Objective: To explore the comorbidity and associated factors of dental caries and overweight/obesity among primary and secondary school students in Guangxi, so as to provide a scientific basis for the development of targeted prevention strategies. Methods: A stratified cluster random sampling method was used to survey 178 700 students from the fourth grade of primary school to the third year of high school in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from September to November 2023, including physical examination, oral screening, and questionnaire survey. Chisquare tests and binary Logistic regression analysis were employed to investigate the related factors of the cooccurrence of dental caries and overweight/obesity among students. Results: The comorbidity rate of dental caries and overweight/obesity was 9.55%, with urban areas (9.95%) higher than rural counties (9.24%), boys (10.54%) higher than girls (8.54%), primary school students (11.49%) higher than senior high school students (8.92%) and junior high school students (8.05%), and nonboarding students (11.44%) higher than boarding students (7.94%), and all differences were statistically significant (χ2=26.07, 207.91, 471.54, 629.14,P<0.01). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that consuming cereal for breakfast (OR=0.91, 95%CI=0.88-0.94), drinking milk in the past week (OR=0.89, 95%CI=0.83-0.95), meeting sleep standards (OR=0.95, 95%CI=0.91-0.99), and brushing teeth at least once a day (OR=0.82, 95%CI=0.73-0.93) had a lower risk of the comorbidity of dental caries and overweight/obesity. In contrast, drinking beverages in the past week (OR=1.14, 95%CI=1.09-1.20), consuming fried foods in the past week (OR=1.11, 95%CI=1.06-1.17), eating fruit ≥1 time every day (OR=1.06, 95%CI=1.02-1.11), consuming fruit ≥1 type every day (OR=1.07, 95%CI=1.01-1.12), and having fish, poultry, meat, or eggbased breakfasts (OR=1.03, 95%CI=1.05-1.13) had a higher risk of the comorbidity of dental caries and overweight/obesity (P<0.05). Conclusions Dietary habits and lifestyle behaviors are associated with the comorbidity of dental caries and overweight/obesity among primary and secondary school students in Guangxi. Guiding students to form healthy living habits is helpful to preven dental caries and overweight/obesity.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of preserving the urethral ridge during Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate（HoLEP）in preventing postoperative retrograde ejaculation and to evaluate its impact on sexual function.Methods:This prospective cohort study enrolled patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia（BPH）who underwent HoLEP at Xiamen Haicang Hospital（Haicang Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen Medical College）from November 2022 to June 2024. Inclusion criteria were as follows：diagnosis of BPH confirmed by color Doppler ultrasound；International Prostate Symptom Score（IPSS）> 7；maximum urinary flow rate（Q max）< 15 ml/s；prostate-specific antigen（PSA）< 4 ng/ml；and an active sexual life with intact antegrade ejaculation. Exclusion criteria included neurogenic bladder，active urinary tract infection（UTI），and other relevant conditions. Patients were grouped based on the operating surgeon's comprehensive judgment during surgery，considering the degree of prostatic median lobe hyperplasia（preserved if hyperplasia was mild，not preserved if severe）. The EP-HoLEP group underwent “tunnel technique” enucleation of the middle lobe hyperplasia with preservation of the urethral ridge，while the HoLEP group underwent conventional prostate enucleation. Primary outcomes included postoperative retrograde ejaculation rate，International Index of Erectile Function（IIEF），Ejaculation Projection Score（EPS），IPSS，Quality of Life Score（QOL），Q max，post-void residual urine volume（PVR），operative time，and postoperative complications. Univariate analysis was used to screen potential influencing factors，followed by multivariate logistic regression to identify independent predictors. Results:Seventy patients with BPH were enrolled，with 35 in each group. Baseline characteristics，including age［（69.97 ± 5.14）years vs.（72.34 ± 5.08）years］，body mass index（BMI）［（22.99 ± 1.41）kg/m2 vs.（23.16 ± 1.38）kg/m2］，prostate volume［47.4（31.9，59.4）ml vs. 44.2（34.9，61.7）ml］，PSA［4.0（1.9，8.2）ng/ml vs. 3.1（2.6，5.0）ng/ml］，hemoglobin［（130.09 ± 12.92）g/L vs.（125.69 ± 17.26）g/L］，IPSS［17（10，22）vs. 17（10，27）］，QOL［5（4，5）vs. 4（4，5）］，Q max［7.5（6.3，9.1）ml/s vs. 7.0（5.9，8.9）ml/s］and PVR［65（22，167）ml vs. 60（16，150）ml］showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups（ P > 0.05）. Operative time［65（55，76）min vs. 63（55，73）min］，postoperative 2-hour hemoglobin［（124.17 ± 14.89）g/L vs.（120.11 ± 15.44）g/L］，and postoperative hospital stay［（3.94 ± 1.89）days vs.（3.66 ± 1.53）days］were also comparable between the two groups（ P > 0.05）. No significant difference was observed in the decrease in IIEF score［1（0，2）vs. 2（0，6）， P = 0.203］. EPS at 3 months［2（1，3）vs. 1（0，2）， P < 0.001］and at 6 months［2（1，2）vs. 1（0，2）， P < 0.001］postoperatively were significantly higher in the EP-HoLEP group. The incidence of postoperative UTI did not differ significantly［5.7%（2/35）vs. 2.9%（1/35）， P = 1.00］. Two cases of urinary retention occurred after catheter removal in the EP-HoLEP group，while none occurred in the HoLEP group. No blood transfusions or urethral strictures were reported in either group. The incidence of retrograde ejaculation was significantly lower in the EP-HoLEP group［28.6%（10/35）vs. 68.6%（24/35）， P <0.001］. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that urethral ridge preservation was an independent protective factor for retrograde ejaculation after HoLEP（ OR = 0.159，95% CI 0.053 ? 0.476， P = 0.001）. Conclusions:Urethral ridge preservation during HoLEP is safe and feasible，significantly reduces retrograde ejaculation，and preserves ejaculatory function，though it offers limited erectile function preservation. This approach is suitable for middle-aged，young，or younger elderly patients who prioritize ejaculatory quality，and provides clinical evidence for surgical optimization.

