Objective To explore the changes in trace elements and amino acid profiles in serum of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) providing a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods A total of 104 patients with HCC who underwent surgical treatment in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of our hospital from January 2024 to April 2024 were selected as the study group, and 139 patients with benign biliary diseases during the same period were selected as the control group. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to detect the levels of six trace elements (copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, iron, and lead) in the serum of both groups, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure the concentrations of 21 amino acids.Results Compared with the control group, the serum copper level in the HCC group was significantly increased (P<0.05), while the levels of zinc and iron were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Amino acid profile analysis revealed that, compared with the control group, the concentrations of tyrosine, methionine, and phenylalanine in the HCC group were increased (P<0.05), while the concentrations of valine, leucine, isoleucine, glutamine, and arginine were decreased (P<0.05). Further analysis of the correlation between trace elements and amino acids with statistical differences between the groups showed that copper was negatively correlated with valine and leucine (P<0.05), while zinc and iron were positively correlated with valine, leucine, and isoleucine (P<0.01).Conclusions Imbalances in trace elements and amino acid metabolism changes are common in patients with HCC, and there may be an intrinsic connection between the two.

Gastric cancer is a common tumor of the gastrointestinal tract, and the global trend in morbidity and mortality are not encouraging. Especially in advanced gastric cancer, patient survival outcome is an essential clinical concern and a vital outcome indicator in clinical outcome assessment. This article reviews the definition of clinical outcome assessment and the measurement tools that can be applied in gastric cancer patients, describes the detailed classification of clinical outcome assessment tools, and reviews the current status of the application of clinical outcome assessment in gastric cancer, analyzing the effects and shortcomings of its application, to provide a reference for the clinical staff in choosing the appropriate tools, and assisting in the comprehensive and holistic assessment of clinical outcomes for the promotion of the development of precision medicine.

Female ; Humans ; Breast Neoplasms ; Testosterone ; Prolactin ; Estradiol ; Testosterone Congeners ; China

Gastric cancer is a common tumor of the gastrointestinal tract, and the global trend in morbidity and mortality are not encouraging. Especially in advanced gastric cancer, patient survival outcome is an essential clinical concern and a vital outcome indicator in clinical outcome assessment. This article reviews the definition of clinical outcome assessment and the measurement tools that can be applied in gastric cancer patients, describes the detailed classification of clinical outcome assessment tools, and reviews the current status of the application of clinical outcome assessment in gastric cancer, analyzing the effects and shortcomings of its application, to provide a reference for the clinical staff in choosing the appropriate tools, and assisting in the comprehensive and holistic assessment of clinical outcomes for the promotion of the development of precision medicine.

OBJECTIVE To observe the changes of cardiac function,local inflammation level and macrophage M2 polarization in mice with acute myocardial infarction(AMI after electroacupuncture preconditioning at the Neiguan point,and to explore the possible mechanisms from the perspective of regulating the DNA-PK/Rictor/Myc signaling pathway.METHODS Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into sham group,model group and electroacupuncture group,with 10 mice in each group.The electroacupuncture group received bilateral electroacupuncture interventions at the Neiguan points,sparse-dense wave,2/15 Hz,1 mA,20 min/time,once a day for 3 consecutive days,and AMI models were performed 0.5 h after the electroacupuncture interventions.The myocardial ischemia model was prepared by ligating the left anterior descending branch.Echocardiography was used to detect cardiac ejection frac-tion(EF and fractional shortening(FS to evaluate cardiac function;HE and TUNEL staining were used to observe the pathological morphology of myocardium and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes,and immunohistochemistry and ELISA were used to detect IL-1β,TNF-α and NLRP3 in infarcted myocardium and peripheral blood to evaluate the level of inflammation;flow cytometry was used to detect cardiac macrophage polarization status,and Western blot method to detect the protein expression levels of DNA-PK,p-DNA-PK,Rictor and Myc in infarcted myocardium.RESULTS Compared with the sham group,the model group showed significantly lower EF and FS(P<0.000 1,significant inflammatory cell infiltration,significantly higher cardiomyocyte apoptotic index(P<0.001,up-regulated expression of IL-1β,NLRP3 and TNF-α in the myocardium and serum(P<0.01,P<0.001,a significant increase in the percentage of macrophages(P<0.001,a decrease in the percentage of cardiac M2-type macrophages(P<0.000 1,and a significant decrease in the expression levels of p-DNA-PK,Rictor and Myc proteins in myocardium(P<0.05,P<0.000 1.Compared with the model group,EF and FS were significantly higher in the electroacupuncture group(P<0.000 1,inflammatory cell infiltration was re-duced,cardiomyocyte apoptotic index was decreased(P<0.01,and the expression of IL-1β,NLRP3 and TNF-α was down-regula-ted in myocardium and serum(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001;the macrophage percentage was decreased(P<0.05,cardiac M2-type macrophage percentage was increased(P<0.01,and p-DNA-PK,Rictor and Myc protein expression was enhanced in myocardium(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.000 1.CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture preconditioning may promote macrophage M2 polarization,attenuate local inflammation,and reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis by modulating the DNA-PK/Rictor/Myc signaling pathway,thus im-proving cardiac function and achieving myocardial protective effects.

