ObjectiveTo measure the distance from the surface of Fengfu （GV 16） to the deep important bony structures in children aged 4 to 8 years based on CT three-dimensional reconstruction technology， thereby providing imaging reference data for clinical acupuncture safe operations in terms of different age groups and needle insertion angles. MethodsCervical CT image data were collected from healthy children aged 4 to 8 years with five age groups （4-， 5-， 6-， 7-， 8-year-old groups）， 20 cases in each group. The images were imported into Mimics 21.0 software for three-dimensional reconstruction. The straight-line distances from the skin model surface of the Fengfu （GV 16） to the first underlying bony barrier （such as the lower edge of the occipital bone， the posterior arch of the atlas vertebra） were measured at intervals of 5° on both the transverse section （0° ± 35°） and the sagittal section （40° upward to 40° downward on the diagonal）. The correlation between the measured distance， age， and angle was analyzed. ResultsIn the transverse and sagittal sections， the measured distance from the skin surface to the underlying bone of Fengfu （GV 16） at each angle increased with age. In the transverse section， the increase was relatively small within the 0° to 20° angle range， whereas a more pronounced increase was observed when the angle exceeded 20°； at measurement angles of 30° to 35°， the distance of the skin surface to the bone at Fengfu （GV 16） in the 7- and 8-year-old groups was significantly greater than that in the 4-year-old group （P＜0.05）. In the sagittal section， the measured distance from the skin surface to the bone at Fengfu （GV 16） was shortest and changed greatly at oblique upward angles of 15° to 40° within each age group， and increased markedly at near-vertical angles of 0° to 10°； it was longest at oblique downward angles of -40° to -5° and showed relatively gradual changes. ConclusionThis study obtained the imaging distance data from Fengfu （GV 16） to the surrounding bony structures in children aged 4 to 8 years through three-dimensional modeling， finding that this distance has clear age and angle dependence， which can provide quantitative evidence for developing individualized and precise safe acupuncture schemes at Fengfu （GV 16） in pediatric clinical practice.

ObjectiveTo measure the distance from the surface of Fengfu （GV 16） to the deep important bony structures in children aged 4 to 8 years based on CT three-dimensional reconstruction technology， thereby providing imaging reference data for clinical acupuncture safe operations in terms of different age groups and needle insertion angles. MethodsCervical CT image data were collected from healthy children aged 4 to 8 years with five age groups （4-， 5-， 6-， 7-， 8-year-old groups）， 20 cases in each group. The images were imported into Mimics 21.0 software for three-dimensional reconstruction. The straight-line distances from the skin model surface of the Fengfu （GV 16） to the first underlying bony barrier （such as the lower edge of the occipital bone， the posterior arch of the atlas vertebra） were measured at intervals of 5° on both the transverse section （0° ± 35°） and the sagittal section （40° upward to 40° downward on the diagonal）. The correlation between the measured distance， age， and angle was analyzed. ResultsIn the transverse and sagittal sections， the measured distance from the skin surface to the underlying bone of Fengfu （GV 16） at each angle increased with age. In the transverse section， the increase was relatively small within the 0° to 20° angle range， whereas a more pronounced increase was observed when the angle exceeded 20°； at measurement angles of 30° to 35°， the distance of the skin surface to the bone at Fengfu （GV 16） in the 7- and 8-year-old groups was significantly greater than that in the 4-year-old group （P＜0.05）. In the sagittal section， the measured distance from the skin surface to the bone at Fengfu （GV 16） was shortest and changed greatly at oblique upward angles of 15° to 40° within each age group， and increased markedly at near-vertical angles of 0° to 10°； it was longest at oblique downward angles of -40° to -5° and showed relatively gradual changes. ConclusionThis study obtained the imaging distance data from Fengfu （GV 16） to the surrounding bony structures in children aged 4 to 8 years through three-dimensional modeling， finding that this distance has clear age and angle dependence， which can provide quantitative evidence for developing individualized and precise safe acupuncture schemes at Fengfu （GV 16） in pediatric clinical practice.

