Objective: To explore the feasibility of constructing a lung cancer early-warning risk model based on facial image features, providing novel insights into the early screening of lung cancer. Methods: This study included patients with pulmonary nodules diagnosed at the Physical Examination Center of Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from November 1, 2019 to December 31, 2024, as well as patients with lung cancer diagnosed in the Oncology Departments of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine and Longhua Hospital during the same period. The facial image information of patients with pulmonary nodules and lung cancer was collected using the TFDA-1 tongue and facial diagnosis instrument, and the facial diagnosis features were extracted from it by deep learning technology. Statistical analysis was conducted on the objective facial diagnosis characteristics of the two groups of participants to explore the differences in their facial image characteristics, and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to screen the characteristic variables. Based on the screened feature variables, four machine learning methods: random forest, logistic regression, support vector machine (SVM), and gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) were used to establish lung cancer classification models independently. Meanwhile, the model performance was evaluated by indicators such as sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, precision, accuracy, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), and the area under the precision-recall curve (AP). Results: A total of 1 275 patients with pulmonary nodules and 1 623 patients with lung cancer were included in this study. After propensity score matching (PSM) to adjust for gender and age, 535 patients were finally included in the pulmonary nodule group and the lung cancer group, respectively. There were significant differences in multiple color space metrics (such as R, G, B, V, L, a, b, Cr, H, Y, and Cb) and texture metrics [such as gray-levcl co-occurrence matrix (GLCM)-contrast (CON) and GLCM-inverse different moment (IDM)] between the two groups of individuals with pulmonary nodules and lung cancer (P < 0.05). To construct a classification model, LASSO regression was used to select 63 key features from the initial 136 facial features. Based on this feature set, the SVM model demonstrated the best performance after 10-fold stratified cross-validation. The model achieved an average AUC of 0.8729 and average accuracy of 0.799 0 on the internal test set. Further validation on an independent test set confirmed the model’s robust performance (AUC = 0.823 3, accuracy = 0.729 0), indicating its good generalization ability. Feature importance analysis demonstrated that color space indicators and the whole/lip Cr components (including color-B-0, wholecolor-Cr, and lipcolor-Cr) were the core factors in the model’s classification decisions, while texture indicators [GLCM-angular second moment (ASM)_2, GLCM-IDM_1, GLCM-CON_1, GLCM-entropy (ENT)_2] played an important auxiliary role. Conclusion The facial image features of patients with lung cancer and pulmonary nodules show significant differences in color and texture characteristics in multiple areas. The various models constructed based on facial image features all demonstrate good performance, indicating that facial image features can serve as potential biomarkers for lung cancer risk prediction, providing a non-invasive and feasible new approach for early lung cancer screening.

As a common ophthalmic disease, pterygium exhibits a considerably high incidence in global area, particularly in regions with harsh natural environment. While it is unlikely to cause blindness, pterygium frequently disrupts the normal homeostasis of the tear film, leading to discomfort such as dry eyes and foreign body sensation, thereby significantly impairing patients' quality of life. Furthermore, the high surgical intervention rate for pterygium consumes substantial medical resources. Therefore, investigating the underlying mechanisms of pterygium development is essential for its prevention and control. Extensive research has demonstrated the correlation between solar radiation and pterygium occurrence, confirming that ultraviolet rays within solar radiation contribute to the onset and progression of pterygium through multiple pathways, including direct DNA damage to ocular surface cells, oxidative stress-induced injury, involvement in inflammatory regulation, and extracellular matrix remodeling. This paper reviews both domestic and international epidemiological trends of pterygium, as well as the multifaceted mechanisms by which solar radiation influences pterygium development. The aim is to enhance understanding of the relationship between solar exposure and pterygium occurrence, while emphasizing and guiding public awareness of solar radiation protection in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture at the pterygopalatine region on nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3)-mediated pyroptosis and inflammatory factors in rats with allergic rhinitis (AR). METHODS: Twenty-four SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group, an acupuncture group and an electroacupuncture group, 6 rats in each group. Except for the blank group, OVA-induced AR