With the rapid development of synthetic biology, genetic engineering, and molecular manipulation methods in recent years, microalgae, as representatives of microbial cell factories, have been widely used as hosts in the production of high-value bioproducts, such as oils, pigments, proteins, and biofuels, demonstrating promising prospects of application in biochemical energy, food and drugs, and environmental protection. Despite these advancements, the low production efficiency of microalgae limits their industrial application. In addition to strain improvement and culture condition optimization, the regulation by exogenous chemical additives serves as a promising optimization strategy. This method relies on straightforward phenotypic screening and circumvents the necessity for intricate understanding of molecular targets in the metabolic and catabolic pathways involved in the synthesis of bioproducts. It enables rapid yield increasing of high-value bioproducts from microalgae and obtaining the required phenotypes. Although studies have reported the use of alternatives means such as exogenous additives to improve the growth of microalgae and the yield of high-value bioproducts, the classification and summarization of the types, applications, targeted strains, and molecular mechanisms of these additives are not comprehensive. Here, we review the studies using chemical inducers or enhancers to improve cell growth and high-value bioproduct accumulation in microalgae in recent years. This paper focuses on the types of exogenous additives, the effects of exogenous additives and their combinations on microalgae growth and high-value bioproduct accumulation, and the molecular mechanisms of related effects. We aim to provide information for researchers to use methods of synthetic biology to develop suitable cell chassis and harness microalgae for industrial production.
Microalgae/drug effects* ; Biofuels

AIM:To investigate the expression profile and biological significance of long noncoding RNA(lncRNA)zinc finger antisense 1(ZFAS1)in the brains of mice with diabetic encephalopathy(DE).METHODS:Ten db/m mice served as the normal control group,while twenty 22-week-old db/db mice were used to establish the DE model and randomly divided into two subgroups:ten as the db/db model control and the remaining ten receiving ZFAS1 gene knockdown(db/db+sh-ZFAS1)via lentiviral transfection.Weekly measurements of body weight and blood glucose levels were performed.Brain tissues were collected for Nissl staining to evaluate neuronal damage,TUNEL assay to detect apop-tosis,and immunofluorescence staining to examine neural biomarker expression.Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and oxidative stress markers,including reactive oxygen species(ROS),malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT)and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px),were determined.Western blot was conducted to quantify the protein expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2),Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax),p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphorylated p38(p-p38)in brain tissues.The expression levels of ZFAS1 and caspase-3 mRNA were determined by RT-qPCR.RESULTS:Knockdown of ZFAS1 in db/db mice significantly improved cognitive function,alleviated hippocampal neuronal damage,and reduced body weight and blood glucose levels(P<0.01).More-over,oxidative stress was mitigated,as evidenced by decreased MDA and ROS levels(P<0.01)and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes,GSH-Px,SOD and CAT(P<0.01 or P<0.05).Meanwhile,ZFAS1 silencing down-regulated Bax and p-p38/p38 protein expression(P<0.01 or P<0.05)while up-regulating Bcl-2(P<0.01).Consistently,RT-qPCR confirmed significant down-regulation of ZFAS1 and caspase-3 mRNA levels(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:lncRNA ZFAS1 is highly expressed in the hippocampus of DE mice.Down-regulation of ZFAS1 expression enhances cognitive func-tion,suppresses oxidative stress,and inhibits neuronal apoptosis,thereby attenuating neural damage in DE.

