Objective:To evaluate the feasibility and clinical efficacy of transoral endoscopic-assisted submandibular gland resection with low-temperature plasma knife technology, aiming to establish a scarless surgical approach to meet the patients aesthetic demands. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 5 consecutive patients with benign submandibular gland pathologies treated by a single surgical team between January 2021 and December 2023. All procedures employed a transoral mucosal incision in the floor of mouth, with 0-degree high-definition endoscope assistance and low-temperature plasma knife for precise dissection and hemostasis. Close postoperative follow-up was performed. A systematic literature review compared surgical approaches regarding critical anatomical landmarks, complication profiles, and scar formation. The clinical efficacy of this technique was summarized and analyzed. Results:Successful transoral endoscopic plasma knife resections were performed for benign submandibular conditions（including neoplasms, chronic sialadenitis, and sialolithiasis）. All operations were completed without conversion to open approach. No permanent lingual nerve or marginal mandibular nerve injuries occurred. Transient lingual hypoesthesia recovered within 2 weeks. During 6-12 months follow-up, there was no recurrence and absence of visible cervical scarring, with 100% patient satisfaction regarding cosmesis. Conclusion:Transoral endoscopic plasma knife resection of the submandibular gland demonstrates procedural safety and technical feasibility. This approach offers significant advantages in minimally invasive access, superior aesthetic outcomes, and accelerated recovery, representing a viable novel alternative for benign submandibular gland disease management.
Humans ; Submandibular Gland/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of individualized thrombolysis-assisted comprehensive intervention for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the lower limbs.Methods:This study included 32 patients with acute lower limb DVT diagnosed by angiography who received treatment at the Jianhu Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University from March 2012 to November 2021. These patients first received implantation of an inferior vena cava filter. Then they were divided into a control group and an observation group based on treatment methods. The control group received thrombolytic catheterization and a routine infusion of urokinase. In the observation group, balloon dilation was performed first, and a large lumen catheter was used to draw blood clots. Subsequently, urokinase at a dose based on fibrinogen measurement was injected through a thrombolytic catheter. Swelling reduction, venous patency, and complications of the affected limbs were monitored.Results:In the control group, the difference in thigh circumference before treatment was (4.65 ± 1.06) cm, and after treatment, it was (2.76 ± 1.25) cm. In the observation group, the difference in thigh circumference before treatment was (4.73 ± 1.03) cm, and it was (1.40 ± 0.83) cm after treatment. In the control group, the difference in calf circumference before treatment was (2.24 ± 0.90) cm, and it was (1.56 ± 0.86) cm after treatment. In the observation group, the difference in calf circumference before treatment was (2.40 ± 0.83) cm, and it was (0.80 ± 0.73) cm after treatment. After treatment, the differences in thigh circumference and calf circumference between the healthy and affected sides were statistically significant ( t = 3.58, 2.67, both P < 0.05). After treatment, there was a significant difference in venous patency between the control and observation groups (34.02% [33/97] vs. 68.18% [60/88], t = 3.44, P < 0.05). After 12 months of follow-up, the Villalta scale score, which was used to evaluate post-thrombotic syndrome, was (9.23 ± 4.07) points in the control group, which was significantly different from (5.73 ± 3.39) points in the observation group ( t = 2.62, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Individualized thrombolysis-assisted comprehensive intervention is highly effective in the treatment of DVT in the lower limbs and results in few complications.

