Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, is characterized by high mortality and recurrence rates. Common treatments include hepatectomy, liver transplantation, ablation therapy, interventional therapy, radiotherapy, systemic therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). While exhibiting specific advantages, these approaches are associated with varying degrees of adverse effects. To alleviate patients' suffering and burdens, it is crucial to explore additional treatments and elucidate the pathogenesis of HCC, laying a foundation for the development of new TCM-based drugs. With emerging research on gut microbiota, it has been revealed that microbiota plays a vital role in the development of HCC by influencing intestinal barrier function, microbial metabolites, and immune regulation. TCM, with its multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, has been increasingly recognized as a vital therapeutic treatment for HCC, particularly in patients at intermediate or advanced stages, by prolonging survival and improving quality of life. Recent global studies demonstrate that TCM exerts anti-HCC effects by modulating gut microbiota, restoring intestinal barrier function, regulating microbial composition and its metabolites, suppressing inflammation, and enhancing immune responses, thereby inhibiting the malignant phenotype of HCC. This review aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which gut microbiota contributes to the development and progression of HCC and highlight the regulatory effects of TCM, addressing the current gap in systematic understanding of the "TCM-gut microbiota-HCC" axis. The findings provide theoretical support for integrating TCM with western medicine in HCC treatment and promote the transition from basic research to precision clinical therapy through microbiota-targeted drug development and TCM-based interventions.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/microbiology* ; Liver Neoplasms/microbiology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Animals ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

The connection between tendons and bones is called the tendon bone connection. With the continuous improvement of national sports awareness, excessive exercises and the related intensity are prone to damage the tendon bone connection. Tendon bone healing is a complex repair and healing process involving multiple factors, and good tendon bone healing is a prerequisite for its physiological function. The complexity of tendon bone structure also poses great challenges to the repair of tendon bone injuries. In recent years, researches have found that stem cells, growth factors, macrophages, and other factors are closely related to the healing process of tendon bone injuries, among which macrophages play an important role in the healing process. The authors reviewed relevant research literature in recent years and summarized the role of macrophages in tendon bone healing, in order to provide new ideas and directions for treatment strategies to promote tendon bone healing.
Humans ; Macrophages/metabolism* ; Wound Healing ; Animals ; Tendons/physiology* ; Bone and Bones/injuries* ; Tendon Injuries

Objective Based on 25 indicators including immune factors, cell count classification, and smear results of the knee joint fluid, machine learning models were established to distinguish between osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods 100 OA and 40 RA patients scheduled for total knee arthroplasty were enrolled respectively. Each patient's knee joint fluid was collected preoperatively. Nucleated cells were counted and classified. The expression levels of immune factors, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-8, IL-15, matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3), MMP9, MMP13, rheumatoid factor (RF), serum amyloid A (SAA), C-reactive protein (CRP), and others were measured. Smears and microscopic classification of all the immune factors were performed. Independent influencing factors for OA or RA were identified using univariate binary logistic regression, Lasso regression, and multivariate binary logistic regression. Based on the independent influencing factors, three machine learning models were constructed which are logistic regression, random forest, and support vector machine. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), calibration curve and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate and compare the models. Results A total of 5 indicators in the knee joint fluid were screened out to distinguish OA and RA, which were IL-1β(odds ratio(OR)=10.512, 95× confidence interval (95×CI) was 1.048-105.42, P=0.045), IL-6 (OR=1.007, 95×CI was 1.001-1.014, P=0.022), MMP9 (OR=3.202, 95×CI was 1.235-8.305, P=0.017), MMP13 (OR=1.002, 95× CI was 1-1.004, P=0.049), and RF (OR=1.091, 95×CI was 1.01-1.179, P=0.026). According to the results of ROC, calibration curve and DCA, the accuracy (0.979), sensitivity (0.98) and area under the curve (AUC, 0.996, 95×CI was 0.991-1) of the random forest model were the highest. It has good validity and feasibility, and its distinguishing ability is better than the other two models. Conclusion The machine learning model based on immune factors in the knee joint fluid holds significant value in distinguishing OA and RA. It provides an important reference for the clinical early differential diagnosis, prevention and treatment of OA and RA.
Humans ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/metabolism* ; Machine Learning ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Synovial Fluid/immunology* ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/metabolism* ; Knee Joint/metabolism* ; ROC Curve ; Diagnosis, Differential

Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) is a critical endocrine mediator implicated in male reproductive physiology. To investigate the correlation between IGF2 protein levels and various aspects of male infertility, specifically focusing on sperm quality, inflammation, and DNA damage, a cohort of 320 male participants was recruited from the Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China) between 1 st January 2024 and 1 st March 2024. The relationship between IGF2 protein concentrations and sperm parameters was assessed, and Spearman correlation and linear regression analysis were employed to evaluate the independent associations between IGF2 protein levels and risk factors for infertility. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure IGF2 protein levels in seminal plasma, alongside markers of inflammation (tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α] and interleukin-1β [IL-1β]). The relationship between seminal plasma IGF2 protein levels and DNA damage marker phosphorylated histone H2AX (γ-H2AX) was also explored. Our findings reveal that IGF2 protein expression decreased notably in patients with asthenospermia and teratospermia. Correlation analysis revealed nuanced associations between IGF2 protein levels and specific sperm parameters, and low IGF2 protein concentrations correlated with increased inflammation and DNA damage in sperm. The observed correlations between IGF2 protein levels and specific sperm parameters, along with its connection to inflammation and DNA damage, underscore the importance of IGF2 in the broader context of male reproductive health. These findings lay the groundwork for future research and potential therapeutic interventions targeting IGF2-related pathways to enhance male fertility.
Humans ; Male ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor II/metabolism* ; Infertility, Male/genetics* ; DNA Damage ; Adult ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Spermatozoa/metabolism* ; Semen Analysis ; Semen/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Histones/metabolism* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism*

Cemental tear is a rare and indetectable condition unless obvious clinical signs present with the involvement of surrounding periodontal and periapical tissues. Due to its clinical manifestations similar to common dental issues, such as vertical root fracture, primary endodontic diseases, and periodontal diseases, as well as the low awareness of cemental tear for clinicians, misdiagnosis often occurs. The critical principle for cemental tear treatment is to remove torn fragments, and overlooking fragments leads to futile therapy, which could deteriorate the conditions of the affected teeth. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and subsequent appropriate interventions are vital for managing cemental tear. Novel diagnostic tools, including cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), microscopes, and enamel matrix derivatives, have improved early detection and management, enhancing tooth retention. The implementation of standardized diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, combined with improved clinical awareness among dental professionals, serves to mitigate risks of diagnostic errors and suboptimal therapeutic interventions. This expert consensus reviewed the epidemiology, pathogenesis, potential predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cemental tear, aiming to provide a clinical guideline and facilitate clinicians to have a better understanding of cemental tear.
Humans ; Dental Cementum/injuries* ; Consensus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Tooth Fractures/therapy*

Objective:To describe the epidemiological characteristics and changes of febrile seizure(FS)among children under 6 years old in Ningbo City,Zhejiang Province from 2015 to 2021.Methods:Based on the Ningbo Regional Health Information Platform,a dynamic cohort was established using vacci-nation registration information,and the cases of FS were identified by the diagnostic results of Chinese terms or International Classification of Diseases 10th revision(ICD-10)R56.0 code in the electronic medical records.The first visit of FS during the observation period was defined as a new case,and a re-currence case was defined as the case with a visit interval of more than 7 days.The 95％confidence in-terval(CI)of FS incidence density was calculated by the Poisson distribution.Results:From January 2015 to June 2020,there were 1.3 million children under 6 years old in Ningbo,with male accounting for 52.87％.The median follow-up time was 2.83(1.55-4.00)years.During the follow-up period,12 776 new onset cases had FS,with more males than females,with an overall incidence density of 4.34(95％CI:4.27-4.40)/1 000 person-years and a recurrence rate of 21.63％.There was a higher inci-dence density in children who were male,born in Ningbo and of non-mobility.The incidence density of FS was higher in urban areas than in rural and rural-urban fringe areas,and the incidence density was different among districts and counties.The peak density was found in children aged 18-23 months[8.42(95％CI:8.11-8.74)/1 000 person-years].From 2015 to 2019,the incidence density in-creased with calendar year(Ptrend＜0.001),and the highest was 5.62(95％CI:5.43-5.81)/1 000 person-years.The incidence density of FS decreased significantly during the period between 2020 and 2021.The incidence density was higher in winter.Conclusion:From 2015 to 2019,the overall inci-dence density of FS in children under 6 years old in Ningbo City presented an increasing trend.More at-tention should be paid to the health education,the improvement of the health maintenance model,the en-hancement of the cognition of FS,the identification and treatment of FS among high-risk population and regions so as to prevent its recurrence and reduce the disease burden during the corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19)epide-mic.

