Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) are common organic compounds in indoor and outdoor air, and enter the human body primarily through the respiratory tract and directly damage the respiratory system. Previous studies have suggested that exposure to VOCs/SVOCs may associate with the prevalence, incidence, and progression of asthma, but the extent of the associations is still vague. Furthermore, biomarkers for efficient and simple asthma diagnosis, typing, and attack prediction remain unclear at this stage. From the perspective of the collection and detection methods of VOCs/SVOCs, this paper summarized the epidemiological associations and underlying biological mechanisms between VOCs/SVOCs exposure and the prevalence, incidence, and progression of asthma in children/adults. It also demonstrated the application of VOCs/SVOCs in recent years in assisting asthma diagnosis, such as distinguishing asthma patients from the healthy population, differentiating different asthma phenotypes, and predicting asthma acute exacerbations, aiming to provide a scientific basis for improving current asthma management.

Thoracoscopic mitral valve replacement is a common minimally invasive cardiac surgery procedure. However, small annulus, severe calcification of the annulus, and severe thickening of the posterior valve leaflet or sub valvular structure are the difficulties of thoracoscopic mitral valve replacement. Improper treatment can easily lead to left ventricular rupture or prosthesis-patient mismatch. This paper reports a thoracoscopic mitral bioprosthesis replacement case using the chimney technique in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital and summarizes its operating key points. The patient was a 68-year-old female, weighing 36 kg. The preoperative diagnosis was rheumatic mitral stenosis and atrial fibrillation, the preoperative transthoracic echocardiogram showed the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was 39 mm. The surgical effect was satisfactory. The patient was in good condition at the follow-up 2 months after the operation.

Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of the medicated stick massage at meridian knot points in treating Qi stagnation and blood stasis type lumbar disc herniation(LDH)based on the meridian theory.Methods The patients with LDH in the ward 5 of orthopedics department in this hospital from Sep-tember 2024 to April 2025 were selected as the research subjects.On the basis of routine treatment and care,the control group adopted the medicated stick massage at points,while the experimental group adopted the medicated stick massage at meridian knots.The visual analogue scale(VAS)scores,Japanese Orthopaedic So-ciety(JOA)score,TCM syndrome scores and TCM syndrome therapeutic effects before intervention and in two weeks after intervention were compared between the two groups.Results The VAS scores,each item score and total score of JOA,TCM syndrome scores and TCM therapeutic effects after 2-week intervention in the experimental group all were superior to those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Selecting the medicated stick massage at the meridian knots under the guidance of meridian theory could significantly improve the pain symptoms,lumbar function,TCM syndrome scores,the therapeutic effects are definite,and is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

In recent years, studies have found that breast microbiota differs between breast cancer tissue and normal breast tissue. Breast microbiota is closely related to the occurrence and development of breast cancer, and its mechanism includes affecting estrogen levels, lipid metabolism, immune regulation, and inflammatory response. Adjusting diet, rational use of antibiotics and oral probiotics can regulate breast microbiota, which is a new direction for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

The announcement of the 9th edition of TNM staging system for thymic tumors was one of the highlights at the World Conference on Lung Cancer 2023. The revision, based on a larger and more detailed database, provides changes and confirmation from the last system. The 9th edition of TNM staging system aims to balance statistical significance and clinical feasibility. The birth of an improved TNM staging system heralds the changes that will follow in clinical practice and scientific research.

