AIM: To investigate variation patterns of corneal biomechanical parameters and binocular symmetry among children of different genders aged 8-16 years.METHODS:A retrospective study was conducted, and children who underwent optometric examinations at the ophthalmology department of our hospital were enrolled between January 2022 and December 2024. Measurements included the flat keratometry(K1), steep keratometry(K2), and mean curvature(Km)of the anterior corneal surface, horizontal visible iris diameter(HVID), central corneal thickness(CCT), corneal endothelial cell density(CECD), average cell size(ACS), coefficient of variation(CV), and hexagonality(HEX). Corneal parameters and binocular differences were compared between genders and across age groups.RESULTS:A total of 621 children(1 242 eyes)were enrolled in this study, including 284 males(568 eyes), 337 females(674 eyes), 528 children aged 8-12 years(1 056 eyes), and 93 children aged 13-16 years(186 eyes). In children aged 8-16 years, the K1, K2, Km and CV of both eyes, as well as the interocular CCT differences in boys were significantly lower than those in girls(all P<0.05), while the HVID and HEX of both eyes, as well as the CCT of the left eye in boys were significantly higher than those in girls(all P<0.05). Children aged 8-12 years had significantly higher K1, Km, CECD and HEX in both eyes, and significantly lower ACS in both eyes than those aged 13-16 years(all P<0.05). K1, K2, Km, CECD and HEX in both eyes were negatively correlated with age(P<0.05); ACS in both eyes was positively correlated with age(P<0.001); K1 and Km of the right eye were positively correlated with the CECD of the right eye(P<0.05), and K1 and CCT of the left eye were positively correlated with the CECD of the left eye(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Significant gender differences exist in corneal parameters among children aged 8 to 16 years, while binocular symmetry remained stable.

Bone is a highly calcified and vascularized tissue. The vascular system plays a vital role in supporting bone growth and repair, such as the provision of nutrients, growth factors, and metabolic waste transfer. Moreover, the additional functions of the bone vasculature, such as the secretion of various factors and the regulation of bone-related signaling pathways, are essential for maintaining bone health. In the bone microenvironment, bone tissue cells play a critical role in regulating angiogenesis, including osteoblasts, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), and osteoclasts. Osteogenesis and bone angiogenesis are closely linked. The decrease in osteogenesis and bone angiogenesis caused by aging leads to osteoporosis. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in various physiological processes, including osteogenesis and angiogenesis. Recent studies have shown that lncRNAs could mediate the crosstalk between angiogenesis and osteogenesis. However, the mechanism by which lncRNAs regulate angiogenesis‒osteogenesis crosstalk remains unclear. In this review, we describe in detail the ways in which lncRNAs regulate the crosstalk between osteogenesis and angiogenesis to promote bone health, aiming to provide new directions for the study of the mechanism by which lncRNAs regulate bone metabolism.
RNA, Long Noncoding/physiology* ; Osteogenesis/physiology* ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/genetics* ; Bone and Bones/metabolism* ; Animals ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; Signal Transduction ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts ; Angiogenesis

Objective To investigate the spatiotemporal expression pattern of metabotropic glutamate receptor 4(mGluR4)in the mouse cochlear basilar membrane and its dynamic changes during postnatal development until hair cell synaptic maturation.Methods Ten healthy 3-month-old C57BL/6L wild-type mice(5 males,5 females,25～35 g)were bred to obtain offspring.Cochlear samples from postnatal days 1～30(P1～P30)were analyzed.Frequency-specific auditory brainstem response(ABR)thresholds were measured at 45.2,32.0,22.6,16.0,11.3,8.0,5.6,and 4.0 kHz in P12,P14,P16,P21,and P30 mice.Immunofluorescence assay combined with confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to scan cochlear whole-mount preparations.Spatiotemporal co-localization profiling of mGluR4 and synaptic markers Ctbp2 and Snap25 was observed,and quantitative comparisons of fluorescent puncta density were performed.Results ABR testing revealed undifferentiated waveforms in all P12 mice,while 70%of P14 mice exhibited well-defined Wave I.In P14,P16,P21 and P30,mice undergoing ABR testing,50%failed to exhibit ABR waveforms when stimulated by 45.2 kHz tones,and 87.5%showed no response to 32.0 kHz stimuli.Auditory response thresholds for other frequencies progressively decreased with increasing postnatal age.Immunolocalization demonstrated stronger mGluR4 expression in inner hair cells(IHCs)versus outer hair cells(OHCs).Distinct mGluR4 puncta were observed at IHC presynaptic active zones(co-localized with Snap25)as early as P11,but showed minimal overlap with CtBP2-labeled ribbons.Quantitative analysis revealed significantly higher mGluR4 puncta density at P30 compared to P14 synapses(P<0.05).Conclusion Postnatal upregulation of mGluR4 at IHC synaptic regions correlates with functional maturation.These findings suggest mGluR4 may modulate vesicular exocytosis regulation and exert pharmacological inhibition on glutamate release,potentially influencing synaptic plasticity during auditory pathway refinement.

