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*

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.07.004.].

The continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants as well as other potential future coronavirus has challenged the effectiveness of current COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, there remains a need for alternative antivirals that target processes less susceptible to mutations, such as the formation of six-helix bundle (6-HB) during the viral fusion step of host cell entry. In this study, a novel high-throughput screening (HTS) assay employing a yeast-two-hybrid (Y2H) system was established to identify inhibitors of HR1/HR2 interaction. The compound IMB-9C, which achieved single-digit micromolar inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 and its Omicron variants with low cytotoxicity, was selected. IMB-9C effectively blocks the HR1/HR2 interaction in vitro and inhibits SARS-CoV-2-S-mediated cell-cell fusion. It binds to both HR1 and HR2 through non-covalent interaction and influences the secondary structure of HR1/HR2 complex. In addition, virtual docking and site-mutagenesis results suggest that amino acid residues A930, I931, K933, T941, and L945 are critical for IMB-9C binding to HR1. Collectively, in this study, we have developed a novel screening method for HR1/HR2 interaction inhibitors and identified IMB-9C as a potential antiviral small molecule against COVID-19 and its variants.

The oxytocin receptor (OXTR) has garnered increasing attention for its role in regulating both mature behaviors and brain development. It has been established that OXTR mediates a range of effects that are region-specific or period-specific. However, the current studies of OXTR expression patterns in mice only provide limited help due to limitations in resolution. Therefore, our objective was to generate a comprehensive, high-resolution spatiotemporal expression map of Oxtr mRNA across the entire developing mouse brain. We applied RNAscope in situ hybridization to investigate the spatiotemporal expression pattern of Oxtr in the brains of male mice at six distinct postnatal developmental stages (P7, P14, P21, P28, P42, P56). We provide detailed descriptions of Oxtr expression patterns in key brain regions, including the cortex, basal forebrain, hippocampus, and amygdaloid complex, with a focus on the precise localization of Oxtr⁺ cells and the variance of expression between different neurons. Furthermore, we identified some neuronal populations with high Oxtr expression levels that have been little studied, including glutamatergic neurons in the ventral dentate gyrus, Vgat⁺Oxtr⁺ cells in the basal forebrain, and GABAergic neurons in layers 4/5 of the cortex. Our study provides a novel perspective for understanding the distribution of Oxtr and encourages further investigations into its functions.
Animals ; Receptors, Oxytocin/metabolism* ; Male ; Brain/growth & development* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism* ; Animals, Newborn

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.

Objective: To establish a method for determining the content of bear bile powder in Longze Xiongdan capsules with taursodeoxycholic acid（TUDCA） and taurchenodeoxycholic acid（TCDCA） as indexes.
Methods: HPLC series evaporation photodetector was adopted on Chrom Core AQ C₁₈ column(4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm), with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile ( A ) and 5 mmol·L^-1 ammonium acetate solution (B) in a gradient elution (0-40 min, 25%A; 40-50 min, 25%A→29%A; 50-80 min, 29%A; 80-100 min, 29%A→40%A) at the flow rate of 1.0 mL·min^-1. The column temperature was 30 ℃. The ELSD was used, of which the drift tube temperature was 110 ℃ and the flow rate of carrier gas（N₂） was 2.5 L·min^-1.
Results: In the ranges of 1.069-9.57 μg and 0.740 46-7.404 64 μg, logarithms of the injected amount of TUDCA and TCDCA presented good linear relationships with logarithms of the peak area, respectively. The RSDs of precision, repeatability and stability tests were all lower than 2.0%. At three concentration levels the recoveries of TUDCA and TCDCA were 95.2%-97.7% and 91.9%-95.9%, respectively. Samples of 42 batches showed that the contents of TUDCA and TCDCA were 0.18-0.43 and 0.10-0.44 mg·granule^-1, respectively.
Conclusion: This method can be used for the quality control of bear bile powder in Longze Xiongdan capsules, thus provides a scientific basis for improving its quality standard.

Objective To verify the mental health status and methods to regulate emotion as well as identify the associated factors among Northwest University students during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 outbreak in Xi'an.Methods A questionnaire survey using the random sampling was conducted among the college students in Xi'an,using Self-Control Scale(SCS),Perceived Social Support Scale(PSSS),the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale Lite(DASS-21),and Self-Rating Scale of Sleep(SRSS).Results A total of 512 valid questionnaires for college students were collected.The statistical results showed that during the lockdown period after the COVID-19 epidemic outbreak in Xi'an,there were gender and discipline differences in self-control and understanding of social support among college students.That is,compared with boys,girls were more likely to receive social support(P=0.031),friend support(P=0.008),and other support(P=0.029).Compared to liberal arts majors,college students majoring in science and engineering were more likely to engage in self-control,especially in healthy habits(P=0.001),moderate entertainment(P=0.002),and impulse control(P=0.001).However,there was no significant difference in the influence of students'age or whether they came from rural or urban areas on their self-control and understanding of social support abilities.The statistical results also found that the age of college students was significantly correlated with their level of stress and sleep status.Their self-control ability and ability to comprehend social support also had correlation with their mental health status and sleep status during the lockdown period of the epidemic.Conclusion College students were prone to have negative emotions and sleep disorders during the lockdown period of sudden epidemic,which were more common in senior grades,male college students,and liberal arts majors.Active self-control and seeking social support can effectively moderate negative emotions and sleep disturbances.