ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of thymosin β4 （Tβ4） on carbon tetrachloride （CCl₄）-induced hepatic fibrosis by regulating the expression of platelet-derived growth factor （PDGF） and inducing the apoptosis of hepatic stellate cell （HSC）， and to provide new experimental evidence for anti-hepatic fibrosis treatment in clinical practice. MethodsA total of 30 male C57 mice were randomly divided into normal control group， model group， low-dose Tβ4 treatment group （3 mg/kg）， middle-dose Tβ4 treatment group （6 mg/kg）， and high-dose Tβ4 treatment group （12 mg/kg）， with 6 mice in each group. The mice in the normal control group were fed with a normal diet ad libitum， and those in the other groups were given intraperitoneal injection of 50% CCl₄ mixed with olive oil to establish a model of hepatic fibrosis. After successful modeling confirmed by ultrasound and histopathology， the mice in each treatment group were given subcutaneous injection of Tβ4 for 4 consecutive weeks. Liver tissue was collected at the end of the experiment， and HE staining and Masson staining were used to observe histopathological changes； quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression level of PDGF； TUNEL assay was used to assess the apoptosis of HSC. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the model group， the middle- and high-dose Tβ4 treatment groups had varying degrees of alleviation of hepatic fibrosis. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that Tβ4 could significantly downregulate the mRNA expression level of PDGF in liver tissue， with a significant difference between the treatment groups （P>0.05）， and there was no significant difference in the mRNA expression level of PDGF between the high-dose Tβ4 treatment group and the normal control group （P>0.05）. TUNEL assay showed that the middle- and high-dose Tβ4 treatment groups had a significantly higher number of apoptotic HSCs than the model group. ConclusionTβ4 may improve CCl₄-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice by downregulating the expression of PDGF and promoting the apoptosis of HSC， suggesting that it has a potential application value in the treatment of hepatic fibrosis.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of selectively omitting ureteral stent placement after ureteroscopic lithotripsy(URL).Methods A total of 118 patients with distal ureteral calculi undergoing URL from 2021 to 2024 were enrolled.Patients were divided into a control group(indwelling ureteral stent for 2 weeks,n=86)and an observation group(no ureteral stent placement,n=32).General data,operation time,hospital stay,and total medical costs were compared between the two groups.Patients were followed 2 weeks postoperatively for assessment of flank pain visual analogue scale(VAS)scores,bladder irritation symptoms,hematuria,and incidence of urinary tract infection.Hydronephrosis was evaluated by ultrasonography 3 months after surgery.Results There was no significant difference in the general information and operation time between the two groups(P>0.05).The length of hospital stay and total treatment cost in the observa-tion group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).Two weeks after surgery,the VAS scores of low back pain on the affected side and occurrence rates of bladder irritation symptoms,hematu-ria,and urinary tract infection in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.01).Three months after operation,no hydronephrosis was observed in both groups.Conclusion It is safe and feasible to avoid indwelling ureteral stent after URL in appropriate cases.

Objective To explore the changes in task-state brain region activation of stroke patients using functional near-infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS)in the treatment of upper limb motor function with brain-computer interfaces(BCI).Methods From April to October,2024,40 stroke patients in Linyi People's Hospital were randomly divided into control group and BCI group,with 20 cases in each group.Both groups received conventional rehabilitation therapy.The control group underwent low-frequency electrotherapy before conventional treatment,while BCI group received BCI therapy before conventional treatment,for four weeks.Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremities(FMA-UE)and modified Barthel Index were used to evaluate the upper limbs motor function before and after treatment.A"wrist movement task"was designed to detect the level of oxyhemoglobin(HbO?)in the regions of interest(ROI)during the task.Results After treatment,the scores of MBI and FMA-UE increased in both groups(|t|>8.904,P<0.001),and were higher in BCI group than in the control group(|t|>2.584,P<0.05).The HbO? level in the premotor cortex/sup-plementary motor area(PMC/SMA)increased after treatment in BCI group(t=-3.965,P<0.01),and was high-er in BCI group than in the control group(t=-3.630,P<0.01).The difference of HbO? level in PMC/SMA be-fore and after treatment correlated with both the difference of MBI score(r=0.498,P<0.05)and the difference of FMA-UE score(r=0.799,P<0.001).Conclusion BCI can further improve the upper limb motor function of stroke patients on the basis of conventional treat-ment and enhance the cortical activation of PMC/SMA.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy,safety and patient compliance of a quadruple therapy containing minocycline compared with the traditional quadruple therapy in the treatment of Helicobacter(H.)pylori.Methods This study included 200 H.pylori positive patients,with 100 assigned to the minocycline-containing bismuth quadruple therapy group(LBMC group)and the other 100 to the amoxicillin-containing bismuth quadruple therapy group(LBAC group).After matching the two groups of patients using the propensity score matching(PSM)method,there were 86 cases in each group.Telephone follow-up was conducted on the 14th day after the start of treatment to record patient medication compliance and adverse drug reactions.A 13C urea breath test was performed for re-examination at least one month after completing the treatment plan and discontinuing medication.The intention-to-treat(ITT)and per-protocol(PP)analyses were used to compare the H.pylori eradication rates between the two groups,and Chi-square test and t-test were used for intergroup comparison.Results In the ITT analysis,the eradication rates of the LBMC group and the LBAC group were 89.5%(77/86,95%CI:82.9%～96.1%)and 82.6%(71/86,95%CI:74.4%～90.7%),respectively.In the PP analysis,the eradication rates were 92.6%(75/81,95%CI:86.8%～98.4%)and 88.8%(71/80,95%CI:81.7%～95.8%),respectively.The adverse reaction rate of the LBMC group was 27.9%(24/86),and that of the LBAC group 31.4%(27/86),showing no statistically significant difference(P>0.05).In terms of compliance,the LBMC group was 94.2%(81/86),and the LBAC group 93.0%(80/86),revealing no statistically significant difference(P>0.05).Conclusion As a first-line treatment for eradicating H.pylori,regimens containing minocycline demonstrate equivalent eradication rates to those containing amoxicillin,with similar safety and compliance.They can be used as an alternative treatment for patients allergic to penicillin.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy,safety and patient compliance of a quadruple therapy containing minocycline compared with the traditional quadruple therapy in the treatment of Helicobacter(H.)pylori.Methods This study included 200 H.pylori positive patients,with 100 assigned to the minocycline-containing bismuth quadruple therapy group(LBMC group)and the other 100 to the amoxicillin-containing bismuth quadruple therapy group(LBAC group).After matching the two groups of patients using the propensity score matching(PSM)method,there were 86 cases in each group.Telephone follow-up was conducted on the 14th day after the start of treatment to record patient medication compliance and adverse drug reactions.A 13C urea breath test was performed for re-examination at least one month after completing the treatment plan and discontinuing medication.The intention-to-treat(ITT)and per-protocol(PP)analyses were used to compare the H.pylori eradication rates between the two groups,and Chi-square test and t-test were used for intergroup comparison.Results In the ITT analysis,the eradication rates of the LBMC group and the LBAC group were 89.5%(77/86,95%CI:82.9%～96.1%)and 82.6%(71/86,95%CI:74.4%～90.7%),respectively.In the PP analysis,the eradication rates were 92.6%(75/81,95%CI:86.8%～98.4%)and 88.8%(71/80,95%CI:81.7%～95.8%),respectively.The adverse reaction rate of the LBMC group was 27.9%(24/86),and that of the LBAC group 31.4%(27/86),showing no statistically significant difference(P>0.05).In terms of compliance,the LBMC group was 94.2%(81/86),and the LBAC group 93.0%(80/86),revealing no statistically significant difference(P>0.05).Conclusion As a first-line treatment for eradicating H.pylori,regimens containing minocycline demonstrate equivalent eradication rates to those containing amoxicillin,with similar safety and compliance.They can be used as an alternative treatment for patients allergic to penicillin.

