Objective:This study aims to initially establish a scoring system for comprehensively reflecting the severity of intracranial atherosclerotic lesions and to explore the correlation between this score and atherosclerotic risk factors as well as stroke events.Methods:This study retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent head and neck computer tomography angiography(CTA)examinations and had head MRI examinations within one month before or after the CTA examination from January 2021 to August 2024 in Beijing Hospital.An intracranial atherosclerosis disease score(ICADS)system was constructed based on the degree and number of vascular stenosis.The relationship between ICADS and atherosclerotic risk factors was explored by grouping patients according to the quartile of ICADS.Patients were divided into acute stroke group and non-acute stroke group to compare differences in ICADS and cerebrovascular disease risk factors between the two groups, and to investigate the correlation between stroke events and ICADS.Results:There were statistically significant differences in the proportions of patients with hypertension and diabetes among different ICADS groups.Multiple linear regression analysis showed that hypertension( B=1.17, 95% CI: 0.20-2.14, P<0.05)and diabetes( B=2.75, 95% CI: 1.85-3.64, P<0.001)were risk factors for higher ICADS.The ICADS was higher in the acute stroke group than in the non-acute stroke group(9 vs.6, P<0.001), and a higher ICADS was identified as a risk factor for stroke( OR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.07-1.14, P<0.001). Conclusions:ICADS can comprehensively reflect the severity of intracranial atherosclerotic lesions and is correlated with stroke events, making it useful for clinical screening of high-risk patients for stroke.

The ambiguity of etiology makes temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) "difficult-to-treat". Emerging evidence underscores the therapeutic promise of exosomes in osteoarthritis management. Nonetheless, challenges such as low yields and insignificant efficacy of current exosome therapies necessitate significant advances. Addressing lower strontium (Sr) levels in arthritic synovial microenvironment, we studied the effect of Sr element on exosomes and miRNA selectively loading in synovial mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs). Here, we developed an optimized system that boosts the yield of SMSC-derived exosomes (SMSC-EXOs) and improves their miRNA profiles with an elevated proportion of beneficial miRNAs, while reducing harmful ones by pretreating SMSCs with Sr. Compared to untreated SMSC-EXOs, Sr-pretreated SMSC-derived exosomes (Sr-SMSC-EXOs) demonstrated superior therapeutic efficacy by mitigating chondrocyte ferroptosis and reducing osteoclast-mediated joint pain in TMJOA. Our results illustrate Alix's crucial role in Sr-triggered miRNA loading, identifying miR-143-3p as a key anti-TMJOA exosomal component. Interestingly, this system is specifically oriented towards synovium-derived stem cells. The insight into trace element-driven, site-specific miRNA selectively loading in SMSC-EXOs proposes a promising therapeutic enhancement strategy for TMJOA.
MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/drug effects* ; Osteoarthritis/drug therapy* ; Exosomes/drug effects* ; Strontium/pharmacology* ; Synovial Membrane/cytology* ; Humans ; Animals ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/therapy* ; Temporomandibular Joint

Objective:This study aims to initially establish a scoring system for comprehensively reflecting the severity of intracranial atherosclerotic lesions and to explore the correlation between this score and atherosclerotic risk factors as well as stroke events.Methods:This study retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent head and neck computer tomography angiography(CTA)examinations and had head MRI examinations within one month before or after the CTA examination from January 2021 to August 2024 in Beijing Hospital.An intracranial atherosclerosis disease score(ICADS)system was constructed based on the degree and number of vascular stenosis.The relationship between ICADS and atherosclerotic risk factors was explored by grouping patients according to the quartile of ICADS.Patients were divided into acute stroke group and non-acute stroke group to compare differences in ICADS and cerebrovascular disease risk factors between the two groups, and to investigate the correlation between stroke events and ICADS.Results:There were statistically significant differences in the proportions of patients with hypertension and diabetes among different ICADS groups.Multiple linear regression analysis showed that hypertension( B=1.17, 95% CI: 0.20-2.14, P<0.05)and diabetes( B=2.75, 95% CI: 1.85-3.64, P<0.001)were risk factors for higher ICADS.The ICADS was higher in the acute stroke group than in the non-acute stroke group(9 vs.6, P<0.001), and a higher ICADS was identified as a risk factor for stroke( OR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.07-1.14, P<0.001). Conclusions:ICADS can comprehensively reflect the severity of intracranial atherosclerotic lesions and is correlated with stroke events, making it useful for clinical screening of high-risk patients for stroke.