model was established in the remaining groups. In the electroacupuncture group, the rats were treated with electroacupuncture at the bilateral pterygopalatine region, with disperse-dense wave, in frequency of 2 Hz/100 Hz and current of 0.5-1 mA, 15 min each time, once every other day, for 3 times. In the acupuncture group, the rats were treated with acupuncture at bilateral pterygopalatine region simply, without electrical stimulation. The rhinitis symptom score was observed, the pathomorphology of the nasal mucosa was observed by HE staining; the serum levels of OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (OVA-sIgE), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6 and IL-1β were detected by ELISA; the mRNA expression of NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing CARD (ASC), cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1 (caspase-1) and IL-18 in the nasal mucosa was detected by real-time PCR; the protein expression of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1 and IL-18 in the nasal mucosa was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, in the model group, the rhinitis symptom score was increased (P<0.01), the serum levels of OVA-sIgE, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-1β were increased (P<0.05), the nasal mucosa showed pathomorphology of inflammatory infiltration; the mRNA and protein expression of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1 and IL-18 in the nasal mucosa was increased (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, in the electroacupuncture group, the rhinitis symptom score was reduced (P<0.01), the pathology of the nasal mucosa was improved; the serum levels of OVA-sIgE, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-1β were decreased (P<0.05); the mRNA and protein expression of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1 and IL-18 in the nasal mucosa was decreased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture at the pterygopalatine region can exerting the anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis and inflammatory factor imbalance, thus alleviate rhinitis symptoms in AR rats.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/immunology* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rhinitis, Allergic/physiopathology* ; Pyroptosis ; Male ; Acupuncture Points ; Humans ; Female ; Interleukin-1beta/genetics* ; Interleukin-18/immunology* ; Interleukin-6/genetics* ; Caspase 1/immunology*

ObjectiveTo investigate the change in the expression of magnesium transporter 1 （MagT1） in peripheral blood CD8⁺ T cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus （HBV） infection， as well as the correlation of serum Mg²⁺ and MagT1 with HBV DNA load. MethodsA total of 102 patients with HBV infection who were admitted to Tangshan Workers’ Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were enrolled， and a case-control study was conducted. According to the stage of disease progression， the subjects were divided into chronic hepatitis B group with 40 patients， compensated liver cirrhosis group with 32 patients， and hepatocellular carcinoma group with 30 patients， and 32 healthy volunteers matched by age and sex were enrolled as normal control group. The serum concentration of Mg²⁺ was measured； RT-qPCR was used to measure the mRNA expression level of MagT1 in CD8⁺ T cells and serum HBV DNA load； flow cytometry was used to measure the expression levels of programmed death-1 （PD-1）， T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 （Tim-3）， and natural killer cell group 2D （NKG2D） on the surface of CD8⁺ T cells. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the SNK-q test was used for comparison between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups； a Pearson linear correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between the mRNA expression level of MagT1 and other related indicators. ResultsThere were significant differences in the serum level of Mg²⁺ and the mRNA expression level of MagT1 between the normal control group， the chronic hepatitis B group， the compensated liver cirrhosis group， and the hepatocellular carcinoma group （F=29.014 and 145.578， both P<0.001）. The Pearson correlation analysis showed that the serum level of Mg²⁺ and the mRNA expression level of MagT1 were positively correlated with HBV DNA load （r=0.335 and 0.394， both P<0.05）. The hepatocellular carcinoma group had the highest levels of PD-1 and Tim-3， followed by the compensated liver cirrhosis group， the chronic hepatitis B group， and the normal control group； the normal control group had the highest level of NKG2D， followed by the chronic hepatitis B group， the compensated liver cirrhosis group， and the hepatocellular carcinoma group （all P<0.001）. The Pearson correlation analysis showed that the mRNA expression level of MagT1 was negatively correlated with PD-1 and Tim-3 （r=-0.643 and -0.640， both P<0.05） and was positively correlated with NKG2D （r=0.655， P<0.05）. ConclusionThere is a reduction in the mRNA expression level of MagT1 in peripheral blood CD8⁺ T cells in patients with HBV infection， which is positively correlated with serum HBV DNA load. The reduction in the expression of MagT1 may contribute to CD8⁺ T cell exhaustion by impairing Mg²⁺ influx， manifesting as the upregulation of PD-1 and Tim-3 and the downregulation of NKG2D.

