Esophageal cancer is a prevalent malignant tumor of the digestive tract in China, and radical surgery remains the cornerstone of its comprehensive treatment. However, multifactorial challenges such as postoperative gastrointestinal tract reconstruction, traumatic stress, and tumor-related metabolic disturbances render esophageal cancer patients highly susceptible to malnutrition. Perioperative nutritional support therapy plays a crucial role in enhancing surgical safety, improving clinical outcomes, and elevating patients' quality of life by regulating metabolic homeostasis, preserving organ function, and optimizing the immune microenvironment. This article reviews the mechanisms underlying malnutrition in esophageal cancer, methods for nutritional status assessment, and precision intervention pathways based on multi-omics evaluations. The aim is to strengthen clinicians' awareness of standardized perioperative nutritional management for esophageal cancer patients and promote its clinical implementation, thereby facilitating postoperative recovery and improving long-term quality of life.

Lung cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide, and its treatment continues to face major challenges such as therapeutic resistance and tumor recurrence. Pyroptosis, a newly characterized form of programmed cell death, induces tumor cell death through gasdermin-mediated membrane pore formation and is accompanied by the release of inflammatory mediators, thereby playing complex roles in lung cancer initiation, progression, and modulation of the tumor microenvironment. Active components and herbal formulas derived from traditional Chinese medicine can modulate pyroptosis-related signaling pathways through multi-target mechanisms, showing potential advantages in inducing lung cancer cell death, inhibiting proliferation and migration, and reversing chemoresistance. This review systematically summarizes relevant studies from domestic and international sources, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of pyroptosis, its roles in lung cancer development and tumor microenvironment remodeling, and the current research progress on traditional Chinese medicine-based interventions targeting pyroptosis, with the aim of providing references for the prevention and treatment of lung cancer using traditional Chinese medicine.

ObjectiveThe present study aimed to investigate alterations in white matter microstructure and spontaneous neural activity in male college smokers, and to further explore their associations with nicotine dependence. Given that adolescence and early adulthood represent critical periods for brain maturation, particularly for white matter development, understanding the neural correlates of smoking behavior during this stage is of substantial importance for both neuroscience and public health. MethodsA total of 115 male undergraduate students were initially recruited for this study. After quality control and exclusion procedures, 52 male college smokers and 42 demographically matched healthy non-smokers were included in the final analysis. All participants underwent multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI). White matter fiber tracts were reconstructed using the automated fiber quantification (AFQ) method, which enables precise identification and quantification of major fiber bundles. Eighteen major white matter tracts were segmented for each participant. Along the core trajectory of each tract, 100 equidistant nodes were sampled. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was calculated at each node to assess white matter microstructural integrity, while amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was computed to evaluate spontaneous neural activity within white matter tracts. Between-group differences in FA and ALFF were assessed using two-sample t-tests, with appropriate corrections applied for multiple comparisons. Furthermore, Pearson correlation analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between imaging-derived metrics (FA and ALFF values in regions showing significant group differences) and nicotine dependence severity, as measured by the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND). ResultsCompared with healthy non-smokers, male college smokers exhibited significantly increased FA values in several white matter tracts, including the left thalamic radiation, right corticospinal tract, forceps major of the corpus callosum, left uncinate fasciculus, and right arcuate fasciculus. These findings suggest altered microstructural organization or increased directional coherence within these pathways. In addition, smokers demonstrated significantly elevated ALFF values in the forceps major, right uncinate fasciculus, and left arcuate fasciculus, indicating enhanced spontaneous neural activity in these white matter regions. Correlation analyses revealed that FA values in the left thalamic radiation and right corticospinal tract were negatively correlated with FTND scores, suggesting that higher levels of nicotine dependence were associated with reduced microstructural integrity or altered fiber organization in these regions. In contrast, ALFF values in the forceps major and right uncinate fasciculus were positively correlated with FTND scores, indicating that greater nicotine dependence was associated with increased spontaneous neural activity in specific white matter pathways. ConclusionThe present study provides evidence that male college smokers exhibit distinct alterations in both white matter microstructure and functional activity. These abnormalities are not uniformly distributed but rather localized to specific fiber tracts implicated in sensorimotor processing, interhemispheric communication, and higher-order cognitive and emotional regulation. Importantly, the observed associations between imaging metrics and nicotine dependence severity suggest that these structural and functional alterations may reflect neurobiological mechanisms underlying addiction. The combination of AFQ-based tract profiling and multimodal MRI offers a sensitive approach for detecting subtle changes along white matter pathways, highlighting its potential utility in identifying neuroimaging biomarkers of nicotine dependence. Overall, these findings indicate that smoking during early adulthood may disrupt ongoing white matter maturation, potentially leading to long-term consequences for brain function. This study provides novel insights into the neural basis of nicotine dependence and underscores the importance of early intervention and prevention strategies targeting young smokers.

