ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence of muscle changes （including sarcopenia and myosteatosis） and related influencing factors in patients with porto-sinusoidal vascular disorder （PSVD）， and to provide a theoretical basis for the early identification， prevention， and intervention of muscle changes in PSVD patients. MethodsA total of 132 PSVD patients who were diagnosed in Nanjing Second Hospital from July 2017 to July 2024 were enrolled as case group， and the hospital staff who underwent physical examination in 2025 were enrolled as healthy control group. Propensity score matching was performed based on age and sex at a ratio of 1∶1. According to muscle status assessed by abdominal CT， the subjects were divided into non-muscle change group， mild muscle change group （myosteatosis alone）， and severe muscle change group （sarcopenia alone or sarcopenia comorbid with myosteatosis）， with the type and severity of muscle change as the exposure factors. General information， laboratory tests， L3-level CT images， and liver biopsy data were collected for the patients in the case group， and general information and CT images were collected for the individuals in the healthy control group. Sarcopenia was diagnosed by measuring skeletal muscle index at the L3 level （<44.77 cm²/m² for men and <32.50 cm²/m² for women）， and myosteatosis was defined by mean muscle attenuation combined with BMI （BMI <24.9 kg/m² with attenuation <41 HU or BMI ≥25 kg/m² with attenuation <33 HU）. Demographic， laboratory， and clinical parameters were compared between the case group and the healthy control group. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups； the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to identify the factors associated with sarcopenia in PSVD. ResultsAmong the 132 patients with PSVD， there were 83 patients with portal hypertension （PH） and 49 patients without PH， and there were significant differences between these two groups in age， albumin， albumin/globulin ratio， leukocyte count， neutrophil count， red blood cell count， platelet count， direct bilirubin， indirect bilirubin， hemoglobin， blood calcium， cholinesterase， total bile acid， triglyceride， total cholesterol， prothrombin time， international normalized ratio， activated partial thromboplastin time， decompensation， gastroesophageal or ectopic varices， bleeding and ascites （all P<0.05）. The analyses after matching showed that compared with the healthy control group， the case group had significantly higher prevalence rates of abnormal muscle structure （43.18% vs 18.94%， P<0.001）， mild muscle changes （22.73% vs 7.58%， P<0.001）， and severe muscle changes （20.45% vs 11.36%， P<0.001）. Further comparison showed that there was no significant difference in the proportion of patients with muscle changes between the PSVD patients with PH and those without PH （42.17% vs 44.90%， P=0.760）. The binary Logistic regression analysis with the presence or absence of muscle changes as the dependent variable showed that age （odds ratio ［OR］=1.05， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 1.02 — 1.09， P<0.05）， subcutaneous fat index （OR=1.03， 95%CI： 1.01 — 1.06， P<0.05）， hemoglobin （OR=0.97， 95%CI： 0.95 — 0.99， P<0.05）， and thrombin time （OR=1.26， 95%CI： 1.06 — 1.49， P<0.05） were independent influencing factors for muscle changes in PSVD patients. The multivariate ordinal Logistic regression analysis with the severity of muscle changes as the dependent variable showed that age （OR=1.04， 95%CI： 1.01 — 1.07， P<0.05） and thrombin time （OR=1.17， 95%CI： 1.01 — 1.36， P<0.05） were independent risk factors for the grading of muscle changes. ConclusionMuscle changes are common in PSVD patients， and these changes may be caused by PSVD itself rather than PH. Age， fat distribution， thrombin time， and hemoglobin are important influencing factors for muscle changes.