BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide and a major cause of cancer-related deaths. Early-stage lung cancer is often manifested as pulmonary nodules, and accurate assessment of the malignancy risk is crucial for prolonging survival and avoiding overtreatment. This study aims to construct a model based on image feature parameters automatically extracted by artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate its effectiveness in predicting the malignancy of part-solid nodule (PSN). METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed 229 PSN from 222 patients who underwent pulmonary nodule resection at Lanzhou University Second Hospital between October 2020 and February 2025. According to pathological results, 45 cases of benign lesions and precursor glandular lesion were categorized into the non-malignant group, and 184 cases of pulmonary malignancies were categorized into the malignant group. All patients underwent preoperative chest computed tomography (CT), and AI software was used to extract imaging feature parameters. Univariate analysis was used to screen significant variables; variance inflation factor (VIF) was calculated to exclude highly collinear variables, and LASSO regression was further applied to identify key features. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to determine independent risk factors. Based on the selected variables, five models were constructed: Logistic regression, random forest, XGBoost, LightGBM, and support vector machine (SVM). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the performance of the models. RESULTS: The independent risk factors for the malignancy of PSN include roughness (ngtdm), dependence variance (gldm), and short run low gray-level emphasis (glrlm). Logistic regression achieved area under the curves ( AUCs) of 0.86 and 0.89 in the training and testing sets, respectively, showing good performance. XGBoost had AUCs of 0.78 and 0.77, respectively, demonstrating relatively balanced performance, but with lower accuracy. SVM showed an AUC of 0.93 in the training set, which decreased to 0.80 in the testing set, indicating overfitting. LightGBM performed excellently in the training set with an AUC of 0.94, but its performance declined in the testing set, with an AUC of 0.88. In contrast, random forest demonstrated stable performance in both the training and testing sets, with AUCs of 0.89 and 0.91, respectively, exhibiting high stability and excellent generalizability. CONCLUSIONS The random forest model constructed based on independent risk factors demonstrated the best performance in predicting the malignancy of PSN and could provide effective auxiliary predictions for clinicians, supporting individualized treatment decisions.
.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Artificial Intelligence ; Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Adult ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule/diagnostic imaging* ; ROC Curve

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the primary fibrogenic cells in the liver, and their activation plays a crucial role in the development and progression of hepatic fibrosis. Here, we report that retinoid X receptor-alpha (RXRα), a unique member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is a key modulator of HSC activation and liver fibrosis. RXRα exerts its effects by modulating calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKKβ)-mediated activation of AMP-activated protein kinase-alpha (AMPKα). In addition, we demonstrate that K-80003, which binds RXRα by a unique mechanism, effectively suppresses HSC activation, proliferation, and migration, thereby inhibiting liver fibrosis in the CCl₄ and amylin liver NASH (AMLN) diet animal models. The effect is mediated by AMPKα activation, promoting mitophagy in HSCs. Mechanistically, K-80003 activates AMPKα by inducing RXRα to form condensates with CaMKKβ and AMPKα via a two-phase process. The formation of RXRα condensates is driven by its N-terminal intrinsic disorder region and requires phosphorylation by CaMKKβ. Our results reveal a crucial role of RXRα in liver fibrosis regulation through modulating mitochondrial activities in HSCs. Furthermore, they suggest that K-80003 and related RXRα modulators hold promise as therapeutic agents for fibrosis-related diseases.

Acute postoperative pain and postoperative sleep disturbances are both major challenges in perioperative management,and they interact with each other.Acute pain can interfere with postoperative sleep,and sleep disturbances can lead to hyperalgesia and aggravate postoperative pain.At present,the in-teraction mechanism between the two is not clear,and there is also a lack of unified standards for prevention and control strategies.Therefore,this article reviews the research status of the definition,harmful effect,in-teraction mechanism,prevention,and management strategies of acute postoperative pain and postoperative sleep disturbances.We hope to provide valuable reference for the prevention and treatment of perioperative complications.