Objective This study reports on the obligatory parasitism of water mites Arrenurus sp. on Anopheles messeae at the Manzhouli Port, Inner Mongolia, China. Methods Duing July 2024, a survey on the mosquito diversity was conducted at the Manzhouli Port. Captured mosquitoes and their ectoparasites were identified to species level. Results A total of 1840 adult mosquitoes were collected, representing species from three genera: Culex(Cx. modestus, Cx. pipiens pallens), Aedes(Ae. dorsalis, Ae. flavidorsalis, Ae. flavescens), and Anopheles (An. messeae). Among all the mosqutioes specimens,3 out of 150 captured An. messeae were found to carry ectoparasitic mites, with number of 2,4,27 mites separately. Morphological and molecular identification reached the same result as water mites(Hydrachnidiae, Hydracrina). COI gene sequence showed 94% similarity with the closest species Arrenurus truncatellus. Conlusions Literature review suggests water mites are host-specific parasitism of mosquito species and herein with the first record of Arrenurus sp. parasiting on An. Messeae in the most high-latitude region globally.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanisms of Qingchang Wenzhong Decoction （清肠温中方， QWD） in treating ulcerative colitis （UC）. MethodsA total of 100 male C57BL/6J mice were assigned to a pseudo-germ-free group （n=45） and a conventional group （n=55） using a random number table. Pseudo-germ-free model was established by giving antibiotic treatment and subsequently subjected to acute UC induction. After the model was successfully established， the 45 pseudo-germ-free acute UC mice were randomly allocated to a pseudo-germ-free model group， a pseudo-germ-free QWD group， and a pseudo-germ-free mesalazine group， with 15 mice in each group. The 55 conventional mice were randomly divided into a normal control group （n=10）， as well as a conventional model group， a conventional QWD group， and a conventional mesalazine group， with 15 mice in each group. Except for the normal control group， acute UC models were established in all other groups. Mice in the control group received no intervention. From day 32 of the experiment， mice in the pseudo-germ-free QWD group and the conventional QWD group were administered with QWD granules at a dose of 9.71 g/（kg·d） by gavage with deionized water， while those in the pseudo-germ-free mesalazine group and the conventional mesalazine group were given mesalazine enteric-coated tablets at a dose of 151.67 mg/（kg·d） by gavage. Mice in the remaining groups received an equal volume of deionized water once daily for 7 consecutive days. On day 25 of the experiment， six mice were randomly selected from both the pseudo-germ-free group and the conventional group to measure body weight， and fecal samples were collected for 16S rDNA sequencing to compare differences in gut microbiota， including operational taxonomic units （OTUs）， Shannon index， Observed_species index， and phylogenetic diversity （PD whole tree）. On day 39， body weight was measured in all groups， and the disease activity index （DAI） was evaluated. Colon length and colon wet weight were recorded. Histopathological changes in colonic tissues were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining， and histological injury scores were determined. In addition， the expression levels of mucopolysaccharides and mucin 2 （MUC2） in colonic tissues were measured. ResultsOn day 25， there was no significant difference in body weight between the pseudo-germ-free group and the conventional microbiota group （P＞0.05）. Compared to the conventional microbiota group， the pseudo-germ-free group showed significantly reduced OTUs， Shannon index， Observed_species index， and PD whole tree （P＜0.01）. On day 39， compared to the normal control group， mice in the conventional model group showed a significant decrease in the body weight and an increase in DAI， along with increased colon wet weight， shortened colon length， markedly elevated histopathological scores， and reduced expression of mucopolysaccharides and MUC2 （P＜0.01）. In contrast， no significant differences were observed in these parameters in the pseudo-germ-free model group （P＞0.05）. Compared to the conventional model group， the conventional QWD group showed significant improvement in all measured parameters， whereas the conventional mesalazine group showed reductions only in DAI scores and colon wet weight （P＜0.01）. No statistically significant differences were observed among the pseudo-germ-free model group， the pseudo-germ-free QWD group， and the pseudo-germ-free mesalazine group （P＞0.05）. ConclusionQWD may promote the reconstruction of the intestinal mucus barrier by regulating the intestinal flora， thereby exerting a therapeutic effect on acute UC.