Objective:To evaluate whether the mechanism by which mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-exo) mitigated endotoxin-induced lung injury was related to the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)/mitochondrial signaling pathway in alveolar macrophages of mice.Methods:In vivo experiment Eighteen C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) mice were divided into 3 groups ( n=6 each) using a random number table method: control group (C group), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) group (L group) and LPS + MSC-exo group (LM group). Six HO-1 conditional knockout mice (HO-1 -/-) were selected and served as HO-1 -/- + MSC-exo + LPS group (HML group). The model of endotoxin-induced lung injury was prepared by injection of LPS 15 mg/kg. MSC-exo (2×10 11 particles) was intravenously injected at 1 h before injection of LPS in LM group. MSC-exo (2×10 11 particles) was intravenously injected and 1 h later LPS was injected in HML group. The expression of HO-1 in macrophages was detected using immunofluorescence, lung injury was assessed following hematoxylin-eosin staining, the wet/dry weight ratio (W/D ratio) was determined, and the mitochondrial morphology was observed with a transmission electron microscope. Cell experiment Alveolar macrophages (MH-S) were divided into 4 groups ( n=20 each) using a random number table method: control group (C group), LPS+ phosphate buffer solution group (LP group), LPS+ MSC-exo group (LM group), and LPS+ MSC-exo+ HO-1 small-interfering RNA group (LMS group). Cells were incubated for 12 h with LPS 10 μg/ml in LP, LM and LMS groups. In addition, LM group was incubated with MSC-exo 100 μg/ml, LP group was incubated with the equal volume of phosphate buffer solution, and the alveolar macrophages were transfected with HO-1 small interfering RNA and incubated with MSC-exo 100 μg/ml in LMS group at the same time. The concentrations of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in supernatant were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, HO-1 expression was detected by Western blot, the mitochondrial membrane potential was measured using JC-1 staining, and the expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected by fluorescence. Results:In vivo experiment Compared to C group, the lung injury score and W/D ratio were significantly increased ( P<0.05), the fluorescence signal of HO-1 in macrophages was enhanced, and the damage to mitochondria was aggravated in L group. Compared to L group, the lung injury score and W/D ratio were significantly decreased ( P<0.05), the fluorescence signal of HO-1 in macrophages was enhanced, and the damage to mitochondria was reduced in LM group. Compared to LM group, the lung injury score and W/D ratio were significantly increased ( P<0.05), macrophages had no HO-1 fluorescence signal, and the damage to mitochondria was aggravated in HML group. Cell experiment Compared to C group, the concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α in supernatant were significantly increased, the expression of HO-1 was up-regulated ( P<0.05), and the mitochondria predominantly exhibited green JC-1 fluorescence, accompanied by an enhanced ROS fluorescence signal in LP group. Compared to LP group, the concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α in supernatant were significantly decreased, the expression of HO-1 was up-regulated ( P<0.05), and the mitochondria predominantly exhibited red JC-1 fluorescence, accompanied by a weakened ROS fluorescence signal in LM group. Compared to LM group, the concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α in supernatant were significantly increased, the expression of HO-1 was down-regulated ( P<0.05), and the mitochondria predominantly exhibited green JC-1 fluorescence, accompanied by an enhanced ROS fluorescence signal in LMS group. Conclusions:The mechanism by which MSC-exo attenuates endotoxin-induced lung injury may be related to up-regulation of HO-1 expression in alveolar macrophages and reduction of mitochondrial damage in mice.

Objective:To explore the predictive value of models based on clinical parameters, deep learning radiomics (DLR) from CT images, and traditional handcrafted radiomics (HCR) in assessing pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant radiotherapy combined with medical therapy in patients with esophageal cancer.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 130 patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer who underwent neoadjuvant radiotherapy combined with medical therapy followed by surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China from August 1, 2018, to August 31, 2024. Patients were randomly divided into a training set ( n=91) and a validation set ( n=39) at a ratio of 7:3. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify clinical independent risk factors associated with pCR. DLR and HCR features were extracted from the tumor and the 5 mm peritumoral region on planning CT images. Features for modeling were selected using t-test, Mann-Whitney U test or Fisher exact probability method, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression to calculate the radiomics score (Rad-score). A nomogram was then constructed by integrating the clinical risk factors. The predictive performance of each model was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and decision curve analysis (DCA) to assess clinical benefits. Results:Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified body weight ( OR=1.101, 95% CI: 1.029-1.177, P=0.005) and lymph node positivity ( OR=0.100, 95% CI: 0.014-0.727, P=0.023) as independent predictors of pCR. The peritumoral DLR-HCR model showed superior predictive performance, with AUCs of 0.870 (95% CI: 0.799-0.942) in the training set and 0.866 (95% CI: 0.750-0.982) in the validation set. The combined model incorporating clinical parameters achieved the best performance, with AUCs of 0.903 (95% CI: 0.845-0.962) and 0.888 (95% CI: 0.782-0.994) in the training and validation sets, respectively. Conclusions:The combined model integrating peritumoral DLR-HCR features with clinical parameters provides excellent predictive value for pCR after neoadjuvant radiotherapy combined with medical therapy in esophageal cancer and offers valuable guidance for personalized treatment strategies.