Currently， there are many difficulties in formulating recommendations of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） clinical practice guidelines. This paper analyzed and summarized the unique or prominent difficult issues in the formulation of recommendations faced by TCM guidelines， such as experts' professional background and experience bringing about the preferance from the academic emotion， inconsistency between different academic schools making it difficult to reach consensus， lack of guiding principles of the decision weight of different dimensions for recommendations. Therefore， methodological suggestions have been put forward， including organizing parallel TCM and western medicine consensus group， improving the method of combining TCM and western medicine paradigm， attaching great importance to the evidence-based governance of academic schools， and promoting the research on different dimensions for recommendation formulation， which may provide a methodological reference for the guideline development.

Objective : Objective Methods : The expression levels of PATL1 in pancar- cinoma，gastric cancer and normal tissues were analyzed by TCGA database．The expression level of PATL1 in 40 human gastric cancer tissues and paired adjacent tissues was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) . The Kaplan-Meier Plotter database was used to analyze the prognosis of PATL1 in gastric cancer patients．The gas- tric cancer cell line AGS was transfected with PATL1 interference vector，and the interference effect was evaluated by RT-qPCR. The effects of PATL1 on the proliferation and migration of AGS were detected by cell counting kit-8 ( CCK-8) ，Transwell test and scratch healing test．The effects of interference with PATL1 on the expression of cel- lular-myelocytomatosis viral oncogene ( c-Myc) and autophagy related 7 ( ATG7) proteins in gastric cancer cells were detected by Western blot assay. Results : RT-qPCR showed that the expression of PATL1 in human gastric cancer tissue was higher than that in normal gastric tissue (P＜0. 001) ，and PATL1 was correlated with the progno- sis of patients with enteric gastric cancer (P＜0. 000 1) ．After PATL1 was knocked down，the number of prolifera- ting and migrating gastric cancer cells decreased (P＜0. 05) ．Western blot test results showed that the expression level of ATG7 protein decreased after PATL1 was knocked down (P＜0. 05) ． Conclusion PATL1 may inhibit the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells through crosstalk with c-Myc and ATG7 .

Objective To explore the impact of the sialic acid binding lectin-E(Siglec-E)on the inhibitory properties of parthenolide(PTL)against lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced M1 polarization of microglia(BV2).Methods ①Single cell sequencing data of Siglece related mouse brain tissue was obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database and divided into the WT group(n=3)and the Siglece-/-group(n=4).The microglia cells were screened,and the enrichment analysis was performed to analyze related differential genes and pathways.BV2 cells were constructed by the shRNA interference technique and were divided into NC-shRNA and Siglece-shRNA to detect the expression level of Siglec-E(Siglece).② NC-shRNA and Siglece-shRNA cells were respectively divided into the Control group,LPS group,PTL group and PTL+LPS group(n=3).The mRNA levels of markers of M1 polarization in microglia,iNOS,IL-1 β and IL-6,were detected by RT-qPCR.Siglecefl/fl and Cx3cr1cre mice were mated to obtain microglia-specific Siglece deletion(Siglecefl/fl×Cx3cr1cre)mice,and LPS-induced neuroinflammation model was established.③ Nine WT and Siglecefl/fl×Cx3cr1cre male mice were assigned to the Control group,LPS group and PTL+LPS group(n=3).RT-qPCR,immunofluorescence assay and Western blotting were used to verify the knock-out effect and polarization-related pathways,and to investigate the mechanism of Siglec-E affecting PTL inhibition of M1 polarization of microglia.Results Compared with the NC-shRNA group,the expression of Siglec-E in the Siglece-shRNA group was significantly decreased(P<0.01),indicating that the Siglec-E knock-down cell model was successfully established.With the stimulation of LPS,mRNA levels ofiNOS,IL-1 β and IL-6 were significantly up-regulated compared with the Control group both in shRNA cells and Siglece-shRNA cells(P<0.01).With the influence of PTL and LPS,the markers of M1 polarization in NC-shRNA cells mentioned before were significantly decreased(P<0.05),while for Siglice-shRNA cells,there were no significant changes in the markers of M1 polarization.PTL inhibited the phosphorylation of JNK and IκB protein(P<0.01)and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB in BV2 cells,down-regulated Siglec-E,and weakened the inhibitory effect.Compared with mice in the WT group,the expression of Siglec-E in microglia of Siglecefl/fl×Cx3cr1cre mice was decreased significantly(P<0.01),and the inhibitory effect of PTL on the phosphorylation of NF-κB in microglia of Siglecefl/fl×Cx3cr1cre mice was also decreased.Conclusion The absence of Siglec-E in microglia attenuates the inhibition of M1 polarization by the MAPK/NF-κB pathway targeted by PTL.

