ObjectiveTo explore the effect of different drying conditions on the appearance and intrinsic quality indicators of Pinelliae Rhizoma for screening suitable drying conditions， so as to provide reference for its standardized production and quality evaluation. MethodsDifferent dried samples of Pinelliae Rhizoma were prepared by lime-assisted sweating method and intermittent drying method. Visual analysis was employed to measure the color brightness values（L^*） of the surface， cross-section and powder of the samples， texture analyzer was used to determine the hardness of the samples under different drying conditions. The total starch content was calculated by measuring the contents of amylose and amylopectin in the samples with ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. High performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was used to determine the contents of seven nucleoside components（uracil， hypoxanthine， uridine， inosine， guanosine， β-thymidine and adenosine） in the samples. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to explore the correlation between the external characteristics and intrinsic indicators of the different dried samples. Principal component analysis（PCA） was used to comprehensively rank the data of various indicators， and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA） was used to screen differential components with variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1. Furthermore， the difference between the optimal drying condition for Pinelliae Rhizoma and the traditional sun-drying method was explored by independent samples t-test. ResultsWith the increase of temperature， the color of the intermittently dried samples gradually deepened， while their hardness gradually decreased. Concurrently， the contents of extract， total starch， uridine and adenosine exhibited an upward trend， whereas the contents of uracil， hypoxanthine and inosine displayed a downward trajectory. Compared with the intermittent drying group， the content of extract in the samples subjected to lime-assisted sweating increased. With the increase of lime dose， the hardness and the total content of nucleoside components in the samples showed a downward trend， while the total starch content showed an upward trend. Correlation analysis showed that the comprehensive score of L^* was negatively correlated with the contents of uracil， hypoxanthine and inosine， and positively correlated with the contents of uridine， guanosine and adenosine. Hardness was negatively correlated with adenosine content， and positively correlated with the contents of inosine， uracil and hypoxanthine. Through comprehensive consideration and comprehensive score of principal components， the method of 5% lime-mixed sweating for 6 days emerged as the top-ranking approach. Except for the extract， the results of independent samples t-test showed that there was no significant difference between the 5% lime-mixed sweating for 6 days and the traditional sun-drying in terms of other content indicators. ConclusionThe whiteness and firmness of Pinelliae Rhizoma exhibit significant correlations with its chemical composition， while uridine， uracil， guanosine， adenosine and inosine are the key constituents responsible for the quality difference of Pinelliae Rhizoma under different drying conditions. The lime-assisted sweating method optimized in this study can be proposed as a viable alternative to the traditional sun-drying method. This method not only ensures the quality of the medicinal material but also effectively reduces the drying time and prevents mold contamination， which provides a valuable reference for the standardization of drying conditions and the establishment of quality evaluation criteria for Pinelliae Rhizoma.

Objective:To explore the effects of fluoride exposure from early life to adulthood on learning and memory abilities of offspring mice and the expression of genes related to the NOTCH signaling pathway in hippocampal tissue.Methods:Thirty 8-week-old (body weight 18 - 24 g) clean-grade C57BL/6J mice, half male and half female, were randomly divided into 3 groups by body weight and then paired 1 ∶ 1 (10 mice per group). Successfully pregnant female mice were given tap water containing 0 (control), 20, or 40 mg/L sodium fluoride (NaF) during gestation and lactation until weaning. Offspring mice were exposed to fluoride until 12 weeks of age after weaning at 21 days, with fluoride exposure doses identical to those of the maternal mice. The 24-hour urine of the offspring mice was collected to determine urine fluoride level using fluoride ion selective electrode method, and Morris water maze was used to evaluate their spatial learning and memory ability. The offspring mice were euthanized under anesthesia, and protein and RNA were extracted from hippocampal tissue. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) and synapsin-1 (SYN-1) in hippocampal tissues. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of NOTCH signaling pathway related genes (including NOTCH1, DLL3, HES5) in hippocampal tissue.Results:Compared with the control group [(0.86 ± 0.25) mg/L], the offspring mice of the 20 and 40 mg/L NaF groups had higher urinary fluoride levels [(3.77 ± 0.51), (6.04 ± 1.63) mg/L, P < 0.05]. The Morris water maze results showed that compared with the control group, the offspring mice in the 20 and 40 mg/L NaF groups had longer escape latency (day 5), fewer platform crossings, and shorter target platform dwell time ( P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the protein expression level of synaptic related protein PSD95 in the hippocampal tissues of the offspring mice in the 40 mg/L NaF group was lower, and the protein expression level of SYN-1 in the 20 and 40 mg/L NaF groups was lower ( P < 0.05). The protein expression level of NOTCH1, a gene related to the NOTCH signaling pathway, was lower in the hippocampal tissue of offspring mice in the 40 mg/L NaF group. The mRNA and protein expression levels of DLL3 and HES5 were also lower in the 20 and 40 mg/L NaF groups, and the mRNA expression level of HES5 in the 40 mg/L NaF group was lower than that in the 20 mg/L NaF group ( P < 0.05). Conclusions:Exposure to fluoride from early life to adulthood can lead to a decline in the learning and memory abilities of offspring mice, as well as a decrease in the expression of synaptic related proteins. The mechanism of action may be related to the inhibition of the NOTCH signaling pathway in hippocampal tissue.

