Purpose: Three-dimensional (3D)–printed models have been increasingly used in medical education, but most studies have focused on satisfaction or outcomes following isolated learning activities. This study aimed to explore students’ perceptions of learning, engagement, usability, and learning strategies after completing a series of neuroanatomy-related coloring activities using a low-cost 3D-printed model. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved Year 1 medical students at Duke-NUS Medical School. Students participated in 3 structured coloring activities using a modular 3D-printed brain model during a neuroanatomy session. An anonymous survey was administered 1 week after the third activity to assess students’ perceived learning value, engagement (behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and agentic), usability, and learning strategies using Likert-scale items and open-ended questions. Results: A total of 48 students completed the survey, and the instrument showed acceptable to high internal consistency. Students reported high perceived learning value, positive engagement across multiple domains during the coloring activity, and high usability of the model. Participation in the learning activities was associated with significantly higher behavioral and agentic engagement, perceived learning value, and greater use of learning strategies than non-participation. Overall, active manipulation and hands-on exploration were perceived as beneficial for learning. Conclusion Low-cost 3D-printed brain models may serve as valuable learning tools to complement existing anatomy teaching approaches when paired with well-designed learning activities. Students reported positive learning experiences and high engagement during the activities. These findings highlight the importance of sound pedagogical design and curriculum integration to maximize learning.

Objective To describe the clinical characteristics and nutritional management status of hospitalized elderly patients with multimorbidity in a tertiary hospital's geriatric center in 2024, and to analyze the correlation between nutritional status and hospitalization outcomes, thereby providing a basis for optimizing nutritional management pathways for this population. Methods A retrospective study was conducted, including 2 937 elderly patients with multimorbidity. Data on general information, clinical indicators, nutritional risk screening and assessment, nutritional therapy, and costs were collected for descriptive analysis. The relationship between nutritional status (based on BMI and serum albumin levels) and hospitalization outcomes was explored. Results The average age of the patients was (77.45±10.70) years, with 57.17% being male. The average number of chronic diseases diagnosed was (11.56±5.08) per patient, and 26.01% were critically ill. The nutritional risk screening rate was 80.40%, with a screening positivity rate of 33.44%. The nutritional assessment rate was 31.63%, and the malnutrition prevalence was 23.08%. The low BMI group had the longest median hospital stay [15 (9.75, 22) days] and the highest hospitalization costs [15 057.2 (8 980.48, 28 160.46) CNY]. Serum albumin levels were negatively correlated with hospital stay duration (rs=-0.276, P< 0.01) and hospitalization costs (rs=-0.276, P<0.01). Conclusion Hospitalized elderly patients with multimorbidity are characterized by multiple comorbidities and high healthcare resource consumption. While the nutritional risk screening rate is relatively high, there remains room for improvement in nutritional assessment and therapy. It is necessary to strengthen standardized management throughout the entire process. Nutritional status is a significant variable affecting hospital stay duration and costs, with poorer nutritional status significantly associated with prolonged hospitalization and higher costs, suggesting that it may be an important factor influencing hospitalization outcomes.