Objective To explore the changes in task-state brain region activation of stroke patients using functional near-infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS)in the treatment of upper limb motor function with brain-computer interfaces(BCI).Methods From April to October,2024,40 stroke patients in Linyi People's Hospital were randomly divided into control group and BCI group,with 20 cases in each group.Both groups received conventional rehabilitation therapy.The control group underwent low-frequency electrotherapy before conventional treatment,while BCI group received BCI therapy before conventional treatment,for four weeks.Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremities(FMA-UE)and modified Barthel Index were used to evaluate the upper limbs motor function before and after treatment.A"wrist movement task"was designed to detect the level of oxyhemoglobin(HbO?)in the regions of interest(ROI)during the task.Results After treatment,the scores of MBI and FMA-UE increased in both groups(|t|>8.904,P<0.001),and were higher in BCI group than in the control group(|t|>2.584,P<0.05).The HbO? level in the premotor cortex/sup-plementary motor area(PMC/SMA)increased after treatment in BCI group(t=-3.965,P<0.01),and was high-er in BCI group than in the control group(t=-3.630,P<0.01).The difference of HbO? level in PMC/SMA be-fore and after treatment correlated with both the difference of MBI score(r=0.498,P<0.05)and the difference of FMA-UE score(r=0.799,P<0.001).Conclusion BCI can further improve the upper limb motor function of stroke patients on the basis of conventional treat-ment and enhance the cortical activation of PMC/SMA.

【Objective】 To explore the safety of transrectal ultrasound-guided transperineal injection of sodium hyaluronate to expand the Dirichlet gap in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. 【Methods】 A total of 14 healthy male purebred beagle dogs were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups, with 7 in either group.The control group was treated with conventional laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, while the experimental group was treated with laparoscopic radical prostatectomy after 2.5 mL sodium hyaluronate was injected into the Dirichlet gap under the guidance of transrectal ultrasound.The total operation time, prostate separation time, intraoperative blood loss and rectal status of the 2 groups were observed. 【Results】 After the injection of sodium hyaluronate into the Dirichlet gap between the prostate and the rectum, no rectal tissue was found in the prostate, and no obvious damage was found in the posterior rectum in either groups.The postoperative hemoglobin (HGB) was [(118.70±2.56) g/L vs.(122.10±2.19) g/L, P=0.02]; the total operation time was [(141.40±9.80) min vs.(119.10±9.16) min, P<0.05]; the prostate separation time was [(24.99±1.75) min vs.(16.64±2.34) min, P<0.05]; the amount of bleeding was [(47.43±4.32) mL vs.(34.86±5.18) mL, P<0.05] in the control group and experimental group. 【Conclusion】 Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy performed after 2.5 mL of sodium hyaluronate injection into the Dirichlet gap under the guidance of transrectal ultrasound can shorten the total operation time, the separation and resection time of the prostate, and reduce the amount of bleeding, which can improve and reduce the incidence of rectal injury, and prove the feasibility of this approach for prostatic cancer.