BACKGROUND:Cervical disc herniation can cause pain in the neck and shoulder area,as well as radiating pain in the upper limbs.The incidence rate is increasing year by year and tends to affect younger individuals.Fully understanding the biomechanical characteristics of the cervical spine in adolescents is of great significance for preventing and delaying the onset of cervical disc herniation in this age group. OBJECTIVE:To reconstruct cervical spine models for both healthy adolescents and adolescent patients with cervical disc herniation utilizing finite element analysis techniques,to analyze the motion range of the C1-T1 cervical vertebrae as well as the biomechanical characteristics of the annulus fibrosus,nucleus pulposus,endplates,and the cartilage of the small joints. METHODS:A normal adolescent's cervical spine and an adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation were selected in this study.The continuous scan cervical spine CT raw image data were imported into Mimics 21.0 in DICOM format.The C1-T1 vertebrae were reconstructed separately.Subsequently,the established models were imported into the 3-Matic software for disc reconstruction.The perfected models were then imported into Hypermesh software for meshing of the vertebrae,nucleus pulposus,annulus fibrosus,and ligaments,creating valid geometric models.After assigning material properties,the final models were imported into ABAQUS software to observe the joint motion range of the C1-C7 cervical vertebrae segments under different conditions,and to analyze the biomechanical characteristics of the annulus fibrosus,nucleus pulposus,endplates,and small joint cartilage of each cervical spine segment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)In six different conditions,the joint motion range of the C1 vertebra in the cervical spine models of both normal adolescent and adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation was higher than that of the other vertebrae.Additionally,the joint motion range of each cervical spine segment in normal adolescent was greater than that in adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation.(2)In the cervical spine model of normal adolescent,the maximum stress values in the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus were found on the left side during C2-3 flexion conditions(0.43 MPa and 0.17 MPa,respectively).In the cervical spine model of adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation,the maximum stress values were found on the left side during C7-T1 flexion conditions(0.54 MPa and 0.18 MPa,respectively).(3)In the cervical spine model of normal adolescent,the maximum stress value on the endplate was found on the left side of the upper endplate of C3 during flexion conditions(1.46 MPa).In the model of adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation,the maximum stress value on the endplate was found on the left side of the lower endplate of C7 during flexion conditions(1.32 MPa).(4)In the cervical spine model of normal adolescent,the maximum stress value in the small joint cartilage was found in the C2-3 left rotation conditions(0.98 MPa).In adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation,the stress in the small joint cartilage significantly increased under different conditions,especially in C1-2,with the maximum stress found during left flexion(3.50 MPa).(5)It is concluded that compared to normal adolescent,adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation exhibits altered cervical curvature and a decrease in overall joint motion range in the cervical spine.In adolescent with cervical disc herniation,there is a significant increase in stress on the annulus fibrosus,nucleus pulposus,and endplates in the C7-T1 segment.The stress on the left articular cartilage of the C1-2 is notable.Abnormal cervical curvature may be the primary factor causing these stress changes.

To summarise the clinical experience of Professor TONG Xiaolin in treating prediabetes combined with overweight or obesity using the method of relieving depression and reducing turbidity. It is believed that prediabetes belongs to the category of "spleen-heat syndrome" in traditional Chinese medicine， and its core pathogenesis is center fullness with internal heat， while obesity is the initiating factor for exacerbating center fullness and internal heat， therefore， it is of great significance to reduce the risk of diabetes by interrupting the transformation between overweight， obesity and glucose metabolism abnormality. It is proposed that the main pathogenesis of prediabetes combined with overweight or obesity is qi depression and turbidity obstruction in middle jiao， with qi depression as the root and turbidity obstruction as the cause， forming a treatment idea with the method of relieving depression and reducing turbidity as the core. In clinic， Dahuang Huanglian Xiexin Decoction （大黄黄连泻心汤） is used as the basic prescription， with a primary focus on directing the turbid downward， supplemented by regulating qi， which embodies the concept of "promoting movement through descent， then figuring out the root of spleen-heat syndrome. Furthermore， the treatment is flexibly modified based on the patient's deficiency-excess syndrome to ensure individualized therapy.

Normal tension glaucoma(NTG)is a chronic optic neuropathy characterized by progressive damage to the optic nerve and visual field defects, with its pathophysiology closely linked to genetic, immune-inflammatory and vascular factors. Optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA)is a noninvasive imaging technique that provides real-time, quantitative assessment of retinal microvascular perfusion. In recent years, OCTA has been increasingly applied in NTG studies, demonstrating significant potential in early diagnosis, disease monitoring and management. This systematic review summarizes the latest advancements in the application of OCTA for NTG, with a focus on vascular parameters in the optic nerve head and macular regions. Its diagnostic value and monitoring management are further summarized. Moreover, the current limitations of OCTA technology and the challenges related to its clinical application are critically evaluated, while exploring its future developments. These insights aim to provide a theoretical foundation for further research on NTG-related microvascular pathology and the broader clinical application of OCTA.