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanisms of Qingchang Wenzhong Decoction （清肠温中方， QWD） in treating ulcerative colitis （UC）. MethodsA total of 100 male C57BL/6J mice were assigned to a pseudo-germ-free group （n=45） and a conventional group （n=55） using a random number table. Pseudo-germ-free model was established by giving antibiotic treatment and subsequently subjected to acute UC induction. After the model was successfully established， the 45 pseudo-germ-free acute UC mice were randomly allocated to a pseudo-germ-free model group， a pseudo-germ-free QWD group， and a pseudo-germ-free mesalazine group， with 15 mice in each group. The 55 conventional mice were randomly divided into a normal control group （n=10）， as well as a conventional model group， a conventional QWD group， and a conventional mesalazine group， with 15 mice in each group. Except for the normal control group， acute UC models were established in all other groups. Mice in the control group received no intervention. From day 32 of the experiment， mice in the pseudo-germ-free QWD group and the conventional QWD group were administered with QWD granules at a dose of 9.71 g/（kg·d） by gavage with deionized water， while those in the pseudo-germ-free mesalazine group and the conventional mesalazine group were given mesalazine enteric-coated tablets at a dose of 151.67 mg/（kg·d） by gavage. Mice in the remaining groups received an equal volume of deionized water once daily for 7 consecutive days. On day 25 of the experiment， six mice were randomly selected from both the pseudo-germ-free group and the conventional group to measure body weight， and fecal samples were collected for 16S rDNA sequencing to compare differences in gut microbiota， including operational taxonomic units （OTUs）， Shannon index， Observed_species index， and phylogenetic diversity （PD whole tree）. On day 39， body weight was measured in all groups， and the disease activity index （DAI） was evaluated. Colon length and colon wet weight were recorded. Histopathological changes in colonic tissues were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining， and histological injury scores were determined. In addition， the expression levels of mucopolysaccharides and mucin 2 （MUC2） in colonic tissues were measured. ResultsOn day 25， there was no significant difference in body weight between the pseudo-germ-free group and the conventional microbiota group （P＞0.05）. Compared to the conventional microbiota group， the pseudo-germ-free group showed significantly reduced OTUs， Shannon index， Observed_species index， and PD whole tree （P＜0.01）. On day 39， compared to the normal control group， mice in the conventional model group showed a significant decrease in the body weight and an increase in DAI， along with increased colon wet weight， shortened colon length， markedly elevated histopathological scores， and reduced expression of mucopolysaccharides and MUC2 （P＜0.01）. In contrast， no significant differences were observed in these parameters in the pseudo-germ-free model group （P＞0.05）. Compared to the conventional model group， the conventional QWD group showed significant improvement in all measured parameters， whereas the conventional mesalazine group showed reductions only in DAI scores and colon wet weight （P＜0.01）. No statistically significant differences were observed among the pseudo-germ-free model group， the pseudo-germ-free QWD group， and the pseudo-germ-free mesalazine group （P＞0.05）. ConclusionQWD may promote the reconstruction of the intestinal mucus barrier by regulating the intestinal flora， thereby exerting a therapeutic effect on acute UC.