Objective To analyze the serum high-density lipoprotein 3 subtype cholesterol(HDL3-C)levels in patients with ischemic stroke(IS)and explore its clinical value in evaluating the condition and prognosis.Methods A total of 124 patients with IS and 47 healthy controls admitted to the Department of Neurology of the General Hospital of the Eastern Theater Command were continuously se-lected from January to June 2023.The serum samples of IS patients at admission and healthy controls were collected respectively,and the levels of HDL3-C,total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),low-density lipopro-tein cholesterol(LDL-C),blood glucose(Glu),albumin(Alb),interleukin 6(IL-6)and procalcitonin(PCT)were measured.The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score at admission,modified Rankin Scale(MRS)score at discharge,and Barthel index of the IS patients were calculated.All the IS patients were followed up for 1 year.The time of sequelae caused by stroke,and re-currence of acute cerebrovascular events were recorded in detail.Spearman's correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation be-tween HDL3-C levels and other clinical events and biochemical parameters in the IS patients.Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the clinical value of serum HDL3-C levels in evaluating the presence of IS.Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the clin-ical value of serum HDL3-C levels in assessing the prognosis of patients with IS.Results Compared with controls,the levels of HDL3-C,HDL-C and Alb of the patients with IS decreased significantly,but the levels of TG and Glu of the IS patients increased sig-nificantly(all P＜0.05).The level of serum HDL3-C in patients with IS was significantly positively correlated with TC(r=0.231,P=0.003),HDL-C(r=0.831,P＜0.001),Alb(r=0.451,P＜0.001)and Barthel index at discharge(r=0.216,P=0.018),while it was significantly negatively correlated with the levels of TG(r=-0.396,P＜0.001),IL-6(r=-0.290,P=0.013),NIHSS at admis-sion(r=-0.187,P=0.041)and MRS at discharge(r=-0.227,P=0.012).Multivariate Logistic regression analyses showed that the decreased level of serum HDL3-C was still independently related to the presence of IS(OR=0.853,95％CI=0.740-0.984,P=0.030)after adjusting for the fectors of age,sex,TC,TG,HDL-C and LDL-C.Multivariate Cox regression analyses demonstrates that the de-creased level of serum HDL3-C was still independently related to the poor prognosis of IS patients(HR=0.710,95％CI=0.517-0.976,P=0.035)after adjusting for the fectors of age,sex,TC,TG,HDL-C and LDL-C.Conclusion The level of serum HDL3-C in pa-tients with IS decreased significantly,and it is independently correlated with poor prognosis.The level of HDL3-C has reference value in evaluating the condition and prognosis of the patients with IS.

Purpose To investigate the independent risk factors for early recurrence of solitary hepatocellular carcinoma after radiofrequency ablation based on gadoxetic acid disodium(Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced MRI combined with clinical features.Materials and Methods Clinical and imaging data of hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent radiofrequency ablation at the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from January 2019 to June 2022 were retrospectively collected.All patients underwent preoperative Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and were followed up for up to two years post-surgery.Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression were performed to identify independent risk factors for recurrence after radiofrequency ablation.Results A total of 58 patients were finally included,including early recurrence group(n=22)and non-early recurrence group(n=36).Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that preoperative alpha-fetoprotein(AFP)levels(HR=1.103,95%CI 1.008-1.206,P=0.033),arterial-phase irregular margin enhancement(HR=4.647,95%CI 1.527-14.110,P=0.007),peritumoral arterial-phase enhancement(HR=11.575,95%CI 3.575-37.478,P=0.001)and peritumoral hepatobiliary phase hypointensity(HR=5.058,95%CI 1.129-22.668,P=0.034)were independent risk factors for early recurrence.The area under the curve for AFP combined with arterial-phase irregular margin enhancement,peritumoral arterial-phase enhancement and peritumoral hepatobiliary phase hypointensity were 0.896,0.842 and 0.860,with accuracy rates of 81.0%,84.5%and 82.8%,respectively.Conclusion Preoperative serum AFP levels,arterial-phase irregular margin enhancement,peritumoral arterial-phase enhancement and peritumoral hepatobiliary phase hypointensity are independent risk factors for early recurrence after radiofrequency ablation in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.The combination of AFP and any of these MRI features significantly improves predictive efficacy.