Objective To explore the effect of melatonin(MT)-modified PEEK implant assisted by polydopamine(PDA)coating on osteointegration in osteoporotic rats.Methods MT was adhered to PEEK implants with PDA coating as carrier.The physicochemical properties of the materials were analyzed by SEM image,water contact angle,FTIR and protein adsorption experiment.OVX-rBMSCs were inoculated on the surface of PEEK sheet and cultured.The cytoskeleton was stained and cell adhesion morphology was observed.Cell proliferation activity was evaluated by CCK-8 assay;key enzyme activities for osteogenic differentiation were analyzed by ALP stai-ning,and expression levels of osteoblast-related genes COL-1,Runx2,OPN,OCN,BMP-2 and ALP were detected by quantitative real-time PCR.In addition,implants were implanted into the femur of osteoporotic rats and bone volume on the implant surface was de-tected and quantified by Micro-CT.Results MT was successfully loaded on PEEK;the cell adhesion was better,and the proliferation activity and osteogenic differentiation ability were significantly higher than those of control group(P＜0.01).In the rat osteoporosis mod-el,there was more new bone formation around the modified PEEK implant(P＜0.01).Conclusion MT-modified PEEK implants have excellent biocompatibility and improve osteointegration in an osteoporotic environment.

Objectives:To explore the changes of some peripheral blood cells related to inflammation in patients with non-arteritis central retinal artery occlusion (NA-CRAO).Methods:A retrospective clinical study. From July 2019 to July 2021, a total of 218 patients with NA-CRAO hospitalized (NA-CRAO group) in Department of Ophthalmology, Xi'an People's Hospital (Xi'an Fourth Hospital) and 218 patients with routine physical examination (control group) during the same period were included in the study. There were no significant differences in age ( t=0.60), sex composition ratio ( χ2=0.83) and body mass index ( t=0.77) between the two groups ( P>0.05). 0.2 ml fasting peripheral blood was collected from the subject, and white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils (NEUT), lymphocytes (LYMPH), red blood cells (RBC), RBC distribution width (RDW), platelets (PLT), mean PLT volume (MPV), and large PLT ratio (PLCR) were detected. The NEUT/LYMPH ratio (NLR) and PLT/LYMPH ratio (PLR) were calculated. t test was used to compare measurement data between groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed for blood cells with P <0.05. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was used to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of each inflammatory indicator, and the optimal cutoff value was determined according to the Jorden index (sensitivity+specificity-1). Results:Compared with control group, WBC, NEUT, NLR, RDW, PLR were increased in NA-CRAO group, while RBC and LYMPH were decreased, with statistical significance ( t=9.68, 12.43, 9.47, 3.64, 5.54, 5.18, 0.46; P<0.001). There was no significant difference in PLT, MPV and PLCR between the two groups ( t=0.32, 1.56, 0.84; P>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that NLR was a possible risk factor for the occurrence of NA-CRAO (odds ratio=2.51, 95% CI 0.780-0.859, P=0.031). ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC predicted by NLR was 0.819, the optimal critical value was 3.05, and the sensitivity and specificity were 59.2% and 92.7%, respectively. Conclusions:In peripheral blood cells of NA-CRAO patients, NEUT is significantly increased and LYMPH is decreased. NLR is a possible risk factor for NA-CRAO.

Objective To investigate the short-term efficacy of ultrasound-guided argon-helium knife cryoablation for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer with supraclavicular lymph node metastases.Methods A total of 14 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer complicated by supraclavicular lymph node metastases were treated with ultrasound-guided argon-helium knife cryoablation on the basis of intravenous chemotherapy or targeted therapy.The short-term therapeutic effect and adverse reactions were analyzed.Results All the 14 patients were successfully treated with argon-helium knife cryoablation under ultrasound guidance.The overall effective rate was 78.6％,and the local compression symptoms of the patients were improved.The scores evaluated by the QLQ-C30 scale were improved when compared with preoperative values.The postoperative fever and local pain of puncture site,which were the common accompanying symptoms of argon-helium knife cryoablation,were relieved or disappeared within a few days after symptomatic treatment.Conclusion Ultrasound-guided argon-helium knife cryoablation is an effective method for local palliative treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer with supraclavicular lymph node metastases,which can monitor the real-time changes of lesion and evaluate the therapeutic effect in the treatment course.The clinical symptoms can be relieved within a short time after treatment,and the quality of life of patients will also be improved.

Humans ; Consensus ; Hypersensitivity ; Desensitization, Immunologic/adverse effects* ; Immunotherapy/adverse effects* ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Allergens