With the accelerating trend of population aging, the number of elderly patients with lung cancer continues to rise, and the disease burden is becoming increasingly heavy. The clinical management of these patients faces severe challenges due to their decreased physiological reserve, complex comorbidities, and significant individual heterogeneity. Consequently, under traditional diagnosis and treatment models, doctors often struggle to identify the individualized risks of elderly patients in a timely and comprehensive manner, which can easily lead to decision biases such as undertreatment or overtreatment. In view of this, this study advocates for the establishment of an umbrella decision-making model specifically tailored for elderly lung cancer patients. Grounded in a multidisciplinary team (MDT) platform, this model deeply integrates oncological indicators with the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) system. By holistically considering multidimensional variables including tumor burden, organ function, frailty index, cognitive status, and social support, the model establishes an operational mechanism characterized by "single entry, precise stratification, and targeted selection". Accordingly, patients can be scientifically triaged into distinct intervention tiers, such as active surveillance, minimally invasive surgery, drug therapy, radiotherapy, and best supportive care, thereby achieving real-time alignment between treatment intensity and patient fitness. This article elaborates on the construction logic and key operational procedures of this novel decision-making framework, aiming to guide clinical practice beyond the limitations of a tumor-centric perspective toward a holistic, dynamic, whole-course management strategy. This transition seeks to ensure optimal quality of life and clinical net benefit for elderly patients alongside survival prolongation.

Objective: To investigate the association between monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) and periodontitis and to provide new epidemiologic evidence on the factors affecting periodontitis. Methods: Data on MHR, periodontitis, and other covariates were selected from the NHANES(National Health and Nutrition Examination) database for 3 cycles of subjects in 2009-2010, 2011-2012, and 2013-2014, and a total of 8 456 study subjects were included. The study participants were grouped according to the prevalence of periodontitis (presence or absence), and three regression models (unadjusted covariates, partially adjusted covariates, and fully adjusted covariates) were constructed to analyze the relationship between MHR and periodontitis by using a weighted logistic regression method with stepwise adjustment for confounders. MHR was divided into four groups from Q1 to Q4 according to quartiles from small to large for weighted trend analysis, and the nonlinear relationship between MHR (continuous) and periodontitis was analyzed using a restricted cubic spline with subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis. Results: All three logistic regression models showed a positive association between MHR and periodontitis (OR = 2.92, 95%CI: 2.14-3.99, P<0.001 (not adjusted); OR = 1.97, 95%CI: 1.39-2.78, P<0.001 (partially adjusted); OR = 1.62, 95%CI: 1.10-2.39, P = 0.017 (fully adjusted)). Trend analysis showed a significantly higher risk of developing periodontitis in the Q4 group compared with the Q1 group in both single (OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.58-2.33, P<0.001) and multifactorial analyses (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.03-1.64, P = 0.029). Restricted cubic spline results did not support a nonlinear relationship between MHR and periodontitis (P for nonlinear>0.05), subgroup analysis showed no significant interaction between the covariates and MHR (P>0.05), and sensitivity analysis also showed a positive correlation between MHR and periodontitis (OR = 1.67, 95%CI: 1.31-2.14, P<0.001). Conclusion MHR is positively associated with the risk of developing periodontitis.

FLASH irradiation (FLASH-IR) is one of the cutting-edge research directions in the field of tumor radiotherapy. Previous studies have demonstrated that FLASH-IR can effectively eradicate tumors while significantly reducing damage to normal tissues, exhibiting unique biological effects characterized by high efficiency and low toxicity. Monte Carlo simulation at the microscopic scale is a critical method for studying radiobiological effects and has been widely applied in conventional radiotherapy research. In recent years, its application in microscopic reaction analysis and mechanistic exploration of FLASH-IR has grown rapidly. This article systematically reviews the latest advances and key challenges in microscopic Monte Carlo simulation studies of FLASH-IR, aiming to provide theoretical insights and method ological guidance for future research.

Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori) is a major pathogenic factor in gastric diseases, infecting approximately half of the global population. As a country with a high incidence of gastric cancer and high prevalence of H. pylori, China exhibits a familial clustering pattern of H. pylori infection and faces challenges of severe antibiotic resistance, and insufficient awareness among primary healthcare providers and the general public. This review summarizes the epidemiological profile, screening and eradication strategies, clinical diagnosis and treatment practices, and novel eradication therapies of H. pylori infection based on domestic and international consensus and research advances in the field.

Objective:To compare the preliminary efficacy and adverse events of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with or without immunotherapy in bladder preservation therapy for localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) confined to the pelvis.Methods:Clinical data of 60 patients with MIBC who received CRT with or without immunotherapy for bladder preservation at the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2016 to June 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into CRT plus immunotherapy group and CRT-alone group. Survival outcomes, bladder function preservation, recurrence and metastasis, as well as early and late radiation toxicities were evaluated. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for between-group comparisons. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and survival rates were compared by the log-rank test. Results:In the CRT plus immunotherapy group ( n=23), the median follow-up was 20 months. The median OS and median PFS were not reached. The 2-year OS, PFS, LRFS, and DMFS rates were 95.7%, 70.7%, 70.7%, and 92.9%, respectively, and 22 patients (96%) preserved normal bladder function. Patients with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) combined positive score (CPS) ≥1 had significantly higher 1-year PFS rate than those with CPS <1 (100% vs. 66.7%, P=0.004). In the CRT-alone group ( n=37), the median follow-up was 37 months, with median OS and PFS of 68 and 19 months, respectively. The 2-year OS, PFS, LRFS, and DMFS rates were 92.0%, 41.1%, 60.9% and 81.5%, respectively, and 33 patients (89%) preserved normal bladder function. Compared with the CRT-alone group, the CRT plus immunotherapy group showed a significant improvement in PFS ( χ2=4.38, P=0.036), while no significant differences were observed in OS, LRFS, or DMFS (all P>0.05). The incidence of acute hematologic toxicity in the CRT plus immunotherapy group and CRT-alone group were 52% (12/23), 27% (10/37) respectively, and late genitourinary toxicity was 22% (5/23), 8% (3/37), respectively, with no significant differences in overall acute or late toxicities (all P>0.05). Conclusions:For localized MIBC, bladder preservation with CRT combined with immunotherapy significantly improves PFS compared with CRT alone, while maintaining comparable safety. The PD-L1 status may serve as a favorable predictor for immunotherapy efficacy.

