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.

Background With the continuous development of the healthcare industry, healthcare workers face increasing pressure, including long-term shift work and workplace violence from patients or their relatives. This not only affects the physical and mental health of healthcare workers but may also negatively impact the quality of patient care and the efficiency of medical services. Objectives To analyze the pathways through which shift work and workplace violence affect healthcare workers' self-rated health and depression symptoms, explore potential mediating role of job burnout, and conduct subgroup analyses to reveal differences among various groups. Methods Data were collected from 3706 frontline healthcare workers across 23 provinces from January 10 to February 5, 2019, using a snowball sampling method. The survey included basic demographic information, self-rated health, depression symptoms [assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2)], workplace violence experience assessed using the Workplace Violence Scale), and job burnout (assessed using the Chinese Maslach Burnout Inventory). Data were analyzed using logistic regression, structural equation modeling (for mediating effects), and subgroup analysis to examine the impacts of shift work and workplace violence on health and depression symptoms. Results Among the subjects, 2700 workers (73.29%) reported shift work experience, 2079 workers (56.43%) experienced workplace violence, 633 workers (17.18%) reported poor self-rated health, and 687 workers (18.65%) reported depression symptoms. Shift work was associated with self-rated health (OR=0.572, 95%CI: 0.461, 0.710) and depression symptoms (OR=1.519, 95%CI: 1.190, 1.938), while workplace violence also associated with self-rated health (OR=0.566, 95%CI: 0.471, 0.681) and depression symptoms (OR=2.096, 95%CI: 1.740, 2.525). Job burnout significantly mediated the effects of shift work and workplace violence on self-rated health (indirect effects: −0.023, −0.027) and depression symptoms (indirect effects: 0.032, 0.037) (all P < 0.001). The subgroup analysis revealed that age, marital status, physical exercise, smoking, and alcohol consumption influenced the impacts of shift work and workplace violence on health. Conclusion Shift work and workplace violence significantly affect healthcare workers' self-rated health and depression symptoms, with job burnout playing a key mediating role in this process. This suggests that healthcare institutions should improve resource allocation, provide flexible scheduling systems, ensure adequate rest time, and increase psychological support and safety measures to help healthcare workers better cope with work-related stress and violence.

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.

Objective To identify causal effects and potential mechanisms of oxidative stress (OS)-related genes in lung cancer. Methods OS-related genes were extracted from the GeneCards database. Integration analysis of genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for lung cancer with gene expression and DNA methylation quantitative trait locus (QTL), including eQTL and mQTL in blood was performed using the summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) approach to determine the causal relationship between OS-related genes and lung cancer risk. Colocalization analysis of OS-related gene QTL and lung cancer risk locus was performed to gain insight into the potential regulatory mechanisms of lung cancer risk. Results A total of 1 188 OS-related genes were obtained from the GeneCards database. A potential causal relationship between OS-related genes and lung cancer was identified by SMR analysis. AGER expression level [OR=1.944, 95%CI (1.431, 2.640), P<0.001], and ATF6B expression level [OR=1.508, 95%CI (1.287, 1.767), P<0.001] were associated with lung cancer risk. Meanwhile, ATF6B methylation level was also associated with lung cancer risk. Conclusion OS-related genes are associated with lung cancer, which may be a potential target of anti-cancer drugs.

Objective:To investigate the current situation of the use of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for portal hypertension, which should aid the development of TIPS in China.Methods:The China Portal Hypertension Alliance (CHESS) initiated this study that comprehensively investigated the basic situation of TIPS for portal hypertension in China through network research. The survey included the following: the number of surgical cases, main indications, the development of Early-TIPS, TIPS for portal vein cavernous transformation, collateral circulation embolization, intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurement, commonly used stent types, conventional anticoagulation and time, postoperative follow-up, obstacles, and the application of domestic instruments.Results:According to the survey, a total of 13 527 TIPS operations were carried out in 545 hospitals participating in the survey in 2021, and 94.1% of the hospital had the habit of routine follow-up after TIPS. Most hospitals believed that the main indications of TIPS were the control of acute bleeding (42.6%) and the prevention of rebleeding (40.7%). 48.1% of the teams carried out early or priority TIPS, 53.0% of the teams carried out TIPS for the cavernous transformation of the portal vein, and 81.0% chose routine embolization of collateral circulation during operation. Most of them used coils and biological glue as embolic materials, and 78.5% of the team routinely performed intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurements. In selecting TIPS stents, 57.1% of the hospitals woulel choose Viator-specific stents, 57.2% woulel choose conventional anticoagulation after TIPS, and the duration of anticoagulation was between 3-6 months (55.4%). The limitation of TIPS surgery was mainly due to cost (72.3%) and insufficient understanding of doctors in related departments (77.4%). Most teams accepted the domestic instruments used in TIPS (92.7%).Conclusions:This survey shows that TIPS treatment is an essential part of treating portal hypertension in China. The total number of TIPS cases is far from that of patients with portal hypertension. In the future, it is still necessary to popularize TIPS technology and further standardize surgical indications, routine operations, and instrument application.

