesenchymal transformation with TGF-β1 cytokine treatment,followed by the assignment into the model group,the Shuyu Pills group,the everolimus group and the Shuyu Pills combined with everolimus group.CCK8 method,plate cloning method,cell scratch test and Transewll test were used to detect the proliferation,cloning formation,migration and invasion ability of the cells whose expressions of E-cadherin,N-cadherin,Vimentin,MMP9,MMP2 and pathway proteins PTEN,PI3K,Akt and mTOR were detected by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the blank group,the induction group displayed a cell morphological change from epithelioid to stromal,decreased expression of E-cadherin protein(P＜0.01);and increased protein expressions of N-cadherin and Vimentin(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,each group intervened with the medicine displayed decreased proliferation,clone formation,migration and invasion ability of both kinds of cells(P＜0.01);increased protein expressions of PTEN and E-cadherin(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and decreased protein expressions of PI3K,Akt,mTOR,N-cadherin,Vimentin,MMP9 and MMP2(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and more significantly in the Shuyu Pills combined with evolimus group(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).CONCLUSION With a more ideal effect than the single uses in inhibiting the TGF-β1-induced epithelial mesenchymal transformation of triple-negative breast cancer cells,the combination use of Shuyu Pills and everolimus may work through the regulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Aim To explore the compatibility and po-tential mechanism of effective components of Biejia-Ezhu against triple negative breast cancer(TNBC)and verify it by experiments.Methods Effective compo-nents and targets of Biejia-Ezhu were obtained by TC-MSP and Swiss Target Prediction.Disease targets of TNBC were obtained from OMMI and GeneCards data-bases.The PPI network was constructed using STRING database.GO and KEGG path enrichment analysis was performed using DAVID database.Cytoscape3.9.1 software was used to construct the"drug-component-target-disease"network,screen key targets and compo-nents for molecular docking,and further verify the com-patibility of key components and targets in vitro.Re-sults ① A total of 71 effective components were iden-tified in the Biejia-Ezhu drug pair.There were 146 drug targets associated with the disease.A total of 113 signaling pathways were identified by KEGG analysis.The 71 potential active components of Biejia-Ezhu mainly acted on key targets such as mTORC1,ULK1,TNF,EGFR,ESR1,STAT3,HIF1A,and PTGS2.Mo-lecular docking results showed that glycine and curcu-min were the key active components of Biejia-Ezhu,and both had strong docking activity against key target proteins mTORC1 and ULK1.②The results of in vitro experiment showed that glycine combined with curcu-min significantly inhibited the proliferation and clonal formation ability of TNBC cells(P＜0.05),up-regula-ted the expression of autophagy marker LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ,down-regulated the expression of EGFR,down-regula-ted the expression of pathway protein mTORC1,p-mTOR,p-ULK1,and promoted the expression of path-way protein ULK1(P＜0.05).Conclusion The key component of Biejia-Ezhu against triple-negative breast cancer is glycine-curcumin,the mechanism of which may be related to the regulation of the mTORC1/ULK1 signaling pathway to promote autophagy.

An ideal guided bone regeneration(GBR)membrane usually needs to possess good biocompatibility,appropriate me-chanical properties,reasonable degradability and clinical manageability.However,traditional biological barrier membranes cannot meet clinical requirements such as high mechanical strength and controllable degradation simultaneously,so it is necessary to de-velop a new type of guided bone regeneration membrane material.Degradable magnesium-based alloy guided bone regeneration membranes have the characteristics and potential to become new guided bone regeneration membrane materials.This review intro-duces the research history and field applications of magnesium-based alloys,as well as the advantages and limitations of degradable magnesium-based alloy GBR membranes.Finally,it presents the applications and prospects of degradable magnesium-based alloy GBR membranes in various oral medicine fields,providing a scientific basis for their clinical transformation.

OBJECTIVE: Observational studies have found associations between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and vascular dementia (VD); however, these findings are inconsistent. It remains unclear whether these associations are causal. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis by systematically searching for observational studies on the association between IBD and dementia. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis based on summary genome-wide association studies (GWASs) was performed. Genetic correlation and Bayesian co-localization analyses were used to provide robust genetic evidence. RESULTS: Ten observational studies involving 80,565,688 participants were included in this meta-analysis. IBD was significantly associated with dementia (risk ratio [ RR] =1.36, 95% CI = 1.04-1.78; I ² = 84.8%) and VD ( RR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.18-5.70; only one study), but not with AD ( RR = 2.00, 95% CI = 0.96-4.13; I ² = 99.8%). MR analyses did not supported significant causal associations of IBD with dementia (dementia: odds ratio [ OR] = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.98-1.03; AD: OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.95-1.01; VD: OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.97-1.07). In addition, genetic correlation and co-localization analyses did not reveal any genetic associations between IBD and dementia. CONCLUSION Our study did not provide genetic evidence for a causal association between IBD and dementia risk. The increased risk of dementia observed in observational studies may be attributed to unobserved confounding factors or detection bias.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/complications* ; Dementia/etiology* ; Observational Studies as Topic ; Genome-Wide Association Study

