Background The residues of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic environments have become an increasingly prominent urban pollution issue, attracting widespread attention. The analysis of PPCPs pollution in water environments holds profound implications in Zhengzhou, a strategically important city in central China. Objective To analyze the pollution characteristics of PPCPs, such as antidepressants and antibiotics, in rivers of Zhengzhou and assess associated ecological risk. Methods Water samples were collected from three rivers of Zhengzhou, and 13 PPCPs (5 antibiotics and 8 antidepressants) were analyzed quantitatively by high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) after automatic solid phase extraction. Risk quotient (RQ) was applied to assess ecological risk of PPCPs with high concentration. Results The primary antibiotics pollutants were norfloxacin and ofloxacin, both with a detection rate of 100%. Among antidepressants, venlafaxine and citalopram showed the highest detection rates at 92.3% and 88.5%, respectively. The detected antibiotics with the highest average concentrations included ofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole with concentrations of 99.8 ng·L⁻¹and 96.2 ng·L⁻¹, respectively, while antidepressants venlafaxine and citalopram were detected with the highest average concentrations of 15.2 ng·L⁻¹and 1.35 ng·L⁻¹, respectively. The inter-river comparisons revealed statistically significant differences in contaminant loads (P<0.05). The sums of average PPCP concentrations at sampling points in the Jialu River and Suoxu River were 83.4 ng·L⁻¹ and 100.4 ng·L⁻¹, respectively. The Xiaoqing River exhibited higher pollution levels than both the Jialu and Suoxu Rivers, with a total average concentration of 478.4 ng·L⁻¹, where ofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole were identified as the predominant pollutants. The results of ecological risk assessment indicated the RQ contributed by sulfamethoxazole ranged between 0.50−0.95 in the Xiaoqing River, suggesting a controllable risk but requiring prioritized mitigation strategies. The RQ values of norfloxacin were distributed within the range of 0.10-0.30, indicating a moderate ecological risk. The RQ values for ofloxacin and venlafaxine remained below 0.10, indicating a lower risk level. Conclusion PPCPs contamination is positive in the rivers of Zhengzhou, and sulfamethoxazole and ofloxacin are the primary cantaminants. The Xiaoqing River exhibits the highest pollution levels. The initial risk assessment show that sulfamethoxazole and norfloxacin pose potential ecological risks, requiring prioritized contamination management.

Objective:To identify the main components of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction(HLJDD)using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS),and to explore the potential mechanism of action of HLJDD in the treatment of gouty arthritis(GA)using network pharmacology and molecular docking methods.Methods:We identi-fied the chemical components of HLJDD by combining UPLC-Q-TOF-MS data acquired in both positive and negative ion modes with reference standards,relevant literature,and database searches.We analyzed the potential therapeutic mechanism of HLJDD for GA by using network pharmacology to determine the intersection targets between the active ingredients of HLJDD and GA for further enrich-ment analysis and visual network mapping.The binding affinity of the active ingredients with the intersection targets was validated through molecular docking.Results:A total of 47 components were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS;54 key components of HLJDD for GA treatment and 37 intersection targets were determined by net-work pharmacology;and the top 10 key targets by Degree value were obtained by protein-protein interaction analysis.The Gene On-tology functional enrichment analysis revealed 20 biological pro-cesses,7 cellular components,and 8 molecular functions.The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis demonstrated 96 GA-related intervention pathways,in which inflammatory signaling pathways such as interleukin-17(IL-17)and tu-mor necrosis factor(TNF)were involved.Molecular docking verified that the key components of HLJDD had high binding affinity with the core targets.Conclusion:The identified key components in HLJDD,such as phellodendrine,coptisine,wogonin,and β-sitosterol,may alleviate GA by regulating multiple core targets in the IL-17 and TNF pathways,such as PTSG2,which provides a theoretical ba-sis for future investigation into the mechanism of action of HLJDD.