ObjectiveTo understand the prevalence of tobacco use among residents aged 15 years old and above in Jiading District of Shanghai, and to provide a scientific basis for formulating effective regional tobacco control policies. MethodsThe Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) sampling method was employed to select one neighborhood committee (village) from each of Jiading District’s 11 subdistricts as survey monitoring sites. From the household registry of each selected neighborhood committee (village), 50 residential households were randomly sampled, resulting in a total of 550 households surveyed. Within each selected household, one permanent resident aged 15 years old or above was randomly chosen to complete the questionnaire. The content covered general information, exposure to secondhand smoke, awareness of tobacco related health hazards, etc. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 27.0 software. ResultsA total of 550 questionnaires were distributed, with 549 valid responses collected, and the effective response rate was 99.82%. The survey findings revealed that in 2023, the current smoking rate among individuals aged 15 years old and above in Jiading District of Shanghai was 18.76%, with males accounting for 38.93% and females accounting for 2.62%. Male gender was identified as a relative factor for smoking (OR=34.108, 95%CI: 14.440‒80.722), whereas higher education attainment emerged as a protective factor against smoking (OR=0.388, 95%CI: 0.184‒0.820). Among non-smokers aged 15 years old and above in Jiading District, the secondhand smoke exposure rate was 46.86%, with statistically significant differences observed across different age groups and occupations (P<0.001). Restaurants exhibited the highest secondhand smoke exposure rate of 42.14%, followed by households bearing (36.79%). The overall awareness rate among individuals aged 15 years old and above in Jiading District regarding four smoking-related diseases, namely stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and impotence, was 48.45%, while the awareness rate for three secondhand smoke-induced diseases, namely adult heart disease, pediatric pulmonary disease, and adult lung cancer, was 64.29%. ConclusionThere is still room for reduction in the prevalence of tobacco use among individuals aged 15 yeas old and above in Jiading District. The exposure to secondhand smoke is severe, and residents have low awareness of the harm of tobacco. Tobacco control law enforcement should be strengthened, smoke-free-home health education should be included in tobacco control efforts, and targeted health education should be carried out.

AIM:This study aims to investigate the regulatory effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester(CAPE)on metabotropic glutamate receptor 5(mGluR5)and tyrosine kinase Fyn,and to explore its role in alleviating neuroinflam-mation and pathological features of Alzheimer disease(AD).METHODS:In vitro,the murine neuroblastoma N2a cell line was treated with amyloid β-protein 42 oligomers(Aβ42Os;10 nmol/L to 10 μmol/L)for 24 h.Cell viability was as-sessed by MTT assay.Western blot analyzed mGluR5 expression and Fyn phosphorylation(Tyr416).Pharmacological modulators(CHPG/MPEP)were used to evaluate mGluR5-mediated inflammatory cytokine regulation(qPCR)and Fyn ac-tivation.In vivo,wild-type(WT)and 5×FAD mice(WT,WT+CAPE,5×FAD and 5×FAD+CAPE)were analyzed for AD-related proteins,neuroinflammation(ELISA),glial activation(GFAP/Iba-1 immunofluorescence),and β-amyloid deposi-tion(thioflavin S).RESULTS:(1)Treatment with 1 μmol/L Aβ42Os increased mGluR5 expression(P<0.01)and Fyn phosphorylation(P<0.01)without affecting N2a cell viability.Intracerebral Aβ42Os injection similarly up-regulated hip-pocampal mGluR5 and Fyn(P<0.01).(2)MPEP reduced mGluR5 expression(P<0.01)and Fyn phosphorylation(P<0.01),while suppressing tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)mRNA levels(P<0.01).(3)CAPE decreased mGluR5-Fyn activation in N2a cells,neurons,and 5×FAD mice(P<0.01).(4)CAPE-treated 5×FAD mice exhibited reduced neuroinflammation markers(GFAP,Iba-1,TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-6),Aβ plaques,and p-APP levels(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Treatment with CAPE inhibits Aβ42Os-induced mGluR5-Fyn signaling activation,thereby attenuating neuroinflammation and the pathology associated with AD.

