Objective: To evaluate the effect of bioactive peptides combined with probiotics on serum uric acid (SUA) in patients with hyperuricemia (HUA), so as to provide the evidence for prevention and treatment of HUA. Methods: The patients with HUA aged 18 to 65 years were selected and randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group. The patients in the intervention group received bioactive peptides combined with probiotics for 28 days at a dose of 3 g/d, while the patients in the control group received an equal dose of placebos. Demographic information, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and blood lipid were collected through questionnaire surveys, physical examination and laboratory tests. SUA levels were detected before and after 14 days and 28 days of interventions. The differences of SUA levels between the two groups were compared using generalized estimation equation. Results: Totally 108 patients with HUA were recruited, including 54 patients in the intervention group and 53 patients in the control group (1 dropout). Before interventions, there were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, course of HUA, exercise duration, frequency of alcohol consumption, frequency of meat broth consumption, BMI, prevalence of hypertension and prevalence of dyslipidemia between the two groups (all P>0.05). After 14 days of interventions, the SUA levels of the patients in the intervention group decreased by 3.00 μmol/L, while those in the control group increased by 7.00 μmol/L. After 28 days of interventions, the SUA levels of the patients in the intervention group and the control group decreased by 26.00 μmol/L and 16.00 μmol/L, respectively. However, there was no statistically significant interaction between the intervention time and group (both P>0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that after 28 days of interventions, the decrease in SUA levels in the patients aged 55 years and older and without hypertension in the intervention group was greater than those in the control group (both P<0.05). Conclusions Bioactive peptides combined with probiotics showed no significant difference in reducing SUA levels in patients with HUA compared to the control group. The effect was more significant for patients aged 55 years and older and without hypertension.

Objective:To explore the changes of atlantoaxial joint spaces and pharyngeal airway after combined orthodontic-orthognathic treatment in skeletal class Ⅲ patients with mandibular deviation.Methods:A total of 34 adult skeletal class Ⅲ patients (10 males and 24 females) with mandibular deviation who received combined orthodontic-orthognathic treatment at the Department of Orthodontics and the Department of Orthognathic Surgery in the Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from August 2014 to October 2021 were retrospectively selected. The patients were 22 (5) years old (18-33 years). Cone-beam CT data of patients taken before treatment (T0), after preoperative orthodontics (T1), and 6 to 12 months after orthognathic surgery (T2) were collected. The anterior atlanto-dental interval (ADI), variance of bilateral lateral atlanto-dental interval (VBLADI), the anterior posterior length (APL), maximum transverse width (LTW), aspect ratio (L/W), cross-sectional area (CSA) of each airway cross-section, the airway volumes, as well as the positions of the maxillofacial landmark points [subspinale (point A), supramental (point B), posterior nasal spine (point PNS), the most anterior and superior point of the hyoid bone (point H)] were measured at different time points. The correlations between airway changes, maxillofacial movements as well as the changes in the atlantoaxial joint spaces were also analyzed.Results:During the combined orthodontic-orthognathic treatment, no statistically significant differences were found in the ADI and VBLADI among different treatment time points (all P>0.05). After preoperative orthodontics, the volume of total airway increased from 20 868 (6 669) mm 3 to 21 302 (8 911) mm 3 ( P<0.05). After orthognathic surgery, there were no statistically significant differences in the APL, CSA of the PNS plane, the L/W of the uvula plane, and the nasopharyngeal airway volume compared with those after preoperative orthodontics (all P>0.05). The L/W of the PNS plane after surgery was significantly increased compared with that after preoperative orthodontics ( P<0.05), while other airway parameters were all significantly decreased compared with those after preoperative orthodontics (all P<0.05). Compared with before treatment, the nasopharyngeal airway volume after surgery [6 186 (1 707) mm3] increased significantly ( P<0.05) and the palatopharyngeal airway volume [8 145 (2 594) mm3] and the glossopharyngeal airway volume [5 605 (4 395) mm3] decreased significantly (all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the total airway volume between after surgery and before treatment ( P>0.05). Correlation analysis showed that after preoperative orthodontics, the amount of the sagittal movement of point B was moderately positively correlated with the total airway volume change ( r=0.40, P=0.022). Before and after orthognathic surgery, the amount of the sagittal movement of point PNS was moderately positively correlated with the changes in the palatopharyngeal airway volume and the total airway volume ( r=0.43, P=0.015; r=0.46, P=0.008). In addition, the change in VBLADI before and after orthognathic surgery was weakly positively correlated with the changes in the CSA of the PNS plane and the APL of the uvula plane ( r=0.35, P=0.029; r=0.38, P=0.016). Conclusions:During the combined orthodontic-orthognathic treatment, the anterior atlanto-dental interval in skeletal class Ⅲ patients with mandibular deviation remained stable among different treatment time points. The total airway volume increased after preoperative orthodontics. After orthognathic surgery, the backward movement of the mandible tended to reduce the size of the pharyngeal airway, and the morphology of the glossopharyngeal airway tended to become more flattened. The changes in the pharyngeal airway dimensions were correlated with the maxillomandibular movements and the atlantoaxial joint space changes.