Objective:To explore the efficacy and adverse reactions of capecitabine combined with docetaxel and cisplatin (TP) regimen or 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) combined with TP regimen induction chemotherapy for stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ B nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted. The clinical data of 65 newly diagnosed nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with clinical stages Ⅲ-Ⅳ B who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China from June 2020 to December 2021 were collected. These patients received induction chemotherapy and were divided into capecitabine combined with TP regimen group (capecitabine group, 34 cases) and 5-Fu combined with TP regimen group (5-Fu group, 31 cases) according to different chemotherapy regimens. The objective response rate (ORR) and the incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups of patients. Results:The differences in age, composition ratios of gender, T stage and N stage of patients and induction chemotherapy frequency between the two groups were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05). The ORR of nasopharynx in capecitabine group and 5-Fu group were 88.2% (30/34) and 74.2% (23/31), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2 = 2.12, P = 0.145); the ORR of cervical lymph nodes were 85.3% (29/34) and 64.5% (20/31), with no statistically significant difference ( χ2 = 4.67, P = 0.097). The incidence of gastrointestinal reactions in the capecitabine group was lower than that in the 5-Fu group [41.2% (14/34) vs. 71.0% (22/31), χ2 = 6.45, P = 0.040], and the difference in the hematological adverse reaction between the two groups was not statistically significant ( P > 0.05). Conclusions:The efficacy of capecitabine combined with TP regimen and 5-Fu combined with TP regimen induction chemotherapy for stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ B nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients is comparable, and the adverse reactions are tolerable. However, the capecitabine combined with TP regimen has lower incidence of gastrointestinal reactions and higher compliance by the patients. Therefore, the capecitabine combined with TP regimen can be prioritized in the induction chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND:Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease with chronic rheumatic immunity.Soft tissue ossification and fusion and spinal stiffness can cause biomechanical changes. OBJECTIVE:To reconstruct the lumbar-sacral intervertebral disc in ankylosing spondylitis patients with lumbar kyphosis by finite element analysis,and to study the range of motion of each segment of T11-S1 and the biomechanical characteristics of annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus. METHODS:The imaging data were obtained from an ankylosing spondylitis patient with lumbar kyphosis.The original CT image data of continuously scanned spine were imported into Mimics 21.0 in DICOM format,and T11-S1 was reconstructed respectively.The established model was imported into 3-Matic software in the format of"Stl"to reconstruct the intervertebral disc,and the fibrous intervertebral disc model was obtained.The improved model was further imported into Hypermesh software,and the vertebra,nucleus pulposus,annulus fibrosus and ligament were mesh-divided.After the material properties were given,the model was imported into ABAQUS software to observe the range of motion of each vertebral body in seven different working conditions of T11-S1,and analyze the biomechanical characteristics of each segment of annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The range of motion of L1 vertebrae was higher than that of other vertebrae under six different working conditions:extension,forward flexion,rotation(left and right),and lateral flexion(left and right).The maximum range of motion was 2.18° during L1 vertebral flexion,and the minimum range of motion was 0.12° during L5 vertebral extension.(2)The annular fiber flexion at L2-L3 segments was greater than the extension(P<0.05),and the annular fiber flexion at L3-L4 and L4-L5 segments was less than the extension(P<0.05).The left rotation of L1-L2 annular fibers was greater than the right rotation(P<0.05).The left flexion of the annulus was greater than the right flexion in L1-L2,L2-L3,L3-L4,L4-L5 and L5-S1 segments(P<0.05).(3)The nucleus pulposus stresses of T11-L12,L1-L2,L2-L3,L3-L4 and L4-L5 segments in forward flexion were greater than in extension(P<0.05).The left rotation of T12-L1 and L3-L4 segments was smaller than the right rotation(P<0.05),and that of T11-T12,L1-L2,and L2-L3 segments was larger than the right rotation(P<0.05).The left flexion was larger than the right flexion in the T11-S1 segment.(4)It is concluded that in ankylosing spondylitis patients with lumbar kyphosis,the minimum range of motion of the vertebral body is located at the L5 vertebral body in extension.To prevent fractures,it is recommended to avoid exercise in the extension position.During the onset of lumbar kyphosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis,the maximum stress of the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus is located in the L1-L2 segment,which is fixed and will not alter with the change of body position.The late surgical treatment and correction of deformity should focus on releasing the pressure of the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus in this segment to avoid the rupture of the annulus fibrosus and the injury of the nucleus pulposus.

