Dry eye disease is a multifactorial chronic ocular surface disorder that is challenging to manage because its pathogenesis is not well understood. The gut-eye axis theory provides insights into its pathogenesis to guide prevention and treatment. Intestinal flora dysbiosis induces dry eye disease through complex mechanisms involving inflammation, ocular surface microbiota, nerve damage, and microbial metabolites. This article reviews the immunometabolic regulation of the gut-eye axis and summarizes gut flora-targeted interventions(fecal microbiota transplantation, probiotic supplementation, and dietary modification)to provide a theoretical basis for dry eye disease prevention and treatment.

Background and aims:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a malignant tumor with a high mortality rate,but there are still no effective treatments.The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer po-tential of the combined use of brefeldin A(BFA)and tunicamycin(TM)in HepG2 cells,as well as the underlying mechanisms.Methods:HepG2 cells were treated with different concentrations of BFA(0.1-2.5 mg/L)and TM(1-5 mg/L)for 24 h.DMSO(0.1％,v/v)was used as a vehicle control.Cell viability and cell migration were measured using MTT assay and scratch wound assay,respectively.Apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry and acridine orange(AO)staining.The protein and mRNA levels of various factors involved in apoptosis(poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1(PARP-1),caspase-12,caspase-3,and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1)and endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress(binding immunoglobulin protein(BiP),protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(PERK),p-PERK,phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2alpha(p-eIF2α),activating transcription factor(ATF)4,and C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP))were measured using Western blotting and qRT-PCR,respectively.Results:Both BFA and TM alone significantly reduced the viability of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent way.The co-incubation with TM(1 mg/L)further significantly reduced the viability of HepG2 cells treated with BFA(0.25 mg/L)alone(P＜0.05).BFA significantly increased the protein and mRNA levels of caspase-3 and PARP-1(P＜0.05)compared to control and DMSO-treated cells,indicating that BFA induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells by increasing the expression of caspase-3 and PARP-1.The induction of apoptosis by BFA could be further significantly enhanced by co-incubation with TM.In addition,BFA significantly increased the mRNA levels of BiP,PERK and ATF4(P＜0.05)compared to control and DMSO-treated cells.After co-incubation of BFA and TM,the protein levels of BiP,p-PERK,p-eIF2α and CHOP were significantly increased,indicating that TM could enhance BFA-induced ER stress in HepG2 cells through the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP pathway.Conclusions:BFA could induce apoptosis and ER stress,and TM could enhance the ability of BFA to induce apoptosis and ER stress in HepG2 cells through the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP pathway.The findings highlight the therapeutic potential of the combined use of BFA and TM in treating HCC.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of Qishi Tongguan Prescription on pregnancy outcomes after interventional recanalisation in patients with tubal infertility (TFI).Methods:This was a retrospective study based on real-world and propensity score matching. Totally 260 patients with TFI from January 2020 to October 2021 in Shuguang Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Pudong New Area were selected as observation subjects, and were divided into 123 cases in the TCM combination group and 137 cases in the control group based on whether they were treated with Qishi Tongguan Prescription in combination with interventional revascularization. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used as a covariate to obtain a new sample of inter group covariate equilibrium, and confounding factors that may affect the pregnancy outcome of TFI patients undergoing interventional recanalization surgery were used as covariates. The intrauterine pregnancy rate, ectopic pregnancy rate, biochemical pregnancy rate, early abortion rate and adverse reactions of the two groups of patients within 12 months of follow-up were compared, and the influence of TFI intervention and recanalization combined with Qishi Tongguan Prescription on intrauterine pregnancy rate was evaluated.Results:Age, years of infertility, type of infertility, history of miscarriage, history of ectopic pregnancy, history of biochemical pregnancy, history of uterine surgery, history of pelvic laparotomy, and degree of tubal patency had an effect on whether intrauterine pregnancy was achieved after interventional reversal in patients with TFI ( P<0.05), with age [ OR (95% CI) was 0.843 (0.769, 0.926)], history of pelvic laparotomy [ OR (95% CI) was 0.477 (0.248, 0.920)] and the degree of tubal obstruction [ OR (95% CI) was 0.152 (0.046, 0.500)] were independent factors ( P<0.01 or P<0.05). 81 patients were seen in each of the 2 groups after PSM, of whom the intrauterine pregnancy rates in the combined herbal group at 9 and 12 months after recanalisation were 48.1% (39/81) and 58.0% (47/81) respectively, compared with 32.1% (26/81) and 35.8% (29/81) in the control group, with statistical significance between the 2 groups ( χ2 values of 4.34 and 8.03, respectively, P<0.01); there was no statistical significance in the ectopic pregnancy rate, biochemical pregnancy rate and early abortion rate between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). There were no significant adverse reactions during the treatment. Conclusion:Qishi Tongguan Prescription combined with interventional recanalization can effectively improve the intrauterine pregnancy rate and shorten the waiting time for pregnancy in patients with TFI with higher safety.

