ObjectiveTo study on the different therapeutic effects and potential mechanisms of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma（RH） before and after steaming with wine on constipation model mice. MethodsFifty-four male ICR mice were randomly divided into control group， model group， lactulose group（1.5 mg·kg^-1）， high， medium and low dose groups of RH and RH steaming with wine（PRH）（8， 4， 1 g·kg^-1）. Except for the control group， the constipation model was replicated by gavage of loperamide hydrochloride（6 mg·kg^-1） in the other groups. After 2 weeks of modeling， each administration group was gavaged with the corresponding dose of drug solution， and the control and model groups were given an equal volume of normal saline， 1 time/d for 2 consecutive weeks. After administration， the feces were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing， the levels of gastrin（GAS）， motilin（MTL）， interleukin-6（IL-6）， γ-interferon（IFN-γ） in the colonic tissue were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）， the histopathological changes of colon were observed by hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining， flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion changes of CD4⁺， CD8⁺ and regulatory T cell（Treg） in peripheral blood. ResultsCompared with the control group， the model group showed significantly decrease in fecal number in 24 h， fecal quality and fecal water rate（P<0.01）， the colon was seen to have necrotic shedding of mucosal epithelium， localized intestinal glands in the lamina propria were degenerated， necrotic and atrophied， a few lymphocytes were seen to infiltrate in the necrotic area in a scattered manner， the contents of GAS and MTL， the proportions of CD4⁺， CD8⁺ and Treg were significantly reduced（P<0.01）， the contents of IL-6 and IFN-γ were significantly elevated（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the fecal number in 24 h， fecal quality and fecal water rate of high-dose groups of RH and PRH were significantly increased（P<0.05， P<0.01）， the pathological damage of the colon was alleviated to varying degrees， the contents of GAS， MTL， IL-6 and IFN-γ were significantly regressed（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the proportions of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ were significantly increased（P<0.01）， although the proportion of Treg showed an upward trend， there was no significant difference. In addition， the results of intestinal flora showed that the number of amplicon sequence variant（ASV） and Alpha diversity were decreased in the model group compared with the control group， and there was a significant difference in Beta diversity， with a decrease in the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and an increase in the relative abundances of Bacillus and Helicobacter. Compared with the model group， the ASV number and Alpha diversity were increased in the high-dose groups of RH and PRH， and there was a trend of regression of Beta diversity to the control group， the relative abundance of Lactobacillus increased， and the relative abundances of Bacillus and Helicobacter decreased. ConclusionRH and PRH can improve dysbacteriosis， promote immune system activation， inhibit the release of inflammatory factors for enhancing the gastrointestinal function， which may be one of the potential mechanisms of their therapeutic effect on constipation.

Objective To reveal the scientific output and trends in pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer prediction models. Methods Publications on predictive models of pulmonary nodules/early lung cancer between January 1, 2002 and June 3, 2023 were retrieved and extracted from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and Web of Science database. CiteSpace 6.1.R3 and VOSviewer 1.6.18 were used to analyze the hotspots and theme trends. Results A marked increase in the number of publications related to pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer prediction models was observed. A total of 12581 authors from 2711 institutions in 64 countries/regions published 2139 documents in 566 academic journals in English. A total of 282 articles from 1256 authors were published in 176 journals in Chinese. The Chinese and English journals which published the most pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer prediction model-related papers were Journal of Clinical Radiology and Frontiers in Oncology, respectively. Chest was the most frequently cited journal. China and the United States were the leading countries in the field of pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer prediction models. The institutions represented by Fudan University had significant academic influence in the field. Analysis of keywords revealed that multi-omics, nomogram, machine learning and artificial intelligence were the current focus of research. Conclusion Over the last two decades, research on risk-prediction models for pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer has attracted increasing attention. Prognosis, machine learning, artificial intelligence, nomogram, and multi-omics technologies are both current hotspots and future trends in this field. In the future, in-depth explorations using different omics should increase the sensitivity and accuracy of pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer prediction models. More high-quality future studies should be conducted to validate the efficacy and safety of pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer prediction models further and reduce the global burden of lung cancer.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a congenital malformation resulting from abnormal embryonic development of the heart and great vessels, accounting for approximately 25% of all congenital malformations. Children with CHD are often complicated by short stature. Although surgical treatment can improve their growth and development to a certain extent, some children still experience growth retardation after surgery. Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) is the main drug for treating short stature, but its efficacy and safety in the treatment of patients with concomitant CHD warrant further investigation. This article reports six cases of children with CHD and short stature who were treated with rhGH. Through a literature review, we summarize and discuss the therapeutic efficacy, follow-up experiences, and adverse reactions of rhGH treatment, aiming to provide references for clinicians in applying rhGH to treat patients with CHD and short stature.