Objective: To explore the effects of group sports game intervention on social ability and quality of life of children with austism spectrum disorders (ASD),so as to provide reference for rehabilitation intervention of social and quality of life of children with ASD. Methods: From September 2021 to January 2022, 72 children with ASD aged 4-6 in the children s rehabilitation department of Xiangyang Central Hospital were selected to participate in the study, and were randomly divided into experimental group ( n =36) and control group ( n =36). The control group received routine rehabilitation training (including individual sports game training), and the experimental group replaced individual sports game training with group sports game training on the basis of routine rehabilitation.The course content mainly included three parts: warm up before class, group sports games and relaxation after class. The course combined social skills with sports games, and was carried out in a group form (divided into 12 groups with 3 people in each group), and was trained five times a week for 60 minutes, for a total of 12 weeks. The scores of Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Version 4.0 Generic Core Scales (PedsQL 4.0) were observed before and after treatment. t-test and χ 2 test were used for statistical analysis. Results: There was no significant difference in SRS scores between the experimental group and the control group before intervention ( t =-0.63, P >0.05). After the intervention, the total response rate in the experimental group was 83.33 %, higher than 41.67% in the control group χ 2=13.33, P <0.05),and the SRS scores decreased in the experimental group and control group ( t =17.75,8.71, P <0.05). The SRS scale score of the experimental group Social perception (17.67±4.12) , social cognition (30.33±4.99) , social communication (50.33±9.39) , social motivation (24.25±6.78) scores and total scores ( 152.67± 25.82) were lower than those of the control group(22.17±5.34，36.00±4.13，62.58±11.07，34.42±7.13，186.33±29.03)( t = -4.88，-2.03，-2.13，-3.58，-3.01， P ＜0.05).After the intervention, the scores of social function (53.33±18.01) and total score (283.83±51.83) on PedsQL 4.0 scale in experimental group were higher than those in control group(23.33±15.13，218.00±39.01) ( t =4.42，3.52， P ＜0.05). After the intervention, Autism Treatment Evaluation Scale (ATEC) scores of experimental groups(44.33±14.72) was lower than that in control group ( 59.33±16.95)( t =-2.32, P ＜0.05). Conclusion The intervention of group sports game has a significant effect on improving social ability and life quality of children with ASD.

OBJECTIVE To screen out the pharmacodynamic substances of Cistanches Herba aqueous extracts, explore the basis of the pharmacodynamic substances and their mechanism of action in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy(DN), based on the spectral relationship between the mass spectral peak areas of different elution sites of Cistanches Herba aqueous extracts and their anti-DN effects. METHODS UPLC-Orbitrap-MS/MS technique was used to characterise the chromatographic peaks; MTT method was used to detect the effects of different elution sites of Cistanches Herba aqueous extract on the proliferation of high glucose and high fat HK-2 cells; grey correlation analysis and partial least squares method were used to analyse the spectral relationship between mass spectrometry peak area and anti-DN activity. MTT method was used to determine the anti-DN activities of the individual components of Cistanches Herba aqueous extract; biochemical kit and ELISA were used to determine the levels of oxidative indicators(SOD, GSH-P) and inflammatory factors(IL-1β, TNF-α, TGF-β); Western blotting was used to detect the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. RESULTS UPLC-Orbitrap-MS/MS technique speculated and identified 72 common compounds; In Cistanches Herba aqueous extracts, water, 20% ethanol, and 40% ethanol-eluted sites differentially increased the proliferation rate of HK-2 cells in a high-sugar, high-fat environment; Partial least squares and grey correlation analyses showed that the constituents of the aqueous extracts of Cistanches Herba with greater anti-DN contributions were 8-epideoxymatricinic acid, geniposidic acid, pinoresinol, betaine and syringin, et al. MTT assay reveals that 8-epi-deoxystrychnic acid and geniposidic acid had significant proliferative effects on HK-2 cells in a high glucose and high fat environment; Biochemical kit and ELISA showed that 8-epideoxystrychnic acid and geniposidic acid were able to up-regulate the activity of SOD and GSH-Px, and at the same time they had an inhibitory effect on the expression of inflammatory factors IL-1β, TNF-α and TGF-β. Western blotting results showed that 8-epideoxystrychnic acid and geniposidic acid were able to down-regulate and up-regulate the markers of dermal mesenchymal transition: α-SMA, Collagen Ⅰ and E-cadherin, and they could exert anti-DN effects by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt pathway. CONCLUSION The two compounds, 8-epideoxystrychnic acid and geniposidic acid, which are screened by the spectroeffective relationship of anti-DN among the many chemical constituents contained in Cistanches Herba, can affect oxidative stress, inflammation and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation of renal tubular cells by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt signalling pathway, and improve renal pathology, degree of fibrosis and renal function, which will be useful for the in-depth study of aqueous extracts of Cistanches Herba in the treatment of DN.