Objective:To measure the distance between the fetal bladder neck and the rectal end using prenatal MRI and analyze the developmental patterns of this distance and the gender differences in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.Methods:This retrospective cohort study involved fetuses born at Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University after regular prenatal examinations from January 2019 to December 2022 and confirmed to have typical anorectal structures after birth. These fetuses had undergone prenatal MRI examinations for reasons other than abdominal issues. The morphology of the fetuses' colons, rectums, and bladders was observed, and the vertical distance between the bladder neck and the rectal end was measured on sagittal T1weighted imaging. Differences in the distance between male and female fetuses were analyzed. The fetuses were divided into five groups based on their gestational age at the time of MRI examination (23-24 weeks, >24-26 weeks, >26-28 weeks, >28- 30 weeks, and >30-32 weeks), and the changes in the distance with gestational age were analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman correlation analysis. Pairwise comparisons among multiple groups were conducted using the Bonferroni method. Results:(1) A total of 142 fetuses were included in this study, all of which were singletons, with 73 males (51.4%) and 69 females (48.6%). The gestational age at the MRI examination was 28 weeks (26-30 weeks). (2) All fetuses had meconium filling the entire rectum and colon, with the rectal end located 0.570-2.610 cm below the bladder neck. (3) The distance between the bladder neck and the rectal end was shorter in male fetuses than in female fetuses [(1.140±0.261) vs. (1.519±0.405) cm, t=－6.58, P<0.001]. (4) In female fetuses, four pairs of groups showed statistically significant differences in the distance (23-24 weeks group vs. >26-28 weeks, >28- 30 weeks, and >30-32 weeks groups, and >24-26 weeks group vs. >30-32 weeks group). However, only two groups of male fetuses (23-24 weeks group vs. >28-30 weeks group) had statistically significant differences in the distance (all P<0.005). (5) The distance was moderately correlated with gestational age in male fetuses ( r=0.42, P<0.001), but they were strongly correlated in female fetuses ( r=0.66, P<0.001). Conclusions:The distance between the bladder neck and the rectal end in fetuses shows certain developmental patterns and gender differences in pregnancy's second and third trimesters. The correlation between the value and gestational age is stronger in female fetuses.

Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in treating infected wounds in orthopedic trauma patients.Methods:China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biomedical Literature Database, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCT) and cohort studies examining the impact of NPWT on wound healing in orthopedic trauma infections. The retrieval time was from the establishment of the databases to October 2024. RevMan 5.4 software was used for Meta-analysis. The patients were divided into two groups according to different treatment methods: the intervention group, treated with NPWT, and the control group, treated with conventional treatment. The observed indicators included clinical efficacy, wound healing quality, length of hospital stay, wound healing time, incidence of complications, secondary surgery rate, and duration of antibiotic use. Publication bias analysis was performed on the observed indicators through Begg and Egger tests.Results:A total of 13 studies were included, comprising 11 RCT and 2 cohort studies, involving a total of 3 538 patients, with 1 762 in the intervention group and 1 776 in the control group. The meta-analysis results indicated that the intervention group had better clinical efficacy ( OR=7.08, 95% CI 5.31, 9.45, P<0.01), higher wound healing quality ( MD=4.15, 95% CI 3.99, 4.32, P<0.01), shorter length of hospital stay ( MD=-13.38, 95% CI -14.39, -12.38, P<0.01), shorter wound healing time ( MD=-8.11, 95% CI -10.22, -6.00, P<0.01), lower incidence of complications, lower secondary surgery rate ( OR=0.22, 95% CI 0.09, 0.57, P<0.01), and shorter duration of antibiotic use ( MD=-7.61, 95% CI -8.06, -7.16, P<0.01) when compared with the control group. No significant publication bias was observed in the aforementioned indicators ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Compared with the conventional treatment, NPWT can enhance the clinical efficacy and wound healing quality of infected wounds in orthopedic trauma patients, shorten length of hospital stay and wound healing time, reduce the incidence of complications and secondary surgery rates, and shorten the duration of antibiotic use.

