Long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)regulate gene expression at the transcriptional,post-transcription-al,or epigenetic levels,and play crucial roles in tumor cell proliferation,invasion,apoptosis,and metabolism.With ongoing research,an increasing number of human microproteins encoded by lncRNAs have been discovered,although their complete functional characterization remains to be explored.This article reviews the research progress on the func-tions and partial mechanisms of the small integral membrane protein(SMIM)family encoded by lncRNAs in tumor ini-tiation and progression.

Objective:To explore the correlations of sleep quality and architecture with heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with stenoses of vertebrobasilar artery system and internal carotid artery system.Methods:A retrospective study was performed; 72 patients with stenosis or occlusion of the head and neck arteries (not resulting in cerebral infarction) admitted to Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2023 to June 2024 were chosen, including 33 patients with moderate-to-severe stenosis or occlusion of the vertebrobasilar system (VB group) and 39 patients with moderate-to-severe stenosis or occlusion of the internal carotid artery system (ICA group). Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and polysomnography (PSG) were used to evaluate the sleep quality and architecture, respectively; and 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiogram was used to assess the HRV. Differences in PSQI score, PSG and HRV parameters between the two groups were compared; partial correlation analysis was used to explore the correlations of HRV parameters with PSQI scores and PSG parameters; multivariate linear regression was used to analyze the independent influencing factors for HRV.Results:(1) Compared with the ICA group, the VB group exhibited significantly higher PSQI scores, spontaneous arousal index (SAI), ratio of time of stage 1 non-rapid eye movement sleep/total sleep time (T N1/T t), and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), while significantly lower ratio of time of rapid eye movement sleep/total sleep time (T R/T t), spindle wave density in stage 2 non-rapid eye movement sleep (N2), lowest blood oxygen saturation, standard deviation of normal to normal intervals (SDNN) of all sinus beats, low-frequency power (LF), and high-frequency power (HF, P<0.05). (2) In both VB group and ICA group, SDNN was negatively correlated with PSQI score ( r=-0.461, P=0.020; r=-0.378, P=0.036). In the VB group, SDNN was negatively correlated with T N1/T t ( r=-0.467, P=0.019) and SAI ( r=-0.551, P=0.004), and positively correlated with ratio of time of stage 3 non-rapid eye movement sleep/total sleep time (T N3/T t, r=0.686, P<0.001) and spindle wave density in N2 ( r=0.518, P=0.008); LF and HF were negatively correlated with SAI ( r=-0.481, P=0.015; r=-0.564, P=0.003). In the ICA group, HF was negatively correlated with spindle wave density in N2 ( r=-0.369; P=0.041). (3) Multivariate linear regression results indicated that T N3/T t (β=0.348, P=0.018), SAI (β=-0.330, P=0.018), and spindle wave density in N2 (β=0.286, P=0.013) were independent influencing factors for Ln_SDNN in patients with moderate-to-severe stenosis or occlusion of the vertebrobasilar system. Conclusion:Patients with stenosis or occlusion of the vertebrobasilar system exhibit poorer subjective sleep quality, increased light sleep, heightened arousal, and reduced sleep stability compared with those with stenosis or occlusion of the internal carotid artery system, which may be caused by the imbalance of autonomic nerve function.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with brucellosis complicated with epididymo-orchitis (Brucellar epididymo-orchitis, BEO), so as to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment of BEO.Methods:General and clinical data of 293 male patients with acute brucellosis admitted to the Beidahuang Industry Group General Hospital from January 2023 to December 2024 were retrospectively collected. They were divided into a BEO group (30 cases) and a non-BEO group (263 cases) based on the presence or absence of epididymo-orchitis. Epidemic characteristics, clinical manifestations and laboratory examination results were compared and analyzed.Results:Among 293 male patients with acute brucellosis, the incidence of BEO was 10.24% (30/293). Their age was mainly concentrated in 45 - < 60 years old (53.33%, 16/30), and occupation was mostly farmers (63.33%, 19/30). There were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of age, occupation, exposure history and onset season between the BEO group and the non-BEO group ( P > 0.05). The distribution of abdominal pain and urinary frequency/urgency/pain symptoms was compared, and the differences were statistically significant ( P < 0.05). White blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil count (NEUT), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in the BEO group were higher than those in the non-BEO group ( P < 0.05), while the levels of cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were lower than those in the non-BEO group ( P < 0.05). After 6 - 8 weeks of hospitalization, the levels of WBC, NEUT, CRP, albumin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IFN-γ in patients of the BEO group were significantly different from before treatment ( P < 0.05). Twenty-eight patients were cured, 1 patient underwent orchiectomy, and 1 patient experienced recurrence. Conclusions:Middle-aged male patients with brucellosis are more prone to BEO. Clinical manifestations and laboratory tests have certain diagnostic value for BEO. Suspected BEO patients should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible to reduce the occurrence of adverse prognosis.