Background and Aims:As a core data source in the development of medical informatization,the front page of inpatient medical records plays a crucial role in determining the usability of research data and the scientific quality of clinical decision-making.Given the relatively standardized diagnostic and treatment protocols for thyroid malignancies,this disease serves as a representative model for evaluating the data quality of medical record front sheets.This study aimed to systematically assess the accuracy of diagnostic and surgical procedure coding for thyroid malignancies on the medical record front page,identify existing problems,and explore strategies for improvement and the potential for future application in clinical research.Methods:A total of 3 361 patients who underwent initial surgical treatment and were pathologically confirmed with thyroid cancer at the Department of Thyroid Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from January 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively included.Postoperative pathology reports and surgical records were used as reference standards to evaluate the accuracy of primary and secondary diagnosis codes,as well as primary and secondary surgical procedure codes on the medical record front page.Results:The accuracy rate of primary diagnosis coding reached 98.8%.However,among 1 368 patients with cervical lymph node metastasis,only 31.2%had correctly recorded secondary diagnosis codes and metastatic sites,with an omission rate as high as 67.8%.The overall accuracy rate for primary surgical procedure coding was 90.4%,with thyroid lobectomy(TL)and total thyroidectomy(TT)coding accuracies of 85.5%and 96.0%,respectively.Among the coding errors,70.0%involved TL procedures being incorrectly coded as TT.Secondary surgical procedure codes—mainly for lymph node dissection—were highly inconsistent,with up to 14 different coding types,reflecting a lack of standardization and unified input criteria.Notably,the error rate for primary surgical coding in 2020 increased significantly compared with the previous two years,suggesting subjectivity and variability in manual data entry.Conclusion:This study highlights major accuracy deficiencies in surgical procedure coding for thyroid malignancies on the medical record front page,which may compromise the scientific validity of real-world data.Going forward,leveraging artificial intelligence technologies to support structured documentation and automated coding,alongside establishing a proactive quality control system through multidisciplinary collaboration,may significantly improve data accuracy.These efforts are essential for strengthening data foundations for precision treatment,performance evaluation,insurance payment,and clinical research on thyroid cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Prunella vulgaris L. has long been used for liver protection according to traditional Chinese medicine theory and has been proven by modern pharmacological research to have multiple potential liver-protective effects. However, its effects on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are currently uncertain. Our study explores the effects of P. vulgaris polysaccharides on NASH and intestinal homeostasis. METHODS: An aqueous extract of the dried fruit spikes of P. vulgaris was precipitated in an 85% ethanol solution (PVE85) to extract crude polysaccharides from the herb. A choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined, high-fat diet (CDAHFD) was administrated to male C57BL/6 mice to establish a NASH animal model. After 4 weeks, the PVE85 group was orally administered PVE85 (200 mg/[kg·d]), while the control group and CDAHFD group were orally administered vehicle for 6 weeks. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and other methods were used to assess the impact of PVE85 on the liver in mice with NASH. 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis was employed to evaluate the gut microbiota abundance and diversity in each group to examine alterations at various taxonomic levels. RESULTS: PVE85 significantly reversed the course of NASH in mice. mRNA levels of inflammatory mediators associated with NASH and protein expression of hepatic nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) were significantly reduced after PVE85 treatment. Moreover, PVE85 attenuated the thickening and cross-linking of collagen fibres and inhibited the expression of fibrosis-related mRNAs in the livers of NASH mice. Intriguingly, PVE85 restored changes in the gut microbiota and improved intestinal barrier dysfunction induced by NASH by increasing the abundance of Actinobacteria and reducing the abundance of Proteobacteria at the phylum level. PVE85 had significant activity in reducing the relative abundance of Clostridiaceae at the family levels. PVE85 markedly enhanced the abundance of some beneficial micro-organisms at various taxonomic levels as well. Additionally, the physicochemical environment of the intestine was effectively improved, involving an increase in the density of intestinal villi, normalization of the intestinal pH, and improvement of intestinal permeability. CONCLUSION PVE85 can reduce hepatic lipid overaccumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis in an animal model of CDAHFD-induced NASH and improve the intestinal microbial composition and intestinal structure. Please cite this article as: Zhu MJ, Song YJ, Rao PL, Gu WY, Xu Y, Xu HX. Therapeutic role of Prunella vulgaris L. polysaccharides in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and gut dysbiosis. J Integr Med. 2025; 2025; 23(3): 297-308.
Animals ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/drug therapy* ; Male ; Dysbiosis/drug therapy* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Polysaccharides/therapeutic use* ; Prunella/chemistry* ; Mice ; Liver/metabolism* ; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Diet, High-Fat

Rice is the world's largest food crop, and its yield and quality are directly related to food security and human health. Grain size, as one of the important factors determining the rice yield, has been widely concerned by breeders and researchers for a long time. To decipher the regulatory mechanism of rice grain size, we obtained a multi-tiller, dwarf, and small-grain mutant htd1 by ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutation from the Japonica rice cultivar 'Zhonghua 11' ('ZH11'). Genetic analysis indicated that the phenotype of htd1 was controlled by a single recessive gene. Using the mutation site map (Mutmap) method, we identified the candidate gene OsHTD1, which encoded a carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase involved in the biosynthesis of strigolactone (SL). The SL content in htd1 was significantly lower than that in 'ZH11'. Cytological analysis showed that the grain size of the mutant decreased due to the reductions in the length and width of glume cells. The function of htd1 was further verified by the CRISPR/cas9 gene editing technology. The plants with the gene knockout exhibited similar grain size to the mutant. In addition, gene expression analysis showed that the expression levels of multiple grain size-related genes in the mutant changed significantly, suggesting that HTD1 may interact with other genes regulating grain size. This study provides a new theoretical basis for research on the regulatory mechanism of rice grain size and potential genetic resources for breeding the rice cultivars with high yields.
Oryza/growth & development* ; Mutation ; Edible Grain/growth & development* ; Alleles ; Plant Proteins/genetics* ; Dioxygenases/genetics* ; Lactones/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Genes, Plant ; Gene Editing ; CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Phenotype

