Tooth loss is a common oral problem, and cognitive decline is a primary manifestation of neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly. Both conditions affect their daily living abilities and quality of life. Studies have shown that tooth loss may negatively impact cognitive function through physiological mechanisms such as neural pathways and inflammatory factors, and social, psychological and behavioral factors are identified as important modifiable elements for preventing cognitive decline. This review examined literature about tooth loss and cognitive decline in the elderly, and explored the potential pathways of social, psychological and behavioral factors between these two conditions. The findings indicated that tooth loss may increase the risk of cognitive decline through reduced social participation, social isolation and limited social capital, increased chronic stress, depression and negative aging attitudes, as well as altered physical activity patterns, sleep duration and diets. For the elderly with tooth loss, targeted preventive and intervention measures addressing social, psychological and behavioral aspects can be implemented to prevent and delay cognitive decline, thereby improving their quality of life.

Hearing loss is the most prevalent disabling disease. Cochlear implantation（CI） serves as the primary intervention for severe to profound hearing loss. This consensus systematically explores the value of genetic diagnosis in the pre-operative assessment and efficacy prognosis for CI. Drawing upon domestic and international research and clinical experience, it proposes an evidence-based medicine three-tiered prognostic classification system（Favorable, Marginal, Poor）. The consensus focuses on common hereditary non-syndromic hearing loss（such as that caused by mutations in genes like GJB2, SLC26A4, OTOF, LOXHD1） and syndromic hereditary hearing loss（such as Jervell & Lange-Nielsen syndrome and Waardenburg syndrome）, which are closely associated with congenital hearing loss, analyzing the impact of their pathological mechanisms on CI outcomes. The consensus provides recommendations based on multiple round of expert discussion and voting. It emphasizes that genetic diagnosis can optimize patient selection, predict prognosis, guide post-operative rehabilitation, offer stratified management strategies for patients with different genotypes, and advance the application of precision medicine in the field of CI.
Humans ; Cochlear Implantation ; Prognosis ; Hearing Loss/surgery* ; Consensus ; Connexin 26 ; Mutation ; Sulfate Transporters ; Connexins/genetics*

Venous system diseases mainly include varicose veins and venous malformations of lower limbs and the genital system. Most of them are chronic diseases that cause serious clinical symptoms to patients and affect their health and quality of life. Sclerotherapy has become the first-line therapy for venous system diseases. However, there are problems such as incomplete fibrosis and vascular recanalization after sclerotherapy, and improper operation will cause serious adverse consequences. Therefore, exploring a safe and effective sclerotherapy strategy is essential for developing clinically successful sclerotherapy. To solve the above problems, we proposed a new sclerotherapy strategy with a dual mechanism of "vascular damage and plasmin (PLA) system inhibition." We intended to construct a novel cationic surfactant (AEO_x-TA) by reacting tranexamic acid (TA), a parent structure, with fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO_x) by ester bonds. AEO_x-TA could damage vascular endothelium and initiate a coagulation cascade effect to induce thrombus. Furthermore, AEO_x-TA could be degraded by esterase and release the parent drug, TA, which could inhibit the PLA system to inhibit the degradation of thrombus and extracellular matrix and promote the process of vascular fibrosis. In addition, such surfactant-based sclerosants have foam-forming properties, and they can be blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to prepare a highly stable foam formulation (AEO_x-TA/P), which can achieve a precise drug delivery and prolonged drug retention time, thereby improving drug efficacy and reducing the risk of ectopic embolism. Overall, the novel cationic surfactant AEO_x-TA provides a new avenue to resolve the bottleneck: surfactant sclerosants' efficiency is relatively low in the current sclerotherapy.