Objective To explore the effects of chronic stress and stress cessation on hypothalamic appetite regulators in mice,and to explore the stress-dependent mechanism of appetite change.Methods A total of 32 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control(Ctrl)group(n=16)and chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)group(n=16).The mice in the CUMS group were given CUMS to establish the stress model,and those in the Ctrl group were fed normally.The food intake and weight of mice were recorded.The CUMS model was verified through tail suspension experiments and forced swimming experiments.Eight mice in the Ctrl group and 8 mice in the CUMS group were randomly sacrificed at the 12th week.The Ctrl group was re-grouped into the cessation-control(C-Ctrl)group(n=8),the CUMS group was re-grouped into the cessation-stress(C-CUMS)group(n=8),and the mice were sacrificed at the 15th week.The mRNA and protein levels of appetite-regulating factors,including orexin 1 receptor(OX1R),leptin receptor(LEPR)and agouti-related protein(AgRP)in the hypothalamus,were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunochemistry.Results From week 2 to week 11 of stress,the food intake of the mice in the CUMS group was significantly higher than that in the Ctrl group(all P＜0.05),while there was no significant difference in body weight between the 2 groups within 11 weeks(all P＞0.05).Compared with the Ctrl group,the immobility durations of forced swimming and tail suspension of the CUMS group were markedly longer after 11 weeks(both P＜0.01),indicating successful modeling.AgRP and OX1R mRNA expression in the hypothalamus of the CUMS group was significantly increased(both P＜0.01),while LEPR mRNA expression was significantly decreased(P＜0.01);AgRP protein in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus of the CUMS group was significantly higher than that of the Ctrl group(P＜0.05),and LEPR protein was markedly lower than that of the Ctrl group(P＜0.01).However,after 3 weeks of stress cessation,the C-CUMS group had less food intake and lower body weight than the C-Ctrl group(both P＜0.05).The LEPR mRNA of the C-CUMS group was significantly increased(P＜0.01),while AgRP and OX1R mRNA were not significantly different(both P＞0.05).There was no significant difference in AgRP protein levels between the C-CUMS group and the C-Ctrl group(P＞0.05),while LEPR protein level of the C-CUMS group was significantly higher than that of the C-Ctrl group(P＜0.01).Conclusion CUMS can lead to increased appetite in mice,which may involve the functional regulation of LEPR and AgRP.After the stress cessation,the appetite decreases,which may involve the functional regulation of LEPR.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of Castor branching stent in treating Stanford type B aortic dissection(TBAD)involving aortic arch.Methods The clinical data of 18 patients with Stanford TBAD,who were treated with Castor branching stent at the Suining Municipal Central Hospital of China from January 2020 to January 2022,were retrospectively analyzed.Results The main bracket and branch bracket of Castor branching stent were successfully released in all the 18 patients with a surgical success rate of 100％,and no internal leakage occurred during operation.During the perioperative period,there were neither aorta-related deaths nor serious complications such as stroke,upper limb ischemia,internal leakage,or stent displacement.The patients were followed up for(14.7±8.3)months,no aorta-related death,stroke,upper limb ischemia,internal leakage,or stent displacement was observed,the blood flow of the left subclavian artery(LSA)was unobstructed,but there was thrombosis formation within the false lumen of the covered stent segment.Conclusion The Castor branching stent has the advantages of reasonable release mode,accurate positioning,effective isolation of the first rupture of Stanford TBAD and reconstruction of LSA,with no serious short-term complications.However,further follow-up observation is needed before its long-term efficacy can be clarified.