Objective To investigate the effect of peptidyl arginine deiminase 4(PAD4)on the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from oral bones(OMSC)and craniomaxillofacial development.Methods Immunofluorescence was used to detect the ex-pression of PAD4 in the mandibular of mice E13.5 embryo.A peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 knockout(PAD4-KO)mouse model was constructed.Craniomaxillofacial development was investigated by micro-CT.CCK-8 assay and Transwell assay were used to detect the OMSC proliferation ability and migration ability of PAD4-KO and wild type(WT)mouse.ALP staining was used to detect the changes in OMSC osteogenic differentiation ability.The expression of osteogenesis-related genes was detected by immunofluorescence and PCR assay.Results PAD4 was highly expressed in the mandibular tissue of mouse embryos at E13.5.On the cellular level,PAD4 was ex-pressed in the nucleus and mitochondria of OMSC.Compared to the WT mice,micro-CT showed that PAD4-KO mice had retrusive jaw and decreased mineralization.The proliferation and migration ability of OMSC in PAD4-KO mice were decreased.OMSCs lacking PAD4 had significantly decreased ALP staining level,and the expression levels of osteogenesis-related genes were decreased.In addition,it was found that PAD4 might affect OMSC mineralization by regulating Runx2 transcription.Conclusion PAD4 is expressed in the jaw during embryonic development.It might affect the embryonic development by regulating the proliferation and differentiation of OMSC,leading to craniomaxillofacial abnormalities

Objective To analyze the correlation between the poor position of pedicle screw after lumbar internal fixation and the occurrence of postoperative neurological symptoms.Methods The clinical data of patients who underwent lumbar pedicle screw surgery in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2023 were analyzed retrospectively.Record the patient's sex,age,diagnosis,surgical segment,the presence of postoperative neurological complications,the types of neurological complications.According to the postoperative CT,the screw penetration zone and grade were evaluated,and the distribution of different pedicle screw penetration types was recorded.The correlation between different types of pedicle screw penetration and postoperative neurological symptoms was analyzed.Results A total of 184 patients were included,including 80 males and 104 females.Age ranged from 18 to 82 years,with an average of 60.1±14.2 years.35 patients developed new neurological symptoms after operation.The incidence of postoperative neurological symptoms caused by pedicle medial quadrant screw penetration and lower quadrant screw penetration was higher than that of pedicle superior quadrant and lateral quadrant screw penetration.From L1 to L5,the risk of postoperative neurological symptoms caused by screw penetration in the medial quadrant of the pedicle increases gradually.When the penetration distance of pedicle medial quadrant screws in L4 and L5 segments is≥2mm,the risk of postoperative neurological symptoms is high.When the penetration distance of pedicle medial quadrant screws in L1,L2 and L3 segments is greater than 4mm,the risk of postoperative neurological symptoms is high.The distance of pedicle screw penetrating the medial quadrant of pedicle was positively correlated with the incidence of postoperative neurological symptoms(P<0.05).Conclusion The lateral and superior quadrants of the pedicle may be regarded as safety zones for lumbar pedicle screw placement.For the L1～L3 segments,screw penetration depth should not exceed 4 mm;whereas for the L4～L5 segments,the safety threshold must be strictly controlled within 2 mm.

AIM:To investigate whether melatonin can ameliorate acute myocardial infarction(AMI)by in-hibiting ferroptosis.METHODS:H9C2 cells were cultured in AnaeroPack system with low sugar and serum-free medium for 10 h to construct a cell model of AMI.Then cells were treated with melatonin and ferroptosis inducer erastin.The cell activity,reactive oxygen species(ROS),lipid peroxidation,mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP),and ferroptosis related protein expression were detected.A rat model of AMI induced by isoprenaline(ISO)injection was established to evaluate the effects of melatonin,in which the myocardial infarction size,cardiac injury,pathological changes,oxidative stress,iron ion and ferroptosis related protein expression were examined.RESULTS:Melatonin decreased the oxidative stress,lipid peroxidation and expression of ferroptosis protein in cardiomyocytes induced by hypoxia,but these effects could be impeded by the ferroptosis inducer erastin.Furthermore,in vivo experiments,we also found that melatonin im-proved the myocardial infarction size,cardiac injury,pathological changes,oxidative stress,and alleviated iron ion accu-mulation and ferroptosis.CONCLUSION:The cardioprotective effects of melatonin in AMI are associated with the inhi-bition of ferroptosis.