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are one of the major populations susceptible to tuberculosis. However, little is known about the unique characteristics and diagnostic biomarkers of tuberculosis in this population. In this study, 81 AYAs were recruited, and the high-quality serum proteome of the AYAs with tuberculosis was profiled by quantitative proteomics. The data of serum proteomics indicated that the relative abundance of hemoglobin and apolipoprotein was significantly reduced in the patients with active tuberculosis (ATB). The pathway enrichment analysis showed that the downregulated proteins in the ATB group were mainly involved in the antioxidant and cell detoxification pathways, indicating extensive oxidative stress damage. Random forest (RF) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) were employed to evaluate protein importance, which yielded a set of candidate proteins that can distinguish between ATB and non-ATB. The analysis with the support vector machine algorithm (recursive feature elimination) suggested that the combination of apolipoprotein A-I (APOA1), hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB), and hemoglobin subunit alpha-1 (HBA1) had the highest accuracy and sensitivity in diagnosing ATB. Meanwhile, the levels of hemoglobin (HGB) and albumin (ALB) can be used as blood biochemical indicators to evaluate changes in the protein levels of APOA1 and HBB. This study established the serum proteome landscape of AYAs with tuberculosis and identified new biomarkers for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in this population.
Humans ; Proteomics/methods* ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Apolipoprotein A-I/blood* ; Machine Learning ; Tuberculosis/blood* ; Proteome/analysis* ; Male ; Hemoglobins/analysis* ; Female ; Blood Proteins/analysis* ; Adult

Objective:To analyze the efficacy and safety of nalbuphine for analgesia in patients with non-mechanical ventilation in intensive care unit (ICU).Methods:From December 2018 to August 2021, a multicenter randomized controlled clinical study was conducted to select non-mechanical ventilation patients with analgesic needs admitted to ICU of four hospitals in Henan Province and Guizhou Province. Patients were randomly assigned to nalbuphine group and fentanyl group. The nalbuphine group was given continuous infusion of nalbuphine [0.05~0.20 mg/(kg·h)], and the fentanyl group was given continuous infusion of fentanyl [0.5~2.0 μg/(kg·h)]. The analgesic target was critical-care pain observation tool (CPOT) score<2. The observation time was 48 hours. The primary endpoint was CPOT score, the secondary endpoints were Richmond agitation-sedation score (RASS), ICU length of stay, adverse events, and proportion of mechanical ventilation. The quantitative data of the two groups were compared by t test or Mann-Whitney U test. The enumeration data were compared by chi square test or Fisher exact probability method. The data at different time points between groups were compared by repeated measures analysis of variance. Results:A total of 210 patients were enrolled, including 105 patients in the nalbuphine group and 105 patients in the fentanyl group. There was no significant difference in baseline data between the two groups (all P>0.05). There was no significant difference in CPOT score between nalbuphine group and fentanyl group at each time point after medication ( P>0.05), the CPOT score of both groups at each time point after medication was significantly lower than that before medication, and the analgesic target could be achieved and maintained 2 hours after medication. There was no significant difference in RASS between the two groups at each time point after medication ( P>0.05), which was significantly lower than that before medication, and the target sedative effect was achieved 2 hours after medication. There was no significant difference in ICU length of stay between nalbuphine group and fentanyl group [5.0(4.0,7.5) d vs. 5.0(4.0,8.0) d, P=0.504]. The incidence of delirium, nausea and vomiting, abdominal distension, pruritus, vertigo and other adverse events in the nalbuphine group was lower than that in the fentanyl group (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of other adverse events such as deep sedation, hypotension and bradycardia between the two groups (all P>0.05). The incidence of respiratory depression in nalbuphine group was not significantly different from that in fentanyl group ( P>0.05), but the proportion of mechanical ventilation was significantly lower than that in the fentanyl group [1.9% (2/105) vs. 8.6%(9/105), P=0.030]. Conclusions:Nalbuphine could be used for analgesia in ICU patients with non-mechanical ventilation. The target analgesic effect could be achieved within 2 hours, and it had a certain sedative effect with a low incidence of adverse reactions.