BACKGROUND:Ankylosing spondylitis is a progressive inflammation of spinal stiffness deformity caused by tissue ossification and fibrosis.The posture of ankylosing spondylitis patients is abnormal and their activities are limited that minor injuries can lead to thoracolumbar fractures.Traditional medical image observation limits doctors'preoperative decision planning and postoperative disease prevention for ankylosing spondylitis treatment. OBJECTIVE:Based on the spinal model of ankylosing spondylitis patients before and after posterior spinal cancellous ossification osteotomy("Y"osteotomy for short),to explore the biomechanical changes of"Y"osteotomy and fixation in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis. METHODS:Based on the preoperative and postoperative CT images of an ankylosing spondylitis patient who went to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University,a three-dimensional spine model(T11-S1)before and after"Y"osteotomy(L3 osteotomy)was reconstructed in Mimics 19.0 software.A 7.5 Nm torque was applied to the top of T11 vertebral body to simulate the movement of the spine under six conditions:flexion,extension,left bending,right bending,left rotation and right rotation.Finally,the range of motion of each vertebral body,the stress of each intervertebral disc,and the stress of the screw rod system were simulated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)After"Y"type osteotomy and posterior fixation,the range of motion of all vertebrae in the spine decreased,and the loss rate of upper vertebrae was large(L1:77.95%).(2)The maximum stress of the spinal intervertebral disc before operation occurred at the L1-L2 segment(0.55 MPa),and the maximum stress of the spinal intervertebral disc after operation occurred at the T11-T12 segment(0.50 MPa),and the stress of intervertebral disc below T12 was far less than that before operation.(3)The maximum stress of the screw rod system(166.67 MPa)occurred in the upper and middle segments of the rod body and the root of the pedicle screw.(4)In conclusion,the"Y"type posterior fixation operation enhances the stability of the spine and reduces the range of motion of the spine.The vertebral body decompression of the fixed segment is great and the stress-shielding phenomenon of the lower vertebral body is significant.The stiffness of the rod body and the stress concentration area of the pedicle screw should be strengthened to avoid the fracture of the rod caused by stress fatigue.

Objective:To estimate the longitudinal association between serum lipid biomarkers and the development of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) in middle-aged and old adults (≥45) in China, while examining effect differences among degree of dyslipidemia aggregation and various dyslipidemia combination patterns.Methods:Based on data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2018), logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations of TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, TG (4 forms of dyslipidemias), degree and pattern of dyslipidemia combination with CMM. We also used restricted cubic splines to show the dose-response associations between 4 lipid biomarkers and CMM development.Results:Of the 6 522 participants included, 590 (9.05%) developed CMM. After adjusting for covariates, all 4 forms of dyslipidemias were positively associated with CMM development (high TC: OR=1.33, 95% CI: 1.03-1.71; high LDL-C: OR=1.35, 95% CI: 1.05-1.75; low HDL-C: OR=1.45, 95% CI: 1.19-1.77; high TG: OR=1.50, 95% CI: 1.20-1.88). The U-shaped dose-response relationship between LDL-C and CMM development was observed ( P for non-linear =0.022). The odds of CMM increased with the increase of dyslipidemias forms, which was highest in those with ≥3 forms of dyslipidemias ( OR=2.02, 95% CI: 1.33-3.06). In various dyslipidemia form combinations, the possibility of CMM development was highest in those with high TC, high LDL-C and low HDL-C ( OR=3.54, 95% CI: 1.40-8.67). High TC and high LDL-C were significantly associated with CMM development in people without cardiometabolic diseases. Low HDL-C was positively associated with diabetes and CMM development in participants without cardiometabolic diseases, cardiovascular disease (CVD) followed by diabetes, and diabetes followed by CVD. High TG was positively associated with diabetes and CMM in participants without cardiometabolic diseases, and diabetes followed by CVD. Conclusions:A total of 4 forms of dyslipidemia were all independently associated with CMM development in middle-aged and old adults in China. The dose-response relationship between LDL-C level and CMM development was U-shaped. The aggregation of 4 forms of dyslipidemia were associated with the development of CMM. Low HDL-C and high TG were significantly associated with multiple patterns of cardiometabolic diseases development.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a significant role in maintaining tissue morphology and functions, and their precise regulatory effectiveness is closely related to expression patterns. However, the spatial expression patterns of lncRNAs in humans are poorly characterized. Here, we constructed five comprehensive transcriptomic atlases of human lncRNAs covering thousands of major tissue samples in normal and disease states. The lncRNA transcriptomes exhibited high consistency within the same tissues across resources, and even higher complexity in specialized tissues. Tissue-elevated (TE) lncRNAs were identified in each resource and robust TE lncRNAs were refined by integrative analysis. We detected 1 to 4684 robust TE lncRNAs across tissues; the highest number was in testis tissue, followed by brain tissue. Functional analyses of TE lncRNAs indicated important roles in corresponding tissue-related pathways. Moreover, we found that the expression features of robust TE lncRNAs made them be effective biomarkers to distinguish tissues; TE lncRNAs also tended to be associated with cancer, and exhibited differential expression or were correlated with patient survival. In summary, spatial classification of lncRNAs is the starting point for elucidating the function of lncRNAs in both maintenance of tissue morphology and progress of tissue-constricted diseases.
Humans ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Neoplasms/genetics* ; Organ Specificity ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Transcriptome

