OBJECTIVES: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is often diagnosed at a late stage due to its concealed location and exhibits marked regional clustering, posing a significant public health challenge in China. This study aims to analyze the disease burden of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in China using the latest 2021 Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) database, providing epidemiological evidence for precise prevention and control of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. METHODS: Age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), mortality rate, and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rate were used as indicators of disease burden. Stratified analyses were conducted by age, sex, socio-demographic index (SDI), and relevant risk factors. The autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model and Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) model were employed to project ASIR trends through 2050. RESULTS: In 2021, China's age-standardized incidence, mortality, and DALY rates of nasopharyngeal carcinoma were 3.4/100 000, 1.5/100 000, and 48.7/100 000, respectively, all higher than the global average. Across all age groups, Chinese males exhibited higher ASIR, mortality, and DALY rates than females. From 1990 to 2021, the disease burden of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in China decreased gradually with rising SDI. The proportion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma burden attributed to alcohol consumption, smoking, and occupational formaldehyde exposure in China exceeded global levels, especially among males. Projections from both models indicate a rising trend in ASIR for males, females, and the general population in China and globally from 2022 to 2050. CONCLUSIONS Over the past 30 years, the disease burden of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in China has decreased with the increasing SDI values but remains higher than the global average. Furthermore, ASIR is projected to increase over the next 30 years. It is imperative for China to enhance healthcare resource allocation for nasopharyngeal carcinoma prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, particularly among high-risk male populations.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma/mortality* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/mortality* ; Adult ; Incidence ; Global Burden of Disease ; Disability-Adjusted Life Years ; Aged ; Risk Factors ; Adolescent ; Databases, Factual ; Young Adult ; Cost of Illness ; Child ; Bayes Theorem

Objective To investigate the expression levels of LINC02009 and LOC107984895 in peripheral lymphocytes of patients with atrial fibrillation and their clinical significance.Methods A total of 75 hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation(50 with persistent atrial fibrillation and 25 with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation)from Kunming First People's Hospital between January 2023 and December 2023 were selected as study subjects,along with 50 normal control patients.Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression levels of LINC02009 and LOC107984895 in peripheral blood leukocytes of patients with atrial fibrillation.Logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the relationship between expression levels and risk factors for atrial fibrillation,and ROC curves were used to predict the diagnostic cut-off values for LINC02009 and LOC107984895 in diagnosing atrial fibrillation.Results There were statistically significant differences in baseline diseases such as hypertension and coronary heart disease,biochemical indicators such as Cr and BNP,and myocardial remodeling indicators such as LAd and LVEF between the AF(paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and persistent atrial fibrillation)group and the Normal group(P＜0.05).The expression levels of LINC02009 and LOC 107984895 in the plasma of the atrial fibrillation group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05)and were negatively correlated with LVEF(P＜0.05).The areas under the curve(AUC)of LINC02009 and LOC 107984895 in predicting atrial fibrillation were 0.967(95％CI:0.938～0.995)and 0.900(95％CI:0.838～0.963),respectively.The optimal cut-off values were 1.985 and 0.915,with sensitivities of 88％and 76％,respectively,and specificities of 94％and 90％,respectively.Conclusion LINC02009 and LOC 107984895 are independent risk factors for atrial fibrillation and have certain predictive value for the occurrence of atrial fibrillation.

Objective:To explore the predictors and reasons for restenosis in patients with Takayasu′s arteritis(TA) involved renal artery after plain old balloon angioplasty(POBA).Methods:The clinical data of 47 TA patients (47) with renal artery admitted to Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2014 to December 2020 were analyzed, including 12 man and 35 female. The age ranged from 21 to 43 years old, with an average of (28.52±10.78) years old. All patient were diagnosed as TA and underwent POBA. The patients were divided into restenosis group ( n=18) and non-restenosis group ( n=29). The patients were followed up at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery, and after 6 months, the patients were followed up every 6 months. All patients were followed up from 36 to 108 months.The basic clinical data of the two groups were compared, and the length of stent and residual stenosis were also compared. Measurement data were expressed as ( ± s), and t-test was used for comparison between groups. Counting data were expressed as the number of cases and percentage, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test. Multivariate Logistic regression model was used to analyze the independent risk factors of restenosis after balloon dilation, and the OR value and 95% confidence interval were calculated. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the independent risk factors for restenosis after balloon dilation. Results:All patients received POBA and operation was successfully. Restenosis was found in 18 patients, and 29 patients remained normal during the follow-up. The primary patency rate was 61.7%. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that HDL-C and lesion length were the influencing factors of restenosis after POBA in TA of renal artery. The serum HDL-C level was significantly lower and the lesion was significantly longer in restenosis group than in non-restenosis group ( P<0.05). The proportion of residual stenosis>20% was higher in restenosis group than in non-restenosis group ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Serum HDL-C level, lesion length may be may be independent influencing factors of restenosis after plain old balloon angioplasty in TA of the renal artery restenosis.