Objective:To discuss the protective effect of carnosine(CAR)against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R)-induced astrocyte(AS)injury,and to clarify its possible mechanism.Methods:The AS were divided into control group,model group(OGD/R group),OGD/R+CAR group(CAR group),and OGD/R+CAR+AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK)activator AICAR group(CAR+AICAR group).MTT assay and green cyanine staining method were used to detect the survival rates and green cyanine staining positive rates of the AS in various groups;Annexin V-FITC/PI method and flow cytometry were used to detect the apoptotic rates of the AS in various groups;Western blotting method was used to detect the expression levels of AMPK,phosphorylated AMPK(p-AMPK),mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR),phosphorylated mTOR(p-mTOR),microtubule-associated protein light chain 3B(LC3B),Beclin-1,and P62 proteins in the AS in various groups;immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the LC3B positive fluorescence intensities in the AS in various groups.Results:Compared with control group,the survival rate and green cyanine staining positive rate of the AS in OGD/R group were decreased(P＜0.01),the apoptotic rate of the AS was increased(P＜0.01),the ratios of p-AMPK/AMPK and LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B Ⅰ and the expression level of Beclin-1 protein were increased(P＜0.01),and the ratio of p-mTOR/mTOR and the expression level of P62 protein were decreased(P＜0.01).Compared with OGD/R group,the survival rate and green cyanine staining positive rate of the AS in CAR group were increased(P＜0.01),the apoptotic rate of the AS was decreased(P＜0.01),the ratios of p-AMPK/AMPK and LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B Ⅰ and the expression level of Beclin-1 protein were decreased(P＜0.01),and the ratio of p-mTOR/mTOR and the expression level of P62 protein were increased(P＜0.01).Compared with CAR group,the survival rate and green cyanine staining positive rate of the AS in CAR+AICAR group were decreased(P＜0.01),the apoptotic rate of the AS was increased(P＜0.01),the ratios of p-AMPK/AMPK and LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B Ⅰ and the expression level of Beclin-1 protein were increased(P＜0.01),and the ratio of p-mTOR/mTOR and the expression level of P62 protein were decreased(P＜0.01).The LC3B immunofluorescence staining results were consistent with the Western blotting results.Conclusion:CAR has the protective effect on injury of the AS induced by OGD/R,and its molecular mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway,thereby inhibiting autophagy.

Objective : To observe the clearance of smear layer on the root canal wall in different action time by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and to determine the optimal amount of time using sonically activated irrigation to wash root canal in clinic. Methods: Fifty-six ex vivo human anterior teeth with single straight root canal were selected. After routine mechanical preparation, they were divided into two experimental groups according to different irrigating agents: saline group and EDTA group. Each group was assisted by VDW sonic activation EDDY. The saline group was divided into three subgroups according to the irrigating time: 5 s, 30 s and 50 s; EDTA group was divided into six subgroups according to the irrigating time: 5 s, 10 s, 20 s, 30 s, 40 s and 50 s. The control group did not undergo root canal irrigation. After irrigation, the root was cut longitudinally. The smear layer of crown, middle and apical of root canal wall was observed by SEM. Results: After irrigating for 30 seconds, there was a significant difference between the normal saline group and the control group and the 5 second group (P<0.05), and there was no difference in the middle and apical part (P>0.05). After 50 seconds, there was a significant difference in the score of the smear layer between the apical area and the other groups (P<0.05). After irrigating for 5 seconds or 10 seconds in EDTA group, there was a significant difference between the scores of the crown and middle area of the root canal and the control group (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the apical area (P>0.05). There was a significant difference between the 20-40 second group and the first two groups (P<0.05). There was a significant difference between the 50 second group and the other groups (P<0.05). Comparing the cleaning effect on the smear layer after 50 seconds of irrigating between the two experimental groups, the whole root canal showed significant statistical difference (P<0.05). Conclusion The EDTA-assisted sonic activated device used for 50 seconds has the best cleaning effect.

ObjectiveAgrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation （ATMT） of Clonostachys rosea， an endophytic fungus of Glycyrrhiza uralensis seeds， was established and optimized， and orthogonal test was designed to optimize the colonization conditions of C. rosea for G. uralensis seeds， so as to lay foundation for the development of biofertilizer and the breeding of high-quality G. uralensis. MethodThe conditions of ATMT were optimized from three aspects， including the concentration of acetosyringone， co-culture time and the concentration of conidia of recipient fungi. Then， high-quality transformants were selected. Orthogonal test was used to optimize the colonization conditions by taking co-culture temperature， co-culture time and spore concentration as factors and colonization rate as index. ResultWhen spore concentration was 1×10⁷ cfu·mL^-1， acetosyringone concentration was 150 μmol·L^-1 and the co-culture time was 60 h， the transformation efficiency of C. rosea was the highest， which was 135 transformants per 1×10⁷ recipient fungal spores. The accuracy and stability of the transformations were tested by cloning the marker gene green fluorescent protein （GFP） and β-glucuronidase （GUS） staining. When co-culture temperature was 25 ℃， co-culture time was 36 h and the spore concentration was 1×10⁶ cfu·mL^-1， the colonizing rate for C. rosea back dyeing into G. uralensis seeds by seed soaking method was the highest， which was 71.11%. ConclusionThis study successfully establishes stable and efficient technical systems not only of ATMT in C. rosea， but also of colonization of the transformants into G. uralensis seeds， which can lay a foundation for the development of biofertilizer of G. uralensis.