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy of C-reactive protein （CRP） in predicting the progression to acute-on-chronic liver failure （ACLF） within 90 days after disease onset in patients with acute decompensation （AD） of cirrhosis， and to provide a reference for the early identification of high-risk populations in clinical practice. MethodsA retrospective study was conducted among 906 patients with liver cirrhosis who were hospitalized due to AD in Nanjing Second Hospital from January 1， 2015 to October 31， 2024， and demographic features， AD type， and laboratory markers were collected on admission. The primary endpoint was progression to ACLF within 90 days after admission， and according to the presence or absence of ACLF， the patients were divided into non-ACLF group with 676 patients and ACLF group with 230 patients. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups， and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups； the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to identify independent predictive factors for ACLF. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was used to assess the predictive performance of CRP and existing scoring systems （Model for End-Stage Liver Disease ［MELD］， Child-Turcotte-Pugh ［CTP］ score， and Chronic Liver Failure Consortium Acute Decompensation ［CLIF-C AD］ score）， and the restricted cubic spline analysis was used to investigate the nonlinear relationship between CRP and the risk of ACLF. Youden index was used to determine the optimal predictive cut-off value for CRP， and the Kaplan-Meier survival curve was plotted for risk stratification， while the log-rank test was used for survival analysis. ResultsAmong the 906 AD patients， the incidence rate of ACLF was 25.39% within 90 days. The incidence rate of ACLF within 90 days was 45.1% in the 264 patients with bacterial infection and 17.3% in the 642 patients without bacterial infection （χ²=74.791， P<0.001）. Among the 906 patients， 312 patients （34.44%） had acute-on-chronic pre-liver failure （pre-ACLF）， with a significantly higher proportion of patients who progressed to ACLF than those in the non-pre-ACLF group ［60.58% （189/312） vs 6.90% （41/594）， χ²=310.234， P<0.001］. Among the 230 patients with ACLF， there were 102 patients with stable ACLF （44.35%） and 128 patients with unstable ACLF （55.65%）， with a significant difference in CRP between the two groups of patients （U=5 234.500， P<0.001）. The restricted cubic spline analysis showed a significant nonlinear relationship between CRP and the risk of ACLF （P<0.001）. The optimal cut-off value of CRP was determined as 10.16 mg/L based on the Youden index， with a sensitivity of 70.4% and a specificity of 64.5%. The Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed that the high-risk group with CRP≥10.16 mg/L had a significantly higher event-free survival rate of ACLF within 90 days compared with the low-risk group （P<0.001）. The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that AD type-hepatic encephalopathy （hazard ratio ［HR］=4.199， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 3.056 — 5.770， P<0.001）， AD type-bacterial infection （HR=1.826， 95%CI： 1.356 — 2.459， P<0.001）， CRP （≥10.16 mg/L） （HR=2.356， 95%CI： 1.825 — 3.047， P<0.001）， white blood cell count （HR=1.021， 95%CI： 1.002 — 1.041， P=0.035）， hemoglobin （HR=0.994， 95%CI： 0.989 — 0.999， P=0.025）， international normalized ratio （HR=1.657， 95%CI： 1.372 — 2.001， P<0.001）， total bilirubin （HR=1.003， 95%CI： 1.002 — 1.004， P<0.001）， albumin （HR=0.956， 95%CI： 0.926 — 0.986， P=0.004）， creatinine （HR=1.005， 95%CI： 1.004 — 1.006， P<0.001）， serum sodium （HR=0.976， 95%CI： 0.956 — 0.997， P=0.025）， and lactate dehydrogenase （HR=1.001， 95%CI： 1.001 — 1.002， P<0.001） were all independent predictive factors for progression to ACLF within 90 days. The ROC curve analysis showed that CRP alone had an area under the ROC curve （AUC） of 0.724 （95%CI： 0.685 — 0.763） in predicting ACLF， and CRP+MELD score had the best predictive performance （AUC=0.870， 95%CI： 0.843 — 0.898）， while CRP+CTP score and CRP+CLIF-C AD score had an AUC of 0.852 （95%CI： 0.823 — 0.881） and 0.845 （95%CI： 0.812 — 0.877）， respectively. There was a significant increase in model performance after integration （P<0.05）. ConclusionSerum CRP level on admission is an independent predictive factor for progression to ACLF within 90 days in patients with AD of cirrhosis， and a CRP level of ≥10.16 mg/L can be used as a simple threshold for identifying high-risk patients. Incorporating CRP into existing assessment systems may enhance the early identification of patients at a high risk for ACLF， which provides a reference for clinical intervention.