Tailored lipid nanoparticles (LNPs)-mediated small interfering RNA (siRNA) nanomedicines show promise in treating liver disease, such as acute liver injury (ALI) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, constructing LNPs that address biosafety concerns, ensure efficient delivery, and target specific hepatic subcellular fractions has been challenging. To evade above obstacles, we develop three novel self-degradable "gemini-like" ionizable lipids (SS-MA, SS-DC, SS-MH) by incorporating disulfide bonds and modifying the length of ester bond and tertiary amino head. Our findings reveal that the disulfide-bond-bridged LNPs exhibit reduction-responsive drug release, improving both biosafety and siRNA delivery efficiency. Furthermore, the distance of ester bond and tertiary amino head significantly influences the LNPs' pK _a, thereby affecting endosomal escape, hemolytic efficiency, absorption capacity of ApoE, uptake efficiency of hepatocytes and liver accumulation. We also develop the modified-mannose LNPs (M-LNP) to target liver macrophages specifically. The optimized M-MH_LNP@TNFα exhibits potential in preventing ALI by decreasing tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) levels in the macrophages, while MH_LNP@DGAT2 could treat NASH by selectively degrading diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) in the hepatocytes. Our findings provide new insights into developing novel highly effective and low-toxic "gemini-like" ionizable lipids for constructing LNPs, potentially achieving more effective treatment for hepatic diseases.

OBJECTIVE: Several epidemiological observational studies have related particulate matter (PM) exposure to Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but many confounding factors make it difficult to draw causal links from observational studies. The objective of this study was to explore the causal association between PM _2.5 exposure, its absorbance, and IBD. METHODS: We assessed the association of PM _2.5 and PM _2.5 absorbance with the two primary forms of IBD (Crohn's disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC]) using Mendelian randomization (MR) to explore the causal relationship. We conducted two-sample MR analyses with aggregated data from the UK Biobank genome-wide association study. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms linked with PM _2.5 concentrations or their absorbance were used as instrumental variables (IVs). We used inverse variance weighting (IVW) as the primary analytical approach and four other standard methods as supplementary analyses for quality control. RESULTS: The results of MR demonstrated that PM _2.5 had an adverse influence on UC risk (odds ratio [ OR] = 1.010; 95% confidence interval [ CI] = 1.001-1.019, P = 0.020). Meanwhile, the results of IVW showed that PM _2.5 absorbance was also causally associated with UC ( OR = 1.012; 95% CI = 1.004-1.019, P = 0.002). We observed no causal relationship between PM _2.5, PM _2.5 absorbance, and CD. The results of sensitivity analysis indicated the absence of heterogeneity or pleiotropy, ensuring the reliability of MR results. CONCLUSION Based on two-sample MR analyses, there are potential positive causal relationships between PM _2.5, PM _2.5 absorbance, and UC.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/genetics* ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Crohn Disease/genetics* ; Colitis, Ulcerative/genetics* ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Risk Factors ; Environmental Exposure

Nodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma(NMZL),the least common subtype of marginal zone lymphoma,represents a low-grade malignancy arising from the marginal zone of lymph node follicles,composed of small B-cells with an inert non-Hodgkin lymphoma nature.It accounts for 1.5% to 1.8% of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas and 10% of all marginal zone lymphomas.The low incidence and lack of typical clinical and pathological features pose a challenge to the diagnosis and clinical management of NMZL.In this article,we reported the diagnosis and treatment of a case of NMZL located in the parapharyngeal space of the left neck and reviewed the relevant literature from both domestic and international sources.We summarized the clinical manifestations,histopathological features,immunohistochemical characteristics,imaging features,diagnosis and treatment modalities,and prognosis of NMZL.
Humans ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone/pathology* ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Neck/pathology* ; Male

Nano/microplastics(NMPs),due to their environmental persistence and resistance to degradation,have emerged as a major contributor to global pollution.NMPs are capable of adsorbing various hazardous chemicals and heavy metals,thereby posing threats to aquatic ecosystem health,which may ultimately cause potential risks to human health.Conventional analytical methods suffered from limited resolution,insufficient chemical information,or destruction of sample,invalidating these assays for on-site detection of NMPs.Surface-enhanced Raman scattering(SERS)offers distinct advantages such as high sensitivity,superior specificity,rich fingerprint information,and non-destructive analysis,thus facilitating the on-site analysis of NMPs in complex matrices.This review summarized recent advances in SERS substrates for detection of NMPs,discussed the construction and applications of SERS-based multimodal detection strategies,and introduced the research progress of SERS detection of NMPs in food safety,environmental pollution,and bioanalysis.Moreover,the main challenges and future directions of SERS-based NMP detection were outlined.

Objective To explore a deep learning-based automatic bone age estimation model for elbow joint X-ray images of Chinese Han adolescents and children and evaluate its performance.Methods A total of 943(517 males and 426 females)elbow joint frontal view X-ray images of Chinese Han ado-lescents and children aged 6.00 to<16.00 years were collected from East,South,Central and North-west China.Three experimental schemes were adopted for bone age estimation.Scheme 1:Directly in-put preprocessed images into the regression model;Scheme 2:Train a segmentation network using"key elbow joint bone annotations"as labels,then input segmented images into the regression model;Scheme 3:Train a segmentation network using"full elbow joint bone annotations"as labels,then in-put segmented images into the regression model.For segmentation,the optimal model was selected from U-Net,UNet++and TransUNet.For regression,VGG16,VGG19,InceptionV2,InceptionV3,ResNet34,ResNet50,ResNet101 and DenseNet121 models were selected for bone age estimation.The dataset was randomly split into 80%(754 samples)for training and validation for model fitting and hyperparameter tuning,and 20%(189 samples)as an internal test set to test the performance of the trained model.An additional 104 elbow joint X-ray images from the same demographic and age group were col-lected and used as an external test set.Model performance was evaluated by comparing the mean ab-solute error(MAE),root mean square error(RMSE),accuracies within±0.7 years(P±0.7 years)and±1.0 years(P±1.0 years)between the estimated age and the actual age,and by drawing radar charts,scat-ter plots,and heatmaps.Results When segmented with Scheme 3,the UNet++model achieved good segmentation performance with a segmentation loss of 0.000 4 and an accuracy of 93.8%at a learning rate of 0.000 1.In the internal test set,the DenseNet121 model with Scheme 3 yielded the best results with MAE,P±0.7 years and P±1.0 years being 0.83 years,70.03%,and 84.30%,respectively.In the external test set,the DenseNet121 model with Scheme 3 also performed best,with an average MAE of 0.89 years and an average RMSE of 1.00 years.Conclusion When performing automatic bone age estima-tion using elbow joint X-ray images in Chinese Han adolescents and children,it is recommended to use the UNet++model for segmentation.The DenseNet121 model with Scheme 3 achieves optimal per-formance.Using segmentation networks,especially that trained with annotation areas encompassing the full elbow joint including the distal humerus,proximal radius,and proximal ulna,can improve the ac-curacy of bone age estimation based on elbow joint X-ray images.