Objective To investigate the effects of long non-coding RNA FEZ family zinc finger 1 antisense RNA 1(lncRNA FEZF1-AS1)on enhancer of zeste homolog 2(EZH2)in regulation of proliferation,migration,invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)of pulmonary interstitial cells and its mechanism.Methods The A549 cells human lung adenocarcinoma cell line were divided into control group and model group[model cells were induced into lung interstitial cells after being treated with transforming growth factor β1(TGF-β1)20 ng/mL for 48 h].The protein expression of E-cadherin,N-cadherin and vimentin in each group was detected by Western blot.The expression of lncRNA FEZF1-AS1 and EZH2 in the two groups was detected by RT-qPCR.Cells in the trans-fection group were divided into si NC group,lncRNA FEZF1-AS1+OE vector group and si lncRNA FEZF1-AS1+OE EZH2 group.Cell proliferation was examined by CCK-8 method,cell migration was detected by cell scratch,and cell invasion was detected by Transwell assays.The protein expression of E-cadherin,N-cadherin,vimentin and EZH2 in each group was detected by Western blot.The direct binding effect of FEZF1-AS1 and EZH2 was deter-mined by RNA immuno-precipitation(RIP).Results Compared with the control group,the protein expression level of E-cadherin in the model group was significantly decreased(P＜0.05),and the protein expression of N-cadherin and vimentin was significantly increased(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the expression level of lncRNA FEZF1-AS1 and EZH2 genes was significantly increased in the model group(P＜0.05).Compared with si NC group,the proliferation,migration and invasion ability of si lncRNA FEZF1-AS1+OE vector group were decreased,the ex-pression of E-cadherin protein was increased while the expression of N-cadherin,vimentin and EZH2 was decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with si lncRNA FEZF1-AS1+OE vector group,the proliferation,invasion and migration of si lncRNA FEZF1-AS1+OE EZH2 group were increased(P＜0.05).E-cadherin expression was decreased,while N-cad-herin,vimentin and EZH2 expressions were increased(P＜0.05).RIP experiment further confirmed that lncRNA FEZF1-AS1 had direct binding effect with EZH2.Conclusions LncRNA FEZF1-AS1 can promote the proliferation,invasion,metastasis and EMT process of pulmonary fibrosis cells by regulating EZH2.