Objective To investigate the characteristics of heart rate variability(HRV)in obese patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS).Methods We retrospectively analyzed 78 patients with severe OSAHS diagnosed by polysomnography(PSG)in The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from April 2018 to May 2022.According to body mass index(BMI),the patients were divided into obese with severe OSAHS group(43 cases)and non-obese with severe OSAHS group(35 cases).All patients received 24-hour Holter monitoring while on polysomnography monitoring.The differences in HRV indexes between the groups and the correlation between HRV and clinical indicators were analyzed.Results In terms of basic data and PSG indexes,the analysis results showed that compared with those in the non-obese OSAHS group,weight,BMI,neck circumference,waist circumference,and AHI in obese with severe OSAHS group were significantly higher,while the standard deviation of the 24-hour normal R-R interval(SDNN),the standard deviation of the 5-minute mean(SDANN),the triangle index(TI),the heart rate deceleration force(DC),the standard deviation of the normal R-R interval(awake SDNN),and high frequency during sleep in the obese with severe OSAHS group were significantly lower(P＜0.05).The correlation results showed that among obese with severe OSAHS patients,root mean square of the difference of adjacent R-R interval(rMSSD)was negatively correlated with the course of hypertension;TI and DC were negatively correlated with AHI.After adjusting for neck circumference and waist circumference,the linear regression analysis showed that SDNN,SDANN,and rMSSD were correlated with systolic blood pressure(P＜0.05).Conclusion There is significant decrease in HRV index in obese patients with severe OSAHS,suggesting that deterioration of cardiac autonomic nervous regulation function may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Objective:To investigate diagnostic and prognostic value of actin-binding protein ANLN in clear cell renal cell carcinoma(ccRCC)and its relationship with tumor microenvironment.Methods:Gene expression data and clinical data for ccRCC were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA).Relationship between ANLN expression and clinicopathological features was assessed by Wilcoxon rank sum test and Logistic regression.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to assess diagnostic value of ANLN expression in ccRCC.Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis were used to investigate effect of ANLN expression on overall survival.Gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)was used to identify signaling pathways associated with ANLN in ccRCC.Relationship between ANLN expression and immune infiltration was analyzed by ESTIMATE algorithm,tumor immune estima-tion resource(TIMER)and CIBERSORT algorithms.Relationship between ANLN and drug sensitivity was calculated using CellMiner database.Results:ANLN expression was significantly upregulated in ccRCC tissues.ANLN expression in ccRCC was correlated with clinicopathological features.ROC analysis showed that ANLN had a high diagnostic value in ccRCC.High ANLN expression was signifi-cantly associated with poor prognosis.Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high ANLN expression was an independent risk factor for overall survival in ccRCC patients.GSEA showed that ANLN was associated with multiple signaling pathways.In terms of immunity,ANLN was closely associated with tumor microenvironment,immune infiltration and immune checkpoint molecules in ccRCC.ANLN expression was negatively correlated with sensitivity of most antitumor drugs.Conclusion:ANLN is a potential diagnos-tic and prognostic biomarker and immunotherapeutic target for ccRCC.