Objective To explore a deep learning network model suitable for bone age estimation using shoulder joint X-ray images in Chinese Han adolescents.Methods A retrospective collection of 1 286 shoulder joint X-ray images of Chinese Han adolescents aged 12.0 to<18.0 years(708 males and 578 females)was conducted.Using random sampling,approximately 80%of the samples(1 032 cases)were selected as the training and validation sets for model learning,selection and optimization,and the other 20%samples(254 cases)were used as the test set to evaluate the model's generalization ability.The original single-channel shoulder joint X-ray images and dual-channel inputs combining original images with segmentation labels(manually annotated shoulder joint regions multiplied pixel-by-pixel with original images,followed by segmentation via the U-Net++network to retain only key shoulder joint region information)were respectively input into four network models,namely VGG16,ResNet18,ResNet50 and DenseNet121 for bone age estimation.Additionally,manual bone age estimation was con-ducted on the test set data,and the results were compared with the four network models.The mean absolute error(MAE),root mean square error(RMSE),coefficient of determination(R2),and Pear-son correlation coefficient(PCC)were used as main evaluation indicators.Results In the test set,the bone age estimation results of the four models with dual-channel input of shoulder joint X-ray images outperformed those with single-channel input in all four evaluation indicators.Among them,DenseNet121 with dual-channel input achieved best results with MAE of 0.54 years,RMSE of 0.82 years,R2 of 0.76,and PCC(r)of 0.88.Manual estimation yielded an MAE of 0.82 years,ranking second only to dual-channel DenseNet121.Conclusion The DenseNet121 model with dual-channel input combined with original images and segmentation labels is superior to manual evaluation results,and can effectively estimate the bone age of Chinese Han adolescents.

Objective:To explore the changes of atlantoaxial joint spaces and pharyngeal airway after combined orthodontic-orthognathic treatment in skeletal class Ⅲ patients with mandibular deviation.Methods:A total of 34 adult skeletal class Ⅲ patients (10 males and 24 females) with mandibular deviation who received combined orthodontic-orthognathic treatment at the Department of Orthodontics and the Department of Orthognathic Surgery in the Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from August 2014 to October 2021 were retrospectively selected. The patients were 22 (5) years old (18-33 years). Cone-beam CT data of patients taken before treatment (T0), after preoperative orthodontics (T1), and 6 to 12 months after orthognathic surgery (T2) were collected. The anterior atlanto-dental interval (ADI), variance of bilateral lateral atlanto-dental interval (VBLADI), the anterior posterior length (APL), maximum transverse width (LTW), aspect ratio (L/W), cross-sectional area (CSA) of each airway cross-section, the airway volumes, as well as the positions of the maxillofacial landmark points [subspinale (point A), supramental (point B), posterior nasal spine (point PNS), the most anterior and superior point of the hyoid bone (point H)] were measured at different time points. The correlations between airway changes, maxillofacial movements as well as the changes in the atlantoaxial joint spaces were also analyzed.Results:During the combined orthodontic-orthognathic treatment, no statistically significant differences were found in the ADI and VBLADI among different treatment time points (all P>0.05). After preoperative orthodontics, the volume of total airway increased from 20 868 (6 669) mm 3 to 21 302 (8 911) mm 3 ( P<0.05). After orthognathic surgery, there were no statistically significant differences in the APL, CSA of the PNS plane, the L/W of the uvula plane, and the nasopharyngeal airway volume compared with those after preoperative orthodontics (all P>0.05). The L/W of the PNS plane after surgery was significantly increased compared with that after preoperative orthodontics ( P<0.05), while other airway parameters were all significantly decreased compared with those after preoperative orthodontics (all P<0.05). Compared with before treatment, the nasopharyngeal airway volume after surgery [6 186 (1 707) mm3] increased significantly ( P<0.05) and the palatopharyngeal airway volume [8 145 (2 594) mm3] and the glossopharyngeal airway volume [5 605 (4 395) mm3] decreased significantly (all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the total airway volume between after surgery and before treatment ( P>0.05). Correlation analysis showed that after preoperative orthodontics, the amount of the sagittal movement of point B was moderately positively correlated with the total airway volume change ( r=0.40, P=0.022). Before and after orthognathic surgery, the amount of the sagittal movement of point PNS was moderately positively correlated with the changes in the palatopharyngeal airway volume and the total airway volume ( r=0.43, P=0.015; r=0.46, P=0.008). In addition, the change in VBLADI before and after orthognathic surgery was weakly positively correlated with the changes in the CSA of the PNS plane and the APL of the uvula plane ( r=0.35, P=0.029; r=0.38, P=0.016). Conclusions:During the combined orthodontic-orthognathic treatment, the anterior atlanto-dental interval in skeletal class Ⅲ patients with mandibular deviation remained stable among different treatment time points. The total airway volume increased after preoperative orthodontics. After orthognathic surgery, the backward movement of the mandible tended to reduce the size of the pharyngeal airway, and the morphology of the glossopharyngeal airway tended to become more flattened. The changes in the pharyngeal airway dimensions were correlated with the maxillomandibular movements and the atlantoaxial joint space changes.

