BACKGROUND:Degenerative scoliosis is defined as a condition that occurs in adulthood with a coronal cobb angle of the spine>10° accompanied by sagittal deformity and rotational subluxation,which often produces symptoms of spinal cord and nerve compression,such as lumbar pain,lower limb pain,numbness,weakness,and neurogenic claudication.The finite element method is a mechanical analysis technique for computer modelling,which can be used for spinal mechanics research by building digital models that can realistically restore the human spine model and design modifications. OBJECTIVE:To review the application of finite element method in the etiology and treatment of degenerative scoliosis. METHODS:The literature databases CNKI,PubMed,and Web of Science were searched for articles on the application of finite element method in degenerative scoliosis published before October 2023.Search terms were"finite element analysis,biomechanics,stress analysis,degenerative scoliosis,adult spinal deformity"in Chinese and English.Fifty-four papers were finally included. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The biomechanical findings from the degenerative scoliosis model constructed using the finite element method were identical to those from the in vivo experimental studies,which proves that the finite element method has a high practical value in degenerative scoliosis.(2)The study of the etiology and treatment of degenerative scoliosis by the finite element method is conducive to the prevention of the occurrence of the scoliosis,slowing down the progress of the scoliosis,the development of a more appropriate treatment plan,the reduction of complications,and the promotion of the patients'surgical operation.(3)The finite element method has gradually evolved from a single bony structure to the inclusion of soft tissues such as muscle ligaments,and the small sample content is increasingly unable to meet the research needs.(4)The finite element method has much room for exploration in degenerative scoliosis.

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) is significantly expressed in various tissues such as the liver, kidney, myocardium, and skeletal muscle, which plays a central role in the development of various diseases by regulating key physiological processes such as energy homeostasis, redox balance, inflammatory response, and ferroptosis. As an important metabolic and excretory organ of the body, renal dysfunction can lead to water and electrolyte imbalance, toxin accumulation, and multiple system complications. The causes of kidney injury are complex and diverse, including acute injury factors (such as ischemia/reperfusion, nephrotoxic drugs, septic shock, and immune glomerulopathy), as well as chronic progressive causes [such as metabolic disease-related nephropathy, hypertensive nephropathy (HN)], and risk factors such as alcohol abuse, obesity, and aging. This review briefly describes the structure, function, and activity regulation mechanism of PPAR-α, systematically elucidates the molecular regulatory network of PPAR-α in the pathological process of kidney injury including acute kidney injury (AKI) such as renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), drug-induced AKI, sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI), glomerulonephritis, chronic kidney disease (CKD) such as diabetic nephropathy (DN), HN, and other kidney injury, and summarizes the mechanisms related to PPAR-α regulation of kidney injury, including regulation of metabolism, antioxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-fibrosis, and anti-ferroptosis. This review also evaluates PPAR-α's medical value as a novel therapeutic target, and aims to provide theoretical basis for the development of kidney protection strategies based on PPAR-α targeted intervention.
Humans ; PPAR alpha/metabolism* ; Acute Kidney Injury/therapy* ; Animals ; Kidney/metabolism*

With the continuous development of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, mRNA-based drugs have shown broad application prospects in recent years. Since mRNA is easy to be degraded and difficult to enter cells directly, the mRNA delivery vectors have always been one of the focuses in the development of mRNA-based drugs. Although lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been widely used for the delivery of mRNA, they tend to accumulate in the liver, and repeated administration can easily induce inflammatory response which leads to tissue damage. Compared with LNPs, virus-like particles (VLPs) have the advantages of high biocompatibility and safety, being expected to offer new solutions for mRNA delivery. Based on the practical application requirements, this review summarized the research progress in VLPs according to the mRNA delivery steps: particle assembly, delivery into cells, and intracellular release. We hope to provide a basis and design ideas for the development of new VLPs as delivery vectors, promote the application of VLPs in mRNA delivery, and provide new possibilities for the research and application of mRNA-based therapeutics.
RNA, Messenger/administration & dosage* ; Humans ; Nanoparticles/chemistry* ; Genetic Vectors ; Lipids/chemistry* ; Drug Delivery Systems/methods* ; Virion ; Animals ; Gene Transfer Techniques ; Liposomes

