Objective To explore whether there is a causal relationship between intestinal flora and esophageal cancer. Methods Summary statistics of intestinal flora and esophageal cancer were obtained from the Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) database. Five methods, including inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median estimation, Mendelian randomization (MR)-Egger regression, single mode, and weighted mode, were used for analysis, with IVW as the main analysis method. Sensitivity analysis was used to evaluate the reliability of MR results. Results In the IVW method, Oxalobacteraceae [OR=1.001, 95%CI (1.000, 1.002), P=0.023], Faecalibacterium [OR=1.001, 95%CI (1.000, 1.002), P=0.028], Senegalimassilia [OR=1.002, 95%CI (1.000, 1.003), P=0.006] and Veillonella [OR=1.001, 95%CI (1.000, 1.002), P=0.018] were positively correlated with esophageal cancer, while Burkholderiales [OR=0.999, 95%CI (0.998, 1.000), P=0.002], Eubacterium oxidoreducens [OR=0.998, 95%CI (0.997, 0.999), P=0.038], Romboutsia [OR=0.999, 95%CI (0.998, 1.000), P=0.048] and Turicibacter [OR=0.998, 95%CI (0.997, 0.999), P=0.013] were negatively correlated with esophageal cancer. Sensitivity analysis showed no evidence of heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy and reverse causality. Conclusion Oxalobacteraceae, Faecalibacterium, Senegalimassilia and Veillonella increase the risk of esophageal cancer, while Burkholderiales, Eubacterium oxidoreducens, Romboutsia and Turicibacter decrease the risk of esophageal cancer. Further studies are needed to explore how these bacteria affect the progression of esophageal cancer.

Objective To develop and validate a machine learning model based on preoperative clinical characteristics, laboratory indices, and radiological features for the non-invasive prediction of spread through air spaces (STAS) in patients with early-stage lung adenocarcinoma. Methods Preoperative data from patients with early-stage lung adenocarcinoma who underwent surgical resection at Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital between January 2020 and August 2025 were retrospectively collected. The data included clinical characteristics, laboratory indices, and radiological features. Patients were divided into a STAS-positive and a STAS-negative group based on postoperative pathological findings. The dataset was randomly split into a training set and a testing set at a 7 : 3 ratio. Feature variables were selected using the maximum relevance and minimum redundancy (mRMR) algorithm and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression. Five machine learning models were constructed: logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). Model performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and decision curve analysis (DCA). The shapley additive explanations (SHAP) method was employed to interpret the optimal prediction model. Results A total of 377 patients were included, comprising 177 (46.9%) males and 200 (53.1%) females, with a mean age of (63.31±9.73) years. There were 261 patients in the training set and 116 patients in the testing set. In the training set, statistically significant differences were observed between the STAS-positive group (n=130) and STAS-negative group (n=131) across multiple features, including age, sex, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), clinical T stage, and maximum solid component diameter (P<0.05). A final set of 10 feature variables was selected by combining mRMR and LASSO regression, and five machine learning models (LR, RF, SVM, LightGBM, XGBoost) were developed. The XGBoost model demonstrated optimal performance in both the training and testing sets, achieving AUCs of 0.947 [95%CI (0.920, 0.975)] and 0.943 [95%CI (0.894, 0.993)], respectively. DCA indicated that the XGBoost model provided a high net clinical benefit across a wide range of threshold probabilities. SHAP analysis revealed that the vessel convergence sign, clinical T stage, age, consolidation-to-tumor ratio (CTR), and MLR were the features with the highest contributions to STAS prediction. Conclusion The XGBoost model effectively predicts preoperative STAS status in early-stage lung adenocarcinoma, exhibiting excellent discriminative performance and good clinical interpretability. Key predictors such as the vessel convergence sign, clinical T stage, age and CTR provide a crucial reference for preoperative risk assessment and the individualized selection of surgical strategies, ultimately benefiting patients.