Objective:To explore the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (VR)-guided core stability-assisted training in improving the balance of ischemic stroke survivors.Methods:Sixty-six hemiplegic ischemic stroke survivors were randomly divided into a conventional rehabilitation training group (CON) of 32 and an immersive VR-guided core stability-assisted training group (VR-TOT) of 34. In addition to basic internal medical treatment, the CON group underwent conventional rehabilitation therapy, while the VR-TOT group received VR-guided core stability-assisted training. Before and after 4 weeks of the treatments, the subjects′ balance was evaluated using the Fugl-Meyer balance scale. A three-dimensional force platform was used to collect the sway amplitude, sway speed, peripheral area and total trajectory length of the center of pressure COP of the bilateral plantar in the left-right and anterior-posterior directions while the subjects stood with the eyes open and closed.Results:After the treatments, the average Fugl-Meyer balance scores of both groups had improved significantly. In the eyes-open condition, after the treatment, there was a significant decrease in the average COP sway amplitude in the anteroposterior direction on the hemiplegic side among the CON group, as well as in both the mediolateral and anteroposterior directions on both sides in the VR-TOT group. The sway velocity in the anteroposterior direction on the hemiplegic side had decreased significantly in both groups, and the sway velocity in both the mediolateral and anteroposterior directions on the non-hemiplegic side had also decreased significantly. In the CON group the peripheral area on the non-hemiplegic side had decreased and the total trajectory length had shortened significantly. In the VR-TOT group there were significant decreases in the peripheral area on both sides and in the total trajectory length on both sides. Comparing the two groups after treatment, the peripheral area on the hemiplegic side in the VR-TOT group was significantly smaller. In the eyes-closed condition, the sway amplitude of the COP on the hemiplegic side in the anteroposterior direction and on the non-hemiplegic side in both the mediolateral and anteroposterior directions had decreased significantly in the VR-TOT group after the treatment. The average sway velocity had decreased significantly in the anteroposterior direction on the non-hemiplegic side in the CON group. In the VR-TOT group this was observed in the anteroposterior direction on the hemiplegic side and in both the mediolateral and anteroposterior directions on the healthy side. In the CON group the average peripheral area of the COP on the hemiplegic side had decreased, and the total trajectory length had shortened, both significantly. In the VR-TOT group, the peripheral area on the non-hemiplegic side had decreased significantly as well.Conclusions:Core stability-assisted training based on immersive virtual reality can effectively improve the balance of ischemic stroke survivors. It shows promise for clinical application.

Purpose To summarize the clinicopathological features of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma(PPGL)and discuss the potential correlation between SDHB immunophenotype and prognosis in PPGLs.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 30 samples of PPGL along with their corresponding clinicopathological informa-tion,SDHB immunophenotype characteristics,and the risk of recurrence and metastasis.Results The study included 20 extra-adrenal paragangliomas and 10 pheochromocytoma cases.The male-to-female ratio was 13∶17,with a mean age of 56(range from 21 to 79).Four cases recurred,one case resulted in death and five cases failed to follow-up.All recurrent or fatal cases were paraganglioma patients.Among the 30 cases,3 had multiple nodular lesions,and the re-maining cases were single nodule.The neck was the most frequent site for paraganglioma(6/20),followed by retroper-itoneum(5/20).Histologically,the tumors displayed a variable"zellballen"architecture with a highly vascularized stroma.The chief cells had abundant pale eosinophilic cytoplasm and slightly to moderately atypical nuclei,and pe-ripherally located sustentacular cells.Positive immunoreactivity with markers of neuroendocrine cells,including Syn,CgA,and GATA3,was found in tumor chief cells,which were nonreactive for CK.The sustentacular cells exhibited positive immunoreactivity for the S-100 protein.SDHB deficiency was demonstrated in 12 of 30 cases,with only one case being pheochromocytoma.The recurrence rate in SDHB-deficient group was higher than that in the positive group(33.3％vs 6.7％).Only one case of paraganglioma developed distant metastasis and death.Conclusion SDHB de-ficiency was predominantly observed in paragangliomas and serverd as an indipentent factor for metastatic risk in PPGLs.It was closely associated with younger age at onset,invasiveness,extra-adrenal tumorgenesis,and a high rate of tumor recurrence.