Schizophrenia (SZ) stands as a severe psychiatric disorder. This study applied diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data in conjunction with graph neural networks to distinguish SZ patients from normal controls (NCs) and showcases the superior performance of a graph neural network integrating combined fractional anisotropy and fiber number brain network features, achieving an accuracy of 73.79% in distinguishing SZ patients from NCs. Beyond mere discrimination, our study delved deeper into the advantages of utilizing white matter brain network features for identifying SZ patients through interpretable model analysis and gene expression analysis. These analyses uncovered intricate interrelationships between brain imaging markers and genetic biomarkers, providing novel insights into the neuropathological basis of SZ. In summary, our findings underscore the potential of graph neural networks applied to multimodal DTI data for enhancing SZ detection through an integrated analysis of neuroimaging and genetic features.
Humans ; Schizophrenia/pathology* ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Brain/metabolism* ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; White Matter/pathology* ; Gene Expression ; Nerve Net/diagnostic imaging* ; Graph Neural Networks

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of the short-penis treatment apparatus and wide-band infrared therapy apparatus on penile dysplasia (PDP) in children and establish objective parameters for assessing the severity of PDP. METHODS: This study included 252 children received in the Department of pediatric urology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January to December 2023, 102 with PDP (the PDP group) and the other 150 with normal penile development (the control group), those of the former group treated with the short-penis therapeutic apparatus and wide-band infrared therapy apparatus. Before and after 30 days of treatment, we measured the flaccid penile length (FPL), stretched penile length (SPL) and penile diameters (PD) of the children, and defined the penile dysplasia index as the FPL/SPL and FPL/PD ratios. RESULTS: The penile parameters exhibited statistically significant differences between the PDP and control groups, (FPL:［1.97±0.72］cm vs ［3.25±0.51］ cm, P<0.01; SPL:［3.80±0.81］cm vs ［5.21±0.79］cm,P<0.01).The FPL remarkably increased in the PDP group after treatment(［1.97±0.72］cm vs ［2.90±1.20］ cm, P<0.01). Both FPL and SPL were notably shorter in the PDP cases than in the controls, with the cutoff values of 0.57 and 2.09, sensitivities of 80.7% and 95.3%, and specificities of 69.6% and 82.4% for FPL/SPL and FPL/PD, respectively. CONCLUSION The short-penis therapeutic apparatus and wide-band infrared therapy apparatus can promote the growth and development of the penis in children. The ratio of FPL/PD can serve as an objective indicator to effectively describe the severity of penile developmental abnormalities.
Humans ; Male ; Penis/abnormalities* ; Child ; Penile Diseases/therapy* ; Child, Preschool ; Infant

Purpose This study aims to explore the effect of peroxisomal membrane protein 4(PXMP4)on the migration and invasion of cervical cancer(CC)cells,as well as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)process.Methods Bioinformatics and immunohistochemical analysis were employed to examine the expression of PXMP4 in CC tissues and its correlation with clinical pathological characteristics.Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expression of PXMP4 in CC cells.CCK-8 assay,scratch healing assay,and Transwell invasion assay were utilized to assess the proliferation,migration,and invasion capabilities of CC cells.Western blot was conducted to measure the expression of N-cadherin,E-cadherin,vimentin,phosphorylated ERK(p-ERK),and total ERK proteins in cervical CC.Results The TCGA database showed that the mRNA expression level of PXMP4 was significantly elevated in non-paired CC tissues(P=0.000 29),while the GEO database showed that the mRNA expression level of PXMP4 was sig-nificantly elevated in paired CC tissues(P=0.02).Immunohistochemical analysis showed that PXMP4 was primarily localized in the cytoplasm and cell membrane,with a positive rate of 70.31％(45/64)in CC tissues,significantly higher than 29.69％(19/64)in adjacent tissues.Clinical pathological analysis found that PXMP4 expression was as-sociated with maximum tumor differentiation(P=0.000 328)and lymph node metastasis(P=0.000 226),but not with age(P=0.637)or tumor diameter(P=0.304).CCK-8 assay,wound healing assay,and Transwell invasion as-say demonstrated that interference with PXMP4 inhibited the proliferation,invasion,and migration of CC cells,while overexpression of PXMP4 promoted these processes.Western blot results indicated that interference with PXMP4 signif-icantly increased E-cadherin expression and decreased N-cadherin,vimentin,and p-ERK expression(P＜0.05).Conversely,overexpression of PXMP4 led to a significant decrease in E-cadherin and an increase in N-cadherin,vim-entin,and p-ERK expression(P＜0.05).Additionally,stimulation of CC cells with different concentrations of the U0126 inhibitor significantly increased E-cadherin expression and decreased N-cadherin,vimentin,and p-ERK expres-sion(P＜0.05).Conclusion PXMP4 is highly expressed in CC tissues and is closely related to tumor differentiation and lymph node metastasis.PXMP4 promotes the EMT process of CC cells through the phosphorylated ERK1/2 signa-ling pathway.

Objective To investigate the expression of NOP2/Sun RNA methyltransferase family member 2(NSUN2)and protein arginine methyltransferase 5(PRMT5)in retinoblastoma(Rb)tissue and their correlation with the survival prognosis of Rb patients.Methods From February 2019 to February 2021,84 patients with Rb(Rb group)were selected from Beijing Anzhen Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University Nanchong Hospital,and 50 normal retinal tissues were used as control group.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the levels of NSUN2 mRNA and PRMT5 mRNA in retinal tissues.Kaplan-Meier curve was used to analyze the effect of NSUN2 mRNA and PRMT5 mRNA on the prognosis of Rb patients.COX regression analysis was used to analyze the factors affecting the prognosis of Rb.Results The expression of NSUN2 mRNA(3.11±0.42)and PRMT5 mRNA(2.84±0.39)in Rb cancer tissues were higher than that in the control group(0.80±0.23,0.76±0.20),and the differences were statistically significant(t=35.935,35.033,all P<0.001).The expression of NSUN2 mRNA and PRMT5 mRNA in Rb cancer tissues with tumor diameter≥20mm,undifferentiated and ⅡRC stage D～E were higher than that in tumor diameter<20mm,differentiated tissues and ⅡRC stage A～C cancer tissues,and the differences were statistically significant(t=18.297,141.770,16.693;18.663,139.144,39.947,均P<0.001).The 3-year progression-free survival rate in the high expression group of NSUN2 mRNA was lower than that in the low expression group(60.00%vs 88.64%).The 3-year progression-free survival rate in the high expression group of PRMT5 mRNA was lower than that in the low expression group(56.10%vs 93.02%)(Log rank χ2=13.440,19.501,all P<0.001).Undifferentiated type,ⅡRC stage D-E stage,NSUN2 mRNA high,PRMT5 mRNA high were risk factors affecting the prognosis of Rb patients(Waldχ2=5.923～7.161,all P<0.001).Conclusion The expression of NSUN2 mRNA and PRMT5 mRNA in Rb tissues is increased,which is related to the maximum diameter of tumor,pathological classification and ⅡRC stage,and can be used as a tumor marker to evaluate the survival prognosis of Rb.

Objective:To prepare mesothelin-loaded paclitaxel (PTX) phase change nanoparticles and evaluate their targeting effect and therapeutic effect on ovarian cancer.Methods:PTX-loaded phase-change nanoparticles PTX-NPs were prepared by the thin-film hydration method, and targeted mesothelin-loaded PTX phase-change nanoparticles Ab-PTX-NPs were prepared by attaching anti-mesothelin antibody to the nanoparticles using the biotin-affinity method. Zeta potential and particle size were determined by applying a zeta potential and a particle size analyzer, and the encapsulation rate and the amount of drug loading of PTX was measured by applying a UV spectrophotometer. Flow cytometry was used to detect the connectivity of anti-mesothelin antibody with PTX-NPs. The phase transition of Ab-PTX-NPs was induced by low-power focused ultrasound, and its ultrasonography imaging was observed; laser scanning confocal microscopy and flow cytometry were used to detect the targeting ability of Ab-PTX-NPs on ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells. The targeting and killing ability of Ab-PTX-NPs on ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells was observed by in vitro targeting assay and apoptosis detection assay. The ovarian cancer model of BALB/c nude mice was constructed to observe the distribution of Ab-PTX-NPs in vivo as well as the effects on blood biochemistry and important organs of nude mice. Results:Ab-PTX-NPs were successfully prepared with a zeta potential of -(8.37±2.71) mV, a diameter of (690.46±28.75) nm, an encapsulation rate of (88.2±4.4)% for PTX, a drug loading capacity of (27.3±0.9)%, and a linkage rate of (94.9±2.8)% between anti-mesothelin antibody and PTX-NPs. Low-intensity focused ultrasound could successfully induce phase transition of Ab-PTX-NPs to realize ultrasonography imaging, and 6 W was the optimal excitation power for low-intensity focused ultrasound. Ab-PTX-NPs showed excellent targeting and killing ability to SKOV3 cells, and the apoptosis and necrosis rate of SKOV3 cells in the Ab-PTX-NPs group reached 79.6%. In vivo imaging showed that the fluorescence intensity at the tumor site of nude mice in the Ab-PTX-NPs group was significantly higher than that in the PTX-NPs group. Biosafety assay showed that 15 d after Ab-PTX-NPs administration, the serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, creatine kinase, low-density lipoprotein, blood creatinine, and urea nitrogen concentrations of nude mice were (174.163±20.596)U/L, (33.297±2.573)U/L, (1 959.978±72.212)U/L, (22.033±5.030)μmol/L, (0.393±0.058)mmol/L, and (26.405±4.957)mmol/L, which were not significantly different from those of the phosphate buffer solution (PBS) group, the NPs group, and the PTX-NPs group. The organs such as the heart, the liver, the spleen, the lungs and the kidneys remained intact, and what was seen by the naked eye and microscope was similar with those of the PBS group, NPs group and PTX-NPs group. Conclusion:Ab-PTX-NPs were successfully prepared, which had good ovarian cancer targeting ability and killing effect and effectively reduced the toxicity of PTX.

OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of different induction regimens for AIDS complicated with cryptococcal meningitis.METHODS PubMed,Embase,Cochranre library,Web of science,CNKI,Wanfang,Weipu and other databases were systematically searched to collect randomized controlled trials related to the induction treatments of AIDS complicated with cryptococcal meningitis.The search was limited to Oct.2024.The Cochrane risk of bias evaluation system was used to evaluate the quality of the literature,and Stata 15.1 and Revman 5.3 software were used for network meta-analysis.RESULTS A total of 17 randomized controlled trials involving 3,281 patients were included.The result of network meta-analysis showed that the treatment regi-men with the lowest early mortality was the short-course of amphotericin B+fluconazole+flucytosine;the regi-men with the lowest late mortality was a single high-dose amphotericin B liposome;the regimen with the highest 14-day fungal clearance rate was amphotericin B+flucytosine;the regimen with the lowest incidence of grade 3+4 anemia was a single high-dose amphotericin B liposome;the regimen with the lowest incidence of grade 3+4 re-nal injury was amphotericin B liposome;the regimen with the lowest incidence of grade 3-4 hypokalemia was flu-conazole+flucytosine.CONCLUSION According to the comprehensive analysis of various indices,there is good efficacy and safety for the inclusion of short-course amphotericin B regimen and single high-dose amphotericin B li-posome as induction period therapy for AIDS complicated with cryptococcal meningitis.

The present study aimed to explore whether hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) improved hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) in rats by inhibiting aerobic glycolysis-pyroptosis. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into normal group, normal+NaHS group, hypoxia group, and hypoxia+NaHS group, with 6 rats in each group. The control group rats were placed in a normoxic (21% O₂) environment and received daily intraperitoneal injections of an equal volume of normal saline. The normal+NaHS group rats were placed in a normoxic environment and intraperitoneally injected with 14 μmol/kg NaHS daily. The hypoxia group rats were placed in a hypoxia chamber, and the oxygen controller inside the chamber maintained the oxygen concentration at 9% to 10% by controlling the N₂ flow rate. An equal volume of normal saline was injected intraperitoneally every day. The hypoxia+NaHS group rats were also placed in an hypoxia chamber and intraperitoneally injected with 14 μmol/kg NaHS daily. After the completion of the four-week modeling, the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) of each group was measured using right heart catheterization technique, and the right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI) was weighed and calculated. HE staining was used to observe pathological changes in lung tissue, Masson staining was used to observe fibrosis of lung tissue, and Western blot was used to detect protein expression levels of hexokinase 2 (HK2), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2 (PKM2), nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), GSDMD-N-terminal domain (GSDMD-N), Caspase-1, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-18 in lung tissue. ELISA was used to detect contents of IL-1β and IL-18 in lung tissue. The results showed that, compared with the normal control group, there were no significant changes in all indexes in the normal+NaHS group, while the hypoxia group exhibited significantly increased mPAP and RVHI, thickened pulmonary vascular wall, narrowed lumen, increased collagen fibers, up-regulated expression levels of aerobic glycolysis-related proteins (HK2 and PKM2), up-regulated expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins (NLRP3, GSDMD-N, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18), and increased contents of IL-1β and IL-18. These changes of the above indexes in the hypoxia group were significantly reversed by NaHS. These results suggest that H₂S can improve rat HPH by inhibiting aerobic glycolysis-pyroptosis.
Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Hypertension, Pulmonary/metabolism* ; Glycolysis/drug effects* ; Hydrogen Sulfide/therapeutic use* ; Hypoxia/complications* ; Rats ; Pyroptosis/drug effects*