ObjectiveTo construct and evaluate a mouse model that simulates the pathological progression of immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated pneumonitis (CIP), in order to address the critical issue of the lack of standardized animal models in this research field. MethodsThirty-five SPF-grade 6-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to a control group (n=5), a bleomycin (BLM) group (n=15), and a BLM+programmed death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody (BLM+PD-1) group (n=15). Corresponding drugs were administered via intraperitoneal injection for intervention. The general condition, body weight changes, survival rate, and pulmonary histopathological alterations were systematically monitored. ResultsCompared with the BLM group, the BLM+PD-1 group exhibited significantly more severe pulmonary fibrosis, characterized by progressive body weight loss and more severe deterioration of general conditions. Histopathological examination showed that pulmonary inflammation was alleviated 4 weeks post-modeling in the BLM group. In contrast, pulmonary lesions continued to worsen in the BLM+PD-1 group, with no evidence of resolution of inflammation 28 days post-modeling. Quantitative immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the positive expression rate of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in lung tissues reached 34.28% in the BLM+PD-1 group 14 days post-modeling, which was markedly higher than that in the BLM group (24.02%, P < 0.000 1). The positive expression rate of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was 12.40% in the BLM+PD-1 group 14 days post-modeling, nearly twice the level in the BLM group (5.87%). 28 days post-modeling, the positive expression rate of α-SMA remained at 7.72% in the BLM+PD-1 group, while it declined to 3.38% in the BLM group. ConclusionThe addition of a PD-1 inhibitor to bleomycin treatment accelerates the progression of pulmonary interstitial fibrosis and effectively recapitulates the pathological process of lung injury and fibrosis driven by aberrant immune activation during clinical immunotherapy. Accordingly, this study successfully establishes a dynamic CIP animal model recapitulating the progression from early inflammatory response to pulmonary fibrosis. This model addresses the critical shortage of animal models for this condition and offers an experimental platform for further mechanistic studies and the development of therapeutic strategies.

This article examines and compares the performance evaluation indicator systems of British and American military hospitals,including their hospital system architecture,indicator frameworks,specific indicators,and evaluation methods.To enhance the comparability of indicators,they were categorized into military attributes,service quality efficiency,economic indicators,and growth and development indicators.Based on the comparative analysis of British and American military hospital performance indicator systems,the following suggestions are proposed for the performance evaluation system of public hospitals in China:(1)increasing the indicator diversity and improving the structure of indicators;(2)optimizing indicator reliability throughout the entire process to enhance the scientific ground of the indicator system;and(3)integrating data assets to facilitate joint application of big data.

Objective To investigate the effects of simulated-microgravity on the osteogenic differentiation,primary cilia status,cytoskeleton structure,and the YAP(Yes-associated protein)expression in primary osteoblasts.Methods Primary osteoblasts were isolated from the skull bones of neonatal Wistar rats and cultured in random positioning machine system to simulate the cellular effects of microgravity.The calcified nodules were stained with Arlizarin to assess the cellular mineralization ability,the primary cilia and cytoskeleton were detected by immunofluorescence staining of Arl13b/γ-Tubulin and α-Tubulin,respectively,and the expression of YAP was measured by western blot.Results The cellular osteogenic differentiation were markedly suppressed after treated with simulated microgravity for 24 h,and the ciliated cells decreased from(58.44±3.65)%to(15.76±1.84)%in parallel with a decline of average cilium length from(3.19±0.51)μm to(1.59±0.46)μm.In addition,simulated microgravity induced disassembly of microtubules.Notably,simulated microgravity interfered YAP expression and the inhibition of YAP into nucleus.Furthermore,knockdown of YAP expression in osteoblasts notably reduced primary cilia expression and inhibited osteogenic differentiation.Conclusion Primary cilia is a key organelle of osteoblasts in sensing microgravity and regulating osteogenic differentiation.Interference with YAP expression and inhibition of nuclear YAP entry may play an important role in the deaggregation of primary cilia induced by microgravity.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the correlation of serum tryptophan level with 90-day mortality risk in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted among 108 patients with HBV-ACLF, whose survival outcomes within 90 days after diagnosis were recorded. The correlation of baseline serum tryptophan levels measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with 90-day mortality of the patients was analyzed, and the predictive value of serum tryptophan for 90-day mortality was explored. RESULTS: Within 90 days after diagnosis, 53 (29.4%) of the patients died and 127 (70.6%) survived. The deceased patients had significantly lower baseline serum tryptophan levels than the survivors (7.31±3.73 pg/mL vs 13.32±7.15 pg/mL, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis suggested that serum tryptophan level was an independent factor correlated with mortality of HBV-ACLF after adjustment for confounding variables. The patients with serum tryptophan levels below the median level (10.14 pg/mL) at admission had significantly higher 90-day mortality risks than those with higher tryptophan levels (43.3% vs 15.6%, HR: 3.157, 95% CI: 1.713-5.817), and the complication by kidney dysfunction further increased the risk to 73.3% as compared with patients with higher serum tryptophan levels with normal kidney function (15.0%; HR: 7.558, 95% CI: 3.369-16.960). Serum tryptophan levels had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.771 (95% CI: 0.699-0.844) for predicting 90-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS Serum tryptophan level is closely correlated with the survival outcomes of patients with HBV-ACLF, and a decreased tryptophan level indicates a high 90-day mortality risk, which can be further increased by the complication by kidney dysfunction.
Humans ; Tryptophan/blood* ; Retrospective Studies ; Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure/virology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Prognosis ; Hepatitis B/complications* ; Hepatitis B virus