Objective To analyze the nonlinear relationship between hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) parameters and delayed graft function (DGF) and optimize the construction of a predictive model for DGF. Methods The data of 923 recipients who underwent kidney transplantation from deceased donors were retrospectively analyzed. According to the occurrence of DGF, the recipients were divided into DGF group (n=823) and non-DGF group (n=100). Donor data, HMP parameters and recipient data were analyzed for both groups. The nonlinear relationship between HMP parameters and the occurrence of DGF was explored based on restricted cubic splines (RCS). Over-sampling, under-sampling and balanced sampling were used to address the imbalance in the proportion of DGF to construct logistic regression predictive models. The area under the curve (AUC) of each model was compared in the validation set, and a nomogram model was constructed. Results Donor BMI, cold ischemia time of the donor kidney, and HMP parameters (initial and final pressures, resistance, and perfusion time) were significantly different between the DGF and non-DGF groups (all P<0.05). The RCS analysis revealed a threshold-like nonlinear relationship between HMP parameters and the risk of DGF. Among the models constructed using different sampling methods, the balanced sampling model had the highest AUC. Using this model, a nomogram was constructed to stratify recipients based on risk scores. Recipients in the high-risk group had higher serum creatinine levels at 1, 6, and 12 months after kidney transplantation compared to those in the low-risk group (all P<0.05). Conclusions There is a nonlinear relationship between HMP parameters and the risk of DGF, and the threshold is helpful for organ quality assessment and monitoring of graft function after transplantation. The predictive model for DGF constructed on the base of balanced sampling algorithms helps perioperative decision-making and postoperative graft function monitoring of kidney transplantation.

ObjectiveTobacco-related diseases remain one of the leading preventable public health challenges worldwide and are among the primary causes of premature death. In recent years, accumulating evidence has supported the classification of nicotine addiction as a chronic brain disease, profoundly affecting both brain structure and function. Despite the urgency, effective diagnostic methods for smoking addiction remain lacking, posing significant challenges for early intervention and treatment. To address this issue and gain deeper insights into the neural mechanisms underlying nicotine dependence, this study proposes a novel graph neural network framework, termed TI-GNN. This model leverages functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to identify complex and subtle abnormalities in brain connectivity patterns associated with smoking addiction. MethodsThe study utilizes fMRI data to construct functional connectivity matrices that represent interaction patterns among brain regions. These matrices are interpreted as graphs, where brain regions are nodes and the strength of functional connectivity between them serves as edges. The proposed TI-GNN model integrates a Transformer module to effectively capture global interactions across the entire brain network, enabling a comprehensive understanding of high-level connectivity patterns. Additionally, a spatial attention mechanism is employed to selectively focus on informative inter-regional connections while filtering out irrelevant or noisy features. This design enhances the model’s ability to learn meaningful neural representations crucial for classification tasks. A key innovation of TI-GNN lies in its built-in causal interpretation module, which aims to infer directional and potentially causal relationships among brain regions. This not only improves predictive performance but also enhances model interpretability—an essential attribute for clinical applications. The identification of causal links provides valuable insights into the neuropathological basis of addiction and contributes to the development of biologically plausible and trustworthy diagnostic tools. ResultsExperimental results demonstrate that the TI-GNN model achieves superior classification performance on the smoking addiction dataset, outperforming several state-of-the-art baseline models. Specifically, TI-GNN attains an accuracy of 0.91, an F1-score of 0.91, and a Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.83, indicating strong robustness and reliability. Beyond performance metrics, TI-GNN identifies critical abnormal connectivity patterns in several brain regions implicated in addiction. Notably, it highlights dysregulations in the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex, consistent with prior clinical and neuroimaging findings. These regions are well known for their roles in emotional regulation, reward processing, and impulse control—functions that are frequently disrupted in nicotine dependence. ConclusionThe TI-GNN framework offers a powerful and interpretable tool for the objective diagnosis of smoking addiction. By integrating advanced graph learning techniques with causal inference capabilities, the model not only achieves high diagnostic accuracy but also elucidates the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction. The identification of specific abnormal brain networks and their causal interactions deepens our understanding of addiction pathophysiology and lays the groundwork for developing targeted intervention strategies and personalized treatment approaches in the future.