OBJECTIVE To research the effect and mechanism of fermentation of Astragalus membranaceus on endogenous metabolites in hyperuricemia model rats using serum UHPLC-HRMS. METHODS The SD rats were randomly divided into different groups, including blank group, model group, benzbromarone group(20 mg·kg-1), as well as fermentation of Astragalus membranaceus high-dose(3 g·kg-1) and low-dose group(1.5 g·kg-1). Model group and each treatment group were disposed with 300 mg·kg-1 oxonic acid potassium to establish hyperuricemia models. At the time of 1 h after modeling, rats in each treatment group were given corresponding drugs for intervention. Collected rat serum after 14 d. The serum of different groups were collected for endogenous metabolites research using UHPLC-HRMS. After multivariate statistical analysis, the different metabolites and metabolic pathways were selected. RESULTS The hyperuricemia rat modes were successfully established by oxonic acid potassium 14 d, and fermentation of Astragalus membranaceus showed good uric acid reducing effect. Compared with the blank group, 17 potential biomarkers associated with hyperuricemia were found in the model group. Among them, 9 potential biomarkers were significantly recalled by fermentation of Astragalus membranaceus. It mainly involved sphingolipid metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, pantothenic acid and CoA biosynthesis, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism and other pathway. CONCLUSION This study can provide a basis for revealing the mechanism of reducing uric acid by fermentation of Astragalus membranaceus, and lay a foundation for the further development and utilization of Astragalus.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the cancer with the highest mortality at home and abroad at present. The detection of lung nodules is a key step to reducing the mortality of lung cancer. Artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system presents as the state of the art in the area of nodule detection, differentiation between benign and malignant and diagnosis of invasive subtypes, however, a validation with clinical data is necessary for further application. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system in predicting the invasive subtypes of early‑stage lung adenocarcinoma appearing as pulmonary nodules. METHODS: Clinical data of 223 patients with early-stage lung adenocarcinoma appearing as pulmonary nodules admitted to the Lanzhou University Second Hospital from January 1st, 2016 to December 31th, 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, which were divided into invasive adenocarcinoma group (n=170) and non-invasive adenocarcinoma group (n=53), and the non-invasive adenocarcinoma group was subdivided into minimally invasive adenocarcinoma group (n=31) and preinvasive lesions group (n=22). The malignant probability and imaging characteristics of each group were compared to analyze their predictive ability for the invasive subtypes of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma. The concordance between qualitative diagnostic results of artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis of the invasive subtypes of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma and postoperative pathology was then analyzed. RESULTS: In different invasive subtypes of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma, the mean CT value of pulmonary nodules (P<0.001), diameter (P<0.001), volume (P<0.001), malignant probability (P<0.001), pleural retraction sign (P<0.001), lobulation (P<0.001), spiculation (P<0.001) were significantly different. At the same time, it was also found that with the increased invasiveness of different invasive subtypes of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma, the proportion of dominant signs of each group gradually increased. On the issue of binary classification, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) values of the artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system for the qualitative diagnosis of invasive subtypes of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma were 81.76%, 92.45% and 0.871 respectively. On the issue of three classification, the accuracy, recall rate, F1 score, and AUC values of the artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system for the qualitative diagnosis of invasive subtypes of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma were 83.86%, 85.03%, 76.46% and 0.879 respectively. CONCLUSIONS Artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system could predict the invasive subtypes of early‑stage lung adenocarcinoma appearing as pulmonary nodules, and has a certain predictive value. With the optimization of algorithms and the improvement of data, it may provide guidance for individualized treatment of patients.