Objective:To investigate the expression of retinoic acid receptor responsive gene 2 (RARRES2), microtubule microfilament cross-linking factor 1 (MACF1), and core protein polysaccharide (DCN) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with neurosyphilis, and their diagnostic value for neurosyphilis.Methods:A total of 64 non neurosyphilis syphilis patients (syphilis group) and 78 neurosyphilis patients (neurosyphilis group) admitted to the Second Hospital of Nanjing between June 2020 and September 2022 were included. Among neurosyphilis patients, there were 48 early neurosyphilis patients (early group) and 30 late neurosyphilis patients (late group). Patients with neurosyphilis are treated with routine symptomatic therapy and antibiotic therapy to expel syphilis. The mRNA levels of RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN in CSF of patients with neurosyphilis before and after treatment were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to evaluate the neurological function of patients with neurosyphilis before and after treatment. The diagnostic value of various indicators for neurosyphilis was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.Results:The mRNA levels of RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN in CSF of patients with neurosyphilis were higher than those in the syphilis group (all P<0.001). The mRNA levels of RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN in the CSF of patients with advanced neurosyphilis were higher than those in the early group (all P<0.001). Compared with before treatment, the NIHSS score and RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN mRNA levels of neurosyphilis patients decreased after treatment (all P<0.001). The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of the combined diagnosis of RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN mRNA in CSF for neurosyphilis were 0.995%, 100.00%, and 93.75%, respectively. The AUC and sensitivity were higher than those of individual diagnosis. Conclusions:The expression of RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN is elevated in CSF of patients with neurosyphilis, and is associated with disease severity and treatment response. These three genes may be candidate biomarkers for diagnosing neurosyphilis.

Objective:To analyze the differentially expressed genes of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) subtype A genotype ON1, a predominant genotype in Beijing, after infecting A549 cells using transcriptomic sequencing, and provide potential targets for RSV prevention and treatment.Methods:A local strain (61397-ON1) identified by whole-genome sequencing as ON1 genotype of RSV subtype A was selected to infect A549 cells. Total mRNA was extracted, and the differentially expressed genes in infected and uninfected A549 cells were screened by transcriptomic sequencing. GO analysis and KEGG pathway analysis were performed. Besides, six genes with differential expression ratio greater than two times were randomly selected for qRT-PCR verification.Results:There were 1 632 differentially expressed genes between infected and uninfected A549 cells, of which 807 genes were up-regulated and 825 genes were down-regulated. The differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in immune response-related biological processes such as cytokine response and positive regulation of MAPK cascades, and were enriched in MAPK signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway and NF-κB signaling pathway. The results of qRT-PCR for six differentially expressed genes were consistent with the trend of transcriptome data.Conclusions:The differentially expressed genes of RSV A subtype ON1 genotype after infecting A549 cells are mainly involved in cytokine response and immune-related signaling pathways. This study provides basic data for further study of the molecular mechanism of RSV infection and the development of prevention and treatment strategies.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has a long history and plays a decisive role in the fields of modern medicine and pharmacy.It is an important part of our country's traditional medicine.With the progress of the times,people are paying more and more attention to the innovation and development of traditional Chinese medicine.However,the current traditional Chinese medicine talents trained by major universities cannot meet the needs and requirements of society.This is closely related to the current talent training model of universities.Local high-level universities have unique advantages and potential in cultivating inno-vative talents in traditional Chinese medicine.They can incorporate traditional Chinese medicine culture with local characteristics into the teaching content and practical links of training traditional Chinese medicine talents,and build innovative traditional Chi-nese medicine talents integrating science and education.The training model is more conducive to cultivating top innovative talents that meet the needs of society and and the development of traditional Chinese medicine.This article analyzes and discusses how local high-level universities can develop innovative talent training models that suit the needs of traditional Chinese