Probiotics play a crucial role in colon cancer treatment by metabolizing prebiotics to generate short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Colon cancer patients are frequently propositioned to supplement with probiotics to enhance the conversion and utilization of prebiotics. Nevertheless, the delivery and colonization of probiotics is hindered by the harsh conditions of gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Here, we devised a straightforward yet potent modified prebiotic-based "shield" (Gelatin-Inulin, GI), employing dietary inulin and natural polymer gelatin crosslinked via hydrogen bonding for enveloping Lactobacillus reuteri (Lr) to formulate synbiotic hydrogel capsules (Lr@Gl). The GI "shield" serves as a dynamic barrier, augmenting the resistance of Lr to gastric acid and facilitating its bioactivity and adherence in the GIT, synergizing with Lr to elicit an anti-tumor effect. Simultaneously, Lr@GI demonstrates anti-tumor effects by depleting glutathione to release reactive oxygen species, accompanied by the activation of NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3), and the induction M1 macrophage polarization. Furthermore, Lr@GI can not only promote the recovery of intestinal barrier but also regulate intestinal flora, promoting the production of SCFAs and further exerting anti-tumor effect. Crucially, Lr@GI also potentiates the anti-tumor effect of 5-Fluorouracil. The construction and synergistic anti-tumor mechanism of synbiotic hydrogel capsules system provide valuable insights for gut microbial tumor therapy.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism of Yifei xuanfei jiangzhuo formula （YFXF） against vascular dementia （VD）. METHODS The differentially expressed genes of YFXF （YDEGs） were obtained by network pharmacology. High-risk genes were screened from YDEGs by using the nomogram model. The optimal machine learning models in generalized linear， support vector machine， extreme gradient boosting and random forest models were screened based on high-risk genes. VD model rats were established by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion， and were randomly divided into model group and YFXF group （12.18 g/kg， by the total amount of crude drugs）， and sham operation group was established additionally， with 6 rats in each group. The effects of YFXF on behavior （using escape latency and times of crossing platform as indexes）， histopathologic changes of cerebral cortex， and the expression of proteins related to the secreted phosphoprotein 1 （SPP1）/phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （aka Akt） signaling pathway and the mRNA expression of SPP1 in cerebral cortex of VD rats were evaluated. RESULTS A total of 6 YDEGs were obtained， among which SPP1， CCL2， HMOX1 and HSPB1 may be high-risk genes of VD. The generalized linear model based on high-risk genes had the highest prediction accuracy （area under the curve of 0.954）. Compared with the model group， YFXF could significantly shorten the escape latency of VD rats， significantly increase the times of crossing platform （P＜0.05）； improve the pathological damage of cerebral cortex， such as neuronal shrinkage and neuronal necrosis； significantly reduce the expressions of SPP1 protein and mRNA （P＜0.05）， while significantly increase the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS VD high-risk genes SPP1， CCL2， HMOX1 and HSPB1 may be the important targets of YFXF. YFXF may play an anti-VD role by down-regulating the protein and mRNA expressions of SPP1 and activating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To detect the serum level of chemokine CXC motif chemokine 10 (CXCL-10) and Krebs von den lungen-6 (KL-6) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD), and to analyze their correlation with RA-ILD, as well as the significance in RA-ILD. METHODS: A total of 169 RA patients were enrolled in the study. According to imaging findings of with and without ILD in high-resolution computed tomography scans of chest, the subjects were divided into RA-ILD group and RA-non-ILD group. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 80 patients in each of the two groups were finally selected. Two groups were matched according to the 1 ∶ 1 ratio using propensity score matching (PSM). The serum CXCL-10 and KL-6 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The clinical features, laboratory data and medications between the two groups were compared after PSM and the correlation between serum levels and clinical parameters were analyzed. Binary Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of ILD in the RA patients, and the predictive value of CXCL-10 and KL-6 in RA-ILD was evaluated. RESULTS: In this study, 49 patients with RA-ILD and 49 patients with RA-non-ILD were selected by PSM. The levels of CXCL-10 and KL-6 in the RA-ILD group [64.36 (34.01, 110.18) ng/L, 360.70 (236.35, 715.05) U/mL] were significantly higher than those in the RA-non-ILD group [29.80 (16.89, 40.55) ng/L, 210.69 (159.98, 255.50) U/mL] (all P < 0.001). The results of correlation analysis showed that the level of serum CXCL-10 was positively correlated with the Warrick score on chest CT (r=0.378, P=0.007) and negatively correlated with the percentage of forced vital capacity to the predicted value (FVC%, r=-0.338, P=0.018). And the level of KL-6 was positively correlated with rheumatoid factor (RF, r=0.296, P=0.039) and negatively correlated with FVC% (r=-0.436, P=0.002) and the percentage of diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide to the predicted value (DLCO%, r=-0.426, P=0.002). Both univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that CXCL-10 and KL-6 were positively correlated with ILD, the values of OR were 1.035 and 1.023 in CXCL-10 and those were 1.004 and 1.005 in KL-6 respectively (P < 0.05). The ROC curves were plotted with CXCL-10 and KL-6. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.770 and 0.752 respectively. The AUC of combined detection increased to 0.800. CONCLUSION Serum levels of CXCL-10 and KL-6 are significantly elevated in patients with RA-ILD and correlated with the severity of ILD. The combined estimate of them helps to improve the effectiveness of diagnosis.
Humans ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial/etiology* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/complications* ; Chemokine CXCL10/blood* ; Mucin-1/blood* ; Female ; Male ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Risk Factors ; Middle Aged