Objective:To compare the awakening effects of enriched environmental quantitative stimulation and conventional rehabilitation on patients with consciousness disorder after traumatic brain injury (TBI).Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 60 patients with consciousness disorder after TBI admitted to Hospital of Zhejiang Provincial Armed Police Corps from October 2021 to October 2022, including 38 males and 22 females, aged 26-72 years [(41.6±13.2)years]. The injury was located at the frontal and temporal lobe in 37 patients, at the brain stem in 9, and at the thalamus in 14. The types of injury included cerebral contusion and laceration in 36 patients and intracerebral hematomas in 24 patients. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score on admission was 5-8 points in 11 patients, 9-12 in 34, and 13-15 in 15. Disease course was (19.2±5.4)days. A total of 30 patients received conventional rehabilitation treatment (conventional rehabilitation group) and 30 patients received enriched environmental quantitative stimulation on the basis of conventional rehabilitation treatment, which lasted 4 cycles in 28 days (quantitative stimulation group). The Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) score, Activities of Daily Living (ADL) score, and brainwave α/δ ratio (ADR) before treatment and at the second and fourth treatment cycles were compared between the two groups. The incidence of complications at the end of the fourth treatment cycle and the rate of favorable outcome of Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at the last follow-up were compared between the two groups.Results:All the patients were followed up for 6-12 months [(8.3±2.5)months]. There were no significant differences in CRS-R score, ADL score, or brainwave ADR between the two groups before treatment ( P>0.05). At the second treatment cycle, they were (13.03±0.73)points, (14.83±0.95)points and 0.35±0.11 respectively in the quantitative stimulation group, which were all higher than those in the conventional rehabilitation group [(11.18±0.14)points, (8.74±0.43)points and 0.29±0.09 respectively] ( P<0.05). At the fourth treatment cycle, they were (17.83±0.23)points, (52.93±10.75)points and 0.44±0.11 respectively in the quantitative stimulation group, which were all higher than those in the conventional rehabilitation group [(13.67±0.35)points, (40.56±7.15)points and 0.37±0.07 respectively] ( P<0.05). The CRS-R score, ADL score, and brainwave ADR at the second treatment cycle were significantly higher than those before treatment, and they were even higher at the fourth treatment cycle than those at the second treatment cycle ( P<0.05). At the end of the fourth treatment cycle, the incidence of complications in the quantitative stimulation group was 13.3% (4/30), which was lower than that of the conventional rehabilitation group [36.7% (11/30)] ( P<0.05). At the last follow-up, the favorable outcome rate of GOS was 80.0% (24/30) in the quantitative stimulation group, which was superior to 66.7% (20/30) in the conventional rehabilitation group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with the conventional rehabilitation treatment, enriched environmental quantitative stimulation for patients with consciousness disorder after TBI achieves enhanced consciousness level, activity of daily life and electroencephal reactivity, together with decreased incidence of complications and improved prognosis.

Objective:To explore the deficits of facial expression recognition,theory of mind and empathy in patients with schizophrenia and to examine the association of facial expression recognition with theory of mind and empathy.Methods:Totally 47 patients with schizophrenia who met the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Sta-tistical Manual of Mental Disorders,Fifth Edition(DSM-5)and 35 normal participants were selected.The Facial E-motion Identification Test(FEIT),Yoni task,and the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy(QCAE)were used to measure expression recognition,theory of mind,and empathy.The main indicators were task accuracy and questionnaire scores.Results:Compared to normal controls,patient group showed significantly poorer perform-ance on facial expression recognition accuracy and the Yoni task,and lower scores on cognitive empathy and pe-ripheral responsivity subscale of the QCAE(Ps＜0.05).Regression analyses showed that performance on cognitive theory of mind(β=0.33,P＜0.01)and affective theory of mind(β=0.33,P＜0.01)of the Yoni task were posi-tively associated with accuracy in recognizing happy expressions.Cognitive empathy scores of the QCAE were neg-atively associated with accuracy in recognizing neutral expressions(β=-0.23,P＜0.05).Patients had lower af-fective theory of mind accuracy(β=-0.23,P＜0.05)and QCAE cognitive empathy scores(β=-0.34,P＜0.01).Conclusion:Patients with schizophrenia have deficits in expression recognition,theory of mind,and empa-thy,and that their abnormal expression recognition may be associated with deficits in theory of mind and empathy.