Objective To analyze the differences in distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome elements and salivary microbiota between the individuals with pulmonary nodules and those without, and to explore the potential correlation between the distribution of TCM syndrome elements and salivary microbiota in patients with pulmonary nodules. Methods We retrospectively recruited 173 patients with pulmonary nodules (PN) and 40 healthy controls (HC). The four diagnostic information was collected from all participants, and syndrome differentiation method was used to analyze the distribution of TCM syndrome elements in both groups. Saliva samples were obtained from the subjects for 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing to obtain differential microbiota and to explore the correlation between TCM syndrome elements and salivary microbiota in the evolution of the pulmonary nodule disease. Results The study found that in the PN group, the primary TCM syndrome elements related to disease location were the lung and liver, and the primary TCM syndrome elements related to disease nature were yin deficiency and phlegm. In the HC group, the primary TCM syndrome elements related to disease location were the lung and spleen, and the primary TCM syndrome elements related to disease nature were dampness and qi deficiency. There were differences between the two groups in the distribution of TCM syndrome elements related to disease location (lung, liver, kidney, exterior, heart) and disease nature (yin deficiency, phlegm, qi stagnation, qi deficiency, dampness, blood deficiency, heat, blood stasis) (P<0.05). The species abundance of the salivary microbiota was higher in the PN group than that in the HC group (P<0.05), and there was significant difference in community composition between the two groups (P<0.05). Correlation analysis using multiple methods, including Mantel test network heatmap analysis and Spearman correlation analysis and so on, the results showed that in the PN group, Prevotella and Porphyromonas were positively correlated with disease location in the lung, and Porphyromonas and Granulicatella were positively correlated with disease nature in yin deficiency (P<0.05). Conclusion The study concludes that there are notable differences in the distribution of TCM syndrome elements and the species abundance and composition of salivary microbiota between the patients with pulmonary nodules and the healthy individuals. The distinct external syndrome manifestations in patients with pulmonary nodules, compared to healthy individuals, may be a cascade event triggered by changes in the salivary microbiota. The dual correlation of Porphyromonas with both disease location and nature suggests that changes in its abundance may serve as an objective indicator for the improvement of symptoms in patients with yin deficiency-type pulmonary nodules.

