Objective To explore the efficiency improvement in segmenting neural network with the application of Transformer + U-Net artificial intelligence (AI) and modeling with the application of Python scripts in three-dimensional (3D) printing brachytherapy. Methods A Transformer + U-Net AI neural network model was constructed, and Adam optimizer was used to ensure rapid gradient descent. Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging data of patients were standardized and processed as self-made data sets. The training set was used to train AI and the optimal result weight parameters were saved. The test set was used to evaluate the AI ability. Python programming language was used to write an automated script to obtain the output segmentation image and convert it to the STL file for import. The source applicator and needle could be automatically modeled. The time of automatic segmentation and modeling and the time of manual segmentation and modeling were entered by two people, and the difference was verified by paired t-test. Results Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), mean intersection over union (MIOU), and Hausdorff distance (HD95) were used for evaluation. DSC was 0.9341, MIOU was 0.8762, and mean HD95 was 2.516. The mean time of manual segmentation was 1187 s, and the mean time of AI segmentation was 145 s (P < 0.01). The mean time of manual modeling was 321 s, and the mean time of modeling with Python automated scripts was 18 s (P < 0.01). Conclusion The application of Transformer + U-Net automatic segmentation and Python automated scripts can effectively improve work efficiency in the 3D printing brachytherapy for cervical cancer.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of Xiaoji Hufei Formula in protecting children with close contact exposure to influenza， and to provide reference and evidence-based support for better clinical prevention and treatment of influenza in children. MethodsA multicenter， prospective， non-randomized， parallel， controlled trial was conducted from October 2021 to May 2022 in five hospitals， including Dongfang Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Confirmed influenza cases and influenza-like illness （ILI） cases were collected， and eligible children with close contact exposure to these cases were recruited in the outpatient clinics. According to whether the enrolled close contacts were willing to take Xiaoji Hufei formula for influenza prevention， they were assigned to the observation group （108 cases） or the control group （108 cases）. Follow-up visits were conducted on days 7 and 14 after enrollment. The primary outcomes were the incidence of ILI and the rate of laboratory-confirmed influenza. Secondary outcomes included traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptom score scale for influenza， influenza-related emergency （outpatient） visit rate， influenza hospitalization rate， and time to onset after exposure to influenza cases. ResultsA total of 216 participants were enrolled， with 108 in the observation group and 108 in the control group. Primary outcomes： （1） Incidence of ILI： The incidence was 12.0% （13/108） in the observation group and 23.1% （25/108） in the control group， with the observation group showing a significantly lower incidence （χ²=4.6， P<0.05）. （2） Influenza confirmation rate： 3.7% （4/108） in the observation group and 4.6% （5/108） in the control group， with no statistically significant difference. Secondary outcomes： （1） TCM symptom score scale： after onset， nasal congestion and runny nose scores differed significantly between the two groups （P<0.05）， while other symptoms such as fever， sore throat， and cough showed no significant differences. （2） Influenza-related emergency （outpatient） visit rate： 84.6% （11 cases） in the observation group and 96.0% （24 cases） in the control group， with no significant difference. （3） Time to onset after exposure： The median onset time after exposure to index patients was 7 days in the observation group and 4 days in the control group， with a statistically significant difference （P<0.05）. ConclusionIn previously healthy children exposed to infectious influenza cases under unprotected conditions， Xiaoji Hufei formula prophylaxis significantly reduced the incidence of ILI. Xiaoji Hufei Formula can be recommended as a specific preventive prescription for influenza in children.