Objective:To explore the characteristic of dynamic function network connectivity (dFNC) of resting brain networks in internet gaming disorder (IGD) adolescents.Methods:Forty-four adolescent IGD subjects (IGD group, male/female: 38/6) and fifty healthy controls (HC group, male/female: 40/10) were collected, and the subjects completed demographic questionnaires, Young internet addiction scale(YIAS), Chinese adolescents' maladaptive cognitions scale(CAMAS), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tests. The fMRI data were preprocessed on the Matlab platform, and the preprocessed data was divided into 64 components for group level independent component analysis.The dynamic functional connectivity of obtained 18 effective independent components was analyzed by sliding time window technique, and the difference of dynamic functional connectivity of brain triple network between the IGD group and HC group was compared using SPSS 22.0 software.Results:Four repeated dFNC states were identified through cluster analysis.Each state indicated that different functional networks had different connection strengths.State 3, the most frequent state, had been indicated that the whole brain network of the subject was in a state of weak functional connectivity.The second frequent state was state 1, which indicated enhanced functional connectivity within the subject's central executive network (CEN).State 2 had been indicated enhanced functional connectivity within the subject's salience network (SN).State 4 had been indicated generally enhanced functional connectivity in the subjects' brain networks, and this state was the least frequent.The results of non-parametric permutation test on the time attribute showed that compared with the HC group, the IGD group had a longer time score (IGD group: 0.24±0.19, HC group: 0.13±0.15, t=1.19, P<0.05, non-parametric substitution test) for state 1 with strong connectivity within the CEN, which was positively correlated with the YIAS score and game time ( r=0.418, P=0.003; r=0.515, P=0.004).Compared with HC group, the functional connectivity of ICD group between the internal insula of the SN and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex was enhanced ( P<0.05, FDR corrected), while the average residence time in weakly connected state 3 was longer ( Z=2.09, P<0.05, nonparametric substitution test). Conclusions:The difference in dynamic functional connectivity of the triple network in the brain of IGD adolescents under resting state is mainly manifested by strong connections in CEN, functional connections between insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in SN is enhanced, and weakening of overall functional connections, which may play an important role in the pathological mechanism of IGD.

Objective:To analyze the mediating role of maladaptive cognition between family relationships and internet gaming disorder (IGD) in adolescents.Methods:From September 2021 to April 2023, a total of 52 adolescents with IGD (IGD group) from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University and 51 normal adolescents (HC group) from community were selected as study subjects.The severity of adolescent internet addiction was assessed using the Young internet addiction scale (YIAS).Family relationships and maladaptive cognition were evaluated by the Chinese version of family environment scale (FES-CV) and the Chinese adolescents’ maladaptive cognitions scale (CAMCS).SPSS 22.0 software was used for descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and mediation analysis.Two-sample t-tests were used for quantitative data comparison, and chi-square tests were used for qualitative data comparison. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship of variables, and the intermediate variable test was performed using Bootstrap method. Results:(1) Compared with HC group, the score of YIAS in IGD group was higher, and the difference was statistically significant((63.69±10.36), (28.96±5.20), t=21.571, P<0.05). Compared with the HC group, the conflict score of FES-CV in the IGD group was higher((4.79±2.02), (3.33±1.42), t=4.228, P<0.05), and the cohesion score of FES-CV was lower ((4.46±1.64), (5.57±1.33), t=-3.768, P<0.05).Compared with the HC group, the CAMCS score in IGD group was higher, and the difference was statistically significant((28.88±10.11), (22.98±9.11), t=3.116, P<0.05). (2) There was a positive correlation between conflict of family relationships and IGD ( r=0.504, P<0.01), and a negative correlation between cohesion of family relationships and IGD( r=-0.474, P<0.01) in IGD group. (3) Path analysis and mediation effect test showed that conflict in family relationships positively predicted IGD ( β=0.331, 95% CI=0.100-0.563) and maladaptive cognition ( β=0.372, 95% CI=0.108-0.636). Maladaptive cognitive positively predicted IGD ( β=0.464, 95% CI=0.232-0.696). Maladaptive cognition played a mediating role between conflict of family relationships and IGD, and the mediating effect value was 0.173 (95% CI=0.020-0.366), accounting for 34.33%(0.173/0.504) of the total effect. Conclusion:Family relationships are related to IGD in adolescents. Maladaptive cognition may play a mediating role between family relationships and IGD in adolescents.

