To address the limitations of traditional minimally invasive thermal ablation technology such as poor conformability, carbonization and electromagnetic radiation, this paper proposes a steam thermal ablation technology that uses saturated steam internal energy to replace the traditional electromagnetic radiation energy. Through the steam thermal ablation system and the steam thermal ablation needle designed based on simulation, the ex vivo pig liver experiments were carried out. The results have the characteristics of the maximum ablation axis ratio (short diameter / long diameter) and non-carbonization with the same type of thermal ablation technology. Based on the near-infrared light, in this paper the curative effect of the reduced scattering coefficient of the steam thermal ablation results was evaluated. The reduced scattering coefficients of the coagulation area all exceeded 16, reaching the completely damaged state, which verified that the steam thermal ablation can effectively inactivate the tumor cells.
Steam ; Animals ; Swine ; Liver Neoplasms/surgery* ; Ablation Techniques/methods* ; Liver/surgery* ; Equipment Design

The minimally invasive thermal ablation technology differs from traditional surgical operations, which requires auxiliary equipment to evaluate ablation results. However, the ultrasound and CT currently used in clinical practice have shortcomings such as artifacts and radiation. Therefore, this paper proposes a design for a minimally invasive thermal ablation evaluation system based on the principle of electrical impedance tomography technology to monitor the ablation range. At the same time, the innovative introduction of a programmable gain feedforward signal as the parameter signal of the multiplier demodulator in the electrical impedance tomography system design can effectively solve the problem of weak signals being submerged in noise and improve imaging accuracy. The system controls the amplitude of the excitation current signal and the acquisition / processing of boundary voltages via an STM32, uploads the collected data to an upper computer, and reconstructs the conductivity distribution using the Newton-Raphson algorithm to map the size of the ablation area. Experimental results show that the system can effectively reflect the size of the microwave ablation area. Under the same minimally invasive ablation parameters, the average imaging errors are 0.6 mm for the long diameter, 0.8 mm for the short diameter, and 1.75% for the axial ratio (long diameter / short diameter), demonstrating high consistency. This verifies the technical potential of electrical impedance tomography in minimally invasive thermal ablation.
Electric Impedance ; Tomography/instrumentation* ; Equipment Design

Cardiac fibrosis is characterized by an elevated amount of extracellular matrix (ECM) within the heart. However, the persistence of cardiac fibrosis ultimately diminishes contractility and precipitates cardiac dysfunction. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are emerging as important regulators of cardiac fibrosis. Here, we elucidate the functional role of a specific circular RNA CELF1 in cardiac fibrosis and delineate a novel feedback loop mechanism. Functionally, circ-CELF1 was involved in enhancing fibrosis-related markers' expression and promoting the proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), thereby exacerbating cardiac fibrosis. Mechanistically, circ-CELF1 reduced the ubiquitination-degradation rate of BRPF3, leading to an elevation of BRPF3 protein levels. Additionally, BRPF3 acted as a modular scaffold for the recruitment of histone acetyltransferase KAT7 to facilitate the induction of H3K14 acetylation within the promoters of the Celf1 gene. Thus, the transcription of Celf1 was dramatically activated, thereby inhibiting the subsequent response of their downstream target gene Smad7 expression to promote cardiac fibrosis. Moreover, Celf1 further promoted Celf1 pre-mRNA transcription and back-splicing, thereby establishing a feedback loop for circ-CELF1 production. Consequently, a novel feedback loop involving CELF1/circ-CELF1/BRPF3/KAT7 was established, suggesting that circ-CELF1 may serve as a potential novel therapeutic target for cardiac fibrosis.

Objective To investigate the expression level and clinical significance of hsa_circ_0005075 in serum extracellular vesicles(EVs)of patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion(RSA).Methods Fourteen RSA patients and 14 normal pregnant women from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,Qilu Hospital of Shandong University were enrolled in a training set,and 64 RSA pa-tients and 48 normal pregnant women were enrolled in a validation set.The expression levels of hsa_circ_0005075 in serum EVs were detected by the quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR),and their correlation with clinical pathological parameters of RSA patients were analyzed.Serum anti-thyroid globulin antibody(A-TG)and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody(A-TPO)were detected by the elec-trochemiluminescence assay.Serum anticardiolipin(ACA)IgA,IgG,and IgM antibodies and anti-β2 glycoprotein 1(β2GP1)IgA,IgG,and IgM antibodies were determined by the chemiluminescence immunoassay.The correlation of these autoantibodies with the lev-els of hsa_circ_0005075 in serum EVs was analyzed by the Pearson correlation.The clinical application value of hsa_circ_0005075 in the diagnosis of RSA was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results The detection results of the training set showed that the expression levels of hsa_circ_0005075 in serum EVs of RSA patients(7.69[4.74,42.15])were significantly high-er than that in normal pregnant women(1.02[0.51,4.23],U=28,P＜0.01].Similarly,in the validation set,the expression levels of hsa_circ_0005075 in RSA patients(4.96[1.73,8.89])were also significantly higher than that in normal pregnant women(1.00[0.24,2.96],U=693,P＜0.01).The ROC curve showed that hsa_circ_0005075 in serum EVs had good diagnostic value for RSA(AUCROC=0.774),with 70.3%of sensitivity and75.0%of specificity.In addition,the expression level of hsa_circ_0005075 in serum EVs was significantly correlated with A-TPO(r=0.298,P＜0.05).Conclusion The hsa_circ_0005075 in serum EVs is highly ex-pressed in RSA patients,which may have a potential differential diagnostic value for the diagnosis of RSA.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.

