OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect and mechanism of bumetanide on lung injury in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） model rats. METHODS COPD rat model was induced by lipopolysaccharide， and they were randomly divided into model group （COPD group）， bumetanide low-dose and high-dose groups （Bumetanide-L group， Bumetanide-H group）， bumetanide high-dose+Yes-associated protein/transcriptional coactivator containing PDZ-binding motif （YAP/TAZ） signaling pathway activator group （Bumetanide-H+PY-60 group）， with 12 rats in each group. Another 12 normal rats were selected as normal control group （Control group）. Thirty minutes before modeling， bumetanide/normal saline was inhaled or/and PY-60/ normal saline was injected into the tail vein. On the next day after the completion of modeling and drug administration， the pulmonary function index of the rats in each group was measured [forced expiratory volume in 0.3 seconds （FEV0.3）， forced vital capacity （FVC）， peak expiratory flow （PEF）， FEV0.3/FVC]. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6） and IL-1β in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF） were determined； the pathological morphology of lung tissue and degree of pulmonary fibrosis were observed. The expression levels of transforming growth factor- β （TGF- β）， α -smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） and TAZ protein as well as the phosphorylation of YAP protein in lung tissues were detected. RESULTS Compared with COPD group， the pathological injury of lung tissue in Bumetanide-L and Bumetanide-H groups was alleviated； the exfoliation of lung epithelial cells， tube wall thickening and the degree of pulmonary fibrosis were alleviated； inflammatory cell infiltration was reduced， and blue collagen deposition was reduced； FEV0.3， FVC， FEV0.3/FVC and PEF were significantly increased， while the lung injury score， levels of TNF-α， IL-6， IL-1β， expression levels of TGF-β， α-SMA and TAZ protein and the phosphorylation of YAP protein were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. PY-60 could significantly reverse the improvement effects of bumetanide on above indexes （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Bumetanide can alleviate lung injury， inflammatory response and pulmonary fibrosis in COPD rats， and its mechanism is related to inhibiting YAP/TAZ signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the safety and effectiveness of normal saline as a hydrodissection band versus sodium hyaluronate and biopolysaccharide mixture as a modified hydrodissection band in microwave ablation (MWA) for benign thyroid nodules. Methods A total of 196 patients with 245 benign thyroid nodules(maximum diameter ≥20 mm) treated at Shanghai Ruijin Rehabilitation Hospital from August 2018 to February 2022 were enrolled. Patients were divided into control group (n=114): MWA using normal saline as the hydrodissection fluid; modified group (n=131): MWA using sodium hyaluronate and biopolysaccharide mixture as the hydrodissection fluid. A hydrodissection band (about 10 mm wide) was established before MWA. Intraoperative hydrodissection fluid absorption time was recorded. At the 12-month follow-up endpoint, complications were assessed, and changes in nodule volume (volume reduction rate, VRR) were evaluated. Results The complication rate was significantly lower in the modified group (1.9% vs.14.0%, P<0.05). 92.3% of complications in the control group were thermal injury-related, while no thermal injuries occurred in the modified group. Hydrodissection fluid absorption time was significantly prolonged in the modified group [(15.2±1.6) min vs. (11.0±2.3) min, P<0.05].No significant difference was observed in overall treatment efficacy (nodule VVR) between two groups (95.4% vs. 96.5%, P>0.05). Conclusions The sodium hyaluronate and biopolysaccharide mixture demonstrates prolonged retention time and superior thermal insulation as an hydrodissection fluid in MWA. It reduces adhesion risks and complications such as hoarseness, dysphagia, and thermal injury, thereby enhancing procedural safety and postoperative recovery. MWA is an effective treatment for benign thyroid nodules.