Establishment of vaginal immune defenses at the mucosal interface layer through gene vaccines promise to prevent infectious diseases among females. Mucosal barriers composed of a flowing mucus hydrogel and tightly conjugated epithelial cells (ECs), which represent the main technical difficulties for vaccine development, reside in the harsh, acidic human vaginal environment. Different from frequently employed viral vectors, two types of nonviral nanocarriers were designed to concurrently overcome the barriers and induce immune responses. Differing design concepts include the charge-reversal property (DRLS) to mimic a virus that uses any cells as factories, as well as the addition of a hyaluronic acid coating (HA/RLS) to directly target dendritic cells (DCs). With a suitable size and electrostatic neutrality, these two nanoparticles penetrate a mucus hydrogel with similar diffusivity. The DRLS system expressed a higher level of the carried human papillomavirus type 16 L1 gene compared to HA/RLS in vivo. Therefore it induced more robust mucosal, cellular, and humoral immune responses. Moreover, the DLRS applied to intravaginal immunization induced high IgA levels compared with intramuscularly injected DNA (naked), indicating timely protection against pathogens at the mucus layer. These findings also offer important approaches for the design and fabrication of nonviral gene vaccines in other mucosal systems.

Objective:To investigate the role and diagnostic value of miRNA-205 in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with vascular calcification.Methods:It was divided into in vitro cell experiment and retrospective cohort study. In vitro experiments were conducted by using rat thoracic aortic smooth muscle cells. Alizarin red staining and calcium content detection were used to detect the calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) test kit was used to measure ALP activity. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of osteogenic transcription factors runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and smooth muscle-22α (SM-22α) in VSMCs. qRT-PCR was used to detect miRNA-205 and Runx2 expression levels. The double luciferase reporter gene assay was used to verify the targeted relationship between miRNA-205 and Runx2. The non-dialysis patients with CKD 3-5 stage from June 2020 to January 2021 in the Department of Nephrology of Fourth Hospital, Hebei Medical University were selected. According to coronary artery calcium score (CACs), the patients were divided into non-calcification group (CACs=0), mild-moderate calcification group (0 400). Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between miRNA-205 and Runx2 and vascular calcification. Logistic regression model and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used to analyze the ability of miRNA-205 to predict the vascular calcification in patients with CKD. Results:(1)Compared with the control group, calcium nodules were more, and the calcium content, ALP activity and Runx2 protein level were higher, and the expression levels of miRNA-205, α-SMA and SM-22α were significantly lower in high phosphorus group (all P<0.05). Overexpression of miRNA-205 significantly reduced the calcification of VSMCs and Runx2 protein level, and increased the protein levels of α-SMA and SM-22α (all P<0.05). miRNA-205-5p reduced the activity of luciferase in the wild-type Runx2-3'-end non-coding region plasmid. (2) Eighty CKD patients were enrolled, with age of (57.50±14.93) years old and 49 males (61.3%). The results of comparison of miRNA-205 and Runx2 expression levels in non-calcification group ( n=26), mild- moderate calcification group ( n=30) and severe calcification group ( n=24) showed that, the higher degree of calcification, the lower miRNA-205 expression level and the higher Runx2 mRNA expression level (all P<0.05). miRNA-205 was negatively correlated with CACs ( r=-0.50, P<0.01) and Runx2 was positively correlated with CACs ( r=0.55, P<0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis results suggested that miRNA-205 ( OR=0.451, 95% CI 0.122-0.873) was an independent influencing factor of vascular calcification in CKD patients. The area under the ROC curve of miRNA-205 and miRNA-205 combined with Runx2 for predicting vascular calcification were 0.796 (95% CI 0.697-0.859) and 0.924 (95% CI 0.866-0.982), respectively. Conclusions:miRNA-205 inhibits vascular calcification by targeting Runx2 to negatively regulate osteogenetic phenotype transformation of VSMCs and is expected to be an early diagnostic marker of vascular calcification in CKD patients.