Objective:To explore the differences in clinical efficacy between Co-Cr-Mo guided multidirectional sliding growing rod technology (CMSG) and traditional growing rod in the treatment of neurofibromatosis type 1 dysplastic early-onset scoliosis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 20 patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 dysplastic early-onset scoliosis who underwent surgical treatment in the Scoliosis Department of Zhengzhou Orthopaedic Hospital Affiliated to Henan University from January 2010 to July 2022. There were 10 patients in the traditional rod group (treated with traditional growing rod surgery) and 10 patients in the CMSG group (treated with CMSG technology). All patients were ≤10 years old and had a Cobb angle ≥45°. The number of surgeries and the occurrence of complications were recorded. The Cobb angle of the main scoliotic curve, the Cobb angle of kyphosis from T 5 to T 12, and the height from T 1 to S 1 were measured from the imaging data to evaluate the correction of deformity and spinal growth. Results:There were no significant differences in age, gender, follow - up time, preoperative Cobb angle, and preoperative Cobb angle of kyphosis from T 5-T 12 between the CMSG group and the TGR group ( P>0.05). The number of surgeries 1.3±0.67 and the total medical cost 91, 100±34, 700 yuan in the CMSG group were lower than those in the TGR group (5.3±1.77 times and 155, 800±45, 900 yuan], and the differences were statistically significant ( t=6.687, P<0.001; t=3.558, P=0.002). The Cobb angles of the main curve before surgery, after the first surgery, and at the last follow - up in the CMSG group were 69.7°±17.8°, 19.8°±9.7°, and 24.4°±9.0° respectively, while those in the TGR group were 62.0°±11.1°, 32.1°±11.4°, and 33.3°±11.6° respectively. The differences in Cobb angles after the first surgery and at the last follow-up between the two groups were statistically significant ( t=2.633, P=0.017; t=2.313, P=0.033). The Cobb angles of kyphosis from T 5 to T 12 before surgery, after the first surgery, and at the last follow - up in the CMSG group were 40.0°±24.2°, 21.0°±6.0°, and 33.6°±9.3° respectively, while those in the TGR group were 31.3°±14.5°, 26.3°±10.5°, and 32.3°±17.2° respectively. There were no significant differences in the Cobb angles of kyphosis from T 5 to T 12 after the first surgery and at the last follow-up between the two groups ( t=1.383, P=0.184; t=0.243, P=0.811). The heights from T 1 to S 1 before surgery, after the first surgery, and at the last follow-up in the CMSG group were 30.5±3.4 cm, 33.7±3.3 cm, and 37.9±4.8 cm respectively, with an annual increase of 1.18±0.39 cm. The heights from T 1 to S 1 in the TGR group were 29.1±3.0 cm, 31.4±2.9 cm, and 36.3±3.5 cm respectively, with an annual increase of 1.25±0.23 cm. There was no significant difference in the annual growth height of T 1-S 1 between the two groups ( t=1.367, P=0.189). During the follow-up period, 3 patients in the CMSG group had 3 complications: 1 case of coronal plane trunk decompensation, 1 case of rod fracture, and 1 case of distal junctional kyphosis. In the TGR group, 7 patients had 8 complications: 2 cases of wound rupture, 3 cases of screw loosening, 1 case of distal addition phenomenon, 1 case of proximal addition phenomenon, and 1 case of rod fracture. Conclusion:The Co-Cr-Mo guided multidirectional sliding growing rod technique is safe and effective in treating type 1 neurofibromatosis with malnutrition type early-onset scoliosis. It can effectively control the progression of spinal deformities,preserve the growth ability of the spine, and have a low overall incidence of complications.

AIM To investigate the protective effects of verbascoside on D-galactose-induced liver injury in mice and its underlying mechanisms.METHODS C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to the normal group,the model group,the vitamin E group(100 mg/kg),and the low-dose and high-dose verbascoside groups(40,80 mg/kg),with 10 mice in each group.Simultaneous administration of medicine and subcutaneous injection of D-galactose(600 mg/kg)went on among the groups except the normal group for 8 weeks.Serum ALT,AST,ALP activities,along with TBil levels were measured using biochemical kits.Hepatic GSH,MDA concentrations,as well as SOD and GSH-Px activities were quantified.Liver pathological morphology was evaluated by HE staining,while hepatic fibrosis area was assessed using Sirius red staining.Western blot analysis determined hepatic expression of IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-ɑ,TLR4,NF-κB p65,IκBɑ and p-IKBɑ proteins.RESULTS Compared to the model group,the groups treated with vitamin E or verbascoside demonstrated significantly reduced body weight(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);increased hepatic index(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);decreased serum activities of ALT,AST and ALP alongsided reduced TBil levels(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);attenuated pathological damage of liver tissue and fibrosis severity;reduced hepatic MDA level(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and elevated GSH level with enhanced SOD and GSH-Px activities(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Furthermore,the high-dose verbascoside group showed significantly decreased hepatic expressions of IL-6,IL-1 β,TNF-ɑ,TLR4,NF-κB p65,and p-IKBɑ/IKBɑ proteins(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).CONCLUSION Verbascoside improves D-galactose-induced liver injury through its antioxidant activity,anti-inflammatory effects,and suppression of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Poly(lactic-co-glycolide)(PLGA)is a key excipient in long-acting sustained-release preparations,and its degradation properties directly affect the drug release behavior.In this study,PLGA microspheres were prepared by microfluidic techniques,and the morphology changes of the microspheres were observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).In alkaline environment,due to the accelerated hydrolysis of ester bonds,the surface of the microspheres was rapidly dissolved and eroded,and the degradation rate was significantly higher than that in acidic environment.High temperature accelerated the degradation of PLGA microspheres.Under neutral and alkaline conditions,the microspheres showed aggregation and adhesion.Under acidic conditions,the microspheres gradually decomposed into irregular fragments.The high ionic strength further promoted the surface corrosion of the microspheres,especially under extreme pH conditions.Simultaneously,PLGA microspheres encapsulating coumarin were prepared to simulate the microsphere formulation.The release rate of coumarin after degradation of the microspheres under different conditions was observed by measuring the absorbance with ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry.The results were consistent with those of the blank microspheres.This study revealed that the degradation of PLGA microspheres was significantly pH-dependent,temperature sensitive and ion strength responsive.These findings not only helped to understand and optimize the long-term stability and controlled release performance of drug-carrying microspheres,but also provided a theoretical basis for further improvement of PLGA-based drug carrier design.