Working memory is an executive memory process that includes encoding, maintenance, and retrieval. These processes can be modulated by transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) with sinusoidal waves. However, little is known about the impact of the rate of current change on working memory. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of two types of tACS with different rates of current change on working memory performance and brain activity. We applied a randomized, single-blind design and divided 81 young participants who received triangular wave tACS, sinusoidal wave tACS, or sham stimulation into three groups. Participants performed n-back tasks, and electroencephalograms were recorded before, during, and after active or sham stimulation. Compared to the baseline, working memory performance (accuracy and response time) improved after stimulation under all stimulation conditions. According to drift-diffusion model analysis, triangular wave tACS significantly increased the efficiency of non-target information processing. In addition, compared with sham conditions, triangular wave tACS reduced alpha power oscillations in the occipital lobe throughout the encoding period, while sinusoidal wave tACS increased theta power in the central frontal region only during the later encoding period. The brain network connectivity results showed that triangular wave tACS improved the clustering coefficient, local efficiency, and node degree intensity in the early encoding stage, and these parameters were positively correlated with the non-target drift rate and decision starting point. Our findings on how tACS modulates working memory indicate that triangular wave tACS significantly enhances brain network connectivity during the early encoding stage, demonstrating an improvement in the efficiency of working memory processing. In contrast, sinusoidal wave tACS increased the theta power during the later encoding stage, suggesting its potential critical role in late-stage information processing. These findings provide valuable insights into the potential mechanisms by which tACS modulates working memory.
Humans ; Memory, Short-Term/physiology* ; Male ; Female ; Young Adult ; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation/methods* ; Brain/physiology* ; Adult ; Electroencephalography ; Single-Blind Method

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the potential target and molecular mechanism of Eclipta prostrata L-Ligustrum Lucidum Ait (EPL-LLA) in the treatment of periodontitis by using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology, and to explore its biocompatibility, regulatory effects on inflammatory factors, and antioxidant acti-vity through in vitro experiments. METHODS: The active components and potential targets of EPL-LLA were screened and predicted through a variety of databases, and the intersection of EPL-LLA and periodontitis targets was selected. The protein interaction network (PPI) was analyzed by the string platform. The Metascape database was used for gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. The active ingredients from the top 6 degrees were docked with the core targets, and the results of binding energy were visualized. An in vitro cell model was established to evaluate the biocompatibility, modulation of inflammatory factors, and antioxidative effects of EPL-LLA through cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and 2',7'-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) fluorescent probe assays. RESULTS: Screening revealed 13 active components in EPL corresponding to 220 potential targets, 10 active components in LLA corresponding to 283 potential targets, and 1 643 periodontitis-related targets, with 91 shared targets among the three. GO analysis of the shared targets yielded 5 271 entries, while KEGG enrichment analysis indicated involvement in 253 signaling pathways. Molecular docking confirmed stable binding between the top 6 active components and core targets. CCK-8 assays demonstrated good biocompatibility of EPL-LLA at concentrations 0.02 mg/mL (P<0.05). qRT-PCR showed that EPL-LLA reduced the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory factors in macrophages stimulated by Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide while upregulating anti-inflammatory factor mRNA expression (P<0.05). DCFH-DA fluorescence probe assays confirmed the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging capacity of EPL-LLA (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS EPL-LLA may treat periodontitis through multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway mechanisms, providing a theoretical basis for further research on its therapeutic potential.
Periodontitis/drug therapy* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Eclipta/chemistry* ; Humans ; Protein Interaction Maps ; Ligustrum/chemistry* ; Antioxidants/pharmacology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Network Pharmacology

