Rho proteins and the Rho-associated protein kinase(ROCK)signaling pathway are cruci-al components of intracellular signaling cascades.Rho proteins,which belong to the small GTPase family,play a pivotal role in regulating essential elements of the cytoskeleton within cells.ROCK functions as a downstream effector protein kinase of Rho,modulating various biological processes,including cell morphology,migration,and proliferation.Recent studies have underscored the signifi-cance of the ROCK signaling pathway in the replication of a diverse group of viruses.Furthermore,it has been discovered that some viruses disrupt cellular contraction,adhesion,and migration through the Rho/ROCK pathway,subsequently influencing the immune response triggered by vi-ral infections and affecting the tight junctions between cells.This article primarily reviews the re-search progress regarding the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway and its key signaling molecules,Rho and ROCK,in terms of their activation and regulation of viral replication and tight junction pro-teins between cells.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors for esophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis,to establish a predictive model,and to provide reasonable guidance for the prevention of early esophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed for 1 113 patients with liver cirrhosis who attended the hospitals in Chongqing,China from Decem-ber 2006 to May 2021.Recursive feature elimination(RFE)and four machine learning methods were used for the screening of features,and five machine learning predictive models were established by logistic regression,random forest,support vector machine(SVM),de-cision tree,and eXtreme Gradient Boosting(XGBoost).The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the per-formance of each model,and the model with the best performance was used to investigate the risk factors for esophageal varices in pa-tients with liver cirrhosis.SHAP plots were used to explain the impact of each risk factor on patients.Results:The XGBoost model showed the best performance in predicting the risk of esophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis,with an area under the ROC curve of 0.872(95%CI=0.813-0.918).SHAP plots showed that platelet count,diameter of the portal vein,cholinesterase,albumin,ala-nine aminotransferase,hemoglobin,prothrombin ratio,prothrombin time,and serum total protein were risk factors for esophageal vari-ces in patients with liver cirrhosis.Conclusion:This study shows that the XGBoost predictive model has a relatively high predictive value,and the risk factors obtained by this model have a certain guiding significance for the clinical prevention and treatment of early esophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological and clinical features of infectious diseases of the central nervous system (CNS).Methods:A cross-sectional study and analysis were conducted to summarize the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 9 918 patients with CNS infectious diseases, who were diagnosed and treated at 29 hospitals across China from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2020. Data collected included demographic data, clinical manifestations, health economic indicators, and prognostic outcomes.Results:Among the 9 918 collected cases of CNS infectious diseases, 5 559 were male (56.0%) and 4 359 were female (44.0%), with an onset age of 38 (25, 53) years. Education level: slightly more junior high school education (2 651 cases, 26.7%), and less elementary school education and below (2 181 cases, 22.0%) were found. Occupational distribution: farmers were found predominant (3 215 cases, 32.4%), followed by workers (1 826 cases, 18.4%) and students (1 633 cases, 16.5%). Clinical manifestations: headache (6 074 cases, 61.2%), fever (5 869 cases, 59.2%) and positive meningeal irritation signs (2 273 cases, 22.9%) were the 3 most common clinical manifestations, followed by nausea and (or) vomiting (2 095 cases, 21.1%), impaired consciousness (2 077 cases, 20.9%), psychiatric symptom (1 866 cases, 18.8%) and epilepsy (1 627 cases, 16.4%), etc., and cranial nerve involvement was found in 669 cases (6.7%). Major pathogens included viruses in 6 814 cases (68.7%), Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 1 677 cases (16.9%), common bacteria in 864 cases (8.7%), fungi in 254 cases (2.6%), spirochetes of syphilis in 183 cases (1.8%), parasites in 121 cases (1.2%), and rickettsiae in 5 cases (0.1%). Urban-rural distribution: slightly more cases were found in the countryside (5 418 cases, 54.6%) than in the towns (4 500 cases, 45.4%). Distribution of onset by season: 2 412 cases (24.3%) fell ill in spring, 2 835 cases (28.6%) in summer, 2 187 cases (22.1%) in fall, and 2 484 cases (25.0%) in winter. Health economics: the duration of hospitalization was 15 (8, 27) days, and the cost of hospitalization was 1.53 (0.91, 3.02)×10 000 yuan. Prognosis: 9 531 cases (96.1%) were cured or improved, and 92 cases (0.9%) died. Conclusions:The pathogens responsible for CNS infectious diseases are predominantly viruses. Although the incidence is slightly higher during the summer months, the overall seasonal pattern is not particularly pronounced. These infections are more commonly observed in young and middle-aged males and present with a diverse range of clinical manifestations, contributing to a significant disease burden.