Medical therapy and surgical intervention are the two primary approaches for treating myocardial bridge.However,there remains controversy regarding the use of coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG)and myocardial bridge unroofing.Here,we report a case of myocardial infarction following CABG in a patient with a myocardial bridge.The patient was admitted to Lanzhou First Peopie's Hospital with persistent chest pain,chest tightness,and shortness of breath lasting 2 hours.Physical examination revealed no significant abnormalities.Electrocardiography(ECG)indicated extensive anterior wall myocardial infarction.Laboratory findings showed myoglobin levels of 140.1 ng/ml and troponin Ⅰ levels of 2.59 ng/ml,with no other significant abnormalities.The initial diagnosis was acute extensive anterior wall myocardial infarction.Emergency coronary angiography revealed a myocardial bridge in the mid-segment of the left anterior descending artery(LAD).Emergency CABG using the left internal mammary artery to the LAD was performed,leading to symptomatic improvement,and the patient was discharged in stable condition.However,the patient experienced a recurrent myocardial infarction seven years post-surgery and received secondary preventive medical therapy.The patient is currently under ongoing follow-up care.CABG is an effective treatment for myocardial bridge.However,based on the case reported in this study,we recommend careful evaluation of whether a patient may benefit from CABG.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of facilitated percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)with half-dose recombinant staphylokinase(r-SAK)in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI)who are expected to undergo PCI within 120 minutes.Methods From October 2021 to August 2022,a total of 200 STEMI patients in eight centers were included and randomly assigned in a 1﹕1 ratio to either r-SAK group or control group.Patients received loading doses of aspirin and ticagrelor and intravenous heparin and were randomized to receive an intravenous bolus of either 5 mg r-SAK or normal saline prior to PCI.The outcomes were set as ST-segment resolution(STR)at 60-90 minutes after PCI,the proportion and transition of pathological Q waves on the 5th day after PCI,and the proportion of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T(hs-cTnT)peaking within 12 hours of onset.The safety outcome was major bleeding events defined as Bleeding Academic Research Consortium(BARC)≥type 3 bleeding during hospitalization.Results Compared with the control group,the r-SAK group had a higher proportion of STR≥70%within 60-90 minutes after PCI(58.3%vs.40.3%,P=0.009);a lower proportion of pathological Q waves(59.1%vs.74.1%,P=0.040);a lower rate of Q wave progression(14.8%vs.43.2%,P＜0.001);a higher rate of Q wave disappearance(12.5%vs.3.7%,P=0.027);and a higher proportion of hs-cTnT peaking within 12 hours of symptom onset[31/40(77.5%)vs.17/33(51.5%),P=0.027].Regarding the safety outcome,no significant difference in BARC≥type 3 bleeding was found between the two groups during hospitalization(P＞0.05).Conclusions For STEMI patients who were expected to undergo primary PCI within 120 minutes of symptom onset,the facilitated PCI with half-dose r-SAK significantly increased the proportion of STR≥70%at 60-90 minutes after PCI,reduced the formation of pathological Q waves,and shortened the time to peak hs-cTnT,without increasing the risk of bleeding,which should be an alternative reperfusion strategy worthy of further study.

Objective To analyze the imaging features of cerebral small vessel disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by multimodal MRI.Methods The clinical data of 160 patients with cerebral small vessel disease admitted to our hospital from January to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.According to whether they were complicated with type 2 diabetes mellitus,they were divided into the diabetic group and the non-diabetic group,with 80 cases in each group.Both groups underwent multimodal MRI scans.And the severity of lacunar infarction,the severity of subcortical and periventricular white matter lesions,white matter integral and cerebral microbleeds of patients in the two groups were compared.Results The severity of lacunar infarction(χ2=34.076,P=0.001),subcortical white matter lesions(χ2=25.000,P=0.001),periventricular white matter lesions(χ2=22.895,P=0.001)and white matter integral(t=12.370,P=0.001)of patients in the diabetic group were significantly higher than those in the non-diabetic group.No cerebral microbleeds were detected in either group of patients.Conclusion Patients with cerebral small vessel disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus show characteristic multimodal MRI changes.The increase in the number of lacunar infarction lesions and the aggravation of white matter lesions can be used as the characteristic imaging basis for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus related cerebral small vessel disease.

Objective This research was performed to identify rodent-borne pathogens in Hekou Port,Yunnan Province.Methods Rodents were captured using cages and dissected to collect their lungs,liver,spleen,and other viscera.Eight pathogens,including Yersinia pestis,Leptospira,Bartonella,and Anaplasmataceae,were identified using polymerase chain reaction amplification.Amplified pathogen sequences from positive samples were sequenced,and BLAST homology searches were conducted using GenBank to confirm pathogen identities.A phylogenetic tree of the identified pathogens was constructed using the neighbor joining method.Results The total of 31 rodents,identified as Rattus tanezumi,R.norvegicus,and Mus musculus,were captured.Among these,R.tanezumi was the dominant species,accounting for 64.52％of the total.Two pathogens,Leptospira interrogans and Neoehrlichia mikurensis,were detected,with positivity rates of 9.68％and 29.03％,respectively.No other pathogens were detected.The overall positivity rate for rodent-borne pathogens was 35.48％.Conclusions The single 16S rRNA gene fragment is insufficient for the molecular identification of all Neoehrlichia species.Accurate species identification should be based on a combined analysis of multiple genes.The prevalence of rodent-borne pathogens in Hekou Port indicates the necessity for enhanced surveillance of rodent-borne diseases and implementation of additional prevention and control measures in border ports.