Introducing fingerprint level 3 features(especially sweat pores)in fingerprint recognition can significantly improve the value of fingerprints.However,conventional fingerprint visualization methods suffer from issues such as poor stability and reproducibility,insufficient resolution,and feature masking in detecting level 3 features.Electrospun membrane has unique advantages in latent fingerprint(LFP)detection due to its excellent adsorption performance and high specific surface area,and thus its application potential in LFP visualization urgently need to be explored.A novel pore visualization method based on core-shell structured PAN-Flu/PVP composite nanofibrous membrane was proposed in this work.Specifically,the PAN-Flu/PVP composite nanofibrous membrane was prepared via coaxial electrospinning technology,with polyacrylonitrile(PAN)loaded with fluorescein(Flu)as the core and polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)as the shell.The experimental results showed that the prepared PAN Flu/PVP composite nanofibrous membrane had a porous structure and excellent adsorption performance.Based on the water solubility of the outer shell PVP and the water induced fluorescence enhancement effect of the core Flu,high-resolution visualization of sweat pores could be achieved within 2 s.The optimization experiment showed that the best quality of sweat latent fingerprints was obtained when the Flu content was 4 mg/mL,the spinning time was 1 h,and the sweating time was 2 min.Through repeated fingerprinting and live fingerprint comparison experiment,the strong stability and high reproducibility of the as-produced membrane in displaying fingerprint sweat pores were finally verified.In summary,the development method could quickly,stably and accurately extract the spatial distribution and activity level of fingerprint sweat pores,which was of great significance for improving the utilization and value of fingerprints.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical value of CD4⁺ cell percentage (CD4⁺%) and NK cell percentage (NK%) in predicting treatment outcomes in children with aplastic anemia (AA), providing a reference for precise diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed the clinical data of AA children treated with cyclosporine A at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2019 to April 2024. The study involved 48 AA children as the observation group and 50 children undergoing medical check-ups during the same period as the control group. Lymphocyte subset data were collected from both groups to analyze differences and their relationship with treatment efficacy. Based on hematological responses, the observation group was divided into an effective group of 18 patients (HR group, including complete and partial remission) and an ineffective group of 30 patients (NHR group, including non-remission). RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that NK% in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The observation group was followed up for 3 months. The HR group had a lower CD4⁺% than the NHR group (P=0.018) and a higher NK% than the NHR group (P=0.029). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that a high CD4⁺% was a risk factor for poor treatment efficacy (OR=1.062), whereas a high NK% was a protective factor (OR=0.820). The area under the curve for the prediction of HR in pediatric AA by combining CD4⁺% and NK% was 0.812. CONCLUSIONS A higher CD4⁺% at diagnosis is a predictor of poor treatment response, whereas a higher NK% is associated with better outcomes.
Humans ; Anemia, Aplastic/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Child ; Retrospective Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Prognosis ; Adolescent ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; Infant

OBJECTIVE: To detect and analyze the expression and clinical significance of long non-coding RNA tyrosine kinase non-catalytic region adaptor protein 1-antisense RNA1 (NCK1-AS1) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: 89 AML patients and 23 healthy controls were included from the People's Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of NCK1-AS1 and NCK1 in bone marrow samples. The relationship between the expression of NCK1-AS1 and the clinical characteristics of patients were analyzed, as well as the correlation between NCK1-AS1 and NCK1. RESULTS: The expression level of NCK1-AS1 in all AML, non-M3 AML and cytogenetically normal AML (CN-AML) patients was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively). In non-M3 AML, patients with high NCK1-AS1 expression had a significantly lower hemoglobin level than those with low NCK1-AS1 expression (P =0.036), furthermore, NCK1-AS1 ^high patients had shorter overall survival than NCK1-AS1^low patients (P =0.0378). Multivariate analysis showed that NCK1-AS1 expression was an independent adverse factor in patients with non-M3 AML ( HR =2.392, 95% CI :1.089-5.255, P =0.030). In addition, NCK1 expression was also significantly upregulated in all AML, non-M3 AML and CN-AML patients compared with controls (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.001, respectively). There was a certain correlation between NCK1-AS1 and NCK1 expression (r =0.37, P =0.0058). CONCLUSION High expression of NCK1-AS1 in AML indicates poor prognosis of AML patients.
Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Oncogene Proteins/genetics* ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics* ; Prognosis ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Clinical Relevance

BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is common in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and may develop earlier in those with multiple cardiovascular comorbidities, potentially impairing self-management and treatment adherence. This study aimed to characterize the prevalence and profile of MCI in AF patients, examine its associations with cardiovascular comorbidities, and assess how these comorbidities influence specific cognitive domains. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from AF patients who underwent cognitive assessment between 2017 and 2021. Cognitive status was categorized as MCI or non-MCI based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Associations between comorbidities and MCI were assessed by logistic regression, and cognitive domains were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Of 4136 AF patients (mean age: 64.7 ± 9.4 years, 64.7% male), 33.5% of patients had MCI. Among the AF patients, 31.2% of patients had coronary artery disease, 20.1% of patients had heart failure, and 18.1% of patients had hypertension. 88.7% of patients had left atrial enlargement, and 11.0% of patients had reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Independent factors associated with higher MCI prevalence included older age (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.03-1.05, P < 0.001), lower education level (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.31-1.73, P < 0.001), hypertension (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.07-1.52, P = 0.001), heart failure (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.04-1.48, P = 0.020), and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.04-1.98, P = 0.028). A higher CHA₂DS₂-VASc score (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.22-1.33, P < 0.001; ≥ 2 points vs. < 2 points), and greater atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease burden (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.02-2.08, P = 0.040; 2 types vs. 0 type) were linked to increased MCI risk. These above factors influenced various cognitive domains. CONCLUSIONS MCI is common in AF and closely associated with cardiovascular multimorbidity. Patients with multiple comorbidities are at higher risk, highlighting the importance of routine cognitive assessment to support self-management and integrated care.

Early-life stress (ES) leads to cognitive dysfunction in female adolescents, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain elusive. Recent evidence suggests that the cell adhesion molecules NECTIN1 and NECTIN3 play a role in cognition and ES-related cognitive deficits in male rodents. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether and how nectins contribute to ES-induced cognitive dysfunction in female adolescents. Applying the well-established limited bedding and nesting material paradigm, we found that ES impairs recognition memory, suppresses prefrontal NECTIN1 and hippocampal NECTIN3 expression, and upregulates corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh) and its receptor 1 (Crhr1) mRNA levels in the hippocampus of adolescent female mice. Genetic experiments revealed that the reduction of dorsal CA1 (dCA1) NECTIN3 mediates ES-induced object recognition memory deficits, as knocking down dCA1 NECTIN3 impaired animals' performance in the novel object recognition task, while overexpression of dCA1 NECTIN3 successfully reversed the ES-induced deficits. Notably, prefrontal NECTIN1 knockdown did not result in significant cognitive impairments. Furthermore, acute systemic administration of antalarmin, a CRHR1 antagonist, upregulated hippocampal NECTIN3 levels and rescued object and spatial memory deficits in stressed mice. Our findings underscore the critical role of dCA1 NECTIN3 in mediating ES-induced object recognition memory deficits in adolescent female mice, highlighting it as a potential therapeutic target for stress-related psychiatric disorders in women.
Animals ; Female ; Mice ; CA1 Region, Hippocampal/metabolism* ; Cell Adhesion Molecules/metabolism* ; CRF Receptor, Type 1/metabolism* ; Memory Disorders/etiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Nectins/genetics* ; Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Recognition, Psychology/physiology* ; Stress, Psychological/complications*

The angiogenic response is essential for the repair of ischemic brain tissue. Integrin α6 (Itga6) expression has been shown to increase under hypoxic conditions and is expressed exclusively in vascular structures; however, its role in post-ischemic angiogenesis remains poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that mice with endothelial cell-specific knockout of Itga6 exhibit reduced neovascularization, reduced pericyte coverage on microvessels, and accelerated breakdown of microvascular integrity in the peri-infarct area. In vitro, endothelial cells with ITGA6 knockdown display reduced proliferation, migration, and tube-formation. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that ITGA6 regulates post-stroke angiogenesis through the PI3K/Akt-eNOS-VEGFA axis. Importantly, the specific overexpression of Itga6 in endothelial cells significantly enhanced neovascularization and enhanced the integrity of microvessels, leading to improved functional recovery. Our results suggest that endothelial cell Itga6 plays a crucial role in key steps of post-stroke angiogenesis, and may represent a promising therapeutic target for promoting recovery after stroke.
Animals ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III/metabolism* ; Mice ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Integrin alpha6/genetics* ; Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Stroke/pathology* ; Vascular Remodeling/physiology* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism* ; Mice, Knockout ; Signal Transduction/physiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Male ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/physiology*