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of Xiaoji Hufei Formula in protecting children with close contact exposure to influenza， and to provide reference and evidence-based support for better clinical prevention and treatment of influenza in children. MethodsA multicenter， prospective， non-randomized， parallel， controlled trial was conducted from October 2021 to May 2022 in five hospitals， including Dongfang Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Confirmed influenza cases and influenza-like illness （ILI） cases were collected， and eligible children with close contact exposure to these cases were recruited in the outpatient clinics. According to whether the enrolled close contacts were willing to take Xiaoji Hufei formula for influenza prevention， they were assigned to the observation group （108 cases） or the control group （108 cases）. Follow-up visits were conducted on days 7 and 14 after enrollment. The primary outcomes were the incidence of ILI and the rate of laboratory-confirmed influenza. Secondary outcomes included traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptom score scale for influenza， influenza-related emergency （outpatient） visit rate， influenza hospitalization rate， and time to onset after exposure to influenza cases. ResultsA total of 216 participants were enrolled， with 108 in the observation group and 108 in the control group. Primary outcomes： （1） Incidence of ILI： The incidence was 12.0% （13/108） in the observation group and 23.1% （25/108） in the control group， with the observation group showing a significantly lower incidence （χ²=4.6， P<0.05）. （2） Influenza confirmation rate： 3.7% （4/108） in the observation group and 4.6% （5/108） in the control group， with no statistically significant difference. Secondary outcomes： （1） TCM symptom score scale： after onset， nasal congestion and runny nose scores differed significantly between the two groups （P<0.05）， while other symptoms such as fever， sore throat， and cough showed no significant differences. （2） Influenza-related emergency （outpatient） visit rate： 84.6% （11 cases） in the observation group and 96.0% （24 cases） in the control group， with no significant difference. （3） Time to onset after exposure： The median onset time after exposure to index patients was 7 days in the observation group and 4 days in the control group， with a statistically significant difference （P<0.05）. ConclusionIn previously healthy children exposed to infectious influenza cases under unprotected conditions， Xiaoji Hufei formula prophylaxis significantly reduced the incidence of ILI. Xiaoji Hufei Formula can be recommended as a specific preventive prescription for influenza in children.

BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is indicated as a broad-spectrum medicine for a variety of diseases, including cancer and cardiac disease. While the role of ATO in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ATO on HIRI. METHODS: In the present study, we established a 70% hepatic warm I/R injury and partial hepatectomy (30% resection) animal models in vivo and hepatocytes anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) models in vitro with ATO pretreatment and further assessed liver function by histopathologic changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell counting kit-8, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was transfected to evaluate the role of ERK1/2 pathway during HIRI, followed by ATO pretreatment. The dynamic process of autophagic flux and numbers of autophagosomes were detected by green fluorescent protein-monomeric red fluorescent protein-LC3 (GFP-mRFP-LC3) staining and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: A low dose of ATO (0.75 μmol/L in vitro and 1 mg/kg in vivo ) significantly reduced tissue necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and hepatocyte apoptosis during the process of hepatic I/R. Meanwhile, ATO obviously promoted the ability of cell proliferation and liver regeneration. Mechanistically, in vitro  studies have shown that nontoxic concentrations of ATO can activate both ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase (PI3K-AKT) pathways and further induce autophagy. The hepatoprotective mechanism of ATO, at least in part, relies on the effects of ATO on the activation of autophagy, which is ERK-dependent. CONCLUSION Low, non-toxic doses of ATO can activate ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways and induce ERK-dependent autophagy in hepatocytes, protecting liver against I/R injury and accelerating hepatocyte regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
Animals ; Arsenic Trioxide ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/physiology* ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use* ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Abstract To understand the relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), the present review aims to describe the burden and influencing factors of CVD, epidemiological characteristics and burden of ACEs, current research on the relationship between ACEs and CVD, and the mechanism of ACEs leading to CVD. It is proposed that further assessment of the relationship is warranted through identifying blood biomarkers, conducting prospective cohort studies and intervention studies. Such efforts would provide valuable scientific insights for primary prevention strategies for cardiovascular disease.

Tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 14 （TNFSF14） is a new member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily member， and it mediates diverse biological functions through binding with herpes virus entry mediator， lymphotoxin-β receptor， and soluble decoy receptor 3， thereby exerting an important regulatory effect in inflammatory diseases， fibrotic diseases， and anti-tumor immunity. In recent years， the mechanism of LIGHT in the development and progression of liver diseases and its role in treatment have attracted more and more attention.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of alirocumab combined with atorvastatin on clinical efficacy and safety of patients with acute coronary syndrome （ACS） who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI）. METHODS A total of 207 patients with ACS who underwent PCI in our hospital from January 2021 to December 2023 were randomly divided into alirocumab group， ezetimibe group and control group， with 69 cases in each group. All patients received routine thrombosis prevention and antihypertensive treatment after PCI. On this basis， patients in the control group were treated with atorvastatin （20 mg/time， once a day）； patients in the ezetimibe group were treated with ezetimibe （10 mg/time， once a day） + atorvastatin （20 mg/time， once a day）； patients in the alirocumab group were treated with alirocumab （75 mg/time， once every 2 weeks） + atorvastatin （20 mg/time， once a day）. All patients in the three groups were treated for 8 weeks and followed up for another 6 months after treatment. The levels of cardiac function and lipid metabolism indices before and after treatment， as well as the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular event （MACE） and other adverse drug reaction （ADR） during the follow-up period were compared among the three groups. RESULTS After treatment for 8 weeks， the levels of cardiac function and lipid metabolism indices in the three groups were significantly improved compared with those before treatment （P＜0.05）. Compared with the control group and ezetimibe group， the left ventricular ejection fraction in the alirocumab group was significantly increased， and the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter （LVEDD） was significantly shortened （P＜0.05）. Compared with control group， LVEDD of ezetimibe group was significantly shortened （P＜0.05）， the levels of total cholesterol， triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the alirocumab group and ezetimibe group were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. During the follow-up period， there was no significant difference in the total incidence of MACE and the total incidence of other ADR such as headache and abdominal pain among the three groups （P＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Alirocumab combined with atorvastatin can significantly improve cardiac function and regulate lipid metabolism indices in patients with ACS after PCI without increasing the risk of MACE or other ADR.

Objective To explore the molecular mechanism of cerebroprotein hydrolysate-1(CH-1)in improving cognitive impairment of VD at animal level,and to determine the regulatory effect of CH-1 on Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.Methods Thirty-six SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group,VD group,low-and high-dose groups,with 9 rats in each group.VD model was established by bilateral common carotid artery ligation,and CH-1 was injected intraperitone-ally for 3 weeks.Morris water maze test and new object recognition test were performed to evalu-ate cognitive function.Hippocampal tissues was collected for immunohistochemistry/Western blot analysis.Results Compared with the sham operation group,the VD group exhibited significantly prolonged escape latency at 2-4 d of Morris water maze test,and up-regulated expression of ubiquitinated protein,LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio,P65 and Beclin1 protein in the hippocampus,while down-regulated P62 expression(P＜0.05).Obviously shortened escape latency was observed in the high-dose group at 3-4 d and the low-dose group at 4 d than the VD group(P＜0.05).The resi-dence time in target quadrant,number of platform crossings,total exploration time of novel object recognition in the high-dose group and the total exploration time of novel object recognition in the low-dose group were significantly longer than those in VD group(P＜0.05).The expression levels of ubiquitinated,LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio,P65 and Beclin1 were significantly lower in the low-dose group and high-dose group than the VD group(P＜0.05).The expression level of P62 protein in the VD group,low-and high-dose group were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner(2.78±0.44,1.80±0.24 vs 3.67±0.34;2.37±0.26,1.53±0.09 vs 2.92±0.19;2.74±0.14,1.81±0.19 vs 3.93±0.50;2.28±0.17,1.72±0.17 vs 3.17±0.31,P＜0.05).Conclusion CH-1 can effectively improve the cognitive ability of VD rats and reduce the autophagy of hippocampal neurons.This therapeutic effect may be closely related to its enhancing activity of Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.

