AIM: To investigate the association between dyslipidemia and macular hard exudates(HEs)in non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR)secondary to type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).METHODS: NPDR patients attending the outpatient ophthalmology clinic from January 2021 to December 2023 were selected and divided into three groups according to the severity of macular HEs. Group A: None or minimal HEs; Group B: Definite HEs; Group C: Prominent HEs. Total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), lipoprotein(a)[Lp(a)] levels and other lipid-related indicators were routinely measured. The correlation between these indicators and HEs was analyzed.RESULTS:Group A(24 eyes)consisted of 9 males and 15 females with the mean age of 54.71±6.15 y, group B(52 eyes)consisted of 20 males and 32 females with the mean age of 55.08±6.27 y, group C(14 eyes)consisted of 9 males and 5 females with the mean age of 53.93±6.08 y. The concentration of TC, TG, LDL-C and Lp(a)was highest in group C, followed by group B and lowest in group A with statistically significant differences(P<0.001). There were no statistically significant differences between the three groups for fasting plasma glucose(FPG), glycated hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c), creatinine(Cr), and HDL-C(P>0.05). The results of multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that elevated levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, and Lp(a)were associated with the presence of macular HEs. Receiver operating characteristiccurve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)for TC, TG, LDL-C, Lp(a), and their combination in predicting macular HEs in NPDR were 0.785, 0.718, 0.784, 0.742, and 0.911, respectively, with the combined model demonstrating the highest predictive performance.CONCLUSION: Dyslipidemia is closely associated with the development and progression of macular HEs in patients with NPDR and T2DM. The levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, and Lp(a)were correlated with the severity of macular HEs, suggesting that dyslipidemia may be involved in the pathological process of macular HEs formation.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Huaban Jiedu Formulation （化斑解毒方， HJF） in treating psoriasis vulgaris with blood-heat syndrome. MethodsA randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled study was conducted with 60 patients diagnosed with psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome. Patients were randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a control group， with 30 cases in each. The treatment group received HJF granules orally， one dose a day， combined with topical Qingshi Zhiyang Ointment （青石止痒软膏）， while the control group received placebo granules， one dose a day， combined with the same topical ointment. Both groups were topically treated twice daily of 28 days treatment cours. Psoriasis area and severity index （PASI）， visual analogue scale for pruritus （VAS）， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores， dermatology life quality index （DLQI）， and psoriasis life stress inventory （PLSI） were assessed before treatment and on day 14 and day 28. Response rates for PASI 50 （≥50% reduction） and PASI 75 （≥75% reduction）， as well as overall clinical efficacy， were compared between groups. Serum levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6） and interleukin-17 （IL-17） were measured before and after 28 days of treatment. Adverse reactions during treatment were recorded. ResultsAfter 28 days of treatment， both groups showed significant reductions in PASI total score， lesion area score， erythema， scaling， and infiltration scores， pruritus VAS score， TCM syndrome score， DLQI， PLSI， and serum IL-6 and IL-17 levels （P＜0.05）. Compared to the control group， the treatment group had significantly greater improvements in PASI total score and erythema score， TCM syndrome score， serum IL-6 and IL-17 levels， and PASI 50 response rate after 28 days （P＜0.05）. Between-group comparisons of score differences before and after 28-day treatment revealed that the treatment group showed significantly better improvements in PASI total， lesion area score， erythema score， TCM syndrome score， DLQI， PLSI， and inflammatory markers （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The total effective rate on day 14 and day 28 was 40.00% （12/30） and 83.33% （25/30） in the treatment group， versus 6.90% （2/29） and 41.38% （12/29） in the control group， respectively. The clinical efficacy in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group （P＜0.05）. Mild gastric discomfort occurred in 3 patients in the treatment group and 1 in the control group. ConclusionHJF can effectively improve skin lesions and TCM symptoms relieve pruritus， enhance quality of life， and reduce inflammatory markers IL-6 and IL-17， in patients with blood-heat syndrome of psoriasis vulgaris， with a good safety profile.

To investigate body composition and associated factors in adolescents undergoing long-term regular sports training.