Objective:To analyze the mediating role of maladaptive cognition between family relationships and internet gaming disorder (IGD) in adolescents.Methods:From September 2021 to April 2023, a total of 52 adolescents with IGD (IGD group) from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University and 51 normal adolescents (HC group) from community were selected as study subjects.The severity of adolescent internet addiction was assessed using the Young internet addiction scale (YIAS).Family relationships and maladaptive cognition were evaluated by the Chinese version of family environment scale (FES-CV) and the Chinese adolescents’ maladaptive cognitions scale (CAMCS).SPSS 22.0 software was used for descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and mediation analysis.Two-sample t-tests were used for quantitative data comparison, and chi-square tests were used for qualitative data comparison. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship of variables, and the intermediate variable test was performed using Bootstrap method. Results:(1) Compared with HC group, the score of YIAS in IGD group was higher, and the difference was statistically significant((63.69±10.36), (28.96±5.20), t=21.571, P<0.05). Compared with the HC group, the conflict score of FES-CV in the IGD group was higher((4.79±2.02), (3.33±1.42), t=4.228, P<0.05), and the cohesion score of FES-CV was lower ((4.46±1.64), (5.57±1.33), t=-3.768, P<0.05).Compared with the HC group, the CAMCS score in IGD group was higher, and the difference was statistically significant((28.88±10.11), (22.98±9.11), t=3.116, P<0.05). (2) There was a positive correlation between conflict of family relationships and IGD ( r=0.504, P<0.01), and a negative correlation between cohesion of family relationships and IGD( r=-0.474, P<0.01) in IGD group. (3) Path analysis and mediation effect test showed that conflict in family relationships positively predicted IGD ( β=0.331, 95% CI=0.100-0.563) and maladaptive cognition ( β=0.372, 95% CI=0.108-0.636). Maladaptive cognitive positively predicted IGD ( β=0.464, 95% CI=0.232-0.696). Maladaptive cognition played a mediating role between conflict of family relationships and IGD, and the mediating effect value was 0.173 (95% CI=0.020-0.366), accounting for 34.33%(0.173/0.504) of the total effect. Conclusion:Family relationships are related to IGD in adolescents. Maladaptive cognition may play a mediating role between family relationships and IGD in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have explored the impact of perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate (PNT) on kidney function. This study aimed to evaluate the association of urinary levels of PNT with renal function as well as the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among the general population in the United States. METHODS: This analysis included data from 13,373 adults (≥20 years) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005 to 2016. We used multivariable linear and logistic regression, to explore the associations of urinary PNT with kidney function. Restricted cubic splines were used to assess the potentially non-linear relationships between PNT exposure and outcomes. RESULTS: After traditional creatinine adjustment, perchlorate (P-traditional) was positively associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (adjusted β: 2.75; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.25 to 3.26; P  < 0.001), and negatively associated with urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) (adjusted β: -0.05; 95% CI: -0.07 to -0.02; P  = 0.001) in adjusted models. After both traditional and covariate-adjusted creatinine adjustment, urinary nitrate and thiocyanate were positively associated with eGFR (all P values <0.05), and negatively associated with ACR (all P values <0.05); higher nitrate or thiocyanate was associated with a lower risk of CKD (all P values <0.001). Moreover, there were L-shaped non-linear associations between nitrate, thiocyanate, and outcomes. In the adjusted models, for quartiles of PNT, statistically significant dose-response associations were observed in most relationships. Most results were consistent in the stratified and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS Exposures to PNT might be associated with kidney function, indicating a potential beneficial effect of environmental PNT exposure (especially nitrate and thiocyanate) on the human kidney.
Adult ; Humans ; United States/epidemiology* ; Nitrates/adverse effects* ; Nutrition Surveys ; Thiocyanates/urine* ; Perchlorates/urine* ; Creatinine ; Environmental Exposure ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/epidemiology* ; Logistic Models