With the establishment of bio-psycho-social medical model,both social and psychological factors play an important role in the occurrence,development and treatment of diseases.Hypertension is a common chronic multiple disease in China,and patients are often complicated with depression and other e-motional disorders.The interaction between hypertension and depression significantly increases the risk of poor prognosis.Current studies have shown a bidirectional promoting relationship between hypertension and depression,and they have some com-mon pathogenesis.However,the specific mechanism of their co-morbidity has not been fully elucidated.Renin-angiotensin sys-tem(RAS)plays an important role in the regulation of hyperten-sion and depression and other emotions.It is composed of two antagonistic pathways.The balance is maintained by angioten-sin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2).Therefore,this article reviews the relationship and mechanism of RAS in hypertension,depres-sion and comorbid states,in order to provide new treatment ide-as for hypertension and depression.

Objective To investigate the expression of NOP2/Sun RNA methyltransferase family member 2(NSUN2)and protein arginine methyltransferase 5(PRMT5)in retinoblastoma(Rb)tissue and their correlation with the survival prognosis of Rb patients.Methods From February 2019 to February 2021,84 patients with Rb(Rb group)were selected from Beijing Anzhen Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University Nanchong Hospital,and 50 normal retinal tissues were used as control group.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the levels of NSUN2 mRNA and PRMT5 mRNA in retinal tissues.Kaplan-Meier curve was used to analyze the effect of NSUN2 mRNA and PRMT5 mRNA on the prognosis of Rb patients.COX regression analysis was used to analyze the factors affecting the prognosis of Rb.Results The expression of NSUN2 mRNA(3.11±0.42)and PRMT5 mRNA(2.84±0.39)in Rb cancer tissues were higher than that in the control group(0.80±0.23,0.76±0.20),and the differences were statistically significant(t=35.935,35.033,all P<0.001).The expression of NSUN2 mRNA and PRMT5 mRNA in Rb cancer tissues with tumor diameter≥20mm,undifferentiated and ⅡRC stage D～E were higher than that in tumor diameter<20mm,differentiated tissues and ⅡRC stage A～C cancer tissues,and the differences were statistically significant(t=18.297,141.770,16.693;18.663,139.144,39.947,均P<0.001).The 3-year progression-free survival rate in the high expression group of NSUN2 mRNA was lower than that in the low expression group(60.00%vs 88.64%).The 3-year progression-free survival rate in the high expression group of PRMT5 mRNA was lower than that in the low expression group(56.10%vs 93.02%)(Log rank χ2=13.440,19.501,all P<0.001).Undifferentiated type,ⅡRC stage D-E stage,NSUN2 mRNA high,PRMT5 mRNA high were risk factors affecting the prognosis of Rb patients(Waldχ2=5.923～7.161,all P<0.001).Conclusion The expression of NSUN2 mRNA and PRMT5 mRNA in Rb tissues is increased,which is related to the maximum diameter of tumor,pathological classification and ⅡRC stage,and can be used as a tumor marker to evaluate the survival prognosis of Rb.

With the establishment of bio-psycho-social medical model,both social and psychological factors play an important role in the occurrence,development and treatment of diseases.Hypertension is a common chronic multiple disease in China,and patients are often complicated with depression and other e-motional disorders.The interaction between hypertension and depression significantly increases the risk of poor prognosis.Current studies have shown a bidirectional promoting relationship between hypertension and depression,and they have some com-mon pathogenesis.However,the specific mechanism of their co-morbidity has not been fully elucidated.Renin-angiotensin sys-tem(RAS)plays an important role in the regulation of hyperten-sion and depression and other emotions.It is composed of two antagonistic pathways.The balance is maintained by angioten-sin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2).Therefore,this article reviews the relationship and mechanism of RAS in hypertension,depres-sion and comorbid states,in order to provide new treatment ide-as for hypertension and depression.