Objective To explore the application of plasma 7 microRNA (miR7) testing in the differential diagnosis of very early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods This study is a multicenter real-world study. Patients with single hepatic lesion (maximum diameter≤2 cm) who underwent plasma miR7 testing at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Anhui Provincial Hospital, and Peking University People’s Hospital between January 2019 and December 2024 were retrospectively enrolled. Patients were divided into very early-stage HCC group and non-HCC group, and the clinical pathological characteristics of the two groups were compared. The value of plasma miR7 levels, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) in the differential diagnosis of very early-stage HCC was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC). In patients with both negative AFP and DCP (AFP＜20 ng/mL, DCP＜40 mAU/mL), the diagnostic value of plasma miR7 for very early-stage HCC was analyzed. Results A total of 64 528 patients from 4 hospitals underwent miR7 testing, and 1 682 were finally included, of which 1 073 were diagnosed with very early-stage HCC and 609 were diagnosed with non-HCC. The positive rate of miR7 in HCC patients was significantly higher than that in non-HCC patients (67.9% vs 24.3%, P＜0.001). ROC curves showed that the AUCs for miR7, AFP, and DCP in distinguishing HCC patients from the non-HCC individuals were 0.718, 0.682, and 0.642, respectively. The sensitivities were 67.85%, 43.71%, and 44.45%, and the specificities were 75.70%, 92.78%, and 83.91%, respectively. The pairwise comparison of AUCs showed that the diagnostic efficacy of plasma miR7 detection was significantly better than that of AFP or DCP (P＜0.05). Although its specificity was slightly lower than AFP and DCP, the sensitivity was significantly higher. Among patients negative for both AFP and DCP, miR7 maintained an AUC of 0.728 for diagnosing very early-stage HCC, with 67.82% sensitivity and 77.73% specificity. Conclusions Plasma miR7 testing is a potential molecular marker with high sensitivity and specificity for the differential diagnosis of small hepatic nodules. In patients with very early-stage HCC lacking effective molecular markers (negative for both AFP and DCP), miR7 can serve as a novel and effective molecular marker to assist diagnosis.

Aim To explore the effect of CXCL7/CX-CR2 axis on obesity-related cognitive dysfunction at both animal and cellular levels.Methods The novel object recognition test was performed to assess the cog-nition.After the preparation of the frozen sections,the activation of microglia and astrocytes in hippocampi and the level of PSD95 were determined by immunoflu-orescence staining.The content of CXCL7 in hipp-ocampi was determined by enzymelinked immunosor-bent assay.The dendritic spine density of hippocampal neurons was observed by Golgi staining.Furthermore,HT22 cells were treated with the recombinant mouse CXCL7 and/or si-RNA targeting CXCR2.After the treatment,the levels of CXCL7 and PSD95 were ob-served by immunocytochemistry staining.Results Compared with animals in the control group,there was significantly decreased discrimination index,increased activation of microglia and astrocytes,decreased con-tent of PSD95,decreased density of dendritic spine,and increased content of CXCL7 in hippocampi in the DIO group.Compared with animals in the DIO group,there were significantly increased discrimination index in the AWL group.In HT22 cells,the level of PSD95 significantly decreased in the Ctrl+CXCL7 group com-pared with the control group.This decrease was attenu-ated in the si-CXCR2+CXCL7 group compared with the Ctrl+CXCL7 group.Conclusion Chronic high-fat diet induces neuroinflammation and subsequently induces cognitive dysfunction,which may be related to the synaptic plasticity mediated by the CXCL7/CXCR2 axis.

Posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD)is a delayed and persistent mental disorder caused by severe psychological trauma,and the prevalence of PTSD is gradually increasing.This article summarizes the epidemiology,causes and pathogenesis,diagnosis,treatment,future and prospect of PTSD,in order to provide reference for the prevention,diagnosis and treatment of PTSD.