Objective:To measure pancreatic fat deposition by magnetic resonance chemical shift imaging (CSI), and analyze the correlation between pancreatic fat deposition and pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 55 patients who underwent PD in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from September 2021 to April 2024. Among them, 34 were male (61.8%) and 21 were female (38.2%), with the age of (63.5±12.0) years. The 55 patients included 17 cases (30.9%) of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, 1 case (1.8%) of pancreatic serous cystadenoma, 2 cases (3.6%) of pancreatic mucinous cystadenoma, 1 case (1.8%) of pancreatic solid pseudopapillary tumor, 11 cases (20.0%) of ampullary carcinoma, 10 cases (18.2%) of common bile duct carcinoma, and 13 cases of other pathological types (such as high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia of the ampullary gland, duodenal adenocarcinoma, etc.) (23.6%). Before the operation, pancreatic fat deposition was measured by CSI and the fat fraction was calculated. With a fat fraction of 6.2% as the cut-off value, 55 patients were divided into the normal pancreas group (fat fraction ≤ 6.2%, n=29) and the fat pancreas group (fat fraction > 6.2%, n=26). The total hospitalization cost, postoperative hospital stay, biochemical leakage, grade B pancreatic fistula of the two groups were compared, and the correlation between pancreatic fat fraction and pancreatic fistula was analyzed. Result:The total hospitalization cost in the normal pancreas group was (91 527.3±19 118.4) yuan, and the postoperative hospital stay was 9.0 (8.0, 13.0) days, both of which were lower than those in the fatty pancreas group (107 772.4 ± 27 055.6) yuan and 11.0 (8.0, 22.0) days, and the differences were statistically significant ( t=-2.59, P=0.012; Z=-2.08, P=0.038). In the normal pancreas group, 8 cases (27.6%) of biochemical leakage and 1 case (3.4%) of grade B pancreatic fistula occurred after the operation. In the fat pancreas group, 10 cases (38.5%) of biochemical leakage and 8 cases (30.8%) of grade B pancreatic fistula occurred after the operation. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of biochemical leakage between the two groups ( χ2=0.74, P=0.391). The incidence of grade B pancreatic fistula after surgery in the adipose pancreas group was significantly higher than that in the normal pancreas group, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=5.61, P=0.018). The relationship between pancreatic body fat fraction and the occurrence of pancreatic fistula is correlated (the correlation coefficient was 0.334, 95% CI: 0.127-0.515, P=0.013) The relationship between the overall fat fraction of the pancreas and the occurrence of pancreatic fistula is correlated (the correlation coefficient was 0.472, 95% CI: 0.235-0.689, P<0.001). Conclusions:The incidence of grade B pancreatic fistula after PD in patients with a low fat fraction of the pancreas measured by CSI was lower than that in patients with a high fat fraction. Fat deposition in the pancreatic body and the pancreas as a whole is associated with the incidence of pancreatic fistula.

Objective To explore the application effect of health education based on gain and loss message framing on the treatment behavior intention and self-management of patients with high-risk diabetic foot.Methods From July to September 2024,convenience sampling was used to select patients with high-risk diabetic foot who were hospitalized in the endocrinology department of a tertiary general hospital in Guiyang as the study subjects.They were divided into 3 groups according to the admission time,with 30 patients in each group.The experimental group adopted health education based on gain message framing or framing loss message,while in the control group,health education was provided in a conventional manner.Before and after intervention,the differences of intervention effects among the 3 groups were compared by using diabetic foot pre-hospital delay intention questionnaire,diabetic foot care knowledge questionnaire and Chinese version of Nottingham foot care assessment scale(CNAFF).Results Ultimately,29 cases in the gain framing group,29 cases in the loss framing group,and 29 cases in the control group completed the study.After intervention,the score of pre-hospital delay intention questionnaire of diabetic foot in the gain framing group was(21.48±4.32),and it was(24.31±2.49)in the loss framing group,and(17.76±5.03)in the control group.The difference among the 3 groups was statistically significant(F=18.725,P＜0.001);the loss framing group was superior to the gain framing group(P=0.01)and the control group(P＜0.001).After the intervention,the score of the CNAFF in the gain framing group was(55.83±3.06),and it was(59.14±2.90)in the loss framing group,and(48.66±2.58)in the control group.The difference between the 3 groups was statistically significant(F=102.245,P＜0.001).The loss framing group was superior to the gain framing group and the control group(all P＜0.001).Conclusion Health education based on the loss message framing is more conducive to improving patients' intention to delay diabetic foot visits,leading to good foot care behaviors,and may provide an effective means of pre-hospital prevention and control of diabetic foot.

Objective To observe the correlations of lumbar bone mineral density(BMD)with serum uric acid(SUA),hepatic fat and abdominal fat based on quantitative CT(QCT).Methods A total of 522 subjects who underwent lumbar QCT were retrospectively enrolled.Subjects with different genders were divided into hyperuricemia(HUA)group and normal SUA group according to SUA levels,and QCT parameters were compared between groups.Meanwhile,subjects with different genders were also divided into normal bone mass group(normal group),osteopenia group and osteoporosis(OP)group,and SUA and QCT parameters were compared among groups.Pearson correlation analyses were performed to explore the correlations of lumbar BMD with age,SUA,visceral adipose tissue(VAT),subcutaneous adipose tissue(SAT)and liver fat content.Results There were 325 males,with 105 ones in HUA group and 220 ones in normal SUA group.There were 197 females,with 26 ones in HUA group and 171 ones in normal SUA group.VAT,SAT and percentage of liver fat content in HUA group of different genders were all higher than those in normal SUA group(all P＜0.05).Among 325 males,there were 196 ones in normal group,105 ones in osteopenia group and 24 ones in OP group among males,and VAT increased successively in the above groups(all P＜0.05).Among 197 females,there were 147 ones in normal group,30 ones in osteopenia group and 20 ones in OP group,and VAT and SAT increased successively in the above groups(all P＜0.05).Lumbar BMD was moderately and weakly negatively correlated with age and VAT in males(r=-0.618,-0.286,both P＜0.001),which was moderately,lowly and weakly negatively correlated with age,VAT and SAT in females,respectively(r=-0.772,-0.451,-0.273,all P＜0.001).Conclusion Increased SUA levels resulted in increased abdominal and liver fat content,and the latter was negatively correlated with lumbar BMD.