Objective:To compare minimally invasive surgery with traditional open surgery, analyze the current application status of health economic evaluations in the treatment of digestive tract cancers, such as esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer by minimally invasive surgery and provide evidence for the rational selection of clinical treatment, alleviation of disease-related economic burdens, and rational allocation of healthcare resources.Methods:By using five databases, i.e. China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang data, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, and Embase, a database was established to retrieve all the papers about health economic studies of minimally invasive surgery for esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer published until December 31, 2023. Literature was analyzed by using software NoteExpress 3.8, and data were processed using Excel 2021. The quality of included papers was evaluated using the CHEERS 2022 checklist, and Meta-analysis was conducted by using software Stata 17.0.Results:A total of 10 919 relevant papers were retrieved, and 59 studies were included. Only 14 studies (23.7%) used standard health economic evaluation methods. Meta-analysis results revealed no significant differences in direct medical expenditure and total expenditure between minimally invasive surgery and open surgery. However, the expenditure for minimally invasive surgery exhibited a significant increase [mean difference ( MD)=5 973.12 yuan, P<0.001], while hospital stay and indirect expenditure significantly decreased ( MD: -4.85 days and -733.79 yuan, P<0.001). In China, for gastric cancer, the direct medical expenditure of endoscopic surgery was lower than that of open surgery ( MD=-33 000.00 yuan) with no significant difference ( P<0.001). In colorectal cancer cases, the direct medical and surgical expenditures for laparoscopic surgery were higher than those for open surgery ( MD: 4 277.94 yuan and 4 267.80 yuan, P<0.001), while the indirect and total medical expenditures decreased ( MD: -768.34 yuan and -159.10 yuan). Hospital stays in patients who had minimally invasive surgery for all three types of cancer were shorter than those who had open surgery ( P<0.001). Conclusions:In the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer, compared with open surgery, minimally invasive surgery shows higher expenditure, but has advantages, such as shorter hospital stay and lower indirect expenditure, and there were no significant differences in direct medical and total expenditures between the two approaches. When conducting health economic evaluation, factors such as postoperative complications, hospital stay, and patient's economic status should be considered for their impact on total medical expenditure. It is necessary to pay attention to the application of health economic evaluations in healthcare decision-making.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology, primarily involving the colon and rectum. Characterized by recurrent episodes and prolonged disease course, UC requires dynamic monitoring and evaluation. Current commonly used methods for disease monitoring and assessment include C-reactive protein (CRP), fecal calprotectin (FC), and colonoscopy. However, CRP lacks specificity, FC fails to effectively differentiate UC from Crohn's disease, while colonoscopy involves complex bowel preparation, is invasive, and suffers from poor patient compliance. Therefore, there is an urgent clinical need to identify non-invasive biological markers with high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis and evaluation of UC. Recent studies have demonstrated that anti-integrin αvβ6 autoantibodies hold significant value in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and disease assessment of UC, potentially emerging as an important clinical biomarker. This article reviews the research progress of anti-integrin αvβ6 autoantibodies in UC for reference.

Objective:To analyze the incidence and perinatal factors of death or severe intraventricular hemorrhage (sIVH) within the first week of life in preterm infants with gestational age <32 weeks.Methods:Based on the online data platform of Sina-northern Neonatal Network, a case-control study was conducted using clinical data from 8 903 preterm infants with gestational age <32 weeks admitted to 35 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) between 2019 and 2023. Infants were classified by gestational age at birth into very preterm infants and extremely preterm infants. Infants who died or developed sIVH within the first week of life were defined as the case group, while those who survived and did not develop sIVH were defined as the control group. The general information of the infants, maternal perinatal factors, the 5 th minute Apgar score, incidence of hypothermia or early-onset sepsis, and the first arterial blood pH value were compared between the case and control groups of very preterm infants and extremely preterm infants. The χ2 test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used for intergroup comparisons. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors for death or sIVH within the first week of life in very preterm and extremely preterm infants. Results:Among the 8 903 preterm infants with gestational age <32 weeks, 4 993 (56.1%) were male, with a gestational age at birth of 30.0 (28.4, 31.0) weeks. A total of 865 cases (9.7%) were death or sIVH within the first week of life. The case group took up 5.8% (426/7 316) and 27.7% (439/1 587) of very preterm infants and extremely preterm infants, respectively. Compared to the control group, the case group of very preterm and extremely preterm infants both had higher incidences of low gestational age, low birth weight, small for gestational age, the 5 th minute Apgar score ≤7, early-onset sepsis, hypothermia at admission, and first arterial blood pH <7.20 (all P<0.001). The proportion of mother′s full course antenatal corticosteroids use were both lower in both case group (both P<0.001). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed several risk factors for death or sIVH within the first week of life in very preterm and extremely preterm infants, including: low gestational age ( OR=0.70 and 0.74, 95% CI 0.60-0.82 and 0.66-0.83, both P<0.001), low birth weight ( OR=0.99 and 0.99, 95% CI 0.99-1.00 and 0.99-1.00, both P<0.05), early-onset sepsis ( OR=1.82 and 2.20, 95% CI 1.42-2.34 and 1.74-2.79, both P<0.001), the 5 th minute Apgar score ≤7 ( OR=1.41 and 2.69, 95% CI 1.10-1.81 and 2.17-3.34, both P<0.01), hypothermia at admission ( OR=1.55 and 1.38,95% CI 1.17-2.07 and 1.08-1.76,both P<0.05) and the first arterial blood pH <7.20 ( OR=2.20 and 2.57, 95% CI 1.70-2.84 and 2.05-3.21, both P<0.001). Multiple births were an independent risk factor only for extremely preterm infants ( OR=1.32, 95% CI 1.02-1.71, P<0.05). Prenatal administration of a full course of antenatal corticosteroids was identified as a protective factor in very preterm and extremely preterm infants ( OR=0.74 and 0.62, 95% CI 0.58-0.95 and 0.51-0.76, both P<0.05). Conclusions:The incidence of death or sIVH within the first week of life remains high in preterm infants with gestational age <32 weeks. The smaller gestational age and lower birth weight, early-onset sepsis, birth asphyxia, hypothermia at admission, and a first arterial blood pH <7.20 were independent risk factors for death or sIVH within the first week of life in preterm infants with gestational age <32 weeks. A full course of antenatal corticosteroids significantly reduced the risk of these adverse outcomes.

Objective To compare six existing Chinese standards related to visual disability,including Disability Assessment and Code for Life Insurance(Insurance Standard),Specification for Ability Assessment of Older Adults(Elderly Stan-dard),Grading of Disability due to Human Body Injury(Judicial Standard),Standard for Identify Work Ability—Gradation of Disability Caused by Work-related Injuries and Occupational Diseases(Work Injury Standard),Standard for Assessment of Disability Grades of Military Personnel(Military Standard),and Classification and Grading Criteria of Disability(Disability Classification Standard).Methods Based on the theoretical framework of International Classification of Functioning,Disability and Health(ICF)and International Classification of Diseases,the 11th Revision(ICD-11),and with reference to World Report on Vision(WRV),this study analyzed and compared five key dimensions of visual disability across the six stan-dards:definition,classification,grading,assessment methods and coding systems.Results In terms of definition,the insurance,work injury,military,and disability classification standards emphasized vi-sual structure and function,focusing on visual acuity and visual field;the insurance and elderly standards incor-porated activities and participation,reflecting the concept of functional vision;the judicial standard lacked a dedi-cated definition of visual disability.In terms of grading,each standard graded visual disability into different lev-els acoording to different functional indicators.In terms of coding,only the insurance standard adopted the ICF framework,while others used non-ICF numeric codes or lacked standardized coding.In terms of assessment tools,the elderly standard employed a customized perceptual and participation scoring system,while others re-lied primarily on vision charts.Conclusion Most current Chinese standards focus on impairments in visual function,with limited attention to activity limitations and participation restrictions.It is needed for incorporating the concept of functional vision,aligned with ICF and WRV,to establish a unified conceptual framework,terminology,coding system for visual disability,and comprehensive assessments that reflect not only impairments but also the impact on daily functioning and en-vironmental interaction.

Objective To identify potential biomarkers for proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR)using proteomics and transcriptomics data.Methods In this study,the proteomics dataset(PXD046630)and two transcriptomics datasets(GSE60436 and GSE102485)were derived from the aqueous humor samples and fibrovascular membranes of PDR patients,respectively.Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were identified via R software,specifically the limma and edgeR pack-ages.The shared DEGs between PXD046630 and GSE60436 were analyzed via protein-protein interaction(PPI),Gene On-tology(GO)enrichment,and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analyses.The key DEGs were validated in GSE102485 via receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis.A quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR)assay was used to confirm the mRNA of these candidate biomarkers in human retinal microvascular endothelial cells(HRMECs)cultured in high glucose and low oxygen conditions.Results A total of 59 shared DEGs and 26 hub genes were identified from the PXD046630 and GSE60436 datasets.KEGG analysis revealed that six pathways,inclu-ding extracellular matrix-receptor interaction,proteoglycans in cancer,and complement and coagulation cascades,were enriched in 12 key DEGs.Fibronectin 1(FN1),tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3(TIMP3),complement factor H(CFH),decorin(DCN),and lipoprotein receptor-related protein-2(LRP2)were identified as potential biomarkers on the basis of their AUC values being greater than 0.900(CI≥95％).The mRNA expression levels of FN1,CFH,and LRP2 were significantly increased in HRMECs cultured in high glucose and low oxygen conditions.Conclusion FN1,CFH,and LRP2 are potential biomarkers for PDR,and further studies are needed to explore their roles and therapeutic potential in PDR.