The stimulator of interferon genes(STING),an integral adaptor protein in the DNA-sensing pathway,plays a pivotal role in the innate immune response against infections.Additionally,it presents a valuable therapeutic target for infectious diseases and cancer.We observed that fangchinoline(Fan),a bis-benzylisoquinoline alkaloid(BBA),effectively impedes the replication of vesicular stomatitis virus(VSV),encephalomyocarditis virus(EMCV),influenza A virus(H1 N1),and herpes simplex virus-1(HSV-1)in vitro.Fan treatment significantly reduced the viral load,attenuated tissue inflammation,and improved survival in a viral sepsis mouse model.Mechanistically,Fan activates the antiviral response in a STING-dependent manner,leading to increased expression of interferon(1FN)and interferon-stimulated genes(ISGs)for potent antiviral effects in vivo and in vitro.Notably,Fan interacts with STING,preventing its degradation and thereby extending the activation of IFN-based antiviral responses.Collectively,our findings highlight the potential of Fan,which elicits antiviral immunity by suppressing STING degra-dation,as a promising candidate for antiviral therapy.

Objective:To determine the total and age-specific cut-off values of total prostate specific antigen (tPSA) and the ratio of free PSA divided total PSA (fPSA/tPSA) for screening prostate cancer in China.Methods:Based on the Chinese Colorectal, Breast, Lung, Liver, and Stomach cancer Screening Trial (C-BLAST) and the Tianjin Common Cancer Case Cohort (TJ4C), males who were not diagnosed with any cancers at baseline since 2017 and received both tPSA and fPSA testes were selected. Based on Cox regression, the overall and age-specific (＜60, 60-＜70, and ≥70 years) accuracy and optimal cut-off values of tPSA and fPSA/tPSA ratio for screening prostate cancer were evaluated with time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (tdROC) and area under curve (AUC). Bootstrap resampling was used to internally validate the stability of the optimal cut-off value, and the PLCO study was used to externally validate the accuracy under different cut-off values.Results:A total of 5 180 participants were included in the study, and after a median follow-up of 1.48 years, a total of 332 prostate cancer patients were included. In the total population, the tdAUC of tPSA and fPSA/tPSA screening for prostate cancer were 0.852 and 0.748, respectively, with the optimal cut-off values of 5.08 ng/ml and 0.173, respectively. After age stratification, the age specific cut-off values of tPSA in the <60, 60-<70, and ≥70 age groups were 3.13, 4.82, and 11.54 ng/ml, respectively, while the age-specific cut-off values of fPSA/tPSA were 0.153, 0.135, and 0.130, respectively. Under the age-specific cut-off values, the sensitivities of tPSA screening for prostate cancer in males <60, 60-70, and ≥70 years old were 92.3%, 82.0%, and 77.6%, respectively, while the specificities were 84.7%, 81.3%, and 75.4%, respectively. The age-specific sensitivities of fPSA/tPSA for screening prostate cancer were 74.4%, 53.3%, and 55.9%, respectively, while the specificities were 83.8%, 83.7%, and 83.7%, respectively. Both bootstrap's internal validation and PLCO external validation provided similar results. The combination of tPSA and fPSA/tPSA could further improve the accuracy of screening.Conclusion:To improve the screening effects, it is recommended that age-specific cut-off values of tPSA and fPSA/tPSA should be used to screen for prostate cancer in the general risk population.