Background and Aims:As a core data source in the development of medical informatization,the front page of inpatient medical records plays a crucial role in determining the usability of research data and the scientific quality of clinical decision-making.Given the relatively standardized diagnostic and treatment protocols for thyroid malignancies,this disease serves as a representative model for evaluating the data quality of medical record front sheets.This study aimed to systematically assess the accuracy of diagnostic and surgical procedure coding for thyroid malignancies on the medical record front page,identify existing problems,and explore strategies for improvement and the potential for future application in clinical research.Methods:A total of 3 361 patients who underwent initial surgical treatment and were pathologically confirmed with thyroid cancer at the Department of Thyroid Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from January 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively included.Postoperative pathology reports and surgical records were used as reference standards to evaluate the accuracy of primary and secondary diagnosis codes,as well as primary and secondary surgical procedure codes on the medical record front page.Results:The accuracy rate of primary diagnosis coding reached 98.8%.However,among 1 368 patients with cervical lymph node metastasis,only 31.2%had correctly recorded secondary diagnosis codes and metastatic sites,with an omission rate as high as 67.8%.The overall accuracy rate for primary surgical procedure coding was 90.4%,with thyroid lobectomy(TL)and total thyroidectomy(TT)coding accuracies of 85.5%and 96.0%,respectively.Among the coding errors,70.0%involved TL procedures being incorrectly coded as TT.Secondary surgical procedure codes—mainly for lymph node dissection—were highly inconsistent,with up to 14 different coding types,reflecting a lack of standardization and unified input criteria.Notably,the error rate for primary surgical coding in 2020 increased significantly compared with the previous two years,suggesting subjectivity and variability in manual data entry.Conclusion:This study highlights major accuracy deficiencies in surgical procedure coding for thyroid malignancies on the medical record front page,which may compromise the scientific validity of real-world data.Going forward,leveraging artificial intelligence technologies to support structured documentation and automated coding,alongside establishing a proactive quality control system through multidisciplinary collaboration,may significantly improve data accuracy.These efforts are essential for strengthening data foundations for precision treatment,performance evaluation,insurance payment,and clinical research on thyroid cancer.

Objective To develop a multimodal nomogram for predicting the risk of postoperative metastasis and recurrence in patients with stage Ⅱ colorectal cancer(CRC)who do not receive adjuvant therapy.Methods A total of 424 patients with stage Ⅱ CRC who underwent radical resection without adjuvant therapy at our institution between January 2016 and December 2021 were retrospectively enrolled.Clinicopathological characteristics[including T stage,carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)levels,and tumor differentiation],inflammatory markers(preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio),radiomic features(MRI texture entropy),and molecular biomarkers(KRAS mutation status)were collected.Radiologically confirmed metastasis or recurrence was defined as the primary endpoint.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent prognostic factors and construct a predictive nomogram.The model's discriminatory performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis.Internal validation was conducted via bootstrapping,and model calibration was evaluated using the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test.Decision curve analysis was applied to assess the clinical utility of the nomogram,and risk stratification was subsequently performed.Results Among the patients,104(24.53%)developed metastasis or recurrence within three years after surgery.Multivariate analysis revealed the following independent risk factors(all P<0.05):CEA>5 μg/L,moderate to poor differentiation,presence of lymphovascular invasion,perineural invasion,elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR),increased radiomic entropy,and KRAS mutation.The nomogram demonstrated strong predictive accuracy(AUC=0.870,95%CI:0.850～0.930),and the calibration curve indicated excellent agreement between predicted and observed outcomes.Following risk stratification,the recurrence rate was only 6.1%in the low-risk group,compared to 74.2%in the high-risk group(P<0.05).Conclusions This study develops a clinical-inflammatory-radiomic integrated prediction model specifically for stage Ⅱ colorectal cancer patients who do not receive adjuvant therapy.The model effectively identifies the risk of postoperative metastasis and recurrence,enabling the establishment of a risk stratification system to guide subsequent treatment decisions.

Acute pancreatitis(AP)is a common digestive disorder associated with moderate to high nutritional risks,necessitating timely nutritional support.Over the past five decades,medical nutrition therapy for AP has undergone a paradigm shift,transitioning from traditional fasting based on the"pancreatic rest theory"to the current emphasis on early enteral feeding to"awaken the gut."Currently,nutritional treatment has become a cornerstone of comprehensive AP management.The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism(ESPEN),founded in 1980,is a leading professional organization dedicated to advancing research,clinical practice,and education in clinical nutrition and metabolism.To date,ESPEN has published five evidence-based guidelines on nutritional management in pancreatic diseases.This article reviews the evolution of AP nutritional therapy as outlined in these ESPEN guidelines,highlighting key recommendations and their clinical implications.