Objective:To develop and evaluate a medical visual question answering (VQA) model for neonatal lung ultrasound (LUS) images to enhance intelligent auxiliary diagnosis of neonatal pulmonary diseases.Methods:Using data from neonates admitted to Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University (January 2023 to December 2024), an image-question-answer dataset comprising 251 LUS images was constructed [43 pneumonia (17.1%), 42 neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (16.7%), 83 transient tachypnea (33.1%), and 83 normal (33.1%) images] with a four-tier medical question-answer framework. Building upon the Qwen2.5-VL-7B base model and integrating LoRA fine-tuning with chain-of-thought prompting, we developed the NLUS-VQA model to enhance visual-language semantic alignment and enable stepwise clinical reasoning, achieving efficient small-sample adaptation. Model performance was comprehensively assessed through natural language generation metrics (BLEU-4, ROUGE-1/2/L), qualitative evaluation of characteristic recognition, and clinical consistency analysis.Results:(1) Quantitative evaluation demonstrated that NLUS-VQA achieved scores of 22.38 (BLEU-4), 48.26 (ROUGE-1), 22.40 (ROUGE-2), and 37.20 (ROUGE-L), representing significant improvements over baseline models. (2) Qualitatively, the model exhibited strong performance in identifying lung consolidation, coalescent B-lines, and snowflake signs, with its chain-of-thought strategy enhancing clinical interpretability and answer accuracy. (3) Clinically, NLUS-VQA achieved a Cohen's Kappa coefficient of 0.78 and diagnostic accuracy of 80.8% (21/26), indicating substantial agreement with clinical experts.Conclusion:The NLUS-VQA model demonstrates robust interpretability in recognizing key sonographic patterns (e.g. lung consolidation, confluent B-lines, and snowflake signs), providing a scalable framework for small-sample medical image analysis, though diagnostic performance on complex conditions remains limited by dataset scale and minority class representation.

Tooth extraction is one of the most common procedures in oral surgery.Poor wound healing is a common problem after tooth extraction.Poor wound healing may not only lead to eating difficulties and impaire psychological health,but also increase the difficulty and cost of treatment,prolong the treatment period and lead to osteonecrosis of the jaw in severe cases.Currently,there is a lack of systematic integration and evaluation of domestic and international studies related to post-extraction wound healing.In this study VOSviewer,Bibliometrix and CiteSpace software were used to econometrically analyse the literature on post-extraction wound healing from 2013 to 2023,with the aim of providing a reference for developing more scientific and systematic strategies for post-ex-traction wound management and prevention of the complications.

Objective To investigate the application value of clinical-radiomics nomogram in predicting the expression of liver kinase B1(LKB1)in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)before surgery.Methods A total of 140 NSCLC patients were randomized into training group(n=106)and validation group(n=34)according to the ratio of 7∶3.The training group was used as the study cohort to screen the clinically independent predictors and radiomics characteristics related to LKB1 expression,and the clinical model,radiomics model and clinical-radiomics nomogram model were constructed,respectively.The predictive performance of the three models was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve in the training group,and validated in the validation group.The calibration curve was used to assess the consistency between the predicted results of nomogram model and the actual observations,and the decision curve was used to evaluate the clinical benefit of the nomogram model.Results The clinical model consisted of pathological type and hilal/mediastinal lymphadenopathy,the radiomics model consisted of Radiomics score(Radscore),and the nomogram model consisted of Radscore,pathological type and hilal/mediastinal lymphadenopathy.In the training group,the area under the curve(AUC)of the nomogram model,radiomics model and clinical model was 0.884,0.843 and 0.788,respectively.In the validation group,the AUC of the three models were 0.976,0.851,and 0.912,respectively.The calibration curve analysis showed good consis-tency between the predicted results of nomogram model and the actual observations,and the decision curve showed that the model had good clinical benefit.Conclusion Radiomics combined with clinical risk factors can effectively predict the expression of LKB1 in NSCLC patients before surgery,so as to contribute to the formulation of therapeutic strategies in clinical practice.