Objective:To discuss the anti-tumor effect of low dose of methotrexate(MTX)combined with sorafenib(SFN)on the human osteosarcoma(OS),and to clarify the possible mechanism.Methods:Four types of human OS cells(143B cells,HOS cells,U2OS cells,and MG63 cells)were cultured in vitro.Western blotting method was used to detect the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2(VEGFR2)proteins in the above four kinds of cells.The human OS xenograft model was established in the nude mice,and 20 successfully modeled BALB/C nude mice were randomly divided into control group(given 2％dimethyl sulfoxide+98％corn oil),low dose of MTX group(given 2 mng·kg-1 MTX),SFN group(given 15 mng·kg-1 SFN),and combined drug group(given 2 mng·kg-1 MTX+15 mng·kg-1 SFN);there were 5 mice in each group.The tumor volumes of the mice in various groups were detected and tumor growth curves were plotted;HE staining was used to observe the morphology of tumor tissue of the mice in various groups;immunohistochemistry was used to detect the positive expression rates of VEGFR2,proliferation marker Ki-67,and hypoxia-inducible factor-1(HIF-1)proteins in tumor tissue of the mice in various groups.The human OS 143B cells were divided into 0,0.125,0.250,0.500,1.000,2.000,and 4.000 μmol·L-1 MTX groups(given 0,0.125,0.250,0.500,1.000,2.000,and 4.000 μmol·L-1 MTX,respectively).CCK-8 method was used to detect the proliferation rates of the 143B cells in various groups,and half inhibityory concentration(IC50)was calculated;the concentration of MTX that had no effect on 143B cell survival was selected as low dose of MTX.The human OS 143B cells were divided into control and low dose of MTX groups(given 0 and 0.250 μmol·L-1 MTX).ELISA method was used to detect the levels of VEGF in the 143B cells in various groups.Results:Compared with 143B cells,the expression levels of VEGF and VEGFR2 proteins in the HOS cells,U2OS cells,and MG63 cells were significantly increased(P＜0.001).In the xenograft model,compared with control group,the tumor volumes of the mice in SFN group,and combined drug group were decreased(P＜0.001);compared with low dose of MTX group and SFN group,the tumor volume of the mice in combined drug group was decreased(P＜0.01).The immunohistochemical results showed that compared with control group,the positive expression rates of Ki-67,VEGFR2,and HIF-1 proteins in tumor tissue of the mice in combined drug group were significantly decreased(P＜0.05).The CCK-8 results showed that there was no change in the proliferation of the 143B cells treated with 0.25 μmol·L-1 MTX.The ELISA results showed that compared with control group,the level of VEGF in the 143B cells in MTX group was signyicantly decreased(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Low dose of MTX enhances the anti-tumor effect of SFN on the human OS,which may be due to the inhibition of VEGF secretion by the OS cells,thereby enhancing the anti-tumor effect of SFN on the human OS.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristic and genetic variants of children with carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2(CPT2)deficiency.Methods:The clinical and genetic data of 6 children with CPT2 deficiency were retrospectively analyzed.The blood acylcarnitines and genetic variants were detected with tandem mass spectrometry and whole-exon gene sequencing,respectively.Results:There were 4 males and 2 females with a mean age of 32 months(15 d-9 years)at diagnosis.One case was asymptomatic and with normal laboratory test results,2 had delayed onset,and 3 were of infantile type.Three cases were diagnosed at neonatal screening,and 3 cases presented with clinical manifestations of fever,muscle weakness,and increased muscle enzymes.Five children presented with decreased free carnitine and elevated levels of palmitoyl and octadecenoyl carnitines.CPT2 gene variants were detected at 8 loci in 6 children(4 harboring biallelic mutations and 2 harboring single locus mutations),including 3 known variants(p.R631C,p.T589M,and p.D255G)and 5 newly reported variants(p.F352L,p.R498L,p.F434S,p.A515P,and c.153-2A>G).It was predicted by PolyPhen2 and SIFT software that c.153-2A>G and p.F352L were suspected pathogenic variants,while p.R498L,p.F434S and p.A515P were variants of unknown clinical significance.Conclusions:The clinical phenotypes of CPT2 deficiency are diverse.An early diagnosis can be facilitated by neonatal blood tandem mass spectrometry screening and genetic testing,and most patients have good prognosis after a timely diagnosis and treatment.