AIM:To investigate the prevalence of ocular fundus lesions among active-duty military personnel with high myopia and to analyze the associated influencing factors.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study. Subjects included military personnel with high myopia(≤-6.00 D)and elongated axial length(≥26 mm). A systematic evaluation protocol was implemented, consisting of standardized questionnaires, general physical health examinations, and comprehensive ophthalmic assessments. Optical coherence tomography(OCT)was used to screen for fundus lesions in highly myopic subjects, and the prevalence of related lesions was calculated. Axial length, refractive error, best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA), and macular ganglion cell complex(GCC)thickness were measured. Univariate analysis was performed to compare differences in the above parameters between highly myopic subjects with and without concomitant fundus lesions. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was further applied to identify risk factors for fundus lesions.

RESULTS:A total of 134 male patients(268 eyes)were enrolled, with the mean age of 24.5±3.2 y. Of the 268 eyes, 123 eyes(45.9%)showed positive signs of fundus lesions. Among these, parapapillary blood flow density reduction was found in 84 eyes(31.3%), GCC thinning in 46 eyes(17.2%), drusen in 8 eyes(3.0%), optic disc edema in 7 eyes(2.6%), retinoschisis in 6 eyes(2.2%), and choroidal excavation in 3 eyes(1.1%). BCVA was significantly lower in highly myopic patients with retinoschisis than in those without retinoschisis(P<0.05).Univariate analysis showed that refractive error, axial length, and posterior scleral expansion were associated with the occurrence of fundus lesions(P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that axial length(OR=2.52, 95%CI: 1.67-3.80, P<0.001)and posterior scleral expansion(OR=3.12, 95%CI: 1.65-5.92, P<0.01)were significant risk factors for fundus lesions in highly myopic military personnel.

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of fundus lesions is relatively high among active-duty military personnel with high myopia. Peripapillary flow density reduction and GCC thinning are the most common manifestations in this population. Increased axial length and posterior scleral ectasia are significant contributing factors. It is recommended that OCT be incorporated into routine ophthalmic examinations for these military personnel, thereby providing a basis for the early detection and intervention of fundus lesions.

OBJECTIVES: Lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is closely associated with tumor recurrence and patient survival. However, current technologies have limited sensitivity in detecting occult cervical lymph node metastases. Identifying accurate molecular markers for predicting PTC metastasis holds significant clinical value. This study aims to analyze WNT10A expression in PTC and its clinical significance, and to explore the role of WNT10A gene knockdown in PTC cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. METHODS: The expression of WNT10A in thyroid carcinoma was analyzed using the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and University of Alabama at Birminghara Cancer data analysis Portal (UALCAN) databases. Real-time RT-PCR was used to measure WNT10A mRNA levels in tumor and adjacent normal tissues from 32 PTC patients. Immunohistochemistry was conducted on 158 PTC specimens to assess WNT10A protein expression and its correlation with clinicopathological features. In vitro experiments were performed using K1 and TPC-1 cell lines. Cell proliferation was assessed using the Celigo system and methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assays; apoptosis was measured via flow cytometry; invasion and metastasis were evaluated using scratch and Transwell assays. A xenograft model was established in nude mice to observe tumor growth, and tumor weight and volume were compared between cell lines. Differentially expressed genes regulated by WNT10A were identified via mRNA sequencing, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) and ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to validate the effects of WNT10A on key downstream mRNA and protein in the Tec kinase signaling pathway. RESULTS: WNT10A mRNA expression was significantly higher in thyroid cancer tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues according to GEPIA and UALCAN (both P<0.01). The real-time RT-PCR result showed that WNT10A mRNA expression in PTC tissues was high than that in adjacent tissues (P<0.01). Immunohistochemistry revealed significantly higher WNT10A protein expression in PTC tissues compared to adjacent tissues (P<0.01), and its expression correlated with multifocality, extrathyroidal invasion, and lymph node metastasis. WNT10A knockdown significantly inhibited proliferation, altered cell cycle distribution, and increased apoptosis in K1 and TPC-1 cells (all P<0.01). WNT10A silencing also reduced migration and invasion abilities in both cell lines. In vivo, WNT10A knockdown in TPC-1 cells suppressed tumor formation in nude mice. GO analysis and IPA suggested that the Tec kinase signaling pathway was a key downstream target of WNT10A. RT-PCR and Western blotting confirmed that WNT10A knockdown downregulated the expression of key genes (STAT3, MAPK8, TNFRSF21, and AKT2) in this pathway. CONCLUSIONS WNT10A is highly expressed in PTC and is associated with tumor proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Its tumor-promoting effects may be mediated through suppression of the Tec kinase signaling pathway.
Humans ; Cell Proliferation ; Thyroid Cancer, Papillary/pathology* ; Thyroid Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Animals ; Wnt Proteins/metabolism* ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Mice ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Male ; Mice, Nude ; Apoptosis ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Cell Movement ; Adult

OBJECTIVES: Increasing detection of low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is associated with overdiagnosis and overtreatment. N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A)-mediated microRNA (miRNA) dysregulation plays a critical role in tumor metastasis and progression. However, the functional role of m⁶A-miRNAs in PTC remains unclear. This study aims to elucidate the regulatory mechanism of m⁶A-miR-139-5p expression in PTC, determine its association with PTC metastasis, and evaluate its potential as a diagnostic biomarker for PTC metastasis, thereby providing experimental evidence for precision diagnosis and therapy. METHODS: Expression profiles of m⁶A-miRNAs were compared between the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GSE130512 cohorts to identify metastasis-associated candidates. Clinical specimens from 13 metastasis and 18 non-metastasis PTC patients were analyzed to assess m⁶A-miR-139-5p expression and its correlation with metastasis. Functional experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) on pri-miR-139 methylation and processing, clarifying its regulatory role in miR-139-5p expression. In TPC-1 cells, MTT assays were performed to evaluate whether miR-139-5p overexpression could counteract FTO-mediated cell proliferation. Transwell invasion assays were used to determine the impact of miR-139-5p on PTC cell invasion, exploring whether it functions through the ZEB1/E-cadherin axis. RESULTS: By comparing TCGA and GSE130512 cohorts, it was found that circulating m⁶A-miR-139-5p could serve as a biological indicator for detecting PTC metastasis. Detection of 13 metastatic and 18 non-metastatic clinical specimens showed that FTO inhibited the processing of pri-miR-139 by reducing its methylation level, leading to the dysregulation of miR-139-5p in PTC (P<0.05). In TPC-1 cells, MTT assay showed that overexpression of miR-139-5p could partially reverse FTO overexpression-mediated cell proliferation (P<0.05). In addition, miR-139-5p inhibited the invasive ability of PTC cells by targeting the ZEB1/E-cadherin axis, while FTO overexpression could partially weaken this inhibitory effect. CONCLUSIONS Circulating miR-139-5p can be a potential marker for evaluating PTC metastasis. FTO affects the expression and function of miR-139-5p by regulating m⁶A modification of pri-miR-139, but its clinical value needs further verification.
Humans ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Thyroid Cancer, Papillary/metabolism* ; Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO/metabolism* ; Thyroid Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Adenosine/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Female ; Male ; Cadherins/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation ; Zinc Finger E-box-Binding Homeobox 1/genetics*

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2019.01.013.].

Venous system diseases mainly include varicose veins and venous malformations of lower limbs and the genital system. Most of them are chronic diseases that cause serious clinical symptoms to patients and affect their health and quality of life. Sclerotherapy has become the first-line therapy for venous system diseases. However, there are problems such as incomplete fibrosis and vascular recanalization after sclerotherapy, and improper operation will cause serious adverse consequences. Therefore, exploring a safe and effective sclerotherapy strategy is essential for developing clinically successful sclerotherapy. To solve the above problems, we proposed a new sclerotherapy strategy with a dual mechanism of "vascular damage and plasmin (PLA) system inhibition." We intended to construct a novel cationic surfactant (AEO_x-TA) by reacting tranexamic acid (TA), a parent structure, with fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO_x) by ester bonds. AEO_x-TA could damage vascular endothelium and initiate a coagulation cascade effect to induce thrombus. Furthermore, AEO_x-TA could be degraded by esterase and release the parent drug, TA, which could inhibit the PLA system to inhibit the degradation of thrombus and extracellular matrix and promote the process of vascular fibrosis. In addition, such surfactant-based sclerosants have foam-forming properties, and they can be blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to prepare a highly stable foam formulation (AEO_x-TA/P), which can achieve a precise drug delivery and prolonged drug retention time, thereby improving drug efficacy and reducing the risk of ectopic embolism. Overall, the novel cationic surfactant AEO_x-TA provides a new avenue to resolve the bottleneck: surfactant sclerosants' efficiency is relatively low in the current sclerotherapy.