ObjectiveThe absorption of substances into blood is mainly dependent on the mesenteric lymphatic pathway and the portal venous pathway. The substances transported via the portal venous pathway can be metabolized by the biotransformation in the liver. On the contrary, the substances in the mesenteric lymph fluid enter the blood circulation without biotransformation and can affect the body directly. Alcohol consumption is strongly linked to global health risk. Previous reports have analyzed the changes of metabolites in plasma, serum, urine, liver and feces after alcohol consumption. Whether alcohol consumption affects the metabolites in lymph fluid is still unknown. Therefore, it is particularly important to explore the changes of substances transported via the mesenteric lymphatic pathway and analyze their harmfulness after alcohol drinking. MethodsIn this study, male Wistar rats were divided into high, medium, and low-dosage alcohol groups (receiving Chinese Baijiu at 56%, 28% and 5.6% ABV, respectively) and water groups. The experiment was conducted by alcohol gavage lasting 10 d, 10 ml·kg^-1·d^-1. Then mesenteric lymph fluid was collected for non-targeted metabolomic analysis by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and bioinformatic analysis. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering were performed by using Biodeep. Meanwhile, KEGG enrichment analysis of the differential metabolites was also performed by Biodeep. MetaboAnalyst was used to analyze the relationship between the differential metabolites and diseases. ResultsThe metabolites in the mesenteric lymph fluid of the high-dosage alcohol group change the most. Based on the KEGG enrichment analysis, the pathways of differential metabolites between the high-dosage alcohol group and the control group are mainly enriched in the central carbon metabolism in cancer, bile secretion, linoleic acid metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, etc. Interestingly, in the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids category, the content of arachidonic acid is increased by 7.25 times, whereas the contents of palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid and erucic acid all decrease, indicating lipid substances in lymph fluid are absorbed selectively after alcohol intake. It’s worth noting that arachidonic acid is closely related to inflammatory response. Furthermore, the differential metabolites are mainly related with schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and lung cancer. The differential metabolites between the medium-dosage alcohol and the control group were mainly enriched in phenylalanine metabolism, valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis, linoleic acid metabolism and cholesterol metabolism. The differential metabolites are mainly related to schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, lung cancer and Parkinson’s disease. As the dose of alcohol increases, the contents of some metabolites in lymph fluid increase, including cholesterol, L-leucine, fumaric acid and mannitol, and the number of metabolites related to schizophrenia also tends to increase, indicatingthat some metabolites absorbed by the intestine-lymphatic pathway are dose-dependent on alcohol intake. ConclusionAfter alcohol intake, the metabolites transported via the intestinal-lymphatic pathway are significantly changed, especially in the high-dosage group. Some metabolites absorbed via the intestinal-lymphatic pathway are dose-dependent on alcohol intake. Most importantly, alcohol intake may cause inflammatory response and the occurrence of neurological diseases, psychiatric diseases and cancer diseases. High-dosage drinking may aggravate or accelerate the occurrence of related diseases. These results provide new insights into the pathogenesis of alcohol-related diseases based on the intestinal-lymphatic pathway.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is severe respiratory failure in clinical practice, with a mortality rate as high as 40%. Injury of pulmonary endothelial cells and alveolar epithelial cells occurs during ARDS, and pulmonary endothelial injury results in endothelial barrier disruption, which usually occurs before epithelial injury. Especially, when harmful factors enter the blood, such as sepsis and hemorrhagic shock, the pulmonary endothelial cells are affected firstly. The injured endothelial cells may loss cell-to-cell connections and even die. After the endothelial barrier is disrupted, fluid and proteins cross the endothelial barrier, causing interstitial edema. The alveolar epithelium is more resistant to injury, and when the tight barrier of the epithelium is broken, fluids, proteins, neutrophils, and red blood cells in the interstitium enter the alveolar space. From this process, it is easy to find that the endothelium is the first barrier to prevent edema, therefore, the protection of endothelium is the key to the prevention and treatment of ARDS. In addition, the injured endothelial cells express selectin and cell adhesion molecules, promoting the recruitment of immune cells, which exacerbate the inflammatory response and pulmonary endothelial cell injury. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be derived from umbilical cord, bone marrow, adipose and so on. Because of low immunogenicity, MSCs can be used for allogeneic transplantation and have great application potential in tissue repairing. Through paracrine effect, MSCs can promote cell survival and balance inflammatory response. MSCs infused intravenously can locate in lungs rapidly and interact with endothelial cells directly, thus MSCs have advantages in protecting pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells. Animal experiments and clinical trials have found that MSC transplantation can significantly improve the symptoms of ARDS and reduce inflammatory reactions and endothelial permeability. Mechanically, MSCs acts mainly through paracrine and immunomodulatory effects. Paracrine cytokines from MSCs can not only promote pulmonary endothelial proliferation, but also reduce inflammatory response and promote cell survival to maintain endothelial integrity. In addition to paracrine cytokines, extracellular vesicles of MSCs are rich in RNAs, proteins and bioactive substances, which can protect pulmonary endothelial cells by intercellular communication and substance transport. Furthermore, MSCs may protect pulmonary endothelial cells indirectly by regulating immune cells, such as reducing the formation of extracellular trapping network of neutrophils, regulating macrophage polarization and regulating Th17/Treg cell balance. Although the beneficial effects of MSCs are verified, much work still needs to be done. MSCs from different tissues have their own characteristics and the scope of application. Different lung diseases possess different endothelial injury mechanisms. Thus, determining the indications of MSCs derived from different tissues is the direction of pulmonary disease clinical trials. From the perspective of transplantation route, intravenous injection of MSCs may have better clinical application in pulmonary endothelial injury caused by endogenous harmful factors in blood. Previous reviews mostly focused on the protective effects of MSCs on alveolar epithelium. In this article, we focused on endothelial cells and reviewed the direct protective effects and mechanisms of MSCs on endothelium through paracrine cytokines and extracellular vesicles, and summarize the mechanisms by which MSCs may indirectly protect pulmonary endothelial cells by regulating immune cells.

Objective:To investigate the factors influencing phytohemagglutinin (PHA) response in the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by gamma interferon release assay (IGRA). Methods:A retrospective case-control study was conducted on 360 hospitalized patients who received IGRA in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2019 to December 2021. According to PHA response (IFN-γ level), they were divided into three groups: negative mitogen response group (IFN-γ<2 pg/ml), weak positive mitogen response group (IFN-γ: 2-100 pg/ml), and normal mitogen response group (IFN-γ>400 pg/ml).Results:Immune diseases were independently associated with negative (OR=0.34, 95%CI: 0.17-0.72, P=0.004) and weak positive mitogen responses (OR=0.29, 95%CI: 0.16-0.55, P<0.001). Infections caused by pathogens other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis was independently associated with negative mitogen response (OR=0.266, 95%CI: 0.09-0.83, P=0.023), while immunodeficiency was independently associated with weak positive mitogen response (OR=0.280, 95%CI: 0.12-0.63, P=0.002). Mitogen response was significantly correlated with the levels of albumin and hemoglobin in serum and the counts of neutrophils and lymphocytes ( P<0.001). Conclusions:Immune diseases and immunodeficiency can affect mitogen response. Therefore, clinicians should give attention to mitogen response in the interpretation of IGRA test results to prevent misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis. Besides, to a certain extent, mitogen response can reflect the infection status of hospitalized patients.