Objective:To explore the prognostic factors associated with clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCAC) of the uterine cervix based on data in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database.Methods:Clinical data were collected from 431 patients with confirmed CCAC in the SEER database from 1976 to 2017. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test for comparison between subgroups. Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the influencing factors of overall survival (OS).Results:The median age [ M ( Q1, Q3)] of 431 patients was 54 years old (40 years old, 71 years old); there were 333 cases (77.3%) of whit. The median OS time of 431 patients was 93 months (95% CI: 47-148 months), and the 1-, 2-, and 5-year OS rates were 80.1%, 65.8% and 54.2%, respectively. The median OS time was not reached in patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage Ⅰ, 83 months (95% CI: 21-144 months) for stage Ⅱ, 32 months (95% CI: 16-47 months) for stage Ⅲ, and 9 months (95% CI: 5-13 months) for stage Ⅳ ( P < 0.001). Median OS time was not reached in patients with SEER stage of localized lesions, 46 months (95% CI: 8-83 months) for regional lesions stage, and 9 months (95% CI: 5-12 months) for distant metastases stage ( P < 0.001). Of the patients with clear AJCC staging and some with unspecified AJCC staging, 118 received surgical treatment alone and 119 received postoperative radiotherapy, the median OS time of the two groups was 443 months (95% CI: 162-723 months) and 102 months (95% CI: 75-129 months), and the difference in OS between the two groups was statistically significant ( P < 0.001). Among the patients with AJCC stage Ⅰ, the 5-year OS rates in surgery-only group and postoperative radiotherapy group were 82.5% and 78.5%, the stage Ⅱ were 80.0% and 52.3%, and the stage Ⅲ were 27.8% and 63.3%, respectively; the differences in OS between different stages were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). Among the patients with SEER localized lesions stage, the 5-year OS rates in surgery-only group and postoperative radiotherapy group were 88.9% and 73.1%, and the difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.012); the regional lesions stage were 45.5% and 60.0%, and the difference was not statistically significant ( P = 0.568). The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that AJCC staging (stage Ⅰ vs. stage Ⅳ, HR = 0.281, 95% CI: 0.178-0.543, P < 0.001; stage Ⅱ vs. stage Ⅳ, HR = 0.347, 95% CI: 0.113-0.439, P < 0.001; stage Ⅲ vs. stage Ⅳ, HR = 0.399, 95% CI: 0.030-0.145, P < 0.001), SEER staging (localized lesions stage vs. distant metastases stage, HR = 0.104, 95% CI: 0.059-0.182, P < 0.001; regional lesions stage vs. distant metastases stage, HR = 0.301, 95% CI: 0.195-0.463, P < 0.001) and whether or not receive surgery (yes vs. no, HR = 0.359, 95% CI: 0.241-0.535, P < 0.001) were independent influencing factors of OS in CCAC patients. Conclusions:AJCC staging, SEER staging and surgery are independent influence factors for OS in patients with CCAC, and postoperative radiotherapy may not provide more survival benefit.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of Balanophora involucrata Hook.f.in treatment of hyperuricemia(HUA)based on network pharmacology,molecular docking,and hyperuricemia models in vivo and in vitro,and to clarify the main targets of its active components and related signaling pathway mechanism.Methods:The potential targets of Balanophora involucrata Hook.f.in treatment of HUA were identified by Databases such as the Traditional Chinese Medicine Database in Taiwan,the Chinese Herbal Medicine Identification Database,Professional Chemical Database,TargetNet Database,SwissTargetPrediction Database,GeneCards,Therapeutic Target Database(TTD),DrugBank Database,DisGeNET Database,Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM)Database,and Venny Database.STRING Database and Cytoscape software were used to construct the active component-predictive target network and protein-protein interaction(PPI)network for Balanophora involucrata Hook.f.;topological analysis was used to select the main active components and core targets;Gene Ontology(GO)functional and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathway enrichment analysis were performed by R software;AutoDock Vina software was used for molecular docking validation.The NRK-52E cells were divided into blank control group,blank administration group,model group,and different concentrations(2.0,10.0,and 50.0 μmol·L-1)of erythrodiol(EDT)groups.High-performance liquid chromatography culture(HPLC)was used to detect the uric acid(UA)levels in the cell culture supernatants in various groups.The male ICR mice were divided into blank control group,blank administration group,model group,and EDT group;the mice in the last two groups were used to prepare the HUA models;kits were used to detect the levels of UA,creatinine(Cr),and blood urea nitrogen(BUN)in serum of the mice in various groups;the bilateral kidney tissue of the mice was harvested and weighed;the kidney indexes of the mice in various groups were calculated;TUNEL staining was used to observe the apoptosis in kidney tissue of the mice in various groups;Western blotting method was used to detect the expression levels of protein kinase B(AKT),phosphorylated AKT(p-AKT),phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K),phosphorylated