Bacillus velezensis DJ1 exhibits broad-spectrum antagonistic activity against diverse phytopathogenic fungi, while its biocontrol mechanisms against Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of maize stalk rot, remain poorly characterized. In this study, we integrated genomics and transcriptomics to elucidate the antifungal mechanisms of strain DJ1. The results demonstrated that DJ1 inhibited F. graminearum with the efficacy of 64.4%, while its polyketide crude extract achieved the control efficacy of 55% in pot experiments against this disease. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a single circular chromosome (3 929 792 bp, GC content of 47%) harboring 12 biosynthetic gene clusters for secondary metabolites, six of which encoded known antimicrobial compounds (macrolactin H, bacillaene, difficidin, surfactin, fengycin, and bacilysin). Transcriptomic analysis identified 243 differentially expressed genes (152 upregulated and 91 downregulated, P < 0.05), which were potentially associated with the antagonistic activity against F. graminearum. KEGG enrichment analysis highlighted activation (P < 0.05) of cysteine/methionine metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway, and polyketide biosynthesis pathways, indicating that DJ1 employed synergistic strategies involving antimicrobial compound synthesis, energy metabolism enhancement, and nutrient competition to suppress pathogens. This study provides a theoretical foundation for developing novel microbial resources and application technologies to combat phytopathogenic fungi.
Fusarium/drug effects* ; Bacillus/metabolism* ; Plant Diseases/prevention & control* ; Antifungal Agents/pharmacology* ; Genomics ; Zea mays/microbiology* ; Transcriptome ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Antibiosis ; Multigene Family ; Multiomics

Objective:To explore the molecular epidemiological characteristics of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in children with acute respiratory infection (ARI) in Beijing from 2023 to 2024.Methods:In the longitudinal study, 9 834 children with ARI were enrolled from August 2023 to December 2024, including the influenza-like illness (ILI) group from emergency and outpatient department receiving influenza virus (Flu) and HMPV test and the ARI inpatient group for 13 common respiratory pathogen screening test including HMPV, Flu, respiratory syncytial virus, and so on. All respiratory samples positive with HMPV were genotyped by amplifying and sequencing of G gene and further phylogenetic analysis. The χ2 test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used to compare the positive rate and basic clinical data of the 2 groups. Results:Among 9 834 enrolled patient, there were 5 276 male and 4 558 female children, with age 5.4 (1.9, 8.2) years. In ILI group of 1 460 patients, there were 83 cases (5.7%) positive for HMPV, with the age 4.9 (3.6, 6.6) years and children under 6.0 years old 59 cases (71.1%). Among 8 374 ARI inpatients, there were 256 cases (3.1%) positive for HMPV, with age 3.5 (1.3, 6.4) years and children under 6.0 years old 188 cases (73.4%). The HMPV positive rate and the age of children positive for HMPV in ARI inpatient group were significantly lower than that in ILI group (both P<0.001). In December, 2024, the HMPV positive rates of ILI and ARI inpatient group (21.3% (17/80), 15.0% (47/314)) were significantly higher than the total positive rates of each group (both P<0.001). Among 279 subtyped specimens, there were 155 cases (55.6%) belonging to genotype A and 124 cases (44.4%) belonging to genotype B. Sub-lineage A2.2.2 containing 111nt-insertions was predominate one in 2023 with positive ratio 89.2% (91/102), and B2 was predominate in 2024 with positive ratio 64.4% (114/177). Conclusions:From 2023 to 2024, the positive rate of HMPV in the ILI group was higher than that in the ARI inpatient group, suggesting a common epidemic of HMPV infection. Children positive for HMPV in the ARI inpatient group were younger than that in the ILI group. A severe epidemic of HMPV was observed in the winter of 2024, which requires attention. Sub-lineage A2.2.2 with 111nt-duplicate insertions and B2 were the predominant epidemic strains in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Objective:To investigate the current status of implementing medical insurance performance evaluation in the hospitals of China under the background of China Healthcare Security Diagnosis Related Groups (CHS-DRG) and Diagnosis-Intervention Packet (DIP) payment reform, explore the perspectives and recommendations of key department leaders (e.g., health insurance, medical affairs, pricing, and performance evaluation departments) regarding health insurance performance evaluation, analyze the influencing factors in its implementation, so as to provide references for hospitals to develop and refine health insurance performance evaluation strategies.Methods:A questionnaire was designed and distributed to hospitals across 