Rho proteins and the Rho-associated protein kinase(ROCK)signaling pathway are cruci-al components of intracellular signaling cascades.Rho proteins,which belong to the small GTPase family,play a pivotal role in regulating essential elements of the cytoskeleton within cells.ROCK functions as a downstream effector protein kinase of Rho,modulating various biological processes,including cell morphology,migration,and proliferation.Recent studies have underscored the signifi-cance of the ROCK signaling pathway in the replication of a diverse group of viruses.Furthermore,it has been discovered that some viruses disrupt cellular contraction,adhesion,and migration through the Rho/ROCK pathway,subsequently influencing the immune response triggered by vi-ral infections and affecting the tight junctions between cells.This article primarily reviews the re-search progress regarding the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway and its key signaling molecules,Rho and ROCK,in terms of their activation and regulation of viral replication and tight junction pro-teins between cells.

HDAC7, a member of class IIa HDACs, plays a pivotal regulatory role in tumor, immune, fibrosis, and angiogenesis, rendering it a potential therapeutic target. Nevertheless, due to the high similarity in the enzyme active sites of class IIa HDACs, inhibitors encounter challenges in discerning differences among them. Furthermore, the substitution of key residue in the active pocket of class IIa HDACs renders them pseudo-enzymes, leading to a limited impact of enzymatic inhibitors on their function. In this study, proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology was employed to develop HDAC7 drugs. We developed an exceedingly selective HDAC7 PROTAC degrader B14 which showcased superior inhibitory effects on cell proliferation compared to TMP269 in various diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Subsequent investigations unveiled that B14 disrupts BCL6 forming a transcriptional inhibition complex by degrading HDAC7, thereby exerting proliferative inhibition in DLBCL. Our study broadened the understanding of the non-enzymatic functions of HDAC7 and underscored the importance of HDAC7 in the treatment of hematologic malignancies, particularly in DLBCL and AML.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological and clinical features of infectious diseases of the central nervous system (CNS).Methods:A cross-sectional study and analysis were conducted to summarize the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 9 918 patients with CNS infectious diseases, who were diagnosed and treated at 29 hospitals across China from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2020. Data collected included demographic data, clinical manifestations, health economic indicators, and prognostic outcomes.Results:Among the 9 918 collected cases of CNS infectious diseases, 5 559 were male (56.0%) and 4 359 were female (44.0%), with an onset age of 38 (25, 53) years. Education level: slightly more junior high school education (2 651 cases, 26.7%), and less elementary school education and below (2 181 cases, 22.0%) were found. Occupational distribution: farmers were found predominant (3 215 cases, 32.4%), followed by workers (1 826 cases, 18.4%) and students (1 633 cases, 16.5%). Clinical manifestations: headache (6 074 cases, 61.2%), fever (5 869 cases, 59.2%) and positive meningeal irritation signs (2 273 cases, 22.9%) were the 3 most common clinical manifestations, followed by nausea and (or) vomiting (2 095 cases, 21.1%), impaired consciousness (2 077 cases, 20.9%), psychiatric symptom (1 866 cases, 18.8%) and epilepsy (1 627 cases, 16.4%), etc., and cranial nerve involvement was found in 669 cases (6.7%). Major pathogens included viruses in 6 814 cases (68.7%), Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 1 677 cases (16.9%), common bacteria in 864 cases (8.7%), fungi in 254 cases (2.6%), spirochetes of syphilis in 183 cases (1.8%), parasites in 121 cases (1.2%), and rickettsiae in 5 cases (0.1%). Urban-rural distribution: slightly more cases were found in the countryside (5 418 cases, 54.6%) than in the towns (4 500 cases, 45.4%). Distribution of onset by season: 2 412 cases (24.3%) fell ill in spring, 2 835 cases (28.6%) in summer, 2 187 cases (22.1%) in fall, and 2 484 cases (25.0%) in winter. Health economics: the duration of hospitalization was 15 (8, 27) days, and the cost of hospitalization was 1.53 (0.91, 3.02)×10 000 yuan. Prognosis: 9 531 cases (96.1%) were cured or improved, and 92 cases (0.9%) died. Conclusions:The pathogens responsible for CNS infectious diseases are predominantly viruses. Although the incidence is slightly higher during the summer months, the overall seasonal pattern is not particularly pronounced. These infections are more commonly observed in young and middle-aged males and present with a diverse range of clinical manifestations, contributing to a significant disease burden.

Objective:To investigate the correlation among physical activity,mild depressive symptoms and frontal alpha power asymmetry in college students.Methods:Seventy college students with mild depressive symp-toms who conformed to the standard of the Self-Rating Scale for Depression(SDS)of 53-62 and 70 normal col-lege students were recruited.The frontal alpha power was measured under quiet and closed-eye state,and the total physical activity(PA)was assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.Results:The college students with mild depressive symptoms had lower Total PA scores,right frontal alpha power and frontal alpha a-symmetry(FAA)than the normal controls(P＜0.001).In college students with mild depressive symptoms,the to-tal PA scores(r=-0.29,P＜0.05)and FAA(r=-0.41,P＜0.001)were negatively correlated with SDS scores,and the total PA scores were positively correlated with FAA(r=0.34,P＜0.01).Conclusion:The college students with mild depressive symptoms may have reduced physical activity and asymmetric right lateralization of frontal alpha power.There is a correlation among depressive symptoms,physical activity and frontal alpha power a-symmetry in college students with mild depressive symptoms.