Objective:To provide supports for the cancer prevention and control strategies in China by comparing the disease burden, epidemic trends, 5-year relative survival rate and major determinants of common cancers between China and the United States.Methods:A descriptive secondary analysis was conducted using data extracted from the GLOBOCAN database, the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, Global Burden of disease 2019 database, and previous studies. The main indicators included the cases of malignant tumors in different sites, the cases of deaths, the age-standardized incidence (world standard incidence) and mortality (world standard mortality), the 5-year relative survival rate, and population attributable fraction (PAF).Results:In 2022, an estimated 4.825 million new cases and 2.574 million deaths of malignant neoplasms in China. The world standard incidence rate (201.6/100 000) in China was lower than that in the United States (367.0/100 000), and the world standard mortality rate (96.5/100 000) was higher than that in the United States (82.3/100 000). Lung cancer ranked first in the disease burden of malignant tumors in China, the new cases and deaths accounted for 22.0% and 28.5% of all malignant tumors, respectively. The top three malignant tumors in China were breast cancer (11.5%), prostate cancer (9.7%) and lung cancer (9.5%), which were also among the top five causes of death. However, the second to fifth leading causes of death from malignant tumors in China were digestive system tumors (liver cancer 12.3%, stomach cancer 10.1%, colorectal cancer 9.3%, and esophageal cancer 7.3%). From 2000 to 2018, the world standard incidence of malignant tumors showed an increasing trend and the world standard mortality of malignant tumors showed a decreasing trend in China, while the world standard incidence and mortality of malignant tumors in the United States showed a significant decreasing trend after 2000. The incidence of breast cancer, colorectal cancer and thyroid cancer increased rapidly in China, while the incidence and mortality of stomach cancer, liver cancer and esophageal cancer decreased, but they still had a heavy disease burden. From 2003 to 2015, the overall 5-year relative survival rate of malignant tumors increased from 30.9% to 40.5% in China. However, with the exception of esophageal cancer, the 5-year relative survival rates of other major malignant tumors were lower than those in the United States. In 2019, the PAF of malignant tumors death attributable to potential modifiable risk factors was 48.3% in China, which was similar to the United States (49.8%). Of these, smoking was the most important attributable risk factor, and the PAF was more than 30% both in China and the United States. In addition, about 18.8% of malignant tumors were caused by preventable chronic infections, such as hepatitis B virus and Helicobacter pylori, while less than 4% of malignant tumors in the United States were caused by infection.Conclusions:China has made great progress in the prevention and treatment of malignant tumors, but it still faces a serious disease burden. The cancer spectrum is changing from developing countries to developed countries. We should pay attention to modifiable factors, take comprehensive measures, and prevent cancer scientifically.

Objective To explore the predictive factors of axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer,and to provide a basis for clinical decision-making under the DIP payment mode of medical insurance.Methods A total of 715 patients with breast cancer were divided into the metastasis group(n=309)and the non-metastasis group(n=406)according to the postoperative paraffin pathological results.Data of age＞60 years old,menopausal status,body mass index(BMI)＞24 kg/m2,hyperglycemia(GLU＞6.1 mmol/L),high triglycerides(TG＞1.7 mmol/L),maximum diameter of the tumor,the distance between the tumor and nipple and the quadrant where the tumor located were compared between the two groups.The expression levels of estrogen receptor(ER),progesterone receptor(PR),nuclear proliferation antigen(Ki-67)and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2(Her-2)in breast cancer tissue samples were detected by histological grading and immunohistochemistry.The consistency,sensitivity and specificity of chest CT and breast ultrasound were examined,taken the pathological diagnosis as the gold standard.Results Compared with the non-metastatic group,the proportion of maximum diameter of tumor＞2 cm,histological grade Ⅲ,high Ki-67 and high ER expression,tumor located in the outer upper quadrant,the distance＞3 cm between tumor and nipple were increased in the metastatic group,and the proportion of high level of TG was decreased in the metastatic group(P＜0.05).The consistency between chest CT and pathological diagnosis was better than that of breast ultrasound(Kappa was 0.493 and 0.353 respectively,P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that histological grade Ⅲ,high expression of ER,maximum diameter of tumor＞2 cm,and chest CT diagnosis were risk factors for axillary lymph node metastasis(P＜0.05).Conclusion The combined application of the predictive factors of axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer could provide certain reference for clinical decision-making under the background of DIP payment mode of medical insurance.