Objective To analyze the relationship between neuroticism and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) using the Mendelian randomization (MR) method. Methods Exposure and outcome data were downloaded from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) database in August 2023, including summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for neuroticism (n=374 323) and GERD (n=602 604). MR was conducted using the weighted median method, MR-Egger method, inverse variance weighted method, weighted mode method, and simple mode method. The causal relationship between the two was assessed using odds ratio (OR), and sensitivity analyses were performed to ensure the accuracy of the results. Results Neuroticism was associated with an increased risk of GERD [OR=1.229, 95%CI (1.186, 1.274), P<0.001]. Similarly, GERD was associated with an increased risk of neuroticism [OR=1.786, 95%CI (1.623, 1.965), P<0.001]. Conclusion There is a bidirectional causal relationship between neuroticism and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which predominantly affects middle-aged and elderly individuals, is associated with a significantly reduced quality of life and often triggers various other pulmonary conditions. Lung cancer, as one of the most prevalent and deadly pulmonary malignancies worldwide, poses a severe threat to global public health. The risk of developing lung cancer is markedly higher in COPD patients compared to the general population, indicating numerous associations between the two conditions that warrant in-depth investigation. Although a substantial body of research has explored the relationship between COPD and lung cancer, studies focusing on the molecular mechanisms underlying their connection remain limited. This article reviews the latest research progress on the mechanisms of COPD complicated by lung cancer from four perspectives: the role of chronic pulmonary inflammation, programmed cell death, genetic and molecular interactions, and dysbiosis of the pulmonary microbiome. The aim of this article is to provide new insights and references for the prevention and therapeutic strategies of COPD complicated with lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture at "Sishencong" (EX-HN1) and "Fengchi" (GB20) on hippocampal neuronal ferritinophagy mediated by the nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4)/ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) signaling pathway in vascular dementia (VD) rats, and to explore the potential mechanisms of electroacupuncture for VD. METHODS: A total of 60 male rats of SPF grade were randomly divided into a blank group (12 rats), a sham surgery group (12 rats) and a modeling group (36 rats). In the modeling group, the modified 4-vessel occlusion method was used to establish the VD model. The 24 successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group and an electroacupuncture group, with 12 rats in each group. In the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture was applied at left and right "Sishencong" (EX-HN1), and bilateral "Fengchi" (GB20), with continuous wave, in frequency of 2 Hz and current intensity of 1 mA, 30 min a time, once daily for 21 consecutive days. The learning and memory abilities were assessed using the Morris water maze test before modeling, after modeling and after intervention, as well as the novel object recognition test after intervention. After intervention, the neuronal morphology in the hippocampus was observed by Nissl staining; the iron deposition was observed by Prussian blue staining; the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was detected by dihydroethidium (DHE) fluorescence staining; the levels of iron, malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the hippocampal tissue were measured by the colorimetric assay, TBA method, and WST-1 method, respectively; the positive expression of NCOA4, FTH1 and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) was detected by immunohistochemistry; the protein expression of NCOA4, FTH1, GPX4, and the ratio of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B (LC3B) Ⅱ/Ⅰ in the hippocampus were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the sham surgery group, in the model group, the escape latency was prolonged, and the number of platform crossings reduced (P<0.01), the recognition index (RI) was decreased (P<0.01); the hippocampal neurons displayed a blurred laminar structure, disorganized cellular arrangement, and the number of Nissl bodies was decreased (P<0.01); the percentage of iron deposition area in the hippocampus was increased (P<0.01); in the hippocampus, the levels of ROS, iron, MDA, and the protein expression of NCOA4, as well as the LC3B Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio were increased (P<0.01), the SOD level, and the protein expression of FTH1 and GPX4 were decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, in the electroacupuncture group, the escape latency was shortened and the number of platform crossings was increased (P<0.01), the RI was increased (P<0.01); the hippocampal neurons exhibited more regular morphology, better-organized cellular structure, and the number of Nissl bodies was increased (P<0.05); the percentage of iron deposition area in the hippocampus reduced (P<0.01); in the hippocampus, the levels of ROS, iron, MDA, and the protein expression of NCOA4, as well as the LC3B Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), the SOD level, and the protein expression of FTH1 and GPX4 were increased (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture at "Sishencong" (EX-HN1) and "Fengchi" (GB20) can improve learning and memory abilities in VD rats, and its mechanism may be associated with the regulation of the hippocampal NCOA4/FTH1 signaling pathway, inhibition of ferritinophagy, and alleviation of oxidative stress damage.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Dementia, Vascular/genetics* ; Male ; Rats ; Signal Transduction ; Humans ; Memory ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Nuclear Receptor Coactivators/genetics* ; Ferritins/genetics* ; Learning ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Acupuncture Points