Objective:To observe the feelings of listening to music and the importance of music in the daily life of post-lingual deaf adults with cochlear implants, and to explore the relevant influencing factors.Methods:This was a cross-sectional survey study. From January 2021 to August 2021,the Music-Related Quality of Life Scale was used to evaluate the music needs and music experiences of 63 post-lingual deaf adults who met the inclusion criteria, including 27 males and 36 females, aged (40.7±12.3) years, at the time of surgery (36.8±13.1) years, and with a preoperative hearing aid ineffective time of (3.9±5.8) years. Indicators analyzed included age, duration of ineffective preoperative hearing aid wear, preoperative music preference, duration of postoperative cochlear implant use, current hearing aid modality, and auditory rehabilitation outcomes. Whether the six factors mentioned above constituted an influence on the subjects′ music listening was investigated using SPSS 25.0 statistical software.Results:All of the observations in the scale were correlated with a single factor. The two sub-dimensions of music experience section were related to the effect of auditory rehabilitation. In the importance section, the effect of auditory rehabilitation was the influential factor of the dimension of "participation importance", and the preoperative enjoyment of music was the relevant influential factor of the dimension of "perceived importance". There was a significant difference between the groups when they were grouped by the above factors ( P value<0.05), while there was no statistically significance between the groups when they were grouped by other factors ( P value>0.05). Conclusions:Post-lingual deaf adults show the need and attempt to listen to music after cochlear implantation. The effectiveness of auditory rehabilitation and the degree of music preference preoperatively are two important factors that influence music listening in implant recipients. Once the level of auditory communication has been restored to a certain degree, it is important to pay more attention to the needs of music for implant recipients and train them in time, especially for those with music preferences preoperatively.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease(ASCVD)frequently results in sudden death and poses a serious threat to public health worldwide.The drugs approved for the prevention and treatment of ASCVD are usually used in combination but are inefficient owing to their side effects and single therapeutic targets.Therefore,the use of natural products in developing drugs for the prevention and treatment of ASCVD has received great scholarly attention.Andrographolide(AG)is a diterpenoid lactone compound extracted from Andrographis paniculata.In addition to its use in conditions such as sore throat,AG can be used to prevent and treat ASCVD.It is different from drugs that are commonly used in the prevention and treatment of ASCVD and can not only treat obesity,diabetes,hyperlipidaemia and ASCVD but also inhibit the pathological process of atherosclerosis(AS)including lipid accumulation,inflammation,oxidative stress and cellular abnormalities by regulating various targets and pathways.However,the pharmaco-logical mechanisms of AG underlying the prevention and treatment of ASCVD have not been corrobo-rated,which may hinder its clinical development and application.Therefore,this review summarizes the physiological and pathological mechanisms underlying the development of ASCVD and the in vivo and in vitro pharmacological effects of AG on the relative risk factors of AS and ASCVD.The findings support the use of the old pharmacological compound('old bottle')as a novel drug('novel wine')for the pre-vention and treatment of ASCVD.Additionally,this review summarizes studies on the availability as well as pharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic properties of AG,aiming to provide more information regarding the clinical application and further research and development of AG.

Objective: To provide a new solution for the digital design of nasal prostheses, this study explores the three-dimensional (3D) facial morphology completion method for external nasal defects based on the non-rigid registration process of 3D face template. Methods: A total of 20 male patients with tooth defect and dentition defect who visited the Department of Prosthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology from June to December 2022 were selected, age 18-45 years old. The original 3D facial data of patients were collected, and the 3D facial data of the external nose defect was constructed in Geomagic Wrap 2021 software. Using the structured 3D face template data constructed in the previous research of the research group, the 3D face template was deformed and registered to the 3D facial data of external nose defect (based on the morphology of non-defective area) by non-rigid registration algorithm (MeshMonk program), and the personalized deformed data of the 3D face template was obtained, as the complemented facial 3D data. Based on the defect boundary of the 3D