Objective:To analyze the three-dimensional radiographic characteristics of calcifying odon-togenic cyst and calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor using spiral computed tomography(CT)and cone-beam computed tomography(CBCT).Methods:Clinical records,histopathological reports,and CBCT or non-enhanced spiral CT images of 19 consecutive patients with calcifying odontogenic cyst(COC)and 16 consecutive patients with calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor(CEOT)were retrospec-tively acquired,and radiographic features,including location,size,expansion,internal structure and calcification,were analyzed.Results:Among the 19 COC cases(12 males and 7 females,with an average age of 27 years),89.5％(17/19)of the lesions originated from the anterior and premolar areas,100.0％of them exhibited cortex expansion,and 78.9％had discontinued cortex.Among the 16 CEOT cases(3 males and 13 females,with an average age of 36 years),81.3％(13/16)of the lesions were in the premolar and molar areas,56.3％of them exhibited cortex expansion,and 96.8％had discontinued cortex.According to the distribution of internal calcifications,these lesions were divided in-to:Ⅰ(non-calcification type):absence of calcification;Ⅱ(eccentric marginal type):multiple calcifi-cations scattered along one side of the lesion;Ⅲ(diffused type):numerous calcifications diffusely dis-tributed into the lesion;Ⅳ(plaque type):with a ≥ 5 mm calcified patch;V(peri-coronal type):multiple calcifications clustered around impacted teeth.Calcifications were present in 73.7％of COC le-sions,including 9 type Ⅱ,3 type Ⅲ and 2 type Ⅳ lesions,and 42.8％of CEOT lesions had calcifica-tion images,including 2 type Ⅲ and 5 type V lesions.Six COC lesions had odontoma-like images.Moreover,8 of 9 type Ⅰ CEOTs were histologically Langerhans cell-rich subtype,which had a smaller size(with an average mesiodistal diameter of 17.8 mm)and were not associated with impacted teeth.Conclusion:COC lesions tended to originate from the anterior part of the jaw and exhibit cortex expan-sion,and were sometimes associated with odontoma.CEOT commonly occurred in the posterior jaw and had discontinued cortex.Two lesions had significantly different calcification map.Over 70％of COC le-sions had calcification images,which were mostly scattered along one side of the cysts,far from the im-pacted teeth.Approximately 60％of CEOT lesions exhibited smaller size and non-calcification,and the remaining CEOT cases often had calcification images clustered around the impacted teeth.