OBJECTIVE To explore the lipid-regulating mechanism of the classic prescription Zexie Decoction on hyperlipidemia model mice.METHODS ELISA method was used to detect the four blood lipid indexes,liver function indicators and cholesterol acyltransferase levels in serum.HE and Oil Red O staining were used to determine the pathology of liver tissue.Network pharmacology was used to predict the lipid-lowering related targets of Zexie Decoction,and the GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses of the intersection targets were realized.PCR chip technology was used to detect the target genes for network pharmacology screening,and qPCR and Western blot were used to detect gene and protein expression levels.RESULTS Zexie Decoction significantly regula-ted the four blood lipid indexes in hyperlipidemia model mice,improved the increase in liver damage indicators caused by high lipids,and had a reverse regulatory effect on the key enzymes HMGR and CYP7A1 of lipid metabolism and the lipid transporters ABCA1 and Apo-A1 in liver tissue.HE and Oil Red O staining showed that Zexie Decoction improved the pathological morphology of liver tissue,reduced lipid deposition in liver tissue,and significantly decreased the positive area ratio(P<0.01).The PCR chip obtained 44 re-verse-regulated genes,GO functional enrichment analysis obtained 266 entries,and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis screened 99 signaling pathways.The results of qPCR and Western blot showed that Zexie Decoction significantly downregulated the expression of PIK3CG,AKT1,and IL-6 genes(P<0.05,P<0.01),upregulated the expression of ABCG1 gene(P<0.05),downregulated PI3Kinase p110β,p-AKT(Ser473)and SREBP-1c protein expression levels(P<0.01),and reversely regulated miR21-5p(P<0.01).CONCLUSION Zexie Decoction has a significant regulatory effect on lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemia model mice and can improve liver damage caused by hyperlipidemia.Its lipid-regulating effect may be related to regulating cholesterol metabolism and transport in the body,and is closely linked to the miR21/PI3K-Akt/SREBP pathway.The lipid-regulating effect of the whole formula of Zexie Decoction is better than that of a single herb.

Distant cutaneous metastasis of primary lung squamous cell carcinoma is an exceedingly rare event,with scalp metastasis as the initial clinical presentation even rarer.Scalp skin metastases are prone to be misdiagnosed as other scalp disorders,yet their appearance signifies the deterioration and poor prognosis of lung cancer.This case report documents a female patient presenting initially with scalp folliculitis in dermatology,who was subsequently diagnosed with malignant lung tumor through radiological imaging and referred to Department of Thoracic Surgery.Pathological examination of the excised lesion from the scalp revealed distant metastasis of lung cancer.A review of similar cases reported in literature was conducted.This article aims to enhance understanding and awareness of skin metastasis in lung cancer,to emphasize the importance of this condition,and to improve early recognition and precise diagnosis.It is crucial to prevent clinical misdiagnosis and ensure ap-propriate treatment,finally leading to improve the prognosis of the patients.