ObjectiveTo compare the differences in clinical characteristics between kidney deficiency and stasis obstruction syndrome and damp-heat stasis obstruction syndrome in patients with ankylosing spondylitis （AS）， thereby providing reference for clinical differentiation and treatment. MethodsThe clinical data of 2339 patients with AS were collected， including 1075 cases of kidney deficiency and stasis obstruction syndrome and 1264 cases of damp-heat stasis obstruction syndrome. The basic information including age， gender， course of disease， history of ophthalmia， family history and human leukocyte antigen B27 （HLA-B27） positive history， Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index （BASDAI） score， Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index （BASFI） score， Bath ankylosing spondylitis measurement index （BASMI） score， Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 （DASS-21） score， single symptom score in terms of spinal pain， peripheral joint pain， tendon tenderness， morning stiffness degree and morning stiffness time， patient-reported outcomes including patient global assessment （PGA） score， chronic disease therapy function-fatigue scale （FACIT-F） score and night pain visual analog scale （VAS） score， laboratory indicators including serum C-reactive protein （CRP） and erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR）， and CT grading of sacroiliitis were measured and compared between groups. ResultsPatients with kidney deficiency and stasis obstruction syndrome were older and had a longer course of disease （P＜0.01）. The BASDAI， BASFI and BASMI scores of the patients with kidney deficiency and stasis obstruction syndrome were 3.84±1.79， 2.78±2.00 and 3.42±2.36， respectively， while those in patients with damp-heat stasis obstruction syndrome were 4.30±1.99， 3.43±2.12， and 2.92±1.76. The BASDAI score， BASFI score， PGA score， FACIT-F score， spinal pain score， peripheral arthralgia score， tendon tenderness score， morning stiffness degree score， depression score， anxiety score， and stress score in patients with damp-heat stasis obstruction syndrome were all higher than those with kidney deficiency and stasis obstruction syndrome， with longer duration of morning stiffness and higher CRP （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. BASMI score and night pain VAS score were more higher in patients with kidney deficiency and stasis obstruction syndrome （P＜0.01）. There was no significant difference in the ESR level and CT grading of the sacroiliac joint between the two groups （P＞0.05）. ConclusionAS patients with kidney deficiency and stasis obstruction syndrome have poorer spinal mobility， while those with damp-heat stasis obstruction syndrome have higher disease activity， poorer physical function， and are more prone to adverse psychological reactions.

Objective:To investigate the effects of biologics on psychological status and quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 42 hospitals in 22 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) from September 2021 to May 2022. General clinical information and the use of biologics were obtained from adult patients diagnosed with IBD who voluntarily participated in the study. Psychological status was evaluated using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) assessment tools. Counts were analyzed via the Chi-square test, and datasets that were not normally distributed were analyzed via nonparametric tests. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:A total of 2 478 valid questionnaires were collected. The GAD-7 score of the biologics group was significantly lower than that of the non-use group [6 (2, 9) vs. 7 (3, 10), Z=-3.49, P<0.001]. IBDQ scores [183 (158, 204) vs. 178 (152, 198), Z=-4.11, P<0.001], intestinal symptom scores [61 (52, 67) vs. 58 (49, 65), Z=-5.41, P<0.001], systemic symptom scores [28 (24, 32) vs. 27 (23, 31), Z=-2.37, P=0.018], emotional ability scores [69 (58, 77) vs. 67 (56, 75), Z=-3.58, P<0.001] and social ability scores [26 (22, 29) vs. 25 (22, 29), Z=-2.52, P=0.012] in the biologics group were significantly higher than in the non-use group. GAD-7 scores [5 (2, 9) vs. 6 (3, 10), Z=-3.50, P<0.001] and PSQI scores [6 (4, 9) vs. 6 (4, 9), Z=-2.55, P=0.011] were significantly lower in the group using infliximab than in the group not using it. IBDQ scores were significantly higher in patients using vedolizumab than in those not using it [186 (159, 205) vs. 181 (155, 201), Z=-2.32, P=0.021] and were also significantly higher in the group treated with adalimumab than in the group not treated with adalimumab [187 (159, 209) vs. 181 (155, 201), Z=-2.16, P=0.030]. However, ustekinumab had no significant effect on any of the scores. Conclusion:The use of biologics is strongly associated with improvements in anxiety status and quality of life in IBD patients.