Purpose To investigate the relationship be-tween the level of tumor abnormal protein(TAP)and the molec-ular subtypes and clinicopathological features of breast cancer,and to analyze the value of TAP in breast cancer screening,di-agnosis and prognosis prediction.Methods The clinical data of 357 breast cancer patients were collected,and the elbow venous blood was collected to detect the TAP condensate area.Immuno-histochemical(IHC)EnVision two-step method was used to de-tect the expression of AR,ER,PR,HER2,p53 and Ki67,and FISH to detect HER2 gene.The relationship between TAP ex-pression and clinicopathological features,molecular subtypes and clinical stages of breast cancer was analyzed,and the rele-vant literature was reviewed.Results Among 357 breast cancer patients,9 cases(2.52％)were TAP negative,36 cases(10.08％)were weakly positive,312 cases(87.40％)were strongly positive,and the positive rate of TAP was 97.48％.AR was positive in 321 cases and negative in 36 cases,ER was pos-itive in 256 cases and negative in 101 cases,PR was positive in 214 cases and negative in 143 cases,HER2 was strongly posi-tive in 98 cases,weakly positive in 214 cases and negative in 45 cases,p53 was positive in 146 cases and negative in 211 cases,Ki67 index was ≥20％in 276 cases and＜20％in 81 case.A total of 155 cases of IHC HER2(2+)breast cancer were tested by FISH:140 cases were negative and 15 cases were positive.The expression level of TAP in patients of ≥50 years old expres-sionas significantly higher than that in patients of＜50 years old(P＜0.05).The expression level of TAP in patients with high Ki67 proliferation index was significantly higher than that in pa-tients with low Ki67 proliferation index(P＜0.05).There was a significant difference in TAP expression between patients with different molecular subtypes(P＜0.05).Tap expression was higher in triple-negative breast cancer patients than in non-tri-ple-negative breast cancer patients(P＜0.05),and it was high-er in Luminal B breast cancer patients than in non-Luminal B breast cancer patients(P＜0.05).There was a significant difference in TAP expression between patients with different clin-ical stages(P＜0.05),and TAP expression level was positively correlated with clinical stage in breast cancer.Conclusion TAP detection can improve the diagnostic accuracy of breast cancer,and has a certain correlation with the survival rate and prognosis of breast cancer patients.

Objective To investigate the risk factors of postoperative complications in patients with spinal tuberculosis and analyze the value of prognostic nutritional index(PNI)in predicting these complications.Methods The clinical data of 156 patients with spinal tuberculosis who underwent surgery in the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from January 2018 to July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into a complication group and a non-complication group based on the presence or absence of postoperative complications.Baseline data,laboratory indicators,and surgery-related indicators were compared between the two groups.The risk factors for postoperative complications in spinal tuberculosis were analyzed,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were plotted to evaluate the predictive value of PNI for postoperative complications in the patients.Results Among all of 156 patients,68 contracted a total of 82 instances of postoperative complications,with an incidence of 43.59%.Coinfection with pulmonary tuberculosis,preoperative anti-tuberculosis treatment duration more than 4 weeks,surgical operation duration,and drainage days were identified as independent risk factors for postoperative complications in spinal tuberculosis(P<0.05).On the other hand,a higher PNI was found to be a protective factor against postoperative complications of the spinal tuberculosis(P<0.05).The area under the ROC curve for PNI predicting postoperative complications ofthe spinal tuberculosis was 0.805.Conclusion The risk of postoperative complications in patients with spinal tuberculosis is subject to such factors ascoexistence of pulmo-nary tuberculosis,preoperative anti-tuberculosis treatment duration,surgery duration,drainage duration,and preoperative PNI.Preoperative PNI has a certain value for predicting the postoperative complications in the patients.

Energy metabolism is fundamental for life.It encompasses the utilization of carbohydrates,lipids,and proteins for internal processes,while aberrant energy metabolism is implicated in many diseases.In the present study,using three-dimensional(3D)printing from polycarbonate via fused deposition modeling,we propose a multi-nuclear radiofrequency(RF)coil design with integrated 1H birdcage and interchangeable X-nuclei(2H,13C,23Na,and 31P)single-loop coils for magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)/magnetic resonance spectroscopy(MRS).The single-loop coil for each nucleus attaches to an arc bracket that slides unrestrictedly along the birdcage coil inner surface,enabling convenient switching among various nuclei and animal handling.Compared to a commercial 1H birdcage coil,the proposed 1H birdcage coil exhibited superior signal-excitation homogeneity and imaging signal-to-noise ratio(SNR).For X-nuclei study,prominent peaks in spectroscopy for phantom solutions showed excellent SNR,and the static and dynamic peaks of in vivo spectroscopy validated the efficacy of the coil design in structural imaging and energy metabolism detection simultaneously.