Objective To understand the current situation of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in China,pro-vide data support and decision-making basis for formulating scientific and effective strategies for HAI prevention and control.Methods A nationwide cross-sectional survey on HAI was conducted among various types and levels of medical institutions in China according to a unified protocol of bedside surveys and case investigations.Results In 2024,a total of 5 736 medical institutions and 2 751 765 patients were surveyed.Among them,34 889 HAI cases were identified,with a prevalence rate of 1.27％.The number of HAI episodes was 38 032,and case prevalence rate was 1.38％.The prevalence rate of HAI in medical institutions in different regions of China ranged from 0.66％to 2.35％.Among medical institutions of different scales,those with a bed capacity of ≥900 had the high-est incidence of HAI,reaching 1.65％.The most common infection site was the lower respiratory tract(44.66％),followed by the urinary tract(12.94％),surgical site(9.32％),upper respiratory tract(7.02％),and bloodstream infection(5.78％).The top 3 departments with the highest HAI rates were the general intensive care unit(10.02％),department of neurosurgery(5.51％),and department(group)of hematology(5.34％).A total of 23 238 strains of HAI pathogens were detected,with 10 714 strains(46.10％)from lower respiratory tract speci-mens.The top 5 detected strains were Klebsiella pneumoniae(14.76％),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(13.33％),Escherichia coli(12.79％),Acinetobacter baumannii(9.23％),and Staphylococcus aureus(7.88％).231 944 pa-tients underwent class Ⅰ incision surgery were monitored,with 1 647 cases experienced surgical site infection,and the prevalence rate of surgical site infection was 0.71％.The number of patients who should undergo pathogen de-tection(patients receiving therapeutic and therapeutic combined prophylactic antimicrobial agents)was 715 179,while the actual number was 480 492,with a pathogen detection rate of 67.18％.425 225 patients received patho-genic detection before treatment,with a detection rate of 59.46％.Conclusion The overall HAI prevalence in Chi-na is lower,showing disparities among medical institutions of different regions and scales.Therefore,precise imple-mentation of measures is necessary for HAI prevention and control,with a focus on high-risk institutions and high-risk departments,key areas,and critical procedures.All levels of medical institutions should continuously reduce the incidence of HAI by strengthening monitoring,standardizing the use of antimicrobial agents,and reinforcing basic HAI prevention and control measures.