Objective:To learn about the levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OH VD), TBNK lymphocyte subsets, and cytokines in peripheral blood of patients with brucellosis.Methods:A prospective design was adopted, one hundred patients with brucellosis admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases, Beidahuang Industry Group General Hospital from May 2024 to February 2025 were selected as the brucellosis group, and one hundred healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations at the hospital during the same period were selected as the control group. The peripheral blood 25-OH VD levels were detected by chemiluminescence method. Further, 100 patients with brucellosis were divided into a brucellosis combined with osteoarthritis group (74 cases) and a brucellosis without osteoarthritis group (26 cases). Flow cytometry was used to detect the counts of peripheral blood TBNK lymphocyte subsets and cytokine levels. Meanwhile, Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the correlation between peripheral blood 25-OH VD levels and TBNK lymphocyte subsets counts as well as cytokine levels in patients with brucellosis complicated by osteoarthritis.Results:The peripheral blood 25-OH VD level in the brucellosis group [20.31 (15.74, 24.35) ng/ml] was significantly lower than that of the control group [25.18 (21.13, 29.59) ng/ml], and the difference was statistically significant ( Z = - 5.07, P < 0.001). The peripheral blood 25-OH VD level [18.05 (13.79, 23.74) vs 22.43 (19.93, 28.25) ng/ml], CD4 + T cell count [(860 ± 275) vs (1 036 ± 376) cells/μl], and interleukin (IL)-6 levels [4.17 (2.14, 9.41) vs 7.83 (5.97, 11.34) ng/L] in the brucellosis combined with osteoarthritis group were significantly lower than those in the brucellosis without osteoarthritis group ( Z/t = - 2.88, 2.20, - 2.85, P = 0.004, 0.035, 0.004). Correlation analysis showed that the peripheral blood 25-OH VD level in patients with brucellosis complicated by osteoarthritis was positively correlated with the counts of CD45 +, CD3 + T, CD4 + T, CD8 + T, and natural killer cells ( r = 0.31, 0.26, 0.25, 0.25, 0.25, P = 0.007, 0.027, 0.032, 0.031, 0.032), and negatively correlated with IL-17A level ( r = - 0.40, P < 0.001). Conclusion:Patients with brucellosis have insufficient 25-OH VD, and those with osteoarthritis have lower 25-OH VD level, CD4 + T cell count, and IL-6 level than those without osteoarthritis.

Objective:To learn about the clinical characteristics of patients with neurobrucellosis (NB) and provide references for clinical diagnosis and treatment of NB.Methods:The clinical data of 22 NB patients diagnosed and treated at Beidahuang Industry Group General Hospital from January 2018 to November 2024 and 178 healthy individuals undergoing physical examinations during the same period were retrospectively collected. The epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, treatment and prognosis of NB patients were analyzed.Results:Among the 22 NB patients, 12 were males (54.55%) and 10 were females (45.45%). The age was (51.77 ± 12.75) years old, ranging from 27 to 80 years old. Most of the patients were farmers (95.45%, 21/22), and 16 cases (72.73%) had contacted with cattle/sheep. The onset seasons were mainly in summer (40.91%, 9/22) and spring (31.82%, 7/22). Among all NB patients, there were 10 cases of encephalitis/meningoencephalitis, 9 cases of myelitis, and 3 cases of meningitis. The general symptoms were mainly fever (68.18%, 15/22), the neurological symptoms were mainly nausea and vomiting (36.36%, 8/22), and the physical signs were mainly muscle weakness (50.00%, 11/22) and pathological signs (45.45%, 10/22). The laboratory test results showed that the levels of hemoglobin, hematocrit, C-reactive protein, total protein, albumin, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, α-hydroxybutyric acid dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, and glutathione reductase in NB patients were significantly different from those in healthy individuals ( P < 0.001). Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed ischemic changes in 5 cases (22.73%), abnormal brain signals in 2 cases (9.09%), and demyelinating lesions in white matter in 1 case (4.55%). After treatment, 18 NB patients were followed up and showed good prognosis, with only 2 cases exhibiting varying degrees of sequelae (walking disorders or memory impairment). Conclusions:The clinical manifestations of NB patients are diverse. A comprehensive judgment should be made by combining epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests and imaging examinations.

In recent years,artificial intelligence(AI)technologies,particularly those represented by deep learn-ing,have demonstrated tremendous potential in the advancement of medical applications.This article reviews recent re-search progress in AI applications for the diagnosis and treatment of triple-negative breast cancer,aiming to inform the development of clinically relevant AI algorithms that align with real-world practice scenarios.The ultimate objectives in-clude enhancing diagnostic accuracy through efficient computational approaches,reducing manual labor burdens,im-proving patient prognosis,and facilitating the identification of therapeutic targets in oncology through AI-driven predic-tive modeling.

