Objective To quantitatively assess the association of short-term exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) with residents mortality. Methods A time-stratified case-crossover study was conducted from 2020 to 2022 among 10606 non-accidental residents by using the Guangzhou Cause of Death Surveillance System in Conghua District, Guangzhou. Exposure levels of PAHs in PM_2.5 and meteorological data during the study period were obtained from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Conghua District and the China Meteorological Administration Land Data Assimilation System (CLDAS-V2.0), respectively. Conditional Poisson regression model was used to estimate the exposure-response association between PAHs and the mortality risk. Results Fluoranthene, chrysene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene were significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality. For every one interquartile range increase in exposure levels, the non-accidental mortality risks increased by 8.33% (95% CI: 1.80%, 15.27%), 4.67% (95% CI: 1.86%, 7.57%), 6.07% (95% CI: 2.08%, 10.21%), 4.62% (95% CI: 1.85%, 7.47%), and 4.70% (95% CI: 0.53%, 9.03%), respectively. The estimated non accidental deaths attributable to exposure to fluoranthene, chrysene, benzo[k]fluorine, benzo[a]pyrene and indine[1,2,3-cd]pyrene were 5.91%, 6.08%, 6.51%, 6.46%, and 4.21%, respectively. Conclusions Short-term exposure to PAHs in PM_2.5, including fluoranthene, chrysene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene and indine[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, was significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality among residents.

Background Exposure to air pollutants increases the risk of diseases in multiple systems, including respiratory and cardiovascular systems, yet its association with neurological diseases remains unclear. Objective To quantitatively evaluate the association between short-term exposure to air pollutants and outpatient and emergency visits for neurological diseases, identify potential susceptible populations, and quantify associated disease burden. Methods Daily 24-hour average concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and carbon monoxide (CO), daily maximum 8-hour average concentration of ozone (O₃), daily meteorological data (24-hour average temperature, 24-hour average relative humidity), and data on daily outpatient and emergency department visits for neurological diseases from two hospitals in Conghua District, Guangzhou, China, were collected from 2015 to 2022. A time-stratified case-crossover design was adopted, and a conditional Poisson regression model was constructed to analyze the association between air pollution exposure and neurological disease visits. Two-pollutant models and sensitivity analysis were used to validate model stability. Stratified analyses by season (cold season: from November to March; warm season: from April to October), sex (male, female), and age (≤45 years, 46–60 years, ≥61 years) were performed to identify vulnerable group. Additionally, the number and proportion of neurological disease visits attributable to short-term air pollutant exposure were calculated. Results A total of 72 673 outpatient and emergency department visits for neurological diseases were included during the study period. Most of the patients were middle-aged and elderly individuals (69.89% were over 45 years old) and females (60.25%). The results of single-pollutant models showed that for each interquartile range (IQR) increase in exposure to PM_2.5, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃, the risk of outpatient and emergency department visits for neurological diseases increased by 7.54% (95%CI: 4.69%, 10.46%), 6.66% (95%CI: 3.92%, 9.46%), 16.72% (95%CI: 10.58%, 23.19%), 8.12% (95%CI: 4.82%, 11.53%), 5.60% (95%CI: 2.34%, 8.97%), and 6.11% (95%CI: 2.91%, 9.40%), respectively. The results of the two-pollutant model showed that the association between PM_2.5 and SO₂ exposure and outpatient and emergency department visits for neurological diseases were relatively stable. The stratified analyses showed that the effect of SO₂ was stronger in the cold season. It was estimated that 8.32% (95%CI: 5.55%, 10.96%) and 6.65% (95%CI: 4.27%, 8.96%) of the outpatient and emergency department visits were attributable to short-term exposure to SO₂ and PM_2.5, respectively. Conclusion Exposure to PM_2.5 and SO₂ is associated with increased risks of outpatient and emergency visits for neurological diseases. SO₂ shows stronger effects during the cold season, and exposure to air pollution contributes to up to 8.32% of neurological disease visits.