The neural stimulator is a core component of animal robots. While the control effect of animal robots is influenced by various factors, the performance of the neural stimulator plays a decisive role in regulating animal robots. In order to optimize animal robots, embedded neural stimulators had been developed using flexible printed circuit board technology. This innovation not only enabled the stimulator to generate parameter-adjustable biphasic current pulses through control signals, but also optimized its carrying mode, material, and size, overcoming the disadvantages of traditional backpack or head-inserted stimulators, which have poor concealment and are prone to infection. Static, in vitro, and in vivo performance tests of the stimulator demonstrated that it not only had precise pulse waveform output capability, but also was lightweight and small in size. It had excellent in vivo performance in both laboratory and outdoor environments. Our study has high practical significance for the application of animal robots.
Animals ; Robotics

BackgroundPatients with schizophrenia are at high risk of suffering from metabolic syndrome. Most previous studies on the influencing factors of metabolic syndrome focused on the inpatients and limited ones on patients dwelling in community. ObjectiveTo explore the influencing factors at different risk levels of metabolic syndrome in community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia in Guangzhou， so as to provide references for future interventions on metabolic syndrome in this patient population. MethodsIn November 2021， 3 339 patients with schizophrenia who were registered in and administered by Guangzhou Mental Health Information System were included. All these patients had finished the physical examination in 2020， and whether they had metabolic syndrome was assessed basing on Guideline for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in China （2020 edition）. Patients were divided into high-risk group （n=423）， critical group （n=1 524） and metabolic syndrome group （n=1 392） according to the Chinese expert consensus on the management of metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia. Multiple logistic regression analysis were performed on the risk factors of metabolic syndrome in community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia. ResultsThe prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome in community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia was 41.69%. Univariate analysis showed that the results in gender （χ²=44.610）， age （χ²=55.992）， marriage status （χ²=30.755）， illness course （χ²=25.913） and body mass index （χ²=829.265） were significantly different among the three groups （P<0.01）. Kruskal-Wallis H test showed that the levels of waist circumference （H=920.331）， systolic blood pressure （H=436.673）， diastolic blood pressure （H=393.337）， fasting blood glucose （H=807.304）， triglyceride （H=1 134.125） and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （H=593.615） among the three groups were significantly different （P<0.01）. Logistic regression analysis showed that age ≥50 （OR=1.761， 95% CI： 1.087~2.853）， overweight （OR=2.418， 95% CI： 1.862~3.140） and obesity （OR=57.903， 95% CI： 14.340~233.802） were risk factors contributing to high-risk patients becoming critical population （P<0.05 or 0.01）. Female gender （OR=1.295， 95% CI： 1.034~1.622）， aged 40~49 （OR=2.597， 95% CI： 1.582~4.263）， age ≥50 （OR=4.392， 95% CI： 2.609~7.395）， overweight （OR=7.844， 95% CI： 6.018~10.223） and obesity （OR=426.785， 95% CI： 105.724~1 722.839） were risk factors for high-risk patients developing into metabolic syndrome population （P<0.05 or 0.01）. ConclusionThe prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome is higher in community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia. Female gender， older age， overweight and obesity would increase the risk of metabolic syndrome in schizophrenic patients. ［Funded by Health Science and Technology Project in Guangzhou （number， 20221A010028）］

With the continuous improvement of the ethics committee status and the rapid growth of ethical review projects, the ethics committee urgently needs to establish an evaluation mechanism for continuous improvement. In view of a series of problems faced by the ethics committee in its daily management and operation, this paper discussed the concept and measures of introducing quality assurance and quality improvement into the ethics committee. Through comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the three models of quality assurance and quality improvement, this paper summarized the practical experience, further determined the internal evaluation, improvement model and evaluation elements of ethics committee, constantly improve the internal evaluation system of the ethics committee, strengthen the education and training of the ethics committee, and implement the whole chain electronic review, so as to improve the operation efficiency and review ability of the ethics committee, and provide sufficient ethical protection for the protection of the rights and interests of subjects.