Long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)regulate gene expression at the transcriptional,post-transcription-al,or epigenetic levels,and play crucial roles in tumor cell proliferation,invasion,apoptosis,and metabolism.With ongoing research,an increasing number of human microproteins encoded by lncRNAs have been discovered,although their complete functional characterization remains to be explored.This article reviews the research progress on the func-tions and partial mechanisms of the small integral membrane protein(SMIM)family encoded by lncRNAs in tumor ini-tiation and progression.

Objective:To explore the relapse-related genes and their clinicopathological connections of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL).Methods:Targeted panel sequencing was conducted on 32 eligible DLBCL samples; the patients were diagnosed, treated, and went into complete remission at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2015 to December 2019, including 14 cases with recurrence (relapsed group) and 18 cases with long-term complete remission of over five years (remission group). Clinical and pathological data were further reviewed. Fisher′s exact test was employed to compare the differences in clinicopathological characteristics and mutation patterns between the two groups.Results:Among the 32 patients, there were 18 males and 14 females, with a male to female ratio of 1.3∶1.0 and a median age of 53 (45.5, 67.0) years. In the relapsed group, PIM1 (11/14), KMT2D (7/14), PRDM1 (6/14), MYD88 (6/14), DTX1 (6/14) emerged as the most frequently mutated genes. In the remission group, while recurrent PIM1, KMT2D and MYD88 mutations were also observed, the TP53 gene exhibited the highest mutation frequency (6/18). Compared to the remission group, relapsed group showed elevated mutation frequencies of PIM1 ( P=0.013) and FAT4 ( P=0.010), alongside a reduced incidence of TP53 mutations. In all 32 patients, DLBCL with CD79B, CCND3, DTX1, KMT2D and PRDM1 mutations demonstrated a propensity towards advanced clinicopathologic stage. Conclusions:Relapsed DLBCL has distinctive clinicopathological and genetic features. PIM1 and FAT4 may be served as potential biomarkers for screening relapsed DLBCL-NOS and as targets for novel therapeutic strategies.

Objective:To explore the clinical and pathological features of EBV-positive diffuse large B cell lymphoma (EBV +DLBCL) and to analyze the prognostic significance of CD30 expression in this entity. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted from 34 cases of EBV +DLBCL and 198 cases of EBV -DLBCL diagnosed and treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, from January 2017 to June 2023. Based on CD30 expression, 34 patients with EBV +DLBCL were categorized into CD30-positive and CD30-negative groups. Fisher exact test and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were employed to analyze the relationship between CD30 expression and clinicopathological parameters as well as its prognostic implications. Chi-square tests were used to compare the clinicopathological features between EBV +DLBCL and EBV -DLBCL. Results:There were 19 males and 15 females with a median age of 69.5 (15-83) years in the EBV +DLBCL group. Compared with EBV -DLBCL, EBV +DLBCL was more likely to present with clinical features such as B symptoms ( χ2=23.818, P<0.001), Ann Arbor stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ ( χ2=8.540, P=0.003), ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status) score 2-4 ( χ2=6.722, P=0.010), IPI score 3-5 ( χ2=9.953, P=0.002), and involvement of more than one extranodal site ( χ2=6.825, P=0.009). Additionally, EBV +DLBCL exhibited higher frequencies of elevated LDH ( χ2=4.307, P=0.038), CRP ( χ2=5.596, P=0.018), and β2-MG ( χ2=7.008, P=0.008) levels. Histopathologically, EBV +DLBCL was more commonly of the non-GCB subtype ( χ2=12.421, P<0.001), with higher frequencies of CD30-positive ( χ2=62.706, P<0.001),CD10-negative ( χ2=8.687, P=0.003),bcl-6-negative ( χ2=11.123, P<0.001), and bcl-2-negative ( χ2=22.779, P=0.003) expression. Using 20% as the positive threshold for CD30, the CD30-positive group had a higher proliferation index ( P=0.045). No significant differences were observed in overall survival between the two groups. Conclusions:EBV +DLBCL is more prevalent in the elderly and often exhibits aggressive clinical features. The expression of CD30 is not associated with the overall prognosis of EBV +DLBCL.

In recent years,artificial intelligence(AI)technologies,particularly those represented by deep learn-ing,have demonstrated tremendous potential in the advancement of medical applications.This article reviews recent re-search progress in AI applications for the diagnosis and treatment of triple-negative breast cancer,aiming to inform the development of clinically relevant AI algorithms that align with real-world practice scenarios.The ultimate objectives in-clude enhancing diagnostic accuracy through efficient computational approaches,reducing manual labor burdens,im-proving patient prognosis,and facilitating the identification of therapeutic targets in oncology through AI-driven predic-tive modeling.