Digital intraoral scanning is a hot topic in the field of oral digital technology.In recent years,digital intra-oral scanning has gradually become the mainstream technology in orthodontics,prosthodontics,and implant dentistry.The precision of digital intraoral scanning and the accuracy and stitching of data collection are the keys to the success of the impression.However,the operators are less familiar with the intraoral scanning characteristics,imaging process-ing,operator scanning method,oral tissue specificity of the scanned object,and restoration design.Thus far,no unified standard and consensus on digital intraoral scanning technology has been achieved at home or abroad.To deal with the problems encountered in oral scanning and improve the quality of digital scanning,we collected common expert opin-ions and sought to expound the causes of scanning errors and countermeasures by summarizing the existing evidence.We also describe the scanning strategies under different oral impression requirements.The expert consensus is that due to various factors affecting the accuracy of digital intraoral scanning and the reproducibility of scanned images,adopting the correct scanning trajectory can shorten clinical operation time and improve scanning accuracy.The scanning trajec-tories mainly include the E-shaped,segmented,and S-shaped methods.When performing fixed denture restoration,it is recommended to first scan the abutment and adjacent teeth.When performing fixed denture restoration,it is recommend-ed to scan the abutment and adjacent teeth first.Then the cavity in the abutment area is excavated.Lastly,the cavity gap was scanned after completing the abutment preparation.This method not only meets clinical needs but also achieves the most reliable accuracy.When performing full denture restoration in edentulous jaws,setting markers on the mucosal tissue at the bottom of the alveolar ridge,simultaneously capturing images of the vestibular area,using different types of scanning paths such as Z-shaped,S-shaped,buccal-palatal and palatal-buccal pathways,segmented scanning of dental arches,and other strategies can reduce scanning errors and improve image stitching and overlap.For implant restora-tion,when a single crown restoration is supported by implants and a small span upper structure restoration,it is recom-mended to first pre-scan the required dental arch.Then the cavity in the abutment area is excavated.Lastly,scanning the cavity gap after installing the implant scanning rod.When repairing a bone level implant crown,an improved indi-rect scanning method can be used.The scanning process includes three steps:First,the temporary restoration,adjacent teeth,and gingival tissue in the mouth are scanned;second,the entire dental arch is scanned after installing a standard scanning rod on the implant;and third,the temporary restoration outside the mouth is scanned to obtain the three-di-mensional shape of the gingival contour of the implant neck,thereby increasing the stability of soft tissue scanning around the implant and improving scanning restoration.For dental implant fixed bridge repair with missing teeth,the mobility of the mucosa increases the difficulty of scanning,making it difficult for scanners to distinguish scanning rods of the same shape and size,which can easily cause image stacking errors.Higher accuracy of digital implant impres-sions can be achieved by changing the geometric shape of the scanning rods to change the optical curvature radius.The consensus confirms that as the range of scanned dental arches and the number of data concatenations increases,the scanning accuracy decreases accordingly,especially when performing full mouth implant restoration impressions.The difficulty of image stitching processing can easily be increased by the presence of unstable and uneven mucosal mor-phology inside the mouth and the lack of relatively obvious and fixed reference objects,which results in insufficient ac-curacy.When designing restorations of this type,it is advisable to carefully choose digital intraoral scanning methods to obtain model data.It is not recommended to use digital impressions when there are more than five missing teeth.

Objective To analyze the effect of circLRP6 on high glucose-induced renal tubular epithelial cell injury via miR-31-5p/high mobility group protein A1(HMGA1)axis regulation.Methods Human renal tubular epithelial HK-2 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into eight groups:control,high glucose,high glucose+si-NC,high glucose+si-circLRP6,high glucose+si-circLRP6+miR-NC,high glucose+si-circLRP6+miR-31-5p inhibitor,high glucose+si-circLRP6+miR-31-5p inhibitor+si-NC,and high glucose+si-circ-LRP6+ miR-31-5p inhibitor+si-HMGA1.The circLRP6,miR-31-5p,and HMGA1 mRNA levels were determined using real-time quantitative PCR.Cell supernatant IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)levels,lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)activity,and malondialdehyde(MDA)content were also determined.Furthermore,flow cytometry was used to observe cell apoptosis.HMGA1,Bax,and Bcl-2 protein expression was detected by Western blotting.Finally,dual luciferase assay was used to report the targeting relationship of miR-31-5p with circLRP6 and HMGA1.Results Compared with the high glucose group,the HK-2 cell proliferation inhibition rate;cell superserum IL-6,TNF-α,LDH,and MDA levels;apoptosis rate;and Bax protein expression in the high glucose+si-circLRP6 group decreased significantly,whereas Bcl-2 protein expression increased significantly(all P＜0.05).Consequently,miR-31-5p downregulation possibly weakened the protective effect of si-circLRP6 on high glucose-induced renal tubular epithelial cell injury.HMGA1 expression inhibition reversed the effect of the si-circLRP6+miR-31-5p inhibitor on high glucose-induced renal tubular epithelial cell injury.Finally,miR-31-5p exhibited a targeting relationship with circLRP6 and HMGA1.Conclusion Si-circLRP6 protects high glucose-induced renal tubular epithelial cell injury via miR-31-5p upregulation and HMGA1 expression inhibition.