Spinal cord injury, a severe injury of the central nervous system, shows high disability and mortality rate and seriously affects the patients′ quality of life. It is difficult to restore the spinal cord and achieve satisfactory neurological function improvement with various current treatments for spinal cord injury. Electric stimulation can accelerate axonal growth and myelination and promote nervous tissue repair and regeneration. Conductive hydrogels that can load electric stimulation have great potential in the treatment of spinal cord injuries. Under electric stimulation, different types of conductive hydrogels have different characteristics and can perform a variety of functions. However, clinicians still lack a comprehensive understanding of their application effects in repair of spinal cord injury. To this end, the authors reviewed the research progress on the role of electric stimulation as well as the characteristics and applications of different types of conductive hydrogels in repair of spinal cord injury to provide references for the synthesis and clinical transformation of conductive hydrogels for repair of spinal cord injury.

Objective:To evaluate the correlation between the degree of posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) injury and various parameters of vertebral body injury in patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures.Methods:A total of 48 patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures were admitted to the Spine Surgery Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University between December 2022 and January 2024. The cohort consisted of 31 males and 17 females, with a mean age of 44.1±11.8 years (range, 18-65 years). Based on the PLL injury grading method proposed by Sun Zhaoyun, patients were classified into three groups: mild, moderate, and severe. However, due to an insufficient number of patients in the severe group ( n=3), the moderate and severe groups were combined for statistical analysis, resulting in two groups: mild, and moderate-to-severe. Patient demographic and clinical data were collected. Local kyphosis (LK), inversion angle (IA), horizontal rotation angle (HRA), increased interspinous distance (IISD), anterior vertebral body compression ratio (AVBCR), posterior vertebral body compression ratio (PVBCR), middle vertebral body compression ratio (MVBCR), the ratio of height of bone fragment (RHBF), the ratio of width of bone fragment (RWBF), and mid-sagittal canal diameter compression ratio (MSDCR) were measured. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0. Categorical variables were expressed as frequency (percentage) and analyzed using chi-square and Fisher exact tests. Continuous variables were tested for normality, with non-normally distributed data analyzed using the rank-sum test and expressed as median (interquartile range). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) to evaluate predictive performance. Results:Among the 48 patients, only 3 were found to have severe PLL injury, necessitating the combination of the moderate and severe groups for statistical purposes. Patients in the moderate-to-severe group demonstrated significantly higher AVBCR, PVBCR, RHBF, MVBCR, MSDCR, and IA compared to the mild group ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression identified AVBCR, PVBCR, MSDCR, and IA as independent risk factors for moderate-to-severe PLL injury ( OR>1, P<0.05). ROC curve analysis revealed that AVBCR, PVBCR, MSDCR, IA, and their combined index could effectively predict moderate-to-severe PLL injury ( P<0.05). Notably, the combined index showed superior predictive performance (AUC=0.970) compared to individual parameters. Threshold values were determined as follows: AVBCR>45.30%, PVBCR>12.17%, MSDCR>27.13%, IA>5.90°, and the combined index >0.61, indicating PLL damage. Conclusion:AVBCR, PVBCR, MSDCR, IA, and their combined index are significantly associated with moderate-to-severe PLL injury in thoracolumbar burst fractures. The combined index demonstrates superior predictive ability compared to single parameters, providing a reliable tool for assessing PLL integrity.