ObjectiveTransfer RNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are a recently characterized and rapidly expanding class of small non-coding RNAs, typically ranging from 13 to 50 nucleotides in length. They are derived from mature or precursor tRNA molecules through specific cleavage events and have been implicated in a wide range of cellular processes. Increasing evidence indicates that tRFs play important regulatory roles in gene expression, primarily by interacting with target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) to induce transcript degradation, in a manner partially analogous to microRNAs (miRNAs). However, despite their emerging biological relevance and potential roles in disease mechanisms, there remains a significant lack of computational tools capable of systematically predicting the interaction landscape between tRFs and their target mRNAs. Existing databases often rely on limited interaction features and lack the flexibility to accommodate novel or user-defined tRF sequences. The primary goal of this study was to develop a machine learning based prediction algorithm that enables high-throughput, accurate identification of tRF:mRNA binding events, thereby facilitating the functional analysis of tRF regulatory networks. MethodsWe began by assembling a manually curated dataset of 38 687 experimentally verified tRF:mRNA interaction pairs and extracting seven biologically informed features for each pair: (1) AU content of the binding site, (2) site pairing status, (3) binding region location, (4) number of binding sites per mRNA, (5) length of the longest consecutive complementary stretch, (6) total binding region length, and (7) seed sequence complementarity. Using this dataset and feature set, we trained 4 distinct machine learning classifiers—logistic regression, random forest, decision tree, and a multilayer perceptron (MLP)—to compare their ability to discriminate true interactions from non-interactions. Each model’s performance was evaluated using overall accuracy, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the corresponding area under the ROC curve (AUC). The MLP consistently achieved the highest AUC among the four, and was therefore selected as the backbone of our prediction framework, which we named tRF Prospect. For biological validation, we retrieved 3 high-throughput RNA-seq datasets from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) in which individual tRFs were overexpressed: AS-tDR-007333 (GSE184690), tRF-3004b (GSE197091), and tRF-20-S998LO9D (GSE208381). Differential expression analysis of each dataset identified genes downregulated upon tRF overexpression, which we designated as putative targets. We then compared the predictions generated by tRF Prospect against those from three established tools—tRFTar, tRForest, and tRFTarget—by quantifying the number of predicted targets for each tRF and assessing concordance with the experimentally derived gene sets. ResultsThe proposed algorithm achieved high predictive accuracy, with an AUC of 0.934. Functional validation was conducted using transcriptome-wide RNA-seq datasets from cells overexpressing specific tRFs, confirming the model’s ability to accurately predict biologically relevant downregulation of mRNA targets. When benchmarked against established tools such as tRFTar, tRForest, and tRFTarget, tRF Prospect consistently demonstrated superior performance, both in terms of predictive precision and sensitivity, as well as in identifying a higher number of true-positive interactions. Moreover, unlike static databases that are limited to precomputed results, tRF Prospect supports real-time prediction for any user-defined tRF sequence, enhancing its applicability in exploratory and hypothesis-driven research. ConclusionThis study introduces tRF Prospect as a powerful and flexible computational tool for investigating tRF:mRNA interactions. By leveraging the predictive strength of deep learning and incorporating a broad spectrum of interaction-relevant features, it addresses key limitations of existing platforms. Specifically, tRF Prospect: (1) expands the range of detectable tRF and target types; (2) improves prediction accuracy through multilayer perceptron model; and (3) allows for dynamic, user-driven analysis beyond database constraints. Although the current version emphasizes miRNA-like repression mechanisms and faces challenges in accurately capturing 5'UTR-associated binding events, it nonetheless provides a critical foundation for future studies aiming to unravel the complex roles of tRFs in gene regulation, cellular function, and disease pathogenesis.

ObjectiveTo assess the level of health literacy and its influencing factors among middle school students aged 12‒18 years in Jing’an District, Shanghai, so as to provide a solid scientific foundation for further developing more targeted intervention measures. MethodsA stratified cluster random sampling method was used to randomly select 4 middle schools in Jing’an District, Shanghai from November to December 2023, and conducted a health literacy questionnaire survey on non-graduating middle and high school students, respectively. The2023 Survey on the Status of Health Literacy among Middle School Students in Jing’an District, Shanghai was adopted, which consisted of two parts: health literacy and basic information. Health literacy was divided into three dimensions: health knowledge and concept literacy, healthy lifestyle and behavior literacy, and health skill literacy. Three dimensions could be categorized into six types of health literacy issue: scientific health literacy, infectious disease prevention and control literacy, chronic disease prevention and control literacy, safety and first aid literacy, basic health literacy, and health information literacy. ResultsA total of 1 161 middle school students were enrolled into this study, including 571 males and 570 females. The overall health literacy level of middle school students was 33.51%, with 34.81% among middle school students and 31.69% among high school students, respectively. Results of logistic regression analysis showed that health knowledge acquisition and awareness, as well as application frequency of health knowledge, were the influencing factors for the overall health literacy level among middle school students (P<0.05). The degree of family attention to health maintenance, health knowledge acquisition and awareness, and application frequency of health knowledge were the main influencing factors for the three dimensions and literacy of six types of health issues among middle school students (P<0.05). ConclusionThe levels of different types of health literacy among middle school students in Jing’an District are uneven, with the highest being safety and first aid literacy and the lowest being basic health literacy. It is recommended to take targeted measures to comprehensively improve the health literacy level of middle school students.

Objective To investigate the effect of paeoniflorin on aerobic glycolysis of macrophages induced by resiquimod.Methods THP-1 cells were treated with phorbol ester(PM A)to differentiate into macrophages.The cells were divided into control group,model group and low,medium,high dose experimental group.The cells in the control group were cultured normally;in the model group,2 μg·mL-1 resiquimod was used to stimulate macrophages for 24 h to induce aerobic glycolysis.The low,medium and high dose experimental groups were treated with 1,10 and 100 μmol·L-1 paeoniflorin for 24 h on the basis of the model group.Cell activity was detected by cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)method.Lactate and glucose determination kit were used to detect lactate secretion and glucose consumption of cells in each group.The protein and mRNA expression levels of(PKM2)and(LDHA)were detected by Western blot and real-time fluorescence quantitative polynucleotide chain reaction(q-PCR)respectively.Immunofluorescence method was used to compare the fluorescence intensity of PKM2 in each group.Results After 24 h stimulation of THP-1 cells with 2 μg·mL-1 resiquimod,the glucose contents in cell culture supernatants of control group,model group and low,medium and high dose experimental groups were(14.70±0.44),(9.83±0.43),(10.68±0.29),(11.79±0.33)and(13.63±0.74)mmol·L-1;the lactate secreted by cells were(6.17±0.48),(11.94±0.55),(9.08±0.55),(7.79±0.66)and(6.50±0.55)mmol·L-1;the protein expression levels of PKM2 in cells were 1.00±0.00,1.33±0.18,1.02±0.17,0.74±0.17 and 0.73±0.18;the protein expression levels of LDHA were 1.00±0.00,1.20±0.09,0.90±0.14,0.76±0.12 and 0.78±0.17;the PKM2 mRNA levels were 1.00±0.09,2.11±0.23,1.98±0.31,1.38±0.25 and 0.93±0.32;the LDHA mRNA levels were 1.00±0.13,1.85±0.25,1.44±0.21,0.91±0.24 and 0.96±0.14;the average fluorescence intensities of PKM2 were 136.41±33.63,217.94±5.33,210.27±1.03,204.14±3.27 and 186.79±14.03.Compared with control group,the above indicators in model group showed statistically significant differences(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);compared with model group,the differences in the above indicators in medium and high dose experimental group were all statistically significant(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusion Paeoniflorin can inhibit the aerobic glycolysis of macrophages induced by resiquimod.

BACKGROUND:Previous literature reported that the fusion cage moved more than 2 mm from its original position,which means that the fusion cage moved backward.At present,clinical observation has found that the factors leading to the displacement of the fusion cage are complex,and the relationship between these factors and the cage retropulsion is not clear. OBJECTIVE:To explore the risk factors related to cage retropulsion after lumbar interbody fusion. METHODS:Retrospective analysis was conducted in 200 patients who underwent transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion surgery with a polyetheretherketone interbody fusion from February 2020 to February 2022.According to the distance from the posterior edge of the vertebral fusion cage to the posterior edge of the vertebral body after the operation(the second day after the removal of the drainage tube)and 1,3,6 and 12 months after the operation,patients were divided into cage retropulsion group(≥2 mm)and cage non-retropulsion group(<2 mm).The factors that may affect cage retropulsion,such as age,gender,body mass index,bone mineral density,operation time,bleeding,endplate injury,preoperative and postoperative interbody height,cage implantation depth,cage size,and segmental anterior convexity angle,were analyzed by univariate and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Posterior displacement of the fusion cage occurred in 15 cases(15/200).The differences in basic information such as age and body mass index between the two groups were not statistically significant.(2)The results of the univariate analysis were that gap height difference,time to wear a brace,segmental anterior convexity angle difference,bone mineral density,and age were related to posterior migration of the cage.(3)The results of logistic regression analysis were that cage size,endplate injury condition,and depth of cage implantation were risk factors for cage retropulsion.(4)These findings suggest that cage retropulsion after lumbar interbody fusion is caused by multiple factors,including segmental anterior convexity angle difference,bone mineral density,cage size,endplate damage,time to wear a brace,and depth of cage implantation.