Background Currently,the diagnosis of depressive disorder relies on symptomatology,which is greatly influenced by subjective factors such as clinicians' experience.Finding more accurate and reliable quantitative diagnostic methods is currently an urgent problem.Objective To explore the value of Fisher discriminant function based on inflammatory cytokines in the diagnosis of depressive disorder,so as to provide references for clinical diagnosis.Methods A total of 136 patients diagnosed with depressive disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,fifth edition(DSM-5)criteria,who underwent inpatient treatment at Hebei Mental Health Center from April 2020 to November 2020,were enrolled as study group.67 healthy participants matched for age and gender,was recruited during the same period.Serum levels of inflammatory cytokine were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Fisher discriminant model was employed to establish a discriminant function for inflammatory cytokines exhibiting significant statistical differences between study group and control group,which was then validated.Results The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β(IL-1β),interleukin-6(IL-6),interferon-γ(INF-γ)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)were higher in the study group compared with control group,with statistically significant differences(U=9.115,5.239,4.431,5.428,P<0.01).Conversely,the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-4(IL-4),interleukin-10(IL-10)and interleukin-13(IL-13)were lower in the study group compared with control group,with statistically significant differences(U=7.398,7.331,7.614,P<0.01).The retrospective test in Fisher discriminant function achieved a correct discrimination rate of 89.66%,and the cross validation achieved a correct discrimination rate of 88.67%.Conclusion The Fisher discriminant function developed in this study may serve as a valuable auxiliary method in the diagnosis of depressive disorder.

Objective To investigate the effects of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) on CD11b, IL-1β, IL-18 and TNF-α in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) mice. Methods A total of 40 healthy and clean male Balb/C mice (6 weeks old) were randomly divided into normal group (N group), normal saline control group (NS group), ARDS group (A group), and ARDS mice treated with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist after bilateral cervical vagotomy group (J group), with 10 mice in each group. The right lung structure of mice in each group was observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, the lung tissue wet weight/body weight ratio (LWW/DW ratio) was detected, and the percentage of CD11b in the alveolar lavage fluid of mice was detected by flow cytometry. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression of IL-1β mRNA, IL-18 mRNA and TNF-α mRNA in left lung tissue. Serum IL-18 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and double antibody sandwich method. Results HE staining of the right lung of mice in group N and NS showed normal structure, while the lung interstitial of mice in group A showed a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrated, alveolar wall thickened, alveolar structure destroyed and alveolar cavity fused. The alveolar structure of mice in group J was intact, with a little damage and alveolar cavity. The percentage of CD11b in alveolar lavage fluid in group A was higher than that in the other three groups, and the difference was statistically significant compared with group N, NS and J, respectively (P<0.05). The expressions of IL-1β mRNA, IL-18 mRNA and TNF-α mRNA in the left lung of mice in group J were statistically significant compared with those in group N, NS and A (P<0.05), and the serum IL-18 level of mice in group A was higher than that in the other three groups, and the differences were statistically significant compared with groups N, NS and J, respectively (P<0.05). Conclusions Activation of α7nAChR can directly inhibit the release of CD11b in lung tissue and reduce the accumulation of inflammatory factors. Simultaneously, it can also directly inhibit the expression of IL-β1 mRNA, IL-18 mRNA and TNF-α mRNA in lung tissue and the release of IL-18, thus inhibiting the inflammatory response of ARDS and alleviating the pathological changes of ARDS.