Objective:To investigate the effects of extracts of Rhizoma Sparganii and Rhizoma Curcumae on cartilage damage in osteoarthritis rats and NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2)/reactive oxygen species (ROS)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways. Methods:Rats (50 cases) were divided into the sham group, and model group, as well as the low, medium, and high dose groups of extracts of Rhizoma Sparganii and Rhizoma Curcumae, with 10 rats in each group. Except for sham group, the rat model of cartilage damage in knee osteoarthritis was established. On the second day after modeling, the rats in the low, medium, and high dose groups received intragastric extracts perfusion of Rhizoma Sparganii and Rhizoma Curcumae at the doses of 5, 10, and 20 g/kg respectively. The rats in the sham and model groups received intragastric equivalent 0.9% sodium chloride solution perfusion, once daily, for 20 days by continuous administration. The knee joint behavior, bone metabolism indicators, serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) levels, inflammatory factors, NOX2, and NF-κB levels of each group were observed. Results:Compared with the model group, the behavioral abnormality scores, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), MDA, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), NOX2, and NF-κB levels in the low, medium, and high dose groups were all gradually decreased (all P < 0.05), while proteoglycan, SOD, GSH, and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels in the low, medium, and high dose groups were all gradually increased (all P < 0.05), and it was dose-dependent. Conclusions:Rhizoma Sparganii and Rhizoma Curcumae extracts can effectively improve cartilage damage in osteoarthritis rats, and it may be related to the inhibition of the NOX2/ROS/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of a clinical imaging model based on multi-slice helical computer tomography (MSCT) examination in predicting prognosis of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopatho-logical data of 88 patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma who were admitted to the Ningbo Yinzhou No.2 Hospital from January 2019 to January 2021 were collected. There were 62 males and 26 females, aged (60±15)years. All patients underwent preoperative MSCT examination. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range). Count data were expressed as absolute numbers. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using the Logistic regression model. The receiver opera-ting characteristic curve was used to analyze the predictive efficacy of prognosis, and the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity were calculated. Results:(1) Surgical situations and follow-up. All 88 patients underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer and were diagnosed with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma through postoperative pathological examination. All 88 patients were followed up after surgery for 41(range, 36?48)months, with a 3-year overall survival rate of 69.32%. (2) Analysis of factors affecting the prognosis of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma after radical surgery. Results of multivariate analysis showed that preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and extramural venous invasion (EMVI) were independent factors affecting the prognosis of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma after radical surgery ( odds ratio=1.10, 7.72, 95% confidence interval as 1.01?3.82, 1.42?15.42, P<0.05). (3) Construction and evaluation of predictive model. The AUC of predictive efficacy of prognosis for advanced gastric adenocarcinoma of preoperative CEA and EMVI were 0.90 (95% confidence interval as 0.82?0.97) and 0.80 (95% confidence intervalas 0.71?0.89), respectively, with sensitivity of 85.25% and 78.69% and specificity of 100.00% and 81.48%, respec-tively. A predictive model was constructed by combining preoperative CEA and EMVI based on the results of multivariate analysis, and the AUC of the predictive model was 0.93 (95% confidence interval as 0.87?0.98), with sensitivity and specificity of 86.89% and 96.30%. Conclusions:CEA and EMVI are independent factors affecting the prognosis of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma after radical surgery. The predictive model constructed by combining preoperative CEA and EMVI has good predictive efficacy for patient prognosis.

Objective:To explore the therapeutic effect of interventional treatment on Takayasu arteritis involved renal artery.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 26 patients (28 blood vessels) with Takayasu arteritis involved renal artery admitted to the Xuanwu Hospital, Capital University of Medical Sciences from January 2012 to July 2023. Balloon dilation or stent implantation were performed, and the t vascular patency rate, blood pressure changes, surgical effects, and complications were followed up and observed.Results:All patients underwent balloon dilation or stent implantation, and the surgery was successful, including 23 cases of balloon dilation (25 blood vessels) and 3 cases of stent implantation (3 blood vessels). During the follow-up period of 12-102 months, one case died of renal failure at 57 months post surgery (unilateral renal artery balloon dilation case), and one case was lost in the first year (unilateral renal artery balloon dilation case). The patency rates of balloon dilated blood vessels at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years were 23/24(95.83%), 22/24(91.67%), and 20/23(86.96%), respectively. Patients with stent implantation had 2 diseased blood vessels unobstructed at 1 year of follow-up and 1 diseased blood vessel unobstructed at 3 years of follow-up. Some patients showed improvement in clinical symptoms, including 3 cases (3/26, 11.54%) of cured hypertension symptoms, 19 cases (19/26, 73.08%) of improved symptoms, and 4 cases (4/26, 15.38%) of ineffective symptoms. The systolic blood pressure decreased from preoperative (169.29±10.76)mmHg to (150.31±14.62)mmHg, with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in blood creatinine levels between preoperative (78.42±21.38)μmol/L and postoperative (77.83±21.14)μmol/L ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Endovascular angioplasty is safe, feasible, and has a definite therapeutic effect on patients with Takayasu′s arteritis involved renal artery.

Objective To investigate the impact of different treatment options on lumbar function, pain intensity, and anterior vertebral height in elderly patients with thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures. Methods The clinical data of 102 elderly patients with thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures who completed 1-year follow-up were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into conservative group (32 cases), percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) group (35 cases), and percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) group (35 cases) based on different treatment options. One year after treatment, the clinical efficacy and complications of the three groups were evaluated. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, Cobb angle, and anterior vertebral height were compared before and 1 year after treatment among the three groups. Results The excellent and good rates of the PKP group and PVP group were higher than those of the conservative group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the excellent and good rates between the PKP group and PVP group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in occurrence of complications among the three groups (P>0.05). One year after treatment, the VAS scores of the three groups were lower than before treatment, and the JOA scores were higher than before treatment, and the VAS scores of the PKP group and PVP group were lower than those of the conservative group, and the JOA scores were higher than those of the conservative group (P < 0.05). The VAS score of the PKP group was lower than that of the PVP group, and the JOA score was higher than that of the PVP group (P < 0.05). One year after treatment, the Cobb angles of the three groups were smaller than before treatment, and the anterior vertebral heights were higher than before treatment, and the Cobb angles of the PKP group and PVP group were smaller than those of the conservative group, and the anterior vertebral heights were higher than those of the conservative group (P < 0.05). The Cobb angle of the PKP group was smaller than that of the PVP group, and the anterior vertebral height was higher than that of the PVP group, the difference in anterior vertebral height was greater than that of the PVP group (P < 0.05). Conclusion Compared with conservative treatment, surgery can improve the clinical efficacy of elderly patients with thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures. PKP is superior to PVP in reducing pain of patients, improving lumbar function and Cobb angle, and anterior vertebral height. Moreover, it has better safety.

BACKGROUND: With the development of traditional Chinese medicine research, berberine has shown good efficacy and safety in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of triple therapy containing berberine, amoxicillin, and vonoprazan for the initial treatment of H. pylori. METHODS: This study was a single-center, open-label, parallel, randomized controlled clinical trial. Patients with H. pylori infection were randomly (1:1:1) assigned to receive berberine triple therapy (berberine 500 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg, vonoprazan 20 mg, A group), vonoprazan quadruple therapy (vonoprazan 20 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg, clarithromycin 500 mg, colloidal bismuth tartrate 220 mg, B group), or rabeprazole quadruple therapy (rabeprazole 10 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg, clarithromycin 500 mg, colloidal bismuth tartrate 220 mg, C group). The drugs were taken twice daily for 14 days. The main outcome was the H. pylori eradication rate. The secondary outcomes were symptom improvement rate, patient compliance, and incidence of adverse events. Furthermore, factors affecting the eradication rate of H. pylori were further analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 300 H. pylori-infected patients were included in this study, and 263 patients completed the study. An intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis showed that the eradication rates of H. pylori in berberine triple therapy, vonoprazan quadruple therapy, and rabeprazole quadruple therapy were 70.0% (70/100), 77.0% (77/100), and 69.0% (69/100), respectively. The per-protocol (PP) analysis showed that the eradication rates of H. pylori in these three groups were 81.4% (70/86), 86.5% (77/89), and 78.4% (69/88), respectively. Both ITT analysis and PP analysis showed that the H. pylori eradication rate did not significantly differ among the three groups (P >0.05). In addition, the symptom improvement rate, overall adverse reaction rate, and patient compliance were similar among the three groups (P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS The efficacy of berberine triple therapy for H. pylori initial treatment was comparable to that of vonoprazan quadruple therapy and rabeprazole quadruple therapy, and it was well tolerated. It could be used as one choice of H. pylori initial treatment.
Humans ; Amoxicillin/therapeutic use* ; Helicobacter pylori ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Clarithromycin/therapeutic use* ; Rabeprazole/therapeutic use* ; Berberine/therapeutic use* ; Bismuth ; Helicobacter Infections/drug therapy* ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Treatment Outcome ; Proton Pump Inhibitors/therapeutic use*

Objective To investigate the epidemiological chatacteristics and genotypes of parechovirus A (PeV-A) from children with acute diarrhea in Beijing in 2021. Methods Fecal samples were randomly collected from outpatient children under 60 months with acute diarrhea in a sentinel hospital in Beijing from January to December of 2021. RNA was extracted and detected for PeV-A by real-time RT-PCR. Nested RT-PCR was performed to amplify the VP3/VP1 conjunction region. PeV-A genotypes were determined based on sequencing and NCBI BLAST. Group A rotavirus, norovirus, enteric adenovirus, astrovirus and sapovirus were also detected for co-infection analysis. Phylogenetic and statistical analyses were performed using bioinformatics and statistical software. Results Of the 198 stool samples, 11 were positive for PeV-A, with a detection rate of 5.56% (11/198). Among them, 2 cases were co-infected with enteric adenovirus. 81.82% (9/11) of PeV-A infected cases were under 24 months. The highest detection rate was observed in fall, which was 12.50% (7/56). 90.91%（10/11）of PeV-A infection occurred in summer and fall. Among the 11 PeV-A isolates, 9 were sequenced successfully, of which 7 belonged to PeV-A1B genotype and 2 belonged to PeV-A3 genotype. Conclusion PeV-A1B and PeV-A3 are identified in children with acute gastroenteritis in Beijing in 2021. Infants and young children under 2 years old are the high-risk population for PeV-A infection. Most infections occur in summer and fall.