Objective:To investigate the effects of modified electroconvulsive therapy(MECT)in combina-tion with medication and medication alone on relapse and cognitive functioning in patients with major depressive disorder(MDD).Methods:Totally 324 patients meeting the diagnostic criteria ofthe DSM-5 for MDD were select-ed and divided into combined MECT group(n=117)and non-combined MECT group(n=207).At baseline and 5 years of follow-up,both groups completed the General Information Questionnaire,Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA),and Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD)to analyze associations between cognitive functioning and mul-tiple variables.Results:At baseline,there were no significant differences between the two groups on general infor-mation,MoCA,and HAMD scores(Ps＞0.05).After 5 years of follow-up,the relapse rate was lower in the com-bined MECT group than in the un-combined MECT group[(37.6％vs.72.0％),P＜0.001].MECT was a protec-tive factor against recurrence of MDD[RR(95％CI)=0.52(0.40-0.66)],and the MoCA scores were lower in the combined MECT group than in the un-combined MECT group[(20.9±3.5)vs.(23.6±4.2),β=-1.93,P＜0.001].Conclusion:Combined MECT is a protective factor against MDD recurrence.Its effects on the cognitive functioning of MDD patients may have long-term effects.

In the various diseases of oral and maxillofacial system,the incidence of tissue defects is high and harmful,the reconstruction of the morphology and function is difficult,which seriously affects the physiological and mental health of the patients.Dental and maxillofacial regeneration based on stem cells and tissue engineering technology is a potential way for the treatment of dental and maxillofacial defects,and is also the focus of current international competition.Based on the possible mechanism of stem cells regulating organ development,this paper reviews the current status of dental and maxillofacial regeneration and translation,and proposes future direction in this field in order to pro-mote the sustainable development of dental and maxillofacial regeneration and translation.

Objective To establish the sheep model of lumbar spine osteoporosis in vitro,and to search the texture parameters with identification significance and establish its regression formula relation with DXA measured bone mineral density,bone ash density and bone ash degree.Methods The L1-L3 trigeminy verte-bral body in 120 sheep conducted the immersion and decalcification by EDTA-Na2 solution (0.4916 mmol/L) immersion method,the muscles and attachment bone were removed.Then they were randomly divided into 4 groups (group A,B,C and D),30 cases in each group.They were immersed in 10％ formaldehyde solution for anticorrosion.The group A,B,C and D were immersed in the prepared EDTA-Na2 solution for decalcification 0,4,9,15 d to prepare the in vitro osteoporosis models.Thin-slice CT scan and DXA bone density measure-ment on the above-mentioned lumbar vertebrae were performed,and the volume and dry weight of each verte-bral body were measured,and then calcined at a constant temperature of 1100 ℃ in a muffle furnace for 6 h to measure the weight of ashes.The bone ash weight,bone ash density and bone ash degree were measured.The MaZda texture analysis software was used to conduct the texture analysis on the cancellous substance of the vertebral body in the above CT images,and the texture features were screened by the Fisher coefficient,classi-fication error probability combined with average correlation coefficient,interactive information and the three combined method.The 4 groups of bone mineral density conducted the classification analysis by the original data analysis (ODA),principal component analysis (PCA),linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and nonlinear discriminant analysis (NDA).The correlation analysis between the texture parameters screened by the above method with the bone density,bone grey degree and bone ash density for searching the texture parameters with strongest correlation.The texture parameters with strongest correlation served as the independent varia-bles,the bone density,bone grey degree and bone ash density as the dependent variables,and the unitary and binary linear regression analyses were performed for obtaining the regression equation.Results With the pro-longation of decalcification time,the CT images showed that the bone cortex gradually thinned,the cancellous bone density was decreased,and the trabecular bone became sparse.The identification ability of FPM com-bined with NDA was strongest,and the false judgment rate was only 2.5％.Among them,the contrast in the gray symbiosis matrix had strongly negative correlation with the bone gray degree (r=-0.938).The entropy in the gray co-occurrence matrix had strongly negative correlation with the bone ash density and bone mineral density (r=-0.927,-0.896).The unitary linear regression equation was expressed as bone grey degree=0.692-0.002×Contrast,bone ash density=0.802-0.121×Entropy,bone density=1.301-0.200×Entro-py.Conclusion The significant correlation exists between some texture parameters and bone mineral density related parameters in thin slice CT images of sheep lumbar spine,which could establish a regression formula relationship.