Early-life stress (ES) leads to cognitive dysfunction in female adolescents, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain elusive. Recent evidence suggests that the cell adhesion molecules NECTIN1 and NECTIN3 play a role in cognition and ES-related cognitive deficits in male rodents. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether and how nectins contribute to ES-induced cognitive dysfunction in female adolescents. Applying the well-established limited bedding and nesting material paradigm, we found that ES impairs recognition memory, suppresses prefrontal NECTIN1 and hippocampal NECTIN3 expression, and upregulates corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh) and its receptor 1 (Crhr1) mRNA levels in the hippocampus of adolescent female mice. Genetic experiments revealed that the reduction of dorsal CA1 (dCA1) NECTIN3 mediates ES-induced object recognition memory deficits, as knocking down dCA1 NECTIN3 impaired animals' performance in the novel object recognition task, while overexpression of dCA1 NECTIN3 successfully reversed the ES-induced deficits. Notably, prefrontal NECTIN1 knockdown did not result in significant cognitive impairments. Furthermore, acute systemic administration of antalarmin, a CRHR1 antagonist, upregulated hippocampal NECTIN3 levels and rescued object and spatial memory deficits in stressed mice. Our findings underscore the critical role of dCA1 NECTIN3 in mediating ES-induced object recognition memory deficits in adolescent female mice, highlighting it as a potential therapeutic target for stress-related psychiatric disorders in women.
Animals ; Female ; Mice ; CA1 Region, Hippocampal/metabolism* ; Cell Adhesion Molecules/metabolism* ; CRF Receptor, Type 1/metabolism* ; Memory Disorders/etiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Nectins/genetics* ; Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Recognition, Psychology/physiology* ; Stress, Psychological/complications*

OBJECTIVE: Varied acupoint selections represent a potential cause of the uncertainty surrounding the efficacy of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis (OA). Skin temperature, a guiding factor for acupoint selection, may help to address this issue. This study explored thermal sensitization of acupoints used for the treatment of knee OA. METHODS: This cross-sectional case-control study enrolled cases aged 45-75 years with symptomatic knee OA and age- and gender-matched non-knee OA controls in a 1:1 ratio. All participants underwent infrared thermographic imaging. The primary outcome was the relative skin temperature of acupoint (STA), and the secondary outcome was the absolute STA of 11 acupoints. The Z test was used to compare the relative and absolute STAs between the groups. Principal component analysis was used to extract the common factors (CFs, acupoint cluster) in the STAs. A general linear model was used to identify factors affecting the STA in the knee OA cases. For the group comparisons of relative STA, P < 0.0045 (adjusted for 11 acupoints through Bonferroni correction) was considered to indicate statistical significance. For other analyses, P < 0.05 was used as the threshold for statistical significance. RESULTS: The analysis included 308 participants, consisting of 151 cases (mean age: [64.58 ± 6.67] years; male: 25.83%; mean body mass index: [25.70 ± 3.16] kg/m²) and 157 controls (mean age: [63.37 ± 5.96] years; male: 26.11%; mean body mass index: [24.47 ± 2.84] kg/m²). The relative STAs of ST34 (P = 0.0001), EX-LE2 (P < 0.0001), EX-LE5 (P = 0.0006), SP10 (P < 0.0001), BL40 (P = 0.0012) and GB39 (P = 0.0037) were higher in the knee OA group. No difference was found in the STAs of ST35, ST36, SP9, GB33 and GB34. Four CFs were identified for relative STA in both groups. The acupoints within each CF were consistent between the groups. The mean values of the relative STAs across each CF were higher in the knee OA group. In the knee OA cases, no factors were observed to affect the relative STA, while age and gender were found to affect the absolute STA. CONCLUSION Among patients with knee OA, thermal sensitization occurs in the acupoints of the lower extremity, exhibiting localized and regional thermal consistencies. The thermally sensitized acupoints that we identified in this study, ST34, SP10, EX-LE2, EX-LE5, GB39 and BL40, may be good choices for the acupuncture treatment of knee OA. Please cite this article as: Tu JF, Wang XZ, Yan SY, Wang YR, Yang JW, Shi GX, Zhang WZ, Jing LN, Yang LS, Liu DH, Wang LQ, Mi BH. Thermal sensitization of acupoints in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A cross-sectional case-control study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(3): 289-296.
Humans ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/physiopathology* ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Acupuncture Points ; Case-Control Studies ; Aged ; Skin Temperature ; Acupuncture Therapy