facial data of the external nose defect, the complemented external nose 3D data can be cut out from the complemented facial 3D data. Then the nasofacial angle and nasolabial angle of the complemented facial 3D data and the original 3D facial data was compared and analyzed, the ratio between the nose length and mid-face height, nose width and medial canthal distance of the complemented facial 3D data was measured, the edge fit between the edge curve of the complemented external nose 3D data and the defect edge curve of the 3D facial data of external nose defect was evaluated, and the morphological difference of the nose between the complemented external nose 3D data and the original 3D facial data was analyzed. Results: There was no significant statistically difference (t=-0.23, P=0.823; Z=-1.72, P=0.086) in the nasofacial angle (28.2°±2.9°, 28.4°±3.5° respectively) and nasolabial angle [95.4°(19.2°), 99.9°(9.5°) respectively] between the 20 original 3D facial data and the complemented facial 3D data. The value of the ratio of nose length to mid-face height in the complemented facial 3D data was 0.63±0.03, and the value of the ratio of nose width to medial canthal distance was 1.07±0.08. The curve deviation (root mean square value) between the edge curve of the complemented external nose 3D data and the defect edge curve of the 3D facial data of external nose defect was (0.37±0.09) mm, the maximum deviation was (1.14±0.32) mm, and the proportion of the curve deviation value within±1 mm was (97±3)%. The distance of corresponding nose landmarks between the complemented facial 3D data and the original 3D facial data were respectively, Nasion: [1.52(1.92)] mm; Pronasale: (3.27±1.21) mm; Subnasale: (1.99±1.09) mm; Right Alare: (2.64±1.34) mm; Left Alare: (2.42± 1.38) mm. Conclusions: The method of 3D facial morphology completion of external nose defect proposed in this study has good feasibility. The constructed complemented external nose 3D data has good facial coordination and edge fit, and the morphology is close to the nose morphology of the original 3D facial data.

Objective:To investigate whether salidroside (SAL) improves lung tissue injury in rats with severe pneumonia (SP) through mediating toll-like receptor 4/nuclear transcription factor-κB/NOD-like receptor protein 3 (TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3) signaling pathway.Methods:Seventy-five Wistar rats were used in this study. Fifteen of them were randomly selected as the sham operation group, and the others were induced by endotracheal infusion of Klebsiella pneumoniae ( Kp) suspension to construct a rat model of SP. After modeling, the rats were randomly divided into four groups with 15 rats in each group: model group, low-dose SAL group (30 mg/kg), high-dose SAL group (60 mg/kg) and dexamethasone (DXMS, 15 mg/kg) group. The sham operation group and the model group were given the same amount of normal saline for seven consecutive days. The wet-dry weight ratio (W/D) of lung tissues in each group was detected. HE and TUNEL staining methods were used to observe the morphology of lung tissues and cell apoptosis. The levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18 and IL-10 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were detected by ELISA. The expression of TLR4, myeloid differentiation factor (MyD88), NF-κBp65, phosphorylated NF-κBp65 (p-NF-κBp65) and NLRP3 at protein level in lung tissues was detected by Western blot. Results:The rat model of SP was successfully constructed by endotracheal infusion of Kp suspension. Compared with the sham operation group, the model group showed more severe edema of lung tissues, increased W/D value ( P<0.05), loose and incomplete alveolar structure, edema of alveolar wall and thickened alveolar wall, massive inflammatory cell infiltration, increased apoptosis rate as well as higher levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-18 and lower lover of IL-10 in BALF. Moreover, the relative expression of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κBp65, p-NF-κBp65 and NLRP3 at protein level in lung tissues was increased in the model group ( P<0.05). Gradually improved pathological injury of lung tissues, decreased W/D value ( P<0.05), recovered alveolar structure, reduced alveolar wall edema and decreased cell apoptosis rate were observed in the low-dose and high-dose SAL groups as well as the DXMS group as compared with those of the model group. Besides, the three groups also showed decreased levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-18 and increased level of IL-10 in BALF, and inhibited expression of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κBp65, p-NF-κBp65 and NLRP3 at protein level in lung tissues ( P<0.05). DXMS performed better in improving lung injury in rats with SP, followed by high and low doses of SAL ( P<0.05). Conclusions:SAL could reduce cell apoptosis and improve the Kp-induced lung injury in rats. The mechanism might be related to the blockage of TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway activation and inhibition of inflammatory factor expression.