Objective:To find out whether the performance of a China-made high performance human centrifuge can satisfy the need of high G training by conducting physiological experiments.Methods:The dynamic physical performance of the anti-G equipment with the human centrifuge was tested before 5 subjects underwent the gradual-onset rate (GOR) run and rapid onset rate (ROR) run experiments. The G onset rate of GOR was 0.1 G/s. The relaxed G-tolerance under GOR (GOR tolerance 1) and the anti-G straining maneuver aided G-tolerance under GOR (GOR tolerance 2) were tested respectively. The G onset rate of ROR was 3 G/s, and the closed-loop mode and pre-programed mode were employed respectively. The closed-loop mode involved 5 G 10 s and 8 G 10 s, where the subjects were required to manipulate the joystick to ensure that the real-time curve of the load matched the target curve. In the pre-programmed mode, the subjects were exposed to 8 G 10 s passively, without any operation requirements. A subjective evaluation form was filled out by subjects after the experiments, in which the 14 indexes for evaluation were about the gondola facilities and environment, running processes, medical monitoring and overall assessment.Results:Both the oxygen mask and anti-G suit achieved full pressurization within 2.0 s. The GOR tolerance 1 was [4.0(3.8, 4.6)] G while the GOR tolerance 2 was (6.2±0.5) G, suggesting a statistically significant difference ( Z=-2.63, P=0.008). The HP anti-G straining maneuver effect was (2.0±0.6) G. All the 5 subjects finished the 5 G 10 s experiment in a closed-loop mode. Three of them attempted 8 G 10 s in the closed-loop mode (1 subject achieved only 7.6 G peak acceleration, and the other 2 achieved full 8 G 10 s exposure), while the remaining 2 completed the 8 G 10 s in the pre-programmed mode. In the closed-loop mode, it was found that the stick force was too strong, the guiding G and real time G curve were not easy to distinguish for some of the subjects because the curve colors were similar, and that the subjects could not see the G curves clearly in case of a grayout. Both seat comfort and the voice quality of communication got the highest subjective assessment score [5.0(4.0, 5.0)] while the sensation of tumble got the lowest score (2.8±0.8). The median or mean scores of other subjective evaluation indexes ranged from 3.0 to 4.6 points. The overall score of subjective assessment was [4.0(3.5, 4.0)] points. Conclusions:The China-made high performance human centrifuge can meet the requirements of 8.0 G high G training, which can be made more effective and comfortable if the strong stick force and feeling of tumble during stop running are overcome.

Objective To observe the value of pituitary radiomics and MRI features combined model for predicting growth hormone(GH)status in pediatric short stature.Methods Totally 300 children with short stature were enrolled as training set,while other 73 cases were taken as external validation set.Based on growth hormone stimulation test,the children were divided into GH deficiency(GHD)group(n=228)and non-GHD group(n=145).The training set included 196 cases in GHD subgroup and 104 cases in non-GHD subgroup,while the validation set included 32 cases in GHD subgroup and 41 cases in non-GHD subgroup.Radiomics features of pituitary were extracted from T1WI.The key features were selected using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)regression,and machine learning models were subsequently constructed using support vector machine(SVM),logistic regression(LR),naive Bayes(NB)and K-nearest neighbor(KNN),respectively.Then combined models were constructed combining with MRI features,and the efficacy of each model was evaluated.Results The area under the curve(AUC)of SVM,LR,NB,and KNN radiomics model for predicting GH status in pediatric short stature was 0.860,0.831,0.838 and 0.901 in training set,0.788,0.829,0.823 and 0.770 in validation set,while of the relative combined SVM,LR,NB and KNN model was 0.924,0.903,0.859 and 0.920 in training set,and 0.827,0.881,0.836 and 0.718 in validation set.LRcombined model had the best overall performance,with sensitivity of 84.94％,specificity of 80.56％and accuracy of 83.61％in training set,and 80.95％,72.22％and 80.00％in validation set,respectively.Conclusion Pituitary radiomics and MRI features combined model could effectively predict GH status in pediatric short stature.