Adenocarcinoma/pathology* ; Adenocarcinoma of Lung/pathology* ; Artificial Intelligence ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE To study the effects and m echanism of eriocalyxin B （EriB）on epithelial -mesenchymal transition （EMT）of colon cancer cells . METHODS The colon cancer cells HT 29 and HCT 116 as research objects . Scratch-healing assay and Transwell assay were used to detect the effects of EriB on migration and invasion of two kinds of cells . Western blot method was used to detect the effects of EriB （1.0 μmol/L），EriB+Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway agonist Licl （1.0 μmol/L EriB+ 10 mmol/L Licl）or EriB+Wnt/ β-catenin signaling pathway inhibitor XAV 939（1.0 μmol/L EriB+ 10 μmol/L XAV 939）on the expressions of EMT related proteins [E-cadherin，N-cadherin，Snail] and Wnt/ β-catenin signaling pathway related proteins [β-catenin，c-myc， cyclin D 1，TCF4]. RESULTS EriB can significantly inhibit the invasion and migration of two kinds of cells （P＜0.01）. EriB significantly reduced the protein expressions of N -cadherin，Snail，β-catenin，c-myc，cyclin D 1 and TCF 4 while increases the protein expression of E -cadherin（P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. After EriB combined with Licl ，the protein expressions of β-catenin，c- myc，cyclin D 1 and TCF 4 in the two kinds of cells were reverse d（P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. After combined with XAV 939，the protein expressions of β-catenin and N -cadherin were further down -regulated（P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）；the protein expression of E -cadherin was further up -regulated（P＜0.01），while migration rate was decreased significantly （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS EriB can inhibit the epithelial -mesenchymal transition of colon 19SXHZ0351） cancer cells by inhibiting the activation of Wnt/ β -catenin

Objective:To study the effectiveness of a strategy for detecting early gastric cancer using high-definition gastroscopy.Methods:A total of 849 patients over 35 years old who underwent gastroscopy in the Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from December 2018 to January 2019 were enrolled to a prospective study. During gastroscopy, biopsies were taken at any suspicious lesions in patients who had never been infected with Helicobacter pylori. In ulcer-type lesions, biopsies were taken at the edge of the ulcer. Outside the atrophic area, biopsies were taken at lesions in the cardia which were reddish under white light, or lesions in the non-cardiac area which were white or showed clear borders under white light. Inside the atrophic area, biopsies were taken at elevated lesions with clear borders or irregular depressions on the top, or flat/depressed lesions with irregular borders or being ocherous under narrow band imaging. In addition, biopsies were performed on any lesion that did not meet the above standard but was considered necessary. The high-risk patients were followed up by gastroscopy to observe the detection and missed diagnosis of neoplasm that meet the above standard, and to determine the sensitivity and positive predictive value of the strategy. Results:A total of 548 patients were biopsied (781 lesions). Among the 327 lesions that met the above standard, 16 lesions (4.9%) were diagnosed as epithelial neoplasm, of which 10 (3.1%) were high-grade neoplasm. Among the 454 lesions that did not meet the standard, only 1 (0.2%) epithelial neoplasm was diagnosed, and there was no high-grade neoplasm. The positive predictive value of this screening strategy for gastric epithelial neoplasm and high-grade neoplasm was higher than those who did not meet the standard (4.9% VS 0.2%, χ2=19.49, P<0.01; 3.1% VS 0, P<0.001). There were 146 patients (17.2%, 146/849) followed up by gastroscopy. During the follow-up, 2 high-grade intramucosal neoplasms were found. 84.2% (16/19) of epithelial tumors and 83.3% (10/12) of high-grade neoplasm were detected during the initial gastroscopy. Conclusion:This screening strategy can efficiently detect early gastric cancer under high-definition gastroscopy.

Objective:To analyze the endoscopic and histological characteristics of Helicobacter pylori ( HP)-negative early gastric cancer (EGC) and high grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN). Methods:Data of patients diagnosed as having EGC or HGIN confirmed by pathology at the Seventh Medical Center of Chinese People′s Liberation Army General Hospital from January 2013 to January 2020 were collected. Patients were included according to the diagnostic criteria of HP-negative gastric cancer, and their endoscopic features and histopathological characteristics were retrospectively analyzed. Results:Among 469 lesions of EGC/HGIN, HP-negative lesions accounted for 2.1% (10/469), which included 3 signet ring cell carcinomas, 3 fundic gland type carcinomas, 1 foveolar adenocarcinoma, 1 HGIN of the cardia, 1 familial adenomatous polyposis with gastric HGIN, and 1 Lynch syndrome with gastric HGIN. The 3 cases of signet ring cell carcinoma were all whitish flat/depressed lesions and commonly seen in the lower part of the stomach (2/3). Most of the 7 cases of differentiated EGC/HGIN were elevated type (5/7) and commonly seen in the upper and middle stomach (6/7). Conclusion:HP-negative EGCs are usually solitary lesions under gastroscopy. Undifferentiated type mostly appears whitish flat/depressed in the lower part of the stomach, while differentiated type appears elevated in the upper and middle part.