This study aimed to investigate the differences in peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets among patients with different immune statuses in the early postoperative period after liver transplantation, as well as the dynamic changes during the early post-transplantation period. A retrospective study was conducted, selecting a total of 82 patients who underwent liver transplantation at the General Hospital of PLA Southern Theater Command from January, 2018 to December, 2023. Based on the patients′ postoperative immune status, they were categorized into stable group ( n=40), infection group ( n=21), and rejection group ( n=21). Peripheral blood samples of 2-3 ml were collected from patients at weeks 1 to 4 postoperatively, and flow cytometry was employed to measure the absolute values of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets. For metric data conforming to normal distribution and homogeneity of variance, multiple group comparisons were conducted using ANOVA and Bonferroni multiple comparisons; for non-normally distributed data, the Kruskal Wallis test was used. Friedman test was used to compare different time periods within 4 weeks after liver transplantation. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the absolute values of lymphocyte subsets among the three groups in the first week after liver transplantation ( P>0.05); however, significant differences were observed in the absolute values of lymphocyte subsets among the three groups in the second, third, and fourth weeks postoperatively ( P<0.05). In the second week, the rejection group showed significantly higher absolute counts of T cells, CD4 +T cells, CD8 +T cells, NK cells, and B cells compared to the infection group (585.0 vs. 199.0; 324.0 vs.113.0; 188.0 vs.56.0; 57.0 vs.11.0; 145.0 vs.65.0 cells/μl), with statistically significant differences ( Z=-3.972, P<0.001; Z=-3.590, P=0.001; Z=-3.978, P<0.001; Z=-3.072, P=0.006; Z=-2.472, P=0.040). In the third week, the rejection group showed significantly higher absolute counts of T cells, CD4 +T cells, and CD8 +T cells compared to the infection group (660.0 vs.216.0; 350.0 vs.123.0; 184.0 vs.76.0 cells/μl), with statistically significant differences ( Z=-3.019, P=0.008; Z=-3.492, P=0.001; Z=-2.845, P=0.013). In the fourth week, the rejection group showed significantly higher absolute counts of T cells, CD4 +T cells, CD8 +T cells, and B cells compared to the infection group (690.0 vs.273.0; 405.0 vs.168.0; 214.0 vs.96.0; 117.0 vs.48.0 cells/μl), with statistically significant differences ( Z=-3.379, P=0.002; Z=-3.068, P=0.006; Z=-3.007, P=0.0086; Z=-2.330, P=0.020). Within 4 weeks after liver transplantation, the absolute values of T cells, CD8 +T cells, and NK cells in the fourth week were higher than those in the first week, with statistically significant differences ( Z=-3.825, P=0.001; Z=-3.466, P=0.003; Z=-3.526, P=0.003); however, the absolute values of B cells showed an overall decreasing trend, and were significantly lower in the fourth week than in the first and second weeks, with statistically significant differences ( Z=3.705, P=0.001; Z=2.630, P=0.009). The changes in lymphocyte subset absolute values in the rejection group were more significant than those in the infection group, with T cells, CD4 +T cells, and CD8 +T cells showing significant increases in the second, third, and fourth weeks postoperatively compared with the first week, with statistically significant differences ( Z=-3.466, P=0.003; Z=-4.661, P<0.001; Z=-5.020, P<0.001; Z=-2.749, P=0.036; Z=-4.422, P<0.001; Z=-4.542, P<0.001; Z=-3.466, P=0.003; Z=-3.765, P=0.001; Z=-4.482, P<0.001); NK cell absolute values in the third and fourth weeks postoperatively were significantly higher than those in the first week, with statistically significant differences ( Z=-2.570, P=0.061; Z=-3.765, P=0.001). In summary, monitoring the differences and dynamic changes of lymphocyte subsets in patients after liver transplantation may have certain guiding significance for evaluating the immune function status of patients and adjusting treatment plans.

Objective:To investigate the short-term efficacy and safety of cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) in patients with heart failure.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study of patients with heart failure who underwent CCM placement at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from February to June 2022. With a follow-up of 3 months, CCM sensation, impedance, percent output, and work time were monitored, and patients were compared with pre-and 3-month postoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) values, and 6-minute walk test distance and New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification, and the occurrence of complications was recorded.Results:CCM was successfully implanted in all 9 patients. Seven(7/9) of them were male, aged (56±14) years, 3 patients had ischaemic cardiomyopathy and 6 patients had dilated cardiomyopathy. At 3-month postoperative follow-up, threshold was stable, sense was significantly lower at follow-up than before (right ventricle: (16.3±7.0) mV vs. (8.2±1.1) mV, P<0.05; local sense: (15.7±4.9) mV vs. (6.7±2.5) mV, P<0.05), and impedance was significantly lower at follow-up than before (right ventricle (846±179) Ω vs. (470±65) Ω, P<0.05, local sense: (832±246) Ω vs. (464±63) Ω, P<0.05). The CCM output percentage was (86.9±10.7) %, the output amplitude was (6.7±0.4) V, and the daily operating time was (8.6±1.0) h. LVEF was elevated compared to preoperative ((29.4±5.2) % vs. (38.3±4.3) %, P<0.05), the 6-minute walk test was significantly longer than before ((96.8±66.7)m vs. (289.3±121.7)m, P<0.05). No significant increase in the number of NYHA Class Ⅲ-Ⅳ patients was seen (7/9 vs. 2/9, P>0.05). The patient was not re-hospitalised for worsening heart failure symptoms, had no malignant arrhythmic events and experienced significant relief of symptoms such as chest tightness and shortness of breath. No postoperative complications related to pocket hematoma, pocket infection and rupture, electrode detachment, valve function impairment, pericardial effusion, or cardiac perforation were found. Conclusions:CCM has better short-term safety and efficacy in patients with heart failure.