PI3K(p-PI3K),B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2),Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax),and matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)proteins in kidney tissue of the mice in various groups.Results:Six active components of Balanophora involucrata Hook.f.were identified,involving 116 intersecting targets and 14 core targets.The enrichment analysis yielded 1 828 GO terms and 145 signaling pathways.The molecular docking results showed that EDT had good binding activity with MMP-9.The high uric acid cell experiment results showed that compared with blank control group,the UA level in the cells in model group was significantly increased(P<0.01);compared with model group,the UA levels in the cells in 2.0,10.0,and 50.0 μmol·L-1 EDT groups were significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with blank control group,the levels of UA,Cr,and BUN in serum of the mice in model group were increased(P<0.01),and the kidney indexes were significantly increased(P<0.01);compared with model group,the levels of UA,Cr,and BUN in serum of the mice in EDT group were decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and the kidney index was significantly decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Compared with blank control group,the number of apoptotic cells in kidney tissue of the mice in model group was increased;compared with model group,the number of the apoptotic cells in kidney tissue of the mice in EDT group was significantly decreased.Compared with blank control group,the ratios of p-AKT/AKT and p-PI3K/PI3K and expression level of Bcl-2 protein in kidney tissue of the mice in model group were significantly decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01),while the expression levels of Bax and MMP-9 proteins were significantly increased(P<0.01);compared with model group,the ratios of p-AKT/AKT and p-PI3K/PI3K and expression level of Bcl-2 protein in kidney tissue of the mice in EDT group were significantly increased(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and the expression levels of Bax and MMP-9 proteins were significantly decreased(P<0.01).Conclusion:The active component of Balanophora involucrata Hook.f.,EDT,has a UA-decreasing effect and may inhibit the apoptosis and alleviate the kidney injury by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Objective:To explore the effect and safety of endoscopic tubular musculoskeletal tumor surgery (ETMS) technology in spinal tumors.Methods:Clinical data were retrospectively collected from 18 spinal tumor patients who were treated with ETMS technology at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital ( n=16) or the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University ( n=2) from November 2022 to December 2023. The total cohort included 11 males and 7 females, with the age at 60.3±8.6 years (range of 41-76). Two cases were diagnosed with benign tumors, four patients were diagnosed with spinal hematologic malignancies while other 12 cases were patients with spinal metastases. After localization under the C-arm X-ray machine, the spinal endoscopic channel is established using dilators. Soft tissue is dissected under endoscopic guidance to create an artificial cavity. Subsequently, the saline medium relied upon by the spinal endoscopic technique is removed, and posterior decompression and tumor curettage are performed using tubular techniques. Frankel grade classification and paraplegia index were used to evaluate the improvement of postoperative function and the VAS score was performed in pain scoring. The surgical complications and tumor evaluation were observed by postoperative outpatient and telephone follow-up. Results:The ETMS technology was successfully completed in all 18 patients with the mean operation time of 240.3±80.2 min. The median of intraoperative bleeding was 200.0(172.5, 350.0) ml and the mean postoperative drainage was 131.4±69.5 ml. The median value of postoperative hospitalization days was 6.0(4.0, 10.25) d. The paraplegia index decreased from 1.5(0, 3.0) preoperatively to 0(0, 1.25) postoperatively ( Z=-2.599, P=0.009). All the patients presented an improvement in Frankel grading after surgery except for one patient (downgrading from grade E to grade D). There was significantly difference in Frankel grading between preoperative and postoperative groups ( Z=2.812, P=0.005). The median value of preoperative VAS score was up to 5.5(4.0, 7.0) while the median value at postoperative, one month after surgery and three months after surgery were 1.5(1.0, 2.25), 1.0(0, 1.0) and 0(0, 1.0), respectively (χ 2=44.641, P<0.001). The 3-month postoperative VAS improvement rate was 91.2% (range 75%-100%). During a mean follow-up period of 7.6±6.2 months, none of the 18 patients presented surgical complications or tumor recurrence at surgical region. Only one patient died at 3.2 months after surgery until the last follow-up due to respiratory failure after lung tumor progression. The mean survival of the total cohort was up to 13.3 [95% CI (11.5, 15.0)] months. The 16 cases with spinal metastases or spinal hematological malignancies had a mean survival of 13.2 [95% CI (11.3, 15.0)] months. Conclusion:The ETMS technology presented good efficacy and safety in treatment of spinal tumors with low blood supply and with diameter less than 5cm.