Objective: To analyze the correlation between third molar agenesis and craniofacial morphology by studying the location and number of congenital missing third molars and results of craniofacial cephalometric measurement. Methods: A total of 123 patients were included, including 64 patients in the control group without congenital third molar absence and 59 patients in the absence group with at least one third molar absent. Cephalometric measurements included FMA, IMPA, AR-Go, GoGn-Sn, Co-A, Co-Gn, ANS-Me, Go-Me, SN-MP, Ar-Go-Me, SNA, SNB, ANB, Y-axis angle, Y-axis length, Ar-Go, Go-Me, MP-OP, FH-PP, FH-OP, a total of 18 bone tissue indicators, U1-SN, U1-L1, U1-NA, L1-NB, U1-APo and L1-APo, a total of 6 dental indicators, and UL-EP, LL-EP and nasolabial angle, a total of 3 soft tissue indicators. The correlation between congenital agenesis of third molars and craniofacial morphology was analyzed. Results: The most common missing location of the third molar occured in the upper jaw and the most common number of missing teeth was one. In control group, Ar-Go-Me and SN-MP were larger (P<0.05), U1-SN, U1-NA, L1-NB, UL-EP and LL-EP were larger (P<0.05), and U1-L1 was smaller (P<0.01). There were no significant differences in Ar-Go and Go-Me between the two groups(P>0.05). Conclusion Patients with four third molars are more likely to have backward and downward rotation of the mandible and are more likely to develop into a convex facial type than patients with missing third molars, which has a higher correlation with hyperdivergent growth pattern and convex facial type.

Objective: To investigate craniofacial differences in individuals with hypodontia and explore the relationship between craniofacial features and the number of congenitally missing teeth. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 261 Chinese patients (males, 124; females, 137; age, 7–24 years), divided into four groups (without hypodontia: no teeth missing, mild: one or two missing teeth, moderate: three to five missing teeth, severe: six or more missing teeth) according to the number of congenitally missing teeth. Differences in cephalometric measurements among the groups were analyzed. Further, multivariate linear regression and smooth curve fitting were performed to evaluate the relationship between the number of congenitally missing teeth and the cephalometric measurements. Results: In patients with hypodontia, SNA, NA-AP, FH-NA, ANB, Wits, ANS-Me/N-Me, GoGn-SN, UL-EP, and LL-EP significantly decreased, while Pog-NB, AB-NP, N-ANS, and S-Go/N-Me significantly increased. In multivariate linear regression analysis, SNB, Pog-NB, and S-Go/N-Me were positively related to the number of congenitally missing teeth. In contrast, NA-AP, FH-NA, ANB, Wits, N-Me, ANS-Me, ANS-Me/N-Me, GoGn-SN, SGn-FH (Y-axis), UL-EP, and LL-EP were negatively related, with absolute values of regression coefficients ranging from 0.147 to 0.357. Further, NA-AP, Pog-NB, S-Go/N-Me, and GoGn-SN showed the same tendency in both sexes, whereas UL-EP and LL-EP were different. Conclusions Compared with controls, patients with hypodontia tend toward a Class III skeletal relationship, reduced lower anterior face height, flatter mandibular plane, and more retrusive lips. The number of congenitally missing teeth had a greater effect on certain characteristics of craniofacial morphology in males than in females.

Objective:To investigate the status quo of anticoagulant therapy for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in Beijing community health centers and to analyze the affecting factors.Methods:From September to December 2020, 164 patients with NVAF in five community health service centers in Xicheng District of Beijing were selected for a face-to-face questionnaire survey. The questionnaire included basic information of patients, complications, CHA 2DS 2-VASc score, HAS-BLED score and oral anticoagulant therapy, et al. SPSS 23.0 software was used to analyze the status of anticoagulant therapy in patients with different risk stratification of stroke, and chi-square was used to analyze the factors affecting anticoagulant therapy in high-risk patients with stroke. Results:In 161 NVAF patients with indication, 86 received anticoagulation therapy (53.4%), and the utilization rates of rivaroxaban, dabigatran and warfarin were 64.0% (55/86), 26.7% (23/86) and 9.3% (8/86), respectively. In 140 patients (85.4%, 140/164) at high risk of stroke (CHA 2DS 2-VASc score ≥2 points in males or ≥3 points in females), 30.0% (42/140) had never received anticoagulant therapy, and 29.3% (41/140) was treated with antiplatelet therapy, 17.1% (24/140) did not use any antithrombotic medication. Univariate analysis showed that gender, age, symptoms at first diagnosis and complications were not significantly associated with the application of anticoagulant therapy in NVAF patients at high-risk of stoke ( P>0.05). The qualitative study showed that the reasons for not receiving anticoagulant therapy were spontaneous cardioversion or recovery of sinus rhythm after ablation (15 cases), adverse drug reactions (7 cases), self-withdrawal of drugs (10 cases), concern about bleeding (3 cases) and so on. Conclusion:A large proportion of NVAF patients in the community are at high risk of stroke, while the overall rate of anticoagulant treatment is relatively low. Clinician in the community should actively initiate anticoagulant therapy for patients with AF and strengthen the continuous management and compliance management of anticoagulant therapy.