Objective:To evaluate the accuracy of the oral healthcare information provided by different large language models (LLM) to explore their feasibility and limitations in the application of oral auxiliary, treatment and health consultation.Methods:This study designed eight items comprising 47 questions in total related to the diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases [to assess the performance of LLM as an artificial intelligence (AI) medical assistant], and five items comprising 35 questions in total about oral health consultations (to assess the performance of LLM as a simulated doctor). These questions were answered individually by the five LLM models (Erine Bot, HuatuoGPT, Tongyi Qianwen, iFlytek Spark, ChatGPT). Two attending physicians with more than 5 years of experience independently rated the responses using the 3C criteria (correct, clear, concise), and the consistency between the raters was assessed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient, and the Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn post hoc test were used to assess the statistical differences between the models. Additionally, this study used 600 questions from the 2023 dental licensing examination to evaluate the time taken to answer, scores, and accuracy of each model.Results:As an AI medical assistant, LLM can assist doctors in diagnosis and treatment decision-making, with an inter-evaluator Spearman coefficient of 0.505 ( P<0.01). As a simulated doctor, LLM can carry out patient popularization, with an inter-evaluator Spearman coefficient of 0.533 ( P<0.01). The 3C scores of each model as an AI medical assistant and a simulated doctor were respectively: 2.00 (1.00, 3.00) and 2.00 (2.00, 3.00) points of Erine Bot, 1.00 (1.00, 2.00) and 2.00 (1.00, 2.00) points of HuatuoGPT, 2.00 (1.00, 2.00) and 2.00 (1.00, 3.00) points of Tongyi Qianwen, 2.00 (1.00, 2.00) and 2.00 (1.75, 2.25) points of iFlytek Spark, 3.00 (2.00, 3.00) and 3.00 (2.00, 3.00) points of ChatGPT (full score of 4 points). The Kruskal-Wallis test results showed that, as an AI medical assistant or a simulated doctor, there were statistically differences in the 3C scores among the five large language models (all P<0.001). The average score of the 5 LLMs on the dental licensing examination was 370.2, with an accuracy rate of 61.7% (370.2/600) and a time consumption of 94.6 min. Specifically, Erine Bot took 115 min, scored 363 points with an accuracy rate of 60.5% (363/600), HuatuoGPT took 224 min and scored 305 points with an accuracy rate of 50.8% (305/600), Tongyi Qianwen took 43 min, scored 438 points with an accuracy rate of 73.0% (438/600), iFlytek Spark took 32 min, scored 364 points with an accuracy rate of 60.7% (364/600), and ChatGPT took 59 min, scored 381 points with an accuracy rate of 63.5% (381/600). Conclusions:Based on the evaluation of LLM′s dual roles as an AI medical assistant and a simulated doctor, ChatGPT performes the best, with basically correct, clear and concise answers, followed by Erine Bot, Tongyi Qianwen and iFlytek Spark, with HuatuoGPT lagging behind significantly. In the dental licensing examination, all the 4 LLM, except for HuatuoGPT, reach the passing level, and the time consumpution for answering is significantly reduced compared to the 8 h required for the exam regulations in all of the five models. LLM has the feasibility of application in oral auxiliary, treatment and health consultation, and it can help both doctors and patients obtain medical information quickly. Howere, their outputs carry a risk of errors (since the 3C scoring results do not reach the full marks), so prudent judgment should be exercised when using them.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder and its symptoms are subject to the composition of the gut microbiota. However, it is not yet clear how probiotics relieve IBS, and there is no well-acknowledged standards concerning the clinical application of probiotics. This systematic review was conducted on the literature published from January 2020 to December 2023 and included 12 randomized controlled trials on probiotics in the treatment of IBS. Compared with placebo, the probiotic preparations improved the overall efficacy in IBS patients and was also well tolerated, suggesting the potential of probiotics in IBS management. Nevertheless, different probiotic strains, dosages, combinations, and dosing schedules may affect the outcomes. In the future, large-scale, multi-center, long-term follow-up studies are still needed to clarify the effective strains and methods of use and to promote the use of probiotics in the treatment of IBS.

Objective To explore the biological mechanism of radiation resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)and search for effective sensitization targets.Methods We retrieved 186 signaling pathways and related gene information from the MSigDB database.We also obtained RNA transcriptome data of ESCC patients using the Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)databases.We collected clinical pathological characteristics and tissue samples of 97 ESCC patients in our hospital from 2013 to 2020.Gene set variation analysis(GSVA)was made to calculate KEGG signaling pathway score,radiotherapy resistance related signaling pathways were screened through random forest algorithm,key genes in the pathway were screened using DESeq2,and a radiotherapy efficacy prediction model was constructed based on support vector machine-recursive feature elimination(SVM-RFE).The results were validated through experiments such as Western blotting and clonogenic assay.Results Based on the KEGG signaling pathway and GSVA enrichment score,random forest analysis showed that in the TCGA and GSE45670 cohorts,the contribution of tryptophan metabolism pathway enrichment values to radiation resistance in ESCC was significantly better than that of the other pathways.DESeq2 analysis revealed that key molecules in the tryptophan metabolism pathway,namely,IDO1,ALDH1B1,AOC1,INMT,AFMID and ALDH7A1,were significantly differentially expressed in the resistant and sensitive groups of ESCC.Based on the SVM-RFE algorithm,the AUC was 0.77,which could accurately predict the radiotherapy efficacy of ESCC.Western blotting experiments showed that IDO1 was highly expressed in ESCC cells,and IDO1 inhibitor treatment significantly inhibited the survival ability and radiosensitivity of KYSE-410 cells.In the enrolled patients of our hospital,immunohistochemical studies showed that IDO1 was highly expressed in the radiotherapy resistant group of ESCC and was associated with poor radiotherapy prognosis in ESCC patients.In addition,further testing showed that the expression of IDO1 in patient samples from our hospital was positively correlated with its PD-L1 expression,but negatively correlated with the infiltration ratio of CD3/CD8 immune cells.Conclusion Tryptophan catabolism is associated with radiation resistance in ESCC,and the key enzyme IDO1 in tryptophan metabolism can be used as a therapeutic target for radiosensitization in ESCC.