Purpose/Significance To explore the research status,research hotspots and frontiers in the field of clinical decision sup-port based on electronic medical records(EMR).Method/Process The bibliometric method and CiteSpace 6.2.R2 software are used to draw scientific knowledge graph of country/region distribution,author cooperation,institutional cooperation,keyword co-occurrence and clustering for visualized comparative analysis.Python is used for clustering hotspot mining and analysis.Result/Conclusion The field of clinical decision support based on EMR data shows a rapid development trend,with the United States and China as the main research countries and strong cooperation between domestic and foreign institutions.The keywords mainly involve EMR,artificial intelligence(AI),etc.

Objective:To analyze the effectiveness and safety of the second course radiotherapy for unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases.Methods:We retrospectively collected the data of 28 patients with unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases who received the second course radiotherapy at Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute from 2017 to 2023, to analyze the feasibility of re-irradiation.Results:For the 28 patients, the median follow-up time after re-irradiation was 20.2 months. The median time interval between the first- and second-course radiotherapy was 11.1 months. The median biologically effective doses of the first- and second-course radiotherapy were 100 Gy and 96 Gy, respectively. Stereotactic body radiotherapy was administered to 25 patients (89.3%) during the first course and 24 patients (85.7%) during the second course of radiotherapy. The mean equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions to the normal liver was 10.1 Gy in the first-course radiotherapy and 7.9 Gy in the second-course radiotherapy. The complete response rate, partial response rate, and objective response rate after re-irradiation were 54.5%, 18.2%, and 72.7%, respectively. After re-irradiation, the 2-year cumulative local failure rate was 17.0% when calculated based on patients and 15.1% when calculated based on lesions, the 1-year progression-free survival rate was 27.4%, and the 3-year overall survival rate was 46.7%. The second-course radiotherapy was well tolerated, with most patients (75.0%) experiencing grade 1-2 acute adverse reactions and only one case (3.6%) experiencing grade 3 acute adverse events.Conclusions:Second course radiotherapy is an effective and safe treatment approach for selected patients with unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases.

A patient aged 68 years old presented urinary frequency, urgency, and gross hematuria for 1 month, with initial PSA of 72.72 ng/ml and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)of 114 U/L. Prostate biopsy pathology showed small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of prostate. The patient was immediately administered 6 cycle of chemotherapy including etoposide and cisplatin combined with medical castration. The CDK4 gene was detected 1.99 times amplification by peripheral blood free DNA (cfDNA)gene analysis. The chemotherapy was followed by parbosini therapy. The number and density of bone metastases continued to decrease significantly by bone scan at 3 and 6 months after treatment, with a continuous decline of ALP and PSA. After 1 year of follow-up, pelvic MRI and bone systemic imaging indicated stable lesions, with PSA of 0.05 ng/ml and ALP of 59 U/L.