Objective:To analyze regional differences in MMACHC gene variations among patients with cblC-type methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) in China and to explore the relationship between these variations and neonatal screening, biochemical markers and prognosis.Methods:Retrospective case summary. Clinical and laboratory data, including general condition, biochemical markers and genetic analysis, were collected from 1 859 cblC MMA patients from 2005 to 2023. Patients were divided into 7 groups according to their regions: north China, northeast China, east China, central China, south China, southwest China and northwest China. They were also classified into neonatal screening and non-neonatal screening groups. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare biochemical marker levels. In contrast, the Chi-square test was applied to compare MMACHC gene variant frequencies, neonatal screening proportion, onset age and prognosis between groups. Results:Among 1 859 cases of cblC MMA, 1 019 were male and 840 were female, with a consultation age of 1.0 (0.1, 5.0) month. A total of 1 787 cases carried compound heterozygous or homozygous variants and only 1 variant site was identified in 72 cases. The 10 most frequent variants were c.609G>A (1 238 cases), c.658_660delAAG (343 cases), c.80A>G (284 cases), c.482G>A (239 cases), c.567dupT (191 cases), c.656_658delAGA (131 cases), c.217C>T (109 cases), c.394C>T (105 cases), c.445_446delTG (51 cases) and c.1A>G (50 cases). The frequency of the c.609G>A was the lowest in northwest China (28.8% (44/154), χ2=-18.42, P<0.05). The frequency of the c.567dupT was the most common in southwest China (25.0% (20/80), χ2=71.70, P<0.001) and c.656_658delAGA had the highest frequency in northeast China (9.3% (19/205), χ2=32.08, P<0.001). Non-missense variants (91.2% (62/68), 88.5% (46/52)) and early-onset patients (90.0% (36/40), 94.4% (34/36)) were both more prevalent in southwest and south China ( χ2=14.95, 31.69, both P<0.05). The proportion of neonatal screening was the lowest in south China (22.2% (8/36), χ2=98.48, P<0.05), where the mortality rate was the highest (19.1% (4/21), χ2=38.98, P<0.001). East China exhibited the highest frequency of missense variants (21.5% (339/1 579)), the highest proportion of patients identified through neonatal screening (54.5% (465/853)), and a more significant proportion of patients with good prognosis (36.6% (227/621), χ2=14.57, 93.49, 38.98, all P<0.05). In addition, the c.482G>A variant was more frequent in patients diagnosed by neonatal screening compared to those diagnosed by other methods (8.3% (132/1 586) vs. 5.9% (122/2 060), χ2=7.97, P<0.05). Conclusions:The frequency of MMACHC gene variation varies across different regions. The c.609G>A was least frequent in northwest China, c.567dupT was most common in southwest China, and c.656_658delAGA was most prevalent in northeast China. South China had the lowest neonatal screening rate and the highest mortality. At the same time, east China exhibited the highest frequency of missense variants, the highest proportion of patients identified through neonatal screening and the best prognosis. The c.482G>A variant was more frequent in patients diagnosed by neonatal screening compared to those diagnosed by other methods.

Objective:To analyze the image characteristics of gastrointestinal stromal tumor(GIST) and leiomyoma under white-light endoscopy and ultrasound endoscopy, so as to establish a nomogram model and to validate its performance.Methods:From August 1, 2019, to December 1, 2022, the clinical data of 224 patients with GIST or leiomyoma who underwent endoscopic ultrasound examination at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were retrospectively analyzed. The 224 patients were divided into the modeling group of 145 cases (78 cases of GIST and 67 cases of leiomyoma), and the validation group of 79 cases (41 cases of GIST and 38 cases of leiomyoma). The basic data of patients, parameters of white-light endoscopy and ultrasound endoscopy were screened to establish a binary logistic regression model and draw a nomogram. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was drawn, and the area under the curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the model, and calibration curve was used to evaluate the consistency of predicted and observed probabilities. The model′s performance was compared with the diagnostic results of junior physicians (attending physicians) and senior physicians (associated chief physician). Decision curve analysis (DCA) was performed to evaluate the net benefit of the model. Independent sample t-test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results:Under white-light endoscopy, there were statistically significant differences in the lesion locations (esophagus: 0 vs. 56.7% (38/67); cardia: 11.5% (9/78) vs. 13.4% (9/67); gastric: 88.5% (69/78) vs. 29.9% (20/67)) and tumor morphyology (spherical or spheroid: 80.8% (63/78) vs. 28.4% (19/67); shuttle: 