Schizophrenia (SZ) stands as a severe psychiatric disorder. This study applied diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data in conjunction with graph neural networks to distinguish SZ patients from normal controls (NCs) and showcases the superior performance of a graph neural network integrating combined fractional anisotropy and fiber number brain network features, achieving an accuracy of 73.79% in distinguishing SZ patients from NCs. Beyond mere discrimination, our study delved deeper into the advantages of utilizing white matter brain network features for identifying SZ patients through interpretable model analysis and gene expression analysis. These analyses uncovered intricate interrelationships between brain imaging markers and genetic biomarkers, providing novel insights into the neuropathological basis of SZ. In summary, our findings underscore the potential of graph neural networks applied to multimodal DTI data for enhancing SZ detection through an integrated analysis of neuroimaging and genetic features.
Humans ; Schizophrenia/pathology* ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Brain/metabolism* ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; White Matter/pathology* ; Gene Expression ; Nerve Net/diagnostic imaging* ; Graph Neural Networks

Objective: To explore the learning curve of transurethral 450 nm blue light vaporization of the prostate (TUBVP) in a district hospital，in order to provide reference for clinicians who plan to perform TUBVP. Methods: The clinical data of 56 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who received TUBVP performed by the same group of surgeons in Chang'an District Hospital during Jun. and Dec. 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Cumulative sum (CUSUM) was used to fit the learning curve of ratio of volume to operating time (RVOT) of prostate volume /450 nm blue light. The learning curve was divided into different stages according to the inflection points，and the clinical data of patients operated at different stages were analyzed and compared. Results: The learning curve of TUBVP was 21 cases，including 1-21 cases in the learning stage，22-38 cases in the improvement stage and 39-56 cases in the maturity stage. With the increase of cases，the postoperative bladder irrigation time reduced \[40.00 (26.00，44.50) h vs. 23.00(20.50，34.00) h vs. 23.50(14.75，40.75) h\]，with statistical difference (P<0.05). The surgical efficiency increased \[(0.51±0.14) vs. (0.55±0.17) vs. (0.63±0.23)\]，while the reduction of hemoglobin \[(6.43±7.35) g/L vs. (5.65±10.91) g/L vs. (2.61±7.36) g/L\]，catheter indwelling time \[70.0 (66.0，106.0) h vs. 71.0 (66.0，89.0) h vs. 66.0 (58.5，78.5) h\]，and incidence of complications (9.5% vs. 5.9% vs. 0) in the three stages showed a gradually decreasing trend，but with no statistical significance (P>0.05). Conclusion: The learning curve of TUBVP is 21 cases. For clinicians in district hospitals，TUBVP is a worthy choice.

Objective To investigate the growth, development and health status of primary and secondary school students in Xinzhou District of Wuhan, and analyze the detection and change trend of common diseases in primary and secondary school students, and to provide a basis for relevant departments to formulate prevention and control measures of common diseases in students. Methods The monitoring data of common diseases and health influencing factors of primary and secondary school students in Xinzhou District from 2019 to 2022 were analyzed and compared according to different genders, different grades and ages. SPSS 20.0 software was used to analyze the data of detection rates of myopia, dental caries, obesity, malnutrition and abnormal spinal curvature. Results The overall detection rates of myopia, dental caries, malnutrition, obesity and abnormal spinal curvature were 57.00%, 58.45%, 4.60%, 14.91%, and 6.33%, respectively, in Xinzhou District from 2019 to 2022. The annual change rates were 7.22%, 15.10%, -2.72%, 13.29%, and 4.91%, respectively. The detection rates of myopia, dental caries, obesity and abnormal spinal curvature showed an increasing trend in each year (χ² ≥17.22, P<0.001). The detection rates of myopia and malnutrition increased with the increase of age and school level (both χ²≥42.37, P<0.001), while the opposite was true for the detection rates of dental caries and obesity (both χ²≥14.26, P<0.001). The detection rates of myopia and dental caries were higher in girls than in boys (both χ²≥33.66, P<0.001), while the detection rates of obesity and abnormal spinal curvature were higher in boys than in girls (both χ²≥8.22, P<0.005). The detection rates of myopia, dental caries, obesity and abnormal spinal curvature in 2019 were lower than those in 2020-2022 (χ²≥4.11, P<0.05), while the detection rates of malnutrition had decreased. Conclusion The growth, development and health status of primary and secondary school students in Xinzhou District are serious. The detection rate of common diseases such as myopia, dental caries, obesity and abnormal curvature of the spine is on the rise, which should be the focus of the surveillance work of common diseases in primary and secondary school students in the future, and comprehensive intervention measures are urgently needed to prevent and control these common diseases.