Objective To explore the mechanisms of Buyang Huanwu Decoction(BYHWD)in reducing oxidative stress levels to protect the blood-brain barrier(BBB)in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury(CIRI)rats.Methods A middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion(MCAO/R)model in rats was established via wire embolization method.PeriCam PSI laser speckle flow imaging was applied to detect whether the model was successfully established.Neurological deficits in the rats were evaluated by Zea Longa score,and histopathological changes in the rat brain were observed by HE staining.The degree of brain edema was detected by the dry and wet weight method.BBB permeability was detected by Evans blue staining,and ultrastructural changes to the BBB were observed by transmission electron microscopy.The levels of ROS,MDA and SOD activities,which are related to oxidative stress,were detected using kits.The expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)were detected by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot.The expression levels of Occludin,ZO-1,and Claudin-5 tight junction proteins were determined via immunofluorescence and Western blot.Results BYHWD reduced neurological deficit scores,alleviated brain histopathological damage,alleviated BBB structural disruption,prolonged the appearance of dense regions in the tight junction structure,attenuated edema of the brain on the ischemic side,and reduced BBB permeability in MCAO/R rats.BYHWD decreased the levels of ROS and MDA,increased the activity of SOD,decreased the expression levels of MMP-9,and increased the expression levels of Occludin,Claudin-5 and ZO-1.Conclusions BYHWD can increase BBB tight junction protein expression levels,reduce the permeability of the BBB,protect the ultrastructure of the BBB,and reduce brain edema,and its mechanisms may be related to its antioxidant activity and inhibition of MMP-9 activation.

AIM:This study aimed to investigate the effects of sinomenine hydrochloride(SIN)on the ultra-structure of renal tissue and the expression of interferon gene-stimulating factor in db/db mice.METHODS:Sixteen 12-week-old male db/db mice were randomly divided into two groups:a model group and a sinomenine hydrochloride(SIN)group,each consisting of 8 mice.An additional 8 wild-type(WT)mice served as the normal control group.The sinome-nine hydrochloride group was administered the treatment for 8 weeks,followed by a 20-week observation period,while the normal and model groups received an equal volume of saline via gavage.Weekly measurements were taken for body weight and fasting blood glucose.Serum creatinine(SCr)and blood urea nitrogen(BUN)levels were assessed,and 24-hour uri-nary microalbumin(ALB)levels,as well as serum inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-6 and tumor necro-sis factor-α(TNF-α),were determined using ELISA.Pathological changes in renal tissue were evaluated through hema-toxylin-eosin(HE)staining,while ultrastructural alterations were examined using transmission electron microscopy.Im-munohistochemistry and Western blotting were employed to assess STING protein expression in renal tissue,and STING mRNA expression was quantified via RT-qPCR.RESULTS:Compared to the normal group,the model group exhibited significant increases in BUN,ALB,and SCr levels(P<0.01),alongside elevated inflammatory markers IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α(P<0.01).Notable pathological changes included leukocyte wall thickening in capillaries,inflammatory cell infiltration,increased mesangial matrix,disorganized and linear alignment of podocytes,and thickening of the basement membrane.Moreover,STING protein and mRNA expression levels were significantly elevated(P<0.01).In contrast,the sinomenine hydrochloride group demonstrated significantly reduced levels of renal function markers(BUN,ALB and SCr)compared to the model group(P<0.01),as well as decreased concentrations of inflammatory factors IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α(P<0.01).Improvements in renal histopathology included decreased leukocyte wall thickening,reduced inflam-matory cell presence,diminished mesangial matrix,and a significant reduction in foot process fusion,alongside thinner basement membranes.Both STING protein and mRNA expression levels were also significantly lower(P<0.01).CON-CLUSION:Sinomenine hydrochloride effectively mitigates renal tissue injury,improves ultrastructural alterations,and inhibits inflammatory responses in db/db mice.Its mechanism of action appears closely linked to the downregulation of STING protein and mRNA expression.