Objective:To identify the clinical characteristics and adverse events of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).Methods:Patients who were hospitalized and diagnosed with GCA in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, from December 2009 to November 2020 were enrolled into a retrospective study analysis. Baseline data and follow-up data were collected. Adverse events were defined as one of the following events: relapses, ischemic complications and death. Patients with adverse events were analyzed in clinical features and risk factors by univariate and multivariate analysis. Associations with adverse events were assessed using ROC curve and survival curves.Results:A total of 69 patients with GCA were included in this study, with the male: female ratio of 1∶1.03. Fatigue and headache were common symptoms. Finally, 61 patients were followed up at the end of May in 2021. Over the mean follow-up time of (35±20) months, adverse events occurred in 16 cases (26.2%). Patients with adverse events had significantly lower levels of platelet and globulin at baseline than those without adverse events [(325±142)×10 9/L vs (238±112)×10 9/L, t=2.22, P=0.030]; [(31±6) g/L vs (26±6) g/L, t=2.74, P=0.008]. Red cell volume distribution width-coefficient of variation (RDW-CV) was considered an independent risk factor for adverse events [ OR (95% CI)=0.32 (0.14,0.74), P=0.008]. Further, patients especially with RDW-CV<14.75% were prone to have adverse events, which occurred in 2.6%, 20.5%, 25.6%, 33.3%, 41.00% in 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 years. Its risk increased significantly after 2 years ( P=0.042, P=0.021, P=0.002, P=0.001). The incidence of adverse events was much higher in patients with RDW-CV<14.75%(95% CI=0.002). Conclusion:Adverse events are common in patients with GCA. RDW-CV is an independent risk factor for having adverse events. Low level of RDW-CV predicts an increased risk of adverse events by the following years.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a malignant tumor with strong invasiveness and high mortality. It has the characteristics of easy metastasis, fast growth, high degree of malignancy and strong invasiveness. The prognosis of patients is generally poor. The current clinical diagnosis of SCLC is mainly based on tissue biopsy, which is invasive, long cycle time and high cost. In recent years, liquid biopsy has been gradually applied because of its non-invasive, comprehensive and real-time characteristics that traditional tissue biopsy does not have. The main detection objects of liquid biopsy include circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and exosomes in peripheral blood. The application of liquid biopsy in the clinical treatment of SCLC will help clinicians to improve the detailed diagnosis of SCLC patients, as well as the timely control and response to the treatment response of patients.
.
Biomarkers, Tumor ; Circulating Tumor DNA ; Humans ; Liquid Biopsy ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating/metabolism* ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma/therapy*

Lung cancer is one of the malignant tumors with the highest morbidity and mortality in the world. The low early diagnosis rate and poor prognosis of patients have caused serious social burden. Regular screening of high-risk population by low-dose spiral computed tomography (LDCT) can significantly improve the early diagnosis rate of lung cancer and bring new opportunities for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. In recent years, LDCT lung cancer screening programs have been carried out in many countries around the world and achieved good results, but there are still some controversies in the selection of screening subjects, screening frequency, cost effectiveness and other aspects. In this paper, the key factors of LDCT lung cancer screening, screening effect, pulmonary nodule management and artificial intelligence contribution to the development of LDCT will be reviewed, and the application progress of LDCT in lung cancer screening will be discussed.
.
Artificial Intelligence ; Early Detection of Cancer/methods* ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Radiation Dosage ; Tomography, Spiral Computed/methods*

【Objective】 To explore the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on platelets supply management and its countermeasures. 【Methods】 Relevant data on platelets collection, supply, daily inventory and adjustment were collected through the blood information management system of our blood center after the outbreak of the epidemic in Xi′an (from December 9, 2021 to February 2, 2022), and then compared with the data during the corresponding period of last year (from December 9, 2020 to February 2, 2021). 【Results】 In this study, in the first half month of the epidemic, the collection and supply of platelets were slightly higher than the same period of the previous year. After the first-level response to the epidemic was initiated, the collection and issuing of platelets decreased significantly compared with the same period of the previous year. Half a month after the home isolation had been gradually lifted, the collection and issuing of platelets increased significantly as compared with the home isolation period. Otherwise, the collection and issuing of platelets had been increased as compared with the same period of the previous year. 【Conclusion】 After the outbreak of the epidemic, the timely adjustment of platelet collection strategy as well as the launch of emergency plan for platelets collection and supply during the first-level response to the epidemic effectively ensured the supply of clinical platelets in Xi′an during the period of home isolation.