Objective:To investigate changes of choroid plexus volume in patients with essential hypertension using deep learning-based segmentation technique.Methods:According to the inclusion criteria,19 patients with essential hypertension who visited The 900th Hospital of People's Liberation Army Joint Service Support Force from December 2022 to May 2024 were divided into hypertension group.Additionally,19 healthy individuals,matched with the hypertension group in terms of gender,age,and years of education,were recruited as the healthy control group during the same period.All participants underwent data acquisition of three-dimensional T1(T1-3D)brain structural images using a Siemens 3.0T Trio magnetic resonance(MR)scanner.A pre-trained deep learning model,which based on the 3D U-Net architecture and generated by fully convolutional neural network,was employed for choroid plexus segmentation,and the total brain volume and lateral ventricle volume were calculated using the United Imaging Artificial Intelligence(AI)platform.Statistical analysis of the choroid plexus volume and other data for both groups were performed using SPSS27.0.Results:Compared with the healthy control group(1 866 mm3),the hypertensive group(2 047 mm3)showed an abnormal increase in choroid plexus volume(x2=3.900,P<0.05).Moreover,the choroid plexus volume was positively correlated with lateral ventricle volume and systolic blood pressure(r=0.849,P<0.05),and was negatively correlated with digit span(forward)in the hypertensive group(r=-0.374,P<0.05).Conclusion:The choroid plexus volume in patients with essential hypertension abnormally increased,which might be a factor promoting to changes in brain structure,it can affect further the cognitive function of patients with hypertension.

Objective:To evaluate whether the mechanism by which mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-exo) mitigated endotoxin-induced lung injury was related to the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)/mitochondrial signaling pathway in alveolar macrophages of mice.Methods:In vivo experiment Eighteen C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) mice were divided into 3 groups ( n=6 each) using a random number table method: control group (C group), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) group (L group) and LPS + MSC-exo group (LM group). Six HO-1 conditional knockout mice (HO-1 -/-) were selected and served as HO-1 -/- + MSC-exo + LPS group (HML group). The model of endotoxin-induced lung injury was prepared by injection of LPS 15 mg/kg. MSC-exo (2×10 11 particles) was intravenously injected at 1 h before injection of LPS in LM group. MSC-exo (2×10 11 particles) was intravenously injected and 1 h later LPS was injected in HML group. The expression of HO-1 in macrophages was detected using immunofluorescence, lung injury was assessed following hematoxylin-eosin staining, the wet/dry weight ratio (W/D ratio) was determined, and the mitochondrial morphology was observed with a transmission electron microscope. Cell experiment Alveolar macrophages (MH-S) were divided into 4 groups ( n=20 each) using a random number table method: control group (C group), LPS+ phosphate buffer solution group (LP group), LPS+ MSC-exo group (LM group), and LPS+ MSC-exo+ HO-1 small-interfering RNA group (LMS group). Cells were incubated for 12 h with LPS 10 μg/ml in LP, LM and LMS groups. In addition, LM group was incubated with MSC-exo 100 μg/ml, LP group was incubated with the equal volume of phosphate buffer solution, and the alveolar macrophages were transfected with HO-1 small interfering RNA and incubated with MSC-exo 100 μg/ml in LMS group at the same time. The concentrations of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in supernatant were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, HO-1 expression was detected by Western blot, the mitochondrial membrane potential was measured using JC-1 staining, and the expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected by fluorescence. Results:In vivo experiment Compared to C group, the lung injury score and W/D ratio were significantly increased ( P<0.05), the fluorescence signal of HO-1 in macrophages was enhanced, and the damage to mitochondria was aggravated in L group. Compared to L group, the lung injury score and W/D ratio were significantly decreased ( P<0.05), the fluorescence signal of HO-1 in macrophages was enhanced, and the damage to mitochondria was reduced in LM group. Compared to LM group, the lung injury score and W/D ratio were significantly increased ( P<0.05), macrophages had no HO-1 fluorescence signal, and the damage to mitochondria was aggravated in HML group. Cell experiment Compared to C group, the concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α in supernatant were significantly increased, the expression of HO-1 was up-regulated ( P<0.05), and the mitochondria predominantly exhibited green JC-1 fluorescence, accompanied by an enhanced ROS fluorescence signal in LP group. Compared to LP group, the concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α in supernatant were significantly decreased, the expression of HO-1 was up-regulated ( P<0.05), and the mitochondria predominantly exhibited red JC-1 fluorescence, accompanied by a weakened ROS fluorescence signal in LM group. Compared to LM group, the concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α in supernatant were significantly increased, the expression of HO-1 was down-regulated ( P<0.05), and the mitochondria predominantly exhibited green JC-1 fluorescence, accompanied by an enhanced ROS fluorescence signal in LMS group. Conclusions:The mechanism by which MSC-exo attenuates endotoxin-induced lung injury may be related to up-regulation of HO-1 expression in alveolar macrophages and reduction of mitochondrial damage in mice.