Abstract: Objective To express Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv2626c protein in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and study the antigenicity of the purified recombinant Rv2626c protein. Methods The amino acid sequence of Rv2626c protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain (accession number: CCP45424.1) in GenBank was retrieved and converted into the corresponding DNA sequence according to the codon preference of E. coli. This DNA sequence was synthesized and cloned into pET24a(+) plasmid to construct pET24a(+)-Rv2626c recombinant plasmid. This plasmid was transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) cells, and the expression of Rv2626c protein was induced under various conditions of isopropyl β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) concentrations, temperature, and period. The recombinant Rv2626c protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western Blot. The recombinant Rv2626c protein was purified by nickel chelate affinity chromatography and used to immunize violet blue rabbits to prepare anti-Rv2626c anti-serum. The specificity and titer of the serum were respectively detected by Western Blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results The recombinant plasmid pET24a(+)-Rv2626c was successfully constructed. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that recombinant Rv2626c was expressed in the recombinant plasmid transformed E. coli with IPTG induction, with a molecular weight of about 14 500, and the size was consistent with the expectation. The optimal expression condition for recombinant Rv2626c protein was at 31 ℃ with 1.0 mmol/L IPTG for 6 hours. The target protein was mainly present in a soluble form, which was consistent with the results of Western blot. The hyperimmunized serum with recombinant Rv2626c protein vaccination showed good specificity, with a titer of 1∶ 256 000 detected by ELISA. Conclusions Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv2626c protein is successfully expressed in E. coli, and the purified protein has good purity and antigenic activity, laying the foundation for further reveals of its biological functions.

Osteoporosis is a generalized disease of bone that leads to a loss of bone density and bone mass, destruction of bone microstructure, increased brittleness and therefore fracture. At present, the main treatment of Western medicine is drug therapy such as bisphosphonates, calcitriol, vitamin D, etc. However, long-term use of these drugs may bring some adverse reactions. Chinese herbal medicine Cistanche deserticola could regulate bone metabolism by promoting osteoblast activity and inhibiting osteoclast activity with low toxicity and adverse reactions. Therefore, Cistanche deserticola has attracted increasing attention for its efficacy in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in recent years. Here we present a literature review of the molecular pathways involved in osteoporosis and the effects of Cistanche deserticola on bone metabolism. Our objective is to clarify the mechanism of Cistanche deserticola in the treatment of osteoporosis.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) which are usually thought to have no protein coding ability, are widely involved in cell proliferation, signal transduction and other biological activities. However, recent studies have suggested that short open reading frames (sORFs) of some lncRNAs can encode small functional peptides (micropeptides). These micropeptides appear to play important roles in calcium homeostasis, embryonic development and tumorigenesis, suggesting their potential as therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers. Currently, bioinformatic tools as well as experimental methods such as ribosome mapping and in vitro translation are applied to predict the coding potential of lncRNAs. Furthermore, mass spectrometry, specific antibodies and epitope tags are used for validating the expression of micropeptides. Here, we review the physiological and pathological functions of recently identified micropeptides as well as research strategies for predicting the coding potential of lncRNAs to facilitate the further research of lncRNA encoded micropeptides.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Humans ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Research Design ; Antibodies ; Carcinogenesis ; Micropeptides

Objective: This study’s objective is to assess the efficacy and safety of Pulsed Magnetic Therapy System (PMTS) in improving insomnia disorder. Methods: Participants with insomnia disorder were randomly assigned to receive either PMTS or sham treatment for four weeks (n= 153; PMTS: 76, sham: 77). Primary outcomes are the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scores at week 0 (baseline), 1, 2, 3, 4 (treatment), and 5 (follow-up). Secondary outcomes are the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index at baseline and week 4, and weekly sleep diary-derived values for sleep latency, sleep efficiency, real sleep time, waking after sleep onset, and sleep duration. Results: The ISI scores of the PMTS group and the sham group were 7.13±0.50, 11.07±0.51 at week 4, respectively. There was a significant group×time interaction for ISI (F3.214, 485.271=24.25, p<0.001, ηp 2=0.138). Only the PMTS group experienced continuous improvement throughout the study; in contrast, the sham group only experienced a modest improvement after the first week of therapy. At the end of the treatment and one week after it, the response of the PMTS group were 69.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 58.6%–79.0%), 75.0% (95% CI: 64.1%–83.4%), respectively, which were higher than the response of the sham group (p<0.001). For each of the secondary outcomes, similar group×time interactions were discovered. The effects of the treatment persisted for at least a week. Conclusion PMTS is safe and effective in improving insomnia disorders.