Objective:To obsere the clinical efficacy of Hall technology in the treatment of primary molar caries in children with au-tism.Methods:80 children aged 4-8 years with primary molar caries,40 normal children and 40 children with autism,with a total of 153 primary molars.The normal and the autism children were respectively divided into 2 groups(n=20)randomly.The normal children were grouped into resin filling(CR)of 38 teeth and Hall technology group(CH)of 39 teeth,the autistic children were grouped into resin filling(AR)of 37 teeth and Hall technology group(AH)of 38 teeth.Corresponding treatment was given to the pa-tients in the groups.The duration of oral treatment time,Frankl scores,Houpt scores and parental satisfaction scoves were compaired among groups.The patients were followed up for 6,12,18 and 24 months and the treatment outcomes were compared among groups.Results:There was no statistically difference between CH group and AH group in terms of operating time,compliance,Houpt score and follow-up effects(P＞0.05).The satisfaction of parents in the AR group was the lowest(P＜0.05).Hall technology treatment re-mained effective rate was higher than resin filling at the 24 month follow-up(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Hall technology is more effective than traditional resin filling in the treatment of primary molars caries in children with autism.

Objective:To investigate the application effect of research-assisted teaching mode in histology teaching by taking the construction of rat spinal cord injury model as an example.Methods:A convenient sampling method was used to select 52 freshmen majoring in clinical medicine of grade 2020 in our school as the research subjects.They were randomly divided into the conventional teaching group and the research-assisted teaching group,with 26 students in each group.The conventional teaching group received traditional classroom teaching combined with experimental teaching.On this basis,research elements were added to the experimental teaching in the research-assisted teaching group to provide more in-depth research methods and experimental design,so as to cultivate students'research abilities.The theoretical assessment and practical skills assessment of histology course were compared between the two groups.A subjective evaluation questionnaire on experimental animal models teaching was used to evaluate the advantages of teaching programs in three dimensions:psychological quality training,technical skill enhancement,and theoretical knowledge expansion.The research abilities of the two groups were compared.Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between research ability scores and comprehensive scores.Results:The usual score and comprehensive score in the research-assisted teaching group were significantly higher than those in the conventional teaching group(P＜0.05).The scores of adaptability to challenging tasks,determination and perseverance in problem-solving,communication skills in teamwork,literature reading,integration of practical experience with theoretical knowledge,practical application value of the course,and innovation of teaching resources in the research-assisted teaching group were higher than those in the conventional teaching group(P＜0.05).The scores in experimental design ability,background knowledge in literature review,communication and reporting skills,awareness of evidence-based medicine,and overall research ability in the research-assisted teaching group were higher than those in the conventional teaching group(P＜0.05).The total score of students'research abilities was positively correlated with comprehensive scores(r=0.716,P＜0.01).Conclusions:The application of research-assisted teaching significantly improved students'research abilities in histology teaching.The enhancement of research abilities can promote the mastery of theoretical knowledge and the improvement of experimental skills.