Objective To explore whether the biopsy rate and the positive rate of biopsy during colonoscopy can serve as effective indicators for evaluating the diagnostic proficiency of endoscopists.Methods Total fifteen endoscopists from the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Military Medical University,Guiqian International General Hospital and No.958 Hospital of PLA Army were enrolled and served as the study subjects.According to their years of experience,gender and working hours,they were divided into a senior group(n=8)and a junior group(n=7),a male group(n=9)and a female group(n=6),and a morning period(08:00-12:00)and an afternoon period(13:00-18:00).The data of all patients examined by the aforementioned endoscopists between January 2023 and December 2023 were collected,including the basic demographics,colonoscopic results,biopsy outcomes and pathological diagnoses of the patients.ANOVA was used to analyze the differences in the biopsy rate and positive rate of biopsy existed among the endoscopists of different years of experience,gender and working at different periods(morning and afternoon).Additionally,multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the independent risk factors associated with positive rates of biopsy.Results The senior group had significantly lower biopsy rate[(5.73±0.81)%vs(6.89±0.97)%],but obviously higher positive rate of biopsy[(53.52±3.87)%vs(33.70±7.85)%]than the junior group(both P<0.01).The biopsy rate was notably higher during the morning working time period than the afternoon working time period in all the endoscopits[(6.76±1.11)%vs(5.53±1.57)%,P<0.05].Logistic regression analysis showed that the years of experience[(53.52±3.87)%vs(33.70±7.85)%,OR=92.187,95%CI:3.118～2 725.366,P<0.01)and working time[(48.35±10.50)%vs(37.80±10.65)%,OR=20.885,95%CI:1.266～344.602,P<0.05)were influencing factors for positive rate of biopsy.Conclusion The biopsy rate is low and positive rate of biopsy is high among the senior experienced endoscopists,while,opposite results are seen in the junior experienced clinicians,indicating correlation of biopsy rate and positive rate of biopsy with diagnostic proficiency of endoscopists.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of Yiqi Huoxue Prescription(derived from Shengyu Decoction)in the treatment of mild cervical spondylotic myelopathy(CSM)with qi deficiency and blood stasis type.Methods A total of 128 patients with mild CSM of qi deficiency and blood stasis type who admitted to Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine from January 2022 to January 2024 were randomly divided into the control group and the trial group according to the random number table method,with 64 cases in each group.The control group was treated with oral administration of Mecobalamin Tablets,and the trial group was treated with Yiqi Huoxue Prescription orally on the basis of treatment for the control group.The two groups were all treated for four weeks,and then were followed up for three months after the completion of treatment.The CSM scores of the Japanese Orthopedic Association(JOA)and the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores in the two groups were observed before treatment,after two weeks of treatment,after four weeks of treatment,and three months after the completion of treatment.And then the clinical efficacy,progression of CSM and the incidence of adverse reactions of the two groups were evaluated.Results(1)During the trial,two cases in the control group and three cases in the trial group fell off,and eventually a total of 123 cases were included,62 cases in the control group and 61 cases in the trial group.(2)Three months after the completion of treatment,the total effective rate of the trial group was 93.44%(57/61)and that of the control group was 82.26%(51/62),and the intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the efficacy of the trial group was significantly superior to that of the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).(3)After two and four weeks of treatment as well as three months after the completion of treatment,JOA scores in the two groups were increased compared with those before treatment(P<0.05),and JOA scores of the trial group at various time points mentioned above were higher than those of the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).(4)After two and four weeks of treatment as well as three months after the completion of treatment,TCM syndrome scores in the two groups were decreased compared with those before treatment(P<0.05),and TCM syndrome scores of the trial group at various time points mentioned above were lower than those of the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).(5)During the follow-up period,there was none case of significant aggravation or progression to moderate-severe illness in the two groups,and there were no adverse events such as allergies and gastrointestinal reactions.Conclusion Yiqi Huoxue Prescription exerts certain efficacy in treating patients with mild CSM of the qi deficiency and blood stasis type,and the treatment method is effective on improving the spinal cord function and symptoms of qi deficiency and blood stasis type,and slowing down the progression of disease in the patients,with high safety.