Objective:To analyze the optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging characteristics in patients with Coats disease and their value in predicting macular fibrosis.Methods:A nested case-control study was performed.A total of 43 patients (43 eyes) diagnosed with Coats disease through color fundus photography, ocular B-scan ultrasonography, fundus fluorescein angiography, and spectral-domain OCT examination were enrolled from January 2008 to October 2021 at the Xijing Hospital.Among them, there were 40 males and 3 females, aged from 2 to 60 years old, with a median age of 13 years.Macular fibrosis was used as an indicator of poor prognosis, and patients were divided into two groups based on whether macular fibrosis occurred at the end of follow-up.The differences in OCT characteristics between two groups were compared and logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for macular fibrosis.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xijing Hospital of Fourth Military Medical University (No.KY20202009-C-1).Results:The OCT clinical features of 43 cases of Coats disease included intraretinal hard exudates in 43 eyes (100%), subretinal fluid in 21 eyes (48.8%), macular cysts in 17 eyes (27.9%), subretinal exudates in 9 eyes (20.9%), anterior retinal hyperreflective dots in 7 eyes (16.3%), epiretinal membrane in 21 eyes (48.8%), and intraretinal fluid in 22 eyes (51.2%).In color fundus photos of 41 eyes, 38 eyes (93.0%) had hard exudates distributed in the posterior pole and 27 eyes (65.9%) had the mid-peripheral region.OCT examination showed that hard exudates were distributed in the inner nuclear layer in 35 eyes (81.4%) and the outer nuclear layer in 33 eyes (76.7%).Among 21 eyes with exudative retinal detachment detected by OCT, 9 eyes (42.9%) were detected by fundus photography and 18 eyes (85.7%) were detected by B-scan ultrasonography.The proportions of eyes with subretinal fluid and subretinal exudates were higher in the macular fibrosis group than in the non-macular fibrosis group, and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=20.755, P<0.001; χ2=6.133, P=0.013).Logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of subretinal fluid was a risk factor for macular fibrosis (odds ratio=48.345, 95% confidence interval: 4.272-547.066, P=0.002). Conclusions:OCT examination can detect subretinal fluid, subretinal exudates, macular cysts, macular exudates, and hyperreflective spots in the retina of patients with Coats disease.Subretinal fluid is a risk factor for macular fibrosis.

The main clinical manifestation of dyslipidemia is hyperlipidemia， which is an important risk factor leading to the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis， coronary heart disease and stroke. In clinical practice， lipid-lowering drugs are mainly used for treatment， but there are issues such as individual differences and genetic effects. Therefore， it is necessary to perform gene detection on patients， so as to guide individualized application of lipid-lowering drugs. This review mainly previews the definition of gene detection and the individualized treatment of lipid-lowering drugs， and introduces the application of gene detection in the individualized treatment of lipid-lowering drugs （statins， fibrates， nicotinic acid and ezetimibe）. Among them， the gene polymorphisms of APOE， SLCO1B1 and CYP450 family play a key role in the efficacy and safety of statins； the gene polymorphisms of APOA/B/C family have a significant impact on the efficacy of fenofibrate； the gene polymorphisms of HCAR2 and DGAT2 have an important impact on the efficacy of niacin； the gene polymorphisms of NPC1L1 have a significant impact on the efficacy of ezetimibe. It is suggested to conduct genotype detection for patients with dyslipidemia to select appropriate treatment strategies， so as to provide individualized medication guidance.

Objective:To explore the differences of resting-state spontaneous neural activity between migraine without aura (MwoA) patients with response or nonresponse to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and its correlation with migraine-related features.Methods:From February 2021 to April 2022, thirty MwoA patients with response to NSAIDs, 30 MwoA patients with nonresponse to NSAIDs, and 30 healthy controls were recruited in the Affiliated Jiangning Hospital of Nanjing Medical University.All subjects were scanned with a 3.0 T resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner.The percent amplitude of fluctuation (perAF) approach was used to calculate the differences of the resting state brain functional activities among the three groups (Bonferroni multiple comparison correction). SPSS 24.0 software and RESTplus software were used for statistical analysis.Analysis of variance was used for the perAF values of three groups.Correlation analysis was performed between perAF values of brain regions with significant differences and migraine-related features.Results:The brain areas showing significant differences of perAF among the three groups located in the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)( x, y, z = -6, 9, -3), left middle frontal gyrus (MFG)( x, y, z =-39, 48, 9) and left middle temporal gyrus (MTG)( x, y, z = -57, -30, -15)(all P<0.05, Bonferroni correction). Compared with nonresponse group, the perAF in response group showed significant decreased in the left ACC, MFG and MTG.There was positive correlation between the perAF of left ACC and disease duration ( r=0.506, P=0.007). Compared with healthy controls, the perAF of nonresponse group showed increased in the left ACC, which was negatively correlated with frequency ( r=-0.414, P=0.032). Conclusion:The neural activity of prefrontal cortex and ACC may be the neuropathological basis underlying response to NSAIDs in MwoA treatment.Moreover, the ACC has certain correlations with migraine-related characteristics, which may serve as a potential neuroimaging biomarker to evaluate the efficacy of NSAIDs.