Objective To investigate the mechanism underlying gasdermin E(GSDME)-mediated pyroptosis in radiation-induced intestinal injury and to find out whether gasdermin(GSDM)family members regulate pyroptosis through similar signaling pathways.Methods Human normal colon epithelial cells(NCM460)and human colon cancer cells(HT-29)were exposed to radiation of different doses and durations before pyroptosis indicators were evaluated by observing pyroptotic bubbles,cell survival,and the cleavage of pyroptosis execution proteins.HT-29 cells overexpressing GSDME were subjected to radiation,followed by enrichment analysis of pyroptosis-related differentially expressed genes using RNA-seq.Results Radiation induced substantial pyroptosis in NCM460 cells.Overexpression of GSDME in HT-29 cells resulted in substantial radiation-induced pyroptosis.The pyroptosis state of human intestinal cells was simulated in the HT-29 model cell line.Overexpressions of GSDME-N and GSDMD-N resulted in the expression of more than 50％ of the differentially expressed genes in the pyroptosis state.Sequencing analysis showed that the genes in the pyroptosis state were mainly overrepresented in immune response,inflammatory response,and Rapl signaling pathway.Conclusion GSDME activation can mediate radiation-induced pyroptosis by producing GSDME-N fragments.GSDM family members participate in pyroptosis in a similar mode of regulation.Furthermore,radiation-induced activation of GSDME/D may regulate pyroptosis through immune response,inflammatory response,and Rap1 signaling pathway.

Objective·To study the alterations in vestibular hair cell morphology and function of ATPase plasma membrane Ca2+transporting 2 oblivion(Atp2b2 Oblivion)heterozygous mice at different ages.Methods·Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous male mice aged 2 months and 8 months were selected with ten in each kind and C57BL/6J wild-type mice with the same gender,age and number were selected as the control group.Expression patterns of ATP2B2 in vestibular hair cells and numbers of hair cells in the striola zone and the extra striola zone in the two groups of mice at different ages were observed and calculated respectively through immunofluorescence assay.Hair bundle structures were detected by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and mitochondria and ribbon synapse structures were observed by transmission electron microscopy(TEM).Vestibular evoked potential(VsEP),vestibular evoked myogenic potential(VEMP),rotarod rod test,and balance beam test were adopted for the evaluation of vestibular functions.Results·ATP2B2 was mainly expressed in the hair bundle of vestibular hair cells in the two groups of mice.Hair cell numbers in the striola zone and the extra-striola zone did not exhibit any differences between Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice and wild-type mice of 2-month-old and 8-month-old.No visible structural abnormality in the hair bundle could be seen through SEM.TEM results implied no morphological abnormality in mitochondria or ribbon synapses in the 2-month-old heterozygous mutant mice,while vacuolar degeneration was discovered in the mitochondria under the cuticular plate in the 8-month-old heterozygous mutant mice with the normal ribbon synapses and the normal mitochondria near the innervation site.VsEP and VEMP thresholds of 2-month-old and 8-month-old Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice were significantly elevated compared with the wild-type mice.Analysis of VsEP waveform manifested prolonged P1 latency and declined P1N1 amplitude in heterozygous mutant mice(P＜0.05).Results of rotarod rod test and balance beam test acquired from 2-month-old Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice were not significantly different from the wild-type mice,while the ability of the mutant mice to accomplish the tests descended significantly at 8 months of age compared with the wild-type mice(P＜0.05).Conclusion·Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice showed defective vestibular electrophysiological function at 2 months old,and abnormalities in vestibule-related behaviors can be detected at 8 months old.The vestibular function ofAtp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice deteriorate progressively.

Objective To investigate the effect of radiation on cardiomyocyte apoptosis and its related mechanism.Methods Rat H9C2 cardiomyocytes were divided into blank control group,X-ray irradiation group(X-ray group),X-ray irradiation+microRNA(miRNA)-134-5p inhibitor group(X-inhibitor group)and X-ray irradiation+miRNA-134-5p inhibitor negative control group(X-NC group).H9C2 cardiomyocytes were irradiated with 6 Gy X-ray,and the changes of various indexes were detected 48 h after irradiation.Cell viability was detected by cell counting kit 8 assay.The apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry and Hoechst 33342 staining.The level of reactive oxygen species(ROS)in cells was detected by DCFH-DA fluorescence probe.The mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by JC-1 method.The activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and the level of malondialdehyde(MDA)in cells were measured by kits.The expression of miRNA-134-5p was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction.The protein expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),protein kinase B(Akt),phosphorylated Akt(p-Akt),Bcl2 and Bax was detected by Western blotting.Results Compared with the blank control group,in the X-ray group the levels of ROS and MDA were significantly increased,the activity of SOD was significantly decreased,the decreased percentage in mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly increased,the number of micronuclei of DNA damage was significantly increased,and the apoptosis rate was significantly increased(all P＜0.01).Compared with the X-ray group,all the indexes of the X-inhibitor group were reversed(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),while there was no significant difference in the above parameters in the X-NC group(all P＞0.05).Compared with the blank control group,the X-ray group had a significant increase in the miRNA-134-5p level and significant reductions in the protein level of BDNF,Bcl2/Bax ratio,and p-Akt/Akt ratio(all P＜0.01).Compared with the X-ray group,the X-inhibitor group had a significant reduction in the level of miRNA-134-5p and significant increases in the protein level of BDNF,Bcl2/Bax ratio,and p-Akt/Akt ratio(all P＜0.01),and there was no significant difference in all parameters in the X-NC group(all P＞0.05).Conclusion X-ray irradiation can induce oxidative stress,mitochondrial damage,and DNA damage,eventually leading to apoptosis in rat cardiomyocytes,and the mechanism may involve miRNA-134-5p/BDNF/Akt signaling pathway.