Objective:To analyze the impact of achieving behavioral and metabolic factor control targets on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in hypertensive patients.Methods:This retrospective study utilized data from the National Enssential Public Health Service program in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province. Hypertensive patients who participated in the program in 2018 were enrolled and divided into six groups accoding to the number (0-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6) of controlled behavioral and metabolic factors (blood glucose, blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, obesity, smoking, and physical activity). Baseline data were collected from the 2018 health examinations and stratified intervention management records to analyze the distribution of characteristics across groups. Patients were followed up, with incident CVD during follow-up as the primary outcome. Competing-risk Cox proportional hazards regression model was employed to assess the impact of achieving behavioral and metabolic control targets on CVD risk. Differences in cumulative incidence of CVD between groups were compared using Gray′s test for equality of cumulative incidence functions. The population attributable fractions (PAF) for each behavioral and metabolic factors were calculated using the "averisk" package in R software.Results:A total of 87 338 hypertensive patients were included, aged (62.88±9.14) years, with 42 419 males (48.57%). During a follow-up of 75.0 (60.0, 77.0) months, 10 200 incident cases of CVD and 3 187 non-CVD deaths were recorded. The cumulative incidence of CVD was 13.69% (95% CI 13.35-14.03), with no statistically significant difference between males and females (13.99% vs. 13.41%, Pgray=0.246). Cox regression analysis revealed that after adjusting for confounders, the risk of CVD in hypertensive patients showed a decreasing trend with an increasing number of controlled behavioral and metabolic factors ( P for trend<0.001). Specifically, achieving all six control targets was associated with a 48% reduction in CVD risk ( HR=0.52, 95% CI 0.44-0.62, P<0.001) compared to achieving only 0-1 control targets. Moreover, the combined PAF of all six factors for CVD incidence was 23.98% (95% CI 19.99%-27.97%). Physical inactivity had the highest PAF (8.70% (95% CI 5.19%-12.21%)), followed by uncontrolled blood glucose (7.30% (95% CI 6.36%-8.25%)) and elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (5.54% (95% CI 3.58%-7.50%)). Conclusion:Compared to achieving only 0-1 control targets, attaining all six behavioral and metabolic control targets was associated with a 48% reduction in CVD risk among hypertensive patients. Furthermore, controlling all six factors could prevent 23.98% of CVD cases in the hypertensive population. Therefore, multifactorial coordinated interventions should be prioritized as a core strategy in the National Essential Public Health Services Program to effectively achieve the goal of primary CVD prevention at the population level.

FLASH irradiation (FLASH-IR) is one of the cutting-edge research directions in the field of tumor radiotherapy. Previous studies have demonstrated that FLASH-IR can effectively eradicate tumors while significantly reducing damage to normal tissues, exhibiting unique biological effects characterized by high efficiency and low toxicity. Monte Carlo simulation at the microscopic scale is a critical method for studying radiobiological effects and has been widely applied in conventional radiotherapy research. In recent years, its application in microscopic reaction analysis and mechanistic exploration of FLASH-IR has grown rapidly. This article systematically reviews the latest advances and key challenges in microscopic Monte Carlo simulation studies of FLASH-IR, aiming to provide theoretical insights and method ological guidance for future research.