This study aimed to investigate the differences in peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets among patients with different immune statuses in the early postoperative period after liver transplantation, as well as the dynamic changes during the early post-transplantation period. A retrospective study was conducted, selecting a total of 82 patients who underwent liver transplantation at the General Hospital of PLA Southern Theater Command from January, 2018 to December, 2023. Based on the patients′ postoperative immune status, they were categorized into stable group ( n=40), infection group ( n=21), and rejection group ( n=21). Peripheral blood samples of 2-3 ml were collected from patients at weeks 1 to 4 postoperatively, and flow cytometry was employed to measure the absolute values of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets. For metric data conforming to normal distribution and homogeneity of variance, multiple group comparisons were conducted using ANOVA and Bonferroni multiple comparisons; for non-normally distributed data, the Kruskal Wallis test was used. Friedman test was used to compare different time periods within 4 weeks after liver transplantation. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the absolute values of lymphocyte subsets among the three groups in the first week after liver transplantation ( P>0.05); however, significant differences were observed in the absolute values of lymphocyte subsets among the three groups in the second, third, and fourth weeks postoperatively ( P<0.05). In the second week, the rejection group showed significantly higher absolute counts of T cells, CD4 +T cells, CD8 +T cells, NK cells, and B cells compared to the infection group (585.0 vs. 199.0; 324.0 vs.113.0; 188.0 vs.56.0; 57.0 vs.11.0; 145.0 vs.65.0 cells/μl), with statistically significant differences ( Z=-3.972, P<0.001; Z=-3.590, P=0.001; Z=-3.978, P<0.001; Z=-3.072, P=0.006; Z=-2.472, P=0.040). In the third week, the rejection group showed significantly higher absolute counts of T cells, CD4 +T cells, and CD8 +T cells compared to the infection group (660.0 vs.216.0; 350.0 vs.123.0; 184.0 vs.76.0 cells/μl), with statistically significant differences ( Z=-3.019, P=0.008; Z=-3.492, P=0.001; Z=-2.845, P=0.013). In the fourth week, the rejection group showed significantly higher absolute counts of T cells, CD4 +T cells, CD8 +T cells, and B cells compared to the infection group (690.0 vs.273.0; 405.0 vs.168.0; 214.0 vs.96.0; 117.0 vs.48.0 cells/μl), with statistically significant differences ( Z=-3.379, P=0.002; Z=-3.068, P=0.006; Z=-3.007, P=0.0086; Z=-2.330, P=0.020). Within 4 weeks after liver transplantation, the absolute values of T cells, CD8 +T cells, and NK cells in the fourth week were higher than those in the first week, with statistically significant differences ( Z=-3.825, P=0.001; Z=-3.466, P=0.003; Z=-3.526, P=0.003); however, the absolute values of B cells showed an overall decreasing trend, and were significantly lower in the fourth week than in the first and second weeks, with statistically significant differences ( Z=3.705, P=0.001; Z=2.630, P=0.009). The changes in lymphocyte subset absolute values in the rejection group were more significant than those in the infection group, with T cells, CD4 +T cells, and CD8 +T cells showing significant increases in the second, third, and fourth weeks postoperatively compared with the first week, with statistically significant differences ( Z=-3.466, P=0.003; Z=-4.661, P<0.001; Z=-5.020, P<0.001; Z=-2.749, P=0.036; Z=-4.422, P<0.001; Z=-4.542, P<0.001; Z=-3.466, P=0.003; Z=-3.765, P=0.001; Z=-4.482, P<0.001); NK cell absolute values in the third and fourth weeks postoperatively were significantly higher than those in the first week, with statistically significant differences ( Z=-2.570, P=0.061; Z=-3.765, P=0.001). In summary, monitoring the differences and dynamic changes of lymphocyte subsets in patients after liver transplantation may have certain guiding significance for evaluating the immune function status of patients and adjusting treatment plans.

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics in predicting B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2)/immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) fusion gene expression status in follicular lymphoma (FL) patients. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and imaging data of 90 FL patients (46 males and 44 females, age (48.7±10.5) years) who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT examinations at Henan Cancer Hospital from January 2016 to August 2023. According to the expression status, patients were divided into positive group and negative group. Patients were randomly divided into training set ( n=62) and validation set ( n=28) at a ratio of 7∶3. PET and CT radiomics features were extracted by LIFEx 7.3.11 software. After using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and ten-fold cross-validation for feature selection, PET and CT radiomics models were constructed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to select important clinical features and construct clinical model. Finally, a combined model was established by combining the radiomics features with clinical features. ROC curve and AUC were used to evaluate the predictive performance of models, and Delong test was used to compare the differences in AUCs. Results:After features selection, a total of 3 PET radiomics features, 3 CT radiomics features and 2 clinical features were selected for the construction of radiomics model and clinical model respectively. Multivariate analysis of clinical data showed that pathological grade (odds ratio ( OR)=0.201, 95% CI: 0.052-0.699, P=0.014) and maximum diameter of the maximum lesion (D max) ( OR=1.033, 95% CI: 1.009-1.065, P=0.017) were associated with BCL-2/IgH expression status. In the training set, the AUCs of clinical model, PET radiomics model, CT radiomics model and combined model were 0.84, 0.80, 0.80 and 0.91 respectively. In the validation set, the AUCs of the four models were 0.55, 0.61, 0.66 and 0.71 respectively. The combined model exhibited a trend toward higher in AUC than other three models in both the training and validation sets ( z values: 0.50-1.71, P values: 0.087-0.620). Conclusion:It is valuable to predict BCL-2/IgH fusion gene expression status based on PET/CT radiomics combined with clinical features.