19.2% (15/78) vs. 71.6% (48/67)) between GIST and leiomyoma in the modeling group ( χ2=64.51 and 46.37, both P<0.001). Under ultrasound endoscopy, the proportion of patients with GIST whose lesions originated from the muscularis propria layer, with indistinct borders and with internal hyperechoic area were all higher than those of patients with leiomyoma (96.2% (75/78) vs. 62.7% (42/67); 53.8% (42/78) vs. 13.4% (9/67); 35.9% (28/78) vs. 10.4% (7/67)), and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=25.91, 25.82 and 12.75, all P<0.001). Based on the logistic regression model, a nomogram model was established with age, tumor morphology, lesion origin, boundary clarity, and hyperechoic foci as predictive indicators. In the modeling group, the accuracy of nomogram model in the diagnosis of GIST and leiomyoma was 89.7% and 83.6%, respectively. In the validation group, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in GIST and leiomyoma diagnosis of the nomogram model and senior physicians were all higher than those of junior physicians in differentiating GIST from leiomyoma (90.2%, 87.8% vs. 82.9%; 81.6%, 84.2% vs. 78.9%; 86.1%, 86.1% vs. 81.0%, respectively), and the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the nomogram model were equal to those of senior physicians in differentiating GIST from leiomyoma. The AUCs of the nomogram model in the modeling group and validation group were 0.932 (95% confidence interval 0.891 to 0.974) and 0.916 (95% confidence interval 0.854 to 0.978), respectively. The calibration curves of the model indicated that the consistency between the predicted probabilities and observed probabilities was good, and DCA suggested good clinical net benefits of the model. Conclusion:The model exhibits good test efficiency, discrimination, prediction consistency and clinical net benefit when age, tumor morphology, lesion origin, boundary clarity, and hyperechoic foci are selected as indicators.

Objective:To investigate the effects of breast milk to total milk intake ratio during hospitalization on the duration of antibiotic therapy in preterm infants less than 34 weeks of gestation.Methods:Clinical data of preterm infants ( n=1 792) less than 34 gestational weeks were retrospectively collected in 16 hospitals of Jiangsu Province Neonatal-Perinatal Cooperation Network from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021. The days of therapy (DOT) were used to evaluate the duration of antibiotic administration. The median DOT was 15.0 d (7.0-27.0 d). The patients were divided into four groups based on the quartiles of DOT: Q 1 (DOT≤7.0 d), Q 2 (7.0 d27.0 d) groups. According to the breast milk intake ratio (breast milk intake to total milk intake during hospitalization×100%), they were also divided into four groups: very-low-ratio breastfeeding group (breast milk intake ratio≤25%), low-ratio breastfeeding group (25%75%). Univariate analysis ( Chi-square test and Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum test) was used to analyze the factors influencing DOT. Spearman correlation analysis and trend Chi-square test were used to explore the relationship between breast milk intake ratio and DOT. After using multiple imputations to address missing data, two models were constructed after adjusting for different factors, and multinomial logistic regression model was applied to evaluate the effects of the breast milk intake ratio on DOT. Finally, sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the stability of the models. Results:(1) Of the 1 792 preterm infants, there were 507 (28.3%) in the Q 1 group, 422 (23.5%) in the Q 2 group, 438 (24.4%) in the Q 3 group and 425 (23.7%) in the Q 4 group. (2) The median values of DOT in the very-low-ratio, low-ratio, medium-ratio and high-ratio breastfeeding groups were 20.0 d (11.0-31.0 d), 20.0 d (11.0-32.0 d), 13.0 d (6.0-25.8 d) and 10.0 d (4.0-21.0 d), respectively. Compared with the very-low-ratio and low-ratio breastfeeding groups, the medium-ratio and high-ratio breastfeeding groups had shorter DOT (all P<0.05). (3) After adjusting for factors with P<0.1 (prenatal glucocorticoid exposure, antimicrobial use within 24 h before delivery, gestational age at delivery, birth weight, Apgar score≤7 at 1 min, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, infectious pneumonia and early-onset neonatal sepsis) between the DOT quartile groups, it showed that medium-ratio and high-ratio breastfeeding were protective factors in contrast to very-low-ratio breastfeeding in the Q 2, Q 3 and Q 4 groups as compared with the Q 1 group [Q 2 group: OR=0.50 (95% CI: 0.30-0.85) and OR=0.36 (95% CI: 0.26-0.51); Q 3 group: OR=0.31 (95% CI: 0.18-0.55) and OR=0.20 (95% CI: 0.14-0.29); Q 4 group: OR=0.22 (95% CI: 0.12-0.42) and OR=0.17 (95% CI: 0.12-0.26)]. Conclusion:Breast milk intake accounting for over 50% of total milk intake has a positive impact on reducing DOT in premature infants requiring antibiotics, which suggests that breastfeeding should be actively encouraged.