medicine by combining local characteristics and disciplinary advantages,so as to provide useful reference and inspiration for local high-level u-niversities in cultivating talents in traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective To explore the effect of Rhizoma corydalis on the immune escape of Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)positive gastric cancer cells and its mechanism of targeting CXCL17 to affect immune escape of EBV-positive gastric cancer cells.Methods GEO2R online analysis software was used to screen differentially expressed genes in EBV-positive gastric cancer tissues.EBV-negative AGS gastric cancer cells and EBV-positive SUN-719 gastric cancer cells were used for the experiments.RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of CXCL17in EBV-negative and EBV-positive gastric cancer cells.Transfection of CXCL17 siRNA into EBV-positive gastric cancer cells,detection of PD-L1 expression through Western blotting,coculture of EBV-positive gastric cancer cells with T cells,detection of cell viability using the CCK-8 assay,and detection of cell apoptosis rate through flow cytometry were conducted.EBV-positive gastric cancer cells were treated with different concentrations of a Rhizoma corydalis extract(2,4,and 8 μg/mL).The expression of CXCL17and PD-L1 was detected through Western blotting,and EBV-positive gastric cancer cells were cocultured with T cells.Cell viability was determined using CCK-8,and cell apoptosis rate through flow cytometry.The CXCL17overexpression plasmid was transfected into EBV-positive gastric cancer cells treated with Rhizoma corydalis extract(8μg/mL).The expression of PD-L1 and p-AMPK was detected through Western blotting,and EBV-positive gastric cancer cells were cocultured with T cells.Cell viability was determined using CCK-8,and cell apoptosis rate with flow cytometry.Results CXCL17 expression was upregulated in EBV-positive gastric cancer tissues and cells(P<0.05).Silencing of CXCL17reduced the expression of PD-L1 in EBV-positive gastric cancer cells,inhibited the proliferation of EBV-positive gastric cancer cells cocultured with T cells,and promoted cell apoptosis(P<0.05).Rhizoma corydalis treat-ment reduced the expression of CXCL17 and PD-L1 in EBV-positive gastric cancer cells,inhibited the proliferation of EBV-positive gas-tric cancer cells cocultured with T cells,and promoted apoptosis(P<0.05).Overexpression of CXCL17reversed the inhibitory effect of the Rhizoma corydalis treatment on PD-L1 expression and cell proliferation in EBV-positive gastric cancer cells,as well as the promoting effect of cell apoptosis(P<0.05).Overexpression of CXCL17also reduced the expression of p-AMPK in EBV-positive gastric cancer cells treated with Rhizoma corydalis(P<0.05).Conclusion CXCL17 expression is upregulated in EBV-positive gastric cancer cells,and Rhizoma corydalis inhibits immune escape in gastric cancer cells by downregulating CXCL17 expression in EBV-positive gastric cancer cells,which may be related to the activation of the AMPK signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the risk factors of uterine artery embolization(UAE)in treating cesarean scar pregnancy(CSP),and to construct a nomogram prediction model used for providing a basis for individualized treatment.Methods The clinical data of 305 CSP patients,who were admitted to the Shanxi Bethune Hospital from January 2014 to June 2023,were retrospectively analyzed.Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors for UAE in patients with CSP,based on which a risk prediction model was constructed.R language was used to draw a nomogram.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the predictive power of the model.The model was verified and calibrated,and the decision curve analysis(DCA)curve was drawn to analyze its clinical utility.Results Of the 305 CSP patients,88(28.85％)received interventional operation and 217(71.15％)did not receive interventional operation.Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that gestational sac diameter(OR=1.062,95％CI=1.034-1.091,P=0.001),abdominal pain(OR=0.179,95％CI=0.085-0.379,P=0.001),residual muscle thickness(OR=6.532,95％CI=3.271-13.043,P=0.001),were the independent risk factor for UAE in CSP patients(P＜0.05).The following risk prediction model was established:h(t,X)=h0(t)exp(-1.718X1+1.877X2+0.061X3),which was presented as a nomogram.ROC curve analysis indicated that the overall prediction efficiency of the model was better than that of a single risk factor,and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test of the model had a better fit degree.The consistency index(C-index)was 0.828,suggesting that this model had good discrimination ability.After correction by the Bootstrap method,this model had a relatively high prediction accuracy.DCA curve evaluation revealed that this model had good clinical utilization value.Conclusion The nomogram of the risk prediction model,which is constructed based on the presence or absence of abdominal pain,gestational sac diameter and residual muscle thickness,has high accuracy and differentiation with a good consistency.This model has good clinical utilization value and it can be used to predict and evaluate whether a patient with CSP is at risk of UAE.