OBJECTIVE: To explore and quantify the association of hot night exposure during the sperm development period (0-90 lag days) with semen quality. METHODS: A total of 6,640 male sperm donors from 6 human sperm banks in China during 2014-2020 were recruited in this multicenter study. Two indices (i.e., hot night excess [HNE] and hot night duration [HND]) were used to estimate the heat intensity and duration during nighttime. Linear mixed models were used to examine the association between hot nights and semen quality parameters. RESULTS: The exposure-response relationship revealed that HNE and HND during 0-90 days before semen collection had a significantly inverse association with sperm motility. Specifically, a 1 °C increase in HNE was associated with decreased sperm progressive motility of 0.0090 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: -0.0147, -0.0033) and decreased total motility of 0.0094 (95% CI: -0.0160, -0.0029). HND was significantly associated with reduced sperm progressive motility and total motility of 0.0021 (95% CI: -0.0040, -0.0003) and 0.0023 (95% CI: -0.0043, -0.0002), respectively. Consistent results were observed at different temperature thresholds on hot nights. CONCLUSION Our findings highlight the need to mitigate nocturnal heat exposure during spermatogenesis to maintain optimal semen quality.
Humans ; Male ; Semen Analysis ; Adult ; Sperm Motility ; Hot Temperature/adverse effects* ; China ; Middle Aged ; Spermatozoa/physiology* ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the interference of varying degrees of lipemia on serum lithium(Li)measurement using the phosphatase method and explore effective mitigation strategies.Methods A pooled sample of severe lipemic serum without lithium was collected and concentrated to obtain lipemic serum concentrate.A pooled serum sample from patients with normal lipid levels taking lithium carbonate was used for triglyceride(TG)interference experiments.Additionally,28 serum samples from patients not taking lithium carbonate were collected.Based on the results of TG interference experiments,the maximum TG concentration that did not interfere with serum lithium measurement was determined as the target concentration for dilution,and the corresponding dilution factor was calculated.Lithium solution was added to each sample to determine the theoretical lithium concentration.Samples were divided into three groups and analyzed using direct detection,physiological saline dilution,and high-speed centrifugation(13 000 r/min,10 min).The results obtained from different methods were compared.Results Lipemic serum with TG concentrations>4.77mmol/L interfered with lithium measurement by the phosphatase method.The physiological saline dilution method showed the largest deviation(t=10.87,P<0.000 1)and significant differences from theoretical values,making it unsuitable for accurate measurement.In contrast,the high-speed centrifugation method provided results closest to the theoretical values(t=2.97,P=0.036 9)with higher accuracy.Although the direct detection method was highly correlated with the high-speed centrifugation method(r=0.976 5,P<0.000 1),with a significant mean difference remained(t=5.37,P<0.000 1).Conclusion For lipemic serum samples with TG concentrations>4.77mmol/L,the physiological saline dilution method should be avoided due to its inaccuracy.High-speed centrifugation effectively removes lipemic interference,yielding results closer to theoretical values,and is recommended as the optimized method for serum lithium measurement in lipemic samples.

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.

Aim To explore the compatibility and po-tential mechanism of effective components of Biejia-Ezhu against triple negative breast cancer(TNBC)and verify it by experiments.Methods Effective compo-nents and targets of Biejia-Ezhu were obtained by TC-MSP and Swiss Target Prediction.Disease targets of TNBC were obtained from OMMI and GeneCards data-bases.The PPI network was constructed using STRING database.GO and KEGG path enrichment analysis was performed using DAVID database.Cytoscape3.9.1 software was used to construct the"drug-component-target-disease"network,screen key targets and compo-nents for molecular docking,and further verify the com-patibility of key components and targets in vitro.Re-sults ① A total of 71 effective components were iden-tified in the Biejia-Ezhu drug pair.There were 146 drug targets associated with the disease.A total of 113 signaling pathways were identified by KEGG analysis.The 71 potential active components of Biejia-Ezhu mainly acted on key targets such as mTORC1,ULK1,TNF,EGFR,ESR1,STAT3,HIF1A,and PTGS2.Mo-lecular docking results showed that glycine and curcu-min were the key active components of Biejia-Ezhu,and both had strong docking activity against key target proteins mTORC1 and ULK1.②The results of in vitro experiment showed that glycine combined with curcu-min significantly inhibited the proliferation and clonal formation ability of TNBC cells(P＜0.05),up-regula-ted the expression of autophagy marker LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ,down-regulated the expression of EGFR,down-regula-ted the expression of pathway protein mTORC1,p-mTOR,p-ULK1,and promoted the expression of path-way protein ULK1(P＜0.05).Conclusion The key component of Biejia-Ezhu against triple-negative breast cancer is glycine-curcumin,the mechanism of which may be related to the regulation of the mTORC1/ULK1 signaling pathway to promote autophagy.