Objective:To conduct a comparative analysis of the oxygen depletion and oxygen effect of FLASH irradiation and conventional irradiation by direct measurement of oxygen content.Methods:The oxygen content in different tissues and organs of mice was measured using a phosphorescent probe. A subcutaneous xenograft tumor model in mice was established, to receive electron-beam irradiation at different doses and dose rates. The oxygen depletion of tumor and normal tissue was analyzed, and tumor control was evaluated. The oxygen depletion of conventional irradiation and FLASH irradiation was further analyzed using an in vitro model. The survival fraction (SF) of normal cells after conventional irradiation and FLASH irradiation was calculated using colony formation assay under different partial pressures of oxygen, and the data were fitted to the oxygen enhancement ratio (OER) curve. Results:The mean oxygen content of subcutaneous xenograft tumor in mice was 1.28%, suggesting hypoxia. The mean oxygen content of normal tissue ranged from 3.51% to 6.53%, suggesting physioxia. In animal experiments, oxygen depletion was not observed during conventional irradiation. High-dose-rate (20 Gy/s) and ultra-high-dose-rate (FLASH, 40 Gy/s) irradiation produced oxygen depletion. During FLASH irradiation, with the increase of oxygen content, the oxygen depletion was 0.1-0.2 mm Hg/Gy for tumor tissue and 0.19-0.21 mm Hg/Gy for skin tissue, which tended to stabilize. FLASH irradiation maintained equivalent tumor control compared to conventional irradiation. The tumoricidal effect was significantly enhanced with the increase of oxygen content in the tissue ( t=3.46, P<0.01). In in vitro experiments, the mean oxygen depletion rate was about 0.16 mm Hg/Gy for conventional irradiation and 0.16-0.18 mm Hg/Gy for FLASH irradiation, which did not change significantly with the increase of oxygen content. FLASH irradiation was associated with an oxygen effect. When the partial pressure of oxygen decreased from physioxia to hypoxia, the OER value significantly reduced. Conclusions:Normal tissues and organs are in physioxia, which exhibits a lower oxygen content than that in the air. FLASH irradiation can consume a proportion of oxygen, producing an oxygen effect. When oxygen content decreases, the oxygen depletion rate slows down after FLASH irradiation.

Objective:To integrate and analyze the trend of the disease burden of tracheal,bronchus,and lung cancer(TBL)attributable to secondhand smoke in China from 1990 to 2021 and to analyze future projections,aiming to provide data support for the prevention and treatment of TBL in China.Methods:Based on the global burden of disease(GBD)2021 database,TBL with ICD-10 disease classification C33,C34-C34.92 was studied.Using secondhand smoke as a risk factor,the data on TBL mortality and disability-adjusted life year(DALY)due to secondhand smoke in China from 1990 to 2021 were further age-standardized.Using Joinpoint 4.7.1 regression analysis model to calculate annual percentage change(APC)and average annual percentage change(AAPC),Hiplot software was used to plot disease burden data for different ages and genders,and R 4.3.1 software was used to construct a grey model GM(1,1)to predict the predicted value and trend of TBL disease burden attributed to secondhand smoke in China from 2022 to 2031.Results:From 1990 to 2021,the TBL mortality rate,age-standardized mortality rate,and DALY rate attributed to secondhand smoke in China increased from 1.76/100 000,2.63/100 000,and 49.43/100 000 to 4.08/100 000,2.80/100 000,and 95.57/100 000,respectively;the growth was 131.18%,6.45%,and 93.34%;the age-standardized DALY rate decreased from 65.04/100 000 to 63.32/100 000 with the reduction of 2.65%.The results of the Joinpoint regres-sion showed that the AAPC(95%CI)of mortality,age-standardized mortality rate,and DALY rate for TBL were 2.75(2.58-2.93)%,0.16(0.11-0.21)%,and 2.15(2.11-2.18)%,respectively,with an overall increasing trend;the AAPC(95%CI)of age-standardized DALY rate was-0.14(-0.40-0.12)%,with an overall fluctuating and unchanged trend and it was higher in males than in females.In both 1990 and 2021,the TBL mortality rate attributable to secondhand smoke in China gradually increased with age,and the DALY rate first increased and then slowed down with age.The main groups of the burden of disease were the elderly and males.The grey prediction model GM(1,1)showed that the age-standardized mortality rate of TBL attributable to secondhand smoke from 2022 to 2031 showed a slow increasing trend,and the predicted value in 2031 would increase to 2.95/100 000.The age-standardized DALY showed a slow decreasing trend,and the predicted value in 2031 would decrease to 63.83/100 000.Conclusions:From 1990 to 2021,the TBL mortality,age-standardized mortality,and DALY rates attributable to secondhand smoke in China increased,and the age-standardized DALY rate decreased.Men and the elderly are the main groups affected by TBL.Appropriate measures should be formulated to reduce exposure to and contact with secondhand smoke,tak-ing into account gender and age differences.Additionally,efforts should be made to strengthen secondhand smoke prevention and public health education.