Purpose To investigate the independent risk factors for early recurrence of solitary hepatocellular carcinoma after radiofrequency ablation based on gadoxetic acid disodium(Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced MRI combined with clinical features.Materials and Methods Clinical and imaging data of hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent radiofrequency ablation at the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from January 2019 to June 2022 were retrospectively collected.All patients underwent preoperative Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and were followed up for up to two years post-surgery.Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression were performed to identify independent risk factors for recurrence after radiofrequency ablation.Results A total of 58 patients were finally included,including early recurrence group(n=22)and non-early recurrence group(n=36).Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that preoperative alpha-fetoprotein(AFP)levels(HR=1.103,95%CI 1.008-1.206,P=0.033),arterial-phase irregular margin enhancement(HR=4.647,95%CI 1.527-14.110,P=0.007),peritumoral arterial-phase enhancement(HR=11.575,95%CI 3.575-37.478,P=0.001)and peritumoral hepatobiliary phase hypointensity(HR=5.058,95%CI 1.129-22.668,P=0.034)were independent risk factors for early recurrence.The area under the curve for AFP combined with arterial-phase irregular margin enhancement,peritumoral arterial-phase enhancement and peritumoral hepatobiliary phase hypointensity were 0.896,0.842 and 0.860,with accuracy rates of 81.0%,84.5%and 82.8%,respectively.Conclusion Preoperative serum AFP levels,arterial-phase irregular margin enhancement,peritumoral arterial-phase enhancement and peritumoral hepatobiliary phase hypointensity are independent risk factors for early recurrence after radiofrequency ablation in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.The combination of AFP and any of these MRI features significantly improves predictive efficacy.

Objective:To analyse the clinical characteristics of 214 cases of paediatric high altitude pulmonary edema（HAPE）and the efficacy of dexamethasone in adjunctive therapy.Methods:This retrospective study analyzed 214 pediatric cases of HAPE admitted to the Department of Paediatrics of the General Hospital of Tibetan Military between June 2015 to June 2017 and June 2019 to June 2021.Patients were divided into dexamethasone-treated group and dexamethasone-untreated group.Baseline data，clinical characteristics were collected to evaluate the treatment efficacy and drug side effects.Results:There were 107 children in each of the two groups with a median age of 8（5，11）years. The median age of the dexamethasone-treated group was 9（6，12）years and the mean age of the dexamethasone-untreated group was 7（3，10）years. The proportion of male children was 69.60%（149/214）；the onset of illness was mostly concentrated within 72 hours，accounting for 97.20%（208/214）of the cases；83.18%（178/214）of the cases had symptoms of combined upper respiratory tract infection before entering the plateau. The most important clinical symptoms of the children were cough（86.92%，186/214），cyanosis（70.09%，150/214），and shortness of breath（66.36%，142/214）. The proportion of auscultatory rhonchi was 83.18%（178/214），and all cases showed positive findings on chest radiography. After the dexamethasone regimen，the overall cure rate of the children was 94.39%，the average disappearance time of the symptoms and signs was（40.52±7.85）h，and the average hospital stay was（3.60±1.90）d. After treatment with the dexamethasone-free regimen，the overall cure rate was 92.52%，the mean time to disappearance of symptoms and signs was（42.10±7.62）h，and the mean length of stay in the hospital was(3.84±2.08)d. There was no significant difference in the cure rate，the disappearance time of symptoms and signs，and the average hospitalisation days between the two groups（ P>0.05），but a total of 11 children in the dexamethasone-treated group experienced adverse drug reactions，and no children in the dexamethasone-untreated group experienced adverse drug reactions. Conclusion:Han Chinese male children，particularly those with upper respiratory infections，should be closely monitored for HAPE risk within three days of ascending to high altitudes. This study does not recommend the use of dexamethasone for pediatric HAPE due to the lack of therapeutic benefits and potential adverse effects.