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of genetic variation of obesity-related biological pathways and gene-obesity interactions on the incidence of gastric cancer, so as to better understand the pathogenesis of gastric cancer and help identify high-risk populations for individualized prevention of gastric cancer. MethodsA case-control study based on the Shanghai Suburban Adult Cohort and Biobank study (SSACB) was conducted on the cases with gastric cancer. A total of 267 cases with gastric cancer and 267 healthy controls matched 1∶1 by age and gender using propensity score were included in the study. After genome-wide genotyping, quality control and imputation, 19 250 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites from 115 genes in 4 obesity-related biological pathways were extracted. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between these SNP sites and the risk of gastric cancer, and false positive report probability (FPRP) was used for multiple test correction.Data from Biobank Japan (BBJ) and FinnGen public accessible databases were used to validate significant SNP sites. For validated sites, expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis and differentially expressed genes analysis were further performed. Additive and multiplicative interactions were used to evaluate the gene-obesity interactions on the incidence of gastric cancer. Additive interaction evaluation indicators included relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP) and synergy index (SI), while multiplicative interaction evaluation indicators include OR_GxE and P_inter. ResultsA total of 41 SNP sites were significantly associated with the onset of gastric cancer (P_adj<0.05, FPRP_0.1<0.1), among which 7 groups of haplotype blocks were formed. ACACB/ rs2268401 [SSACB: P=0.005, BBJ: P=0.049], HRAS/ rs12785860 (SSACB: P<0.001, FinnGen: P=0.045), and PTPN1/ rs6095985 (SSACB: P<0.001, FinnGen: P=0.023) were significantly associated with the risk of gastric cancer after validation in different populations. Among which, the G allele of HRAS/ rs12785860 was correlated with the downregulation of HRAS mRNA expression (P<0.001), and the expression level of HRAS in gastric cancer tissues was higher than that in adjacent normal tissues (P<0.001). Additionaly, JAK1/rs11208559 showed a positive additive interaction with waist circumstance (WC) on the risk of gastric cancer [RERI=2.29(0.06~4.53), AP=0.57(0.23~0.90), SI=4.03(2.20~5.87)]. ConclusionObesity-related biological pathway SNP sites and their haplotypes are associated with the risk of gastric cancer, suggesting that genetic variations in obesity pathways may affect gastric cancer. The HRAS/ rs12785860 is significantly associated with downregulation of HRAS gene expression, which may serve as a potential genetic marker for gastric cancer. JAK1/rs11208559 interacts with obesity additively on the risk of gastric cancer. Individuals with GC+CC genotypes and pre-central or central obesity have an increased risk of gastric cancer, providing clues and evidences for individualized prevention of gastric cancer.

This paper reviews the published articles of recent years on the application of deep learning methods in automatic localization of acupoint, and summarizes it from 3 key links, i.e. the dataset construction, the neural network model design, and the accuracy evaluation of acupoint localization. The significant progress has been obtained in the field of deep learning for acupoint localization, but the scale of acupoint detection needs to be expanded and the precision, the generalization ability, and the real-time performance of the model be advanced. The future research should focus on the support of standardized datasets, and the integration of 3D modeling and multimodal data fusion, so as to increase the accuracy and strengthen the personalization of acupoint localization.
Deep Learning ; Acupuncture Points ; Humans ; Neural Networks, Computer