Objective: To explore the neural processing differences in inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility associated with motor development levels in preschool children, so as to provide a basis for motor learning and cognitive development in preschool children. Methods: From March 20 to 31 in 2023, a total of 84 preschool children aged 4-6 were recruited from two kindergartens in Xi an City. The MOBAK-KG Motor Development Assessment Scale was used to assess the children s motor development levels. The Go/no go task paradigm was employed to test inhibitory control ability, and the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task paradigm was utilized to evaluate cognitive flexibility. Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to monitor the preschool children s prefrontal cortex oxygenation dynamics during inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility tasks. Malab software and Homer 2 plugins were used to calculate prefrontal oxygenated hemoglobin concentration of preschool children during the tasks. Results: The high motor skills group exhibited significantly higher task accuracy during inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility tasks [0.95(0.92, 0.97),(0.54±0.12)] compared to the low motor skill group[0.93(0.85, 0.97),(0.45±0.13)] ( Z/t =-2.09, 3.14 , P <0.05). During the inhibitory control task, the high motor skill group [0.24(0.10,0.41), 0.34(0.16,0.62), 0.30(0.07, 0.52 ), 0.26(0.09, 0.53), 0.15(0.01, 0.43), 0.34(0.10, 0.67)mol/L] showed significantly higher oxygenated hemoglobin concentrations in the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (L-DLPFC, R-DLPFC), left and right pars triangular Broca s areas ( L- PTBA, R-PTBA), and left and right frontopolar areas (L-FPA, R-FPA) compared to the low motor skill group [0.04( -0.13 , 0.15), 0.00(-0.12, 0.11), -0.01(-0.17, 0.14), 0.04(-0.14, 0.16), -0.01(-0.16, 0.12), -0.03(-0.21, 0.15) mol/L ] ( Z=-4.83, -5.57, -4.77, -4.10, -3.45, -5.74, P ＜0.01). During the cognitive flexibility task, the high motor skill group[0.21(0.03, 0.36), 0.28(0.15, 0.45), 0.15(0.05, 0.30), 0.20(0.05, 0.37), 0.04(-0.17, 0.26), 0.14(-0.08, 0.40) mol/L ] exhibited significantly higher oxygenated hemoglobin concentrations in the L-DLPFC, R-DLPFC, L-PTBA, R-PTBA, L- FPA, R-FPA brain regions compared to the low motor skill group [0.02(-0.20, 0.23), 0.02(-0.12, 0.21), 0.00(-0.22, 0.16 ), 0.00(-0.16, 0.15), -0.05(-0.25, 0.06), 0.01(-0.23, 0.20)mol/L] ( Z=-3.63, -4.45, -3.58, -3.75, -2.18, -1.98 , P ＜0.05). Conclusions The motor development level in preschool children is closely related to inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility. It is crucial to emphasize motor learning in early childhood to further promote holistic development of both mind and body.

A domestically produced self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve controllable bending delivery system(VitaFlow? Ⅲcontrollable bending retrievable delivery system)was first used to perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)in a symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis patient with severe heart failure and high risk of surgery in China on September 22,2023.The patient successfully completed TAVR under general anesthesia,with good valve position and function after the operation.Before discharge and at one month of follow-up,the patient's symptoms and degree of heart failure were significantly improved.The follow-up results of this case showed that the VitaFlow? Ⅲ controllable bending retrievable delivery system for TAVR is safe and feasible,and future prospective,multicenter clinical trials are expected to evaluate its efficacy.