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of influenza virus detection in an influenza outbreak in schools, so as to provide a strategic basis for the treatment of influenza outbreaks in schools. Methods: A total of 1 702 samples were collected from 52 school influenza outbreaks reported in Linyi City in 2021-2022. The samples were divided into 3 types according to different symptoms during the management of the epidemic [group A:influenzalike illness (ILI) group; group B:mild illness group; group C:close contacts group]. Rt-PCR was used to detect influenza virus nucleic acid in the collected samples. The detection rate of influenza virus in the outbreaks was analyzed by χ2 test. Results: In total, 1 071 samples (62.93%) tested positive for influenza virus nucleic acid. Among them, 610 out of 726 samples (84.02%) were detected in group A, while 331 out of 634 samples (52.21%) were detected in group B. In group C, 130 out of 342 samples (38.01%) tested positive. The differences were statistically significant (χ2=260.71, P<0.01). In group A, males had a detection rate of 80.83% for influenza virus nucleic acid, compared to 91.36% for females. For group B, the rates were 53.31% for males and 50.87% for females. In group C, males had a rate of 30.72%, while females had a rate of 43.92%. Statistical significance for gender differences was observed only in groups A and C (χ2=12.67, 6.25, P<0.05). According to the days of onset, the detection rates of influenza virus nucleic acid among patients with onset 0-6 days were 56.30%, 74.49%, 89.35%, 86.23%, 69.67%, 62.75%, 34.33%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (χ2=128.27, P<0.01). Conclusions Mild cases and close contacts are likely key factors contributing to the prolonged emergence of new cases within classrooms during school influenza outbreaks. The progression of influenza symptoms is related to the risk of transmission.

Objective:To compare the predictive value of parameters extracted from circular region-of-interest (ROI) with whole-liver histogram on gadoxetic acid disodium (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced T 1 map for postoperative liver failure in patients with liver focal lesions. Methods:The data of patients who underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI for focal liver lesions in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University from March 2016 to March 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. Forty patients were enrolled, including 30 males and 10 females, aged (56.6±12.1) years. According to the occurrence of postoperative liver failure, forty patients were divided into liver failure group ( n=14) and control group ( n=26). The parameters extracted from circular ROIs and whole liver histogram on T 1 map before Gd-EOB-DTPA enhancement and in hepatobiliary phase (HBP) were compared between the two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the value of these parameters in predicting postoperative liver failure. Results:The mean, standard deviation, median and 95% quantile of T 1 HBP in histogram parameters of liver failure group were significantly higher than those of control group (all P<0.05). The three parameters extracted from circular ROIs were not effective in predicting liver failure after hepatectomy (all P>0.05). Among all the liver histogram parameters, the area under the ROC curve of the 95% quantile before T 1 enhancement for predicting postoperative liver failure was 0.702 (95% CI: 0.523-0.881), the standard deviation of T 1 HBP was 0.739 (95% CI: 0.568-0.910), and the 95% quantile of T 1 HBP was 0.721 (95% CI: 0.540-0.903). The predictive efficacy were good (all P<0.05). Among them, the predictive performance of T 1 HBP standard deviation was the best, the area under the ROC curve was 0.739, the sensitivity was 85.7%, the specificity was 57.7%, and the best threshold was 54.8 ms. Conclusions:When Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced T 1 mapping is used to predict postoperative liver failure in patients with focal liver lesions, the whole-liver histogram analysis is superior to the conventional circular ROI-based statistical method.

Humans ; Aminoquinolines/therapeutic use* ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/genetics* ; Lung Neoplasms/genetics* ; Mutation/genetics* ; Standard of Care

Monoclonal antibodies have been successfully incorporated into the current therapeutical landscape of lung cancer in the last decades. Recently, with technological advances, bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) have also shown robust efficacy in the treatment of malignant cancers, including lung cancer. These antibodies target two independent epitopes or antigens and have been extensively explored in translational and clinical studies in lung cancer. Here, we outline the mechanisms of action of bsAbs, related clinical data, ongoing clinical trials, and potent novel compounds of various types of bsAbs in clinical studies, especially in lung cancer. We also propose future directions for the clinical development of bsAbs, which might bring a new era of treatment for patients with lung cancer.

In vitro diagnosis (IVD) is an important source of clinical diagnostic information, and provides an important decision basis for disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment. IVD is a necessary tool for promoting graded diagnosis and treatment, realizing precision medicine, constructing a "Healthy China" and responding to major public health emergencies. Combining the great progress made in the development of in vitro diagnostics in China and the shortcomings and weaknesses faced by it, this article analyzed the demand for IVD, policy support, technical and industrial development trends, and the ways to accelerate the industrialization development, aiming to promote the development and improvement of IVD in China.