Objective To analyze the correlation between the poor position of pedicle screw after lumbar internal fixation and the occurrence of postoperative neurological symptoms.Methods The clinical data of patients who underwent lumbar pedicle screw surgery in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2023 were analyzed retrospectively.Record the patient's sex,age,diagnosis,surgical segment,the presence of postoperative neurological complications,the types of neurological complications.According to the postoperative CT,the screw penetration zone and grade were evaluated,and the distribution of different pedicle screw penetration types was recorded.The correlation between different types of pedicle screw penetration and postoperative neurological symptoms was analyzed.Results A total of 184 patients were included,including 80 males and 104 females.Age ranged from 18 to 82 years,with an average of 60.1±14.2 years.35 patients developed new neurological symptoms after operation.The incidence of postoperative neurological symptoms caused by pedicle medial quadrant screw penetration and lower quadrant screw penetration was higher than that of pedicle superior quadrant and lateral quadrant screw penetration.From L1 to L5,the risk of postoperative neurological symptoms caused by screw penetration in the medial quadrant of the pedicle increases gradually.When the penetration distance of pedicle medial quadrant screws in L4 and L5 segments is≥2mm,the risk of postoperative neurological symptoms is high.When the penetration distance of pedicle medial quadrant screws in L1,L2 and L3 segments is greater than 4mm,the risk of postoperative neurological symptoms is high.The distance of pedicle screw penetrating the medial quadrant of pedicle was positively correlated with the incidence of postoperative neurological symptoms(P<0.05).Conclusion The lateral and superior quadrants of the pedicle may be regarded as safety zones for lumbar pedicle screw placement.For the L1～L3 segments,screw penetration depth should not exceed 4 mm;whereas for the L4～L5 segments,the safety threshold must be strictly controlled within 2 mm.

AIM:To investigate the expression profile and biological significance of long noncoding RNA(lncRNA)zinc finger antisense 1(ZFAS1)in the brains of mice with diabetic encephalopathy(DE).METHODS:Ten db/m mice served as the normal control group,while twenty 22-week-old db/db mice were used to establish the DE model and randomly divided into two subgroups:ten as the db/db model control and the remaining ten receiving ZFAS1 gene knockdown(db/db+sh-ZFAS1)via lentiviral transfection.Weekly measurements of body weight and blood glucose levels were performed.Brain tissues were collected for Nissl staining to evaluate neuronal damage,TUNEL assay to detect apop-tosis,and immunofluorescence staining to examine neural biomarker expression.Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and oxidative stress markers,including reactive oxygen species(ROS),malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT)and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px),were determined.Western blot was conducted to quantify the protein expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2),Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax),p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphorylated p38(p-p38)in brain tissues.The expression levels of ZFAS1 and caspase-3 mRNA were determined by RT-qPCR.RESULTS:Knockdown of ZFAS1 in db/db mice significantly improved cognitive function,alleviated hippocampal neuronal damage,and reduced body weight and blood glucose levels(P<0.01).More-over,oxidative stress was mitigated,as evidenced by decreased MDA and ROS levels(P<0.01)and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes,GSH-Px,SOD and CAT(P<0.01 or P<0.05).Meanwhile,ZFAS1 silencing down-regulated Bax and p-p38/p38 protein expression(P<0.01 or P<0.05)while up-regulating Bcl-2(P<0.01).Consistently,RT-qPCR confirmed significant down-regulation of ZFAS1 and caspase-3 mRNA levels(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:lncRNA ZFAS1 is highly expressed in the hippocampus of DE mice.Down-regulation of ZFAS1 expression enhances cognitive func-tion,suppresses oxidative stress,and inhibits neuronal apoptosis,thereby attenuating neural damage in DE.

AIM:To investigate whether melatonin can ameliorate acute myocardial infarction(AMI)by in-hibiting ferroptosis.METHODS:H9C2 cells were cultured in AnaeroPack system with low sugar and serum-free medium for 10 h to construct a cell model of AMI.Then cells were treated with melatonin and ferroptosis inducer erastin.The cell activity,reactive oxygen species(ROS),lipid peroxidation,mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP),and ferroptosis related protein expression were detected.A rat model of AMI induced by isoprenaline(ISO)injection was established to evaluate the effects of melatonin,in which the myocardial infarction size,cardiac injury,pathological changes,oxidative stress,iron ion and ferroptosis related protein expression were examined.RESULTS:Melatonin decreased the oxidative stress,lipid peroxidation and expression of ferroptosis protein in cardiomyocytes induced by hypoxia,but these effects could be impeded by the ferroptosis inducer erastin.Furthermore,in vivo experiments,we also found that melatonin im-proved the myocardial infarction size,cardiac injury,pathological changes,oxidative stress,and alleviated iron ion accu-mulation and ferroptosis.CONCLUSION:The cardioprotective effects of melatonin in AMI are associated with the inhi-bition of ferroptosis.