Tongue diagnosis is an important method of TCM diagnosis and treatment.Tongue is the key link of auxiliary diagnosis of tongue feature extraction and processing,and also is the bottleneck of intelligent tongue diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine.Using image processing,artificial intelligence technology to the tongue as a quantitative and identify characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine,looking for both conforms to the original thinking of TCM,and TCM tongue diagnosis method of accurately,has become a common concern of traditional Chinese medicine and computer field.From the mobile terminal tongue as auxiliary diagnostic system of traditional Chinese medicine tongue acquisition basic attribute,tongue diagnosis and image information building,tongue like features are required for accurate extraction and so on related key technology is analyzed,and build overall architecture,so as to provide technical reference for the tongue like intelligent diagnosis,promote the development of technology of tongue diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine modernization.

Magneto-acoustic-electric tomography (MAET) boasts high resolution in ultrasound imaging and high contrast in electrical impedance imaging, making it of significant research value in the fields of early tumor diagnosis and bioelectrical monitoring. In this study, a method was proposed that combined high conductivity liquid metal and maximum length sequence (M sequence) coded excitation to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. It was shown that, under rotational scanning, the liquid metal significantly improved the signal-to-noise ratio of the inter-tissue magneto-acoustic-electric signal and enhanced the quality of the reconstructed image. The signal-to-noise ratio of the signal was increased by 5.6, 11.1, 21.7, and 45.7 times under the excitation of 7-, 15-, 31-, and 63-bit M sequence code, respectively. The total usage time of 31-bit M sequence coded excitation imaging was shortened by 75.6% compared with single-pulse excitation when the same signal-to-noise ratio was improved. In conclusion, the imaging method combining liquid metal and M-sequence coding excitation has positive significance for improving MAET image quality.
Contrast Media ; Electricity ; Electric Conductivity ; Acoustics ; Tomography

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of prone position ventilation (PPV) on respiratory mechanics and prognosis in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) concurrent with interstitial lung disease (ILD). Methods The data of 36 severe ARDS patients admitted to Department of Critical Care Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from February 2013 to January 2015, were retrospectively analyzed. They were then divided into two groups according to the presence of ILD or not. The changes in respiratory mechanics and oxygenation indexes were compared before and after PPV treatment in all the patients. Kaplan-Meier method was applied to draw the 60-day survival curves of both groups.Results There were 17 cases with ILD among these 36 severe ARDS patients.① No significant difference was found in baseline data between ILD group and non-ILD group.② Respiratory mechanics and oxygenation pre-PPV and post-PPV: compared with pre-PPV, oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2, mmHg, 1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa) post-PPV was significantly increased in both groups [ILD group : 132.0 (93.5, 172.0) vs. 118.7 (92.0, 147.8); non-ILD group: 126.1 (100.9, 170.0) vs. 109.2 (89.0, 135.0), bothP< 0.05]. Compared with pre-PPV, positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP, cmH2O,1 cmH2O = 0.098kPa) post-PPV was significantly higher in ILD group [10.0 (10.0, 12.0) vs. 10.0 (9.2, 12.0),P< 0.05], and respiratory rate (RR, times/min) was significantly lower in non-ILD group [24.5 (22.0, 27.0) vs. 25.5 (22.8, 28.0),P< 0.05]. The compliance of the respiratory system (Crs, mL/cmH2O) post-PPV in non-ILD group was significantly lower than that of the ILD group [19.7 (16.1, 28.6) vs. 23.0 (19.0, 29.7),P< 0.05].③ Respiratory mechanics and oxygenation pre-PPV and post-PPV in total: after all the PPV therapy, PaO2/FiO2 (mmHg) was significantly increased in non-ILD group [135.0 (86.0, 200.0) vs. 97.4 (69.2, 127.5), P< 0.05], PaO2/FiO2 after all the PPV therapy in non-ILD group was also higher than that in ILD group [135.0 (86.0, 200.0) vs. 78.7 (59.3, 114.9),P< 0.05]. No significant difference in Crs (mL/cmH2O) before PPV treatment was found between non-ILD and ILD groups [24.3 (15.9, 48.9) vs. 18.9 (12.7, 27.3),P> 0.05], and Crs was lower after PPV treatment in both groups, but without significant difference [non-ILD group: 22.7 (15.2, 27.1) vs. 24.3 (15.9, 48.9); ILD group: 16.2 (12.8, 25.6) vs. 18.9 (12.7, 27.3), bothP> 0.05].④ The 60-day mortality in ILD group was significantly higher than that in non-ILD group [88.2% (15/17) vs. 57.9% (11/19),P = 0.047). It was shown by Kaplan-Meier curves that 60-day survival patients in ILD group was significantly lower than those in non-ILD group (χ2 = 5.658,P = 0.017). Conclusions PPV can improve oxygenation in severe ARDS. Compared with non-ILD group, though the compliance of respiratory system in ILD group is increased during PPV, long-term effect is better in non-ILD group.