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China from December 1 to 31, 2023. The survey targeted secondary and tertiary general or specialized hospitals. The main responsible persons from four functional departments, including medical insurance, healthcare, pricing, and performance, were invited to participate in the survey. Descriptive analysis was conducted on the questionnaire data, and the chi-square test was used for differential analysis of unordered categorical variables, while the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for differential analysis of ordered categorical variables.Results:A total of 761 valid questionnaires were collected. Most respondents were health insurance department leaders (420, 55.19%). Among them, 741 respondents reported that their hospitals used CHS-DRG or DIP payment, with 258 indicating that their hospitals had already developed and implemented health insurance performance evaluation plans. A majority (685, 90.01%) expressed support for such initiatives. Influencing factor analysis revealed that hospital type, level, scope of health insurance management departments, and payment methods might impact the implementation of health insurance performance evaluation ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Few hospitals have currently adopted health insurance performance evaluation, underscoring the urgency to establish a scientific and reasonable evaluation plan as a robust tool for internal hospital management.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a critical clinical condition characterized by rapid renal function decline, with high morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown potential effects on mitigating oxidative stress and programmed cell death in AKI models. Scutellaria barbata D. Don (SB) and Scleromitrion diffusum (Willd.) R. J. Wang (SD), a classic TCM herbal pair exhibited anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Using advanced chromatographic separation technology, we enriched the effective fractions of water extracts from SB-SD, obtaining self-assembled herbal nanoparticles (SB and SD nanoparticles, SSNPs) rich in flavonoids and terpenoids. These SSNPs demonstrated robust antioxidant properties in vitro and mitigated AKI progression in vivo by activating the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway. Oral administration of SSNPs in mice resulted in absorption into the bloodstream, formation of a protein corona, reduced macrophage phagocytosis, and enhanced bioavailability and renal targeting. Furthermore, we investigated the self-assembly principle of SSNPs using representative flavonoids and terpenoids. Kinetic studies and in situ transmission electron microscopy (in situ TEM) revealed that these compounds self-assemble via supramolecular forces like hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions, forming stable nanostructures. This study elucidates the renoprotective effects and mechanisms of SB and SD, and provides a novel approach for the development of TCM-based nanomedicines, highlighting the potential of nano-TCM in AKI treatment.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the potential of pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase 1 (PYCR1) as a pan-cancer biomarker and investigate its expression, function, and clinical significance in bladder cancer (BLCA). METHODS: Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to evaluate the associations of PYCR1 with prognosis, immune microenvironment remodeling, tumor mutation burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI) in cancer patients. Using the TCGA-BLCA dataset, univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to assess the potential of PYCR1 as an independent prognostic risk factor for BLCA, and a clinical decision model was constructed. The IMvigor210 cohort was utilized to evaluate the potential of PYCR1 for independently predicting the efficacy of immunotherapy. The pRRophetic was employed to screen candidate chemotherapeutic agents for treating BLCA with high PYCR1 expression. The CMap-XSum algorithm and molecular docking techniques were used to explore and validate small molecule inhibitors of PYCR1. RESULTS: A high expression of PYCR1 was significantly associated with poor prognosis, immune cell infiltration, TMB and MSI in various tumors (r>0.3). PYCR1 was overexpressed in BLCA, and high PYCR1 expression was closely related to poor prognosis in BLCA patients (HR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.02-1.68, P=0.006). The IC₅₀ of the anti-cancer drugs cetuximab, 5-fluorouracil, and doxorubicin increased significantly in BLCA cell lines with high PYCR1 expressions (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS High PYCR1 expression is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in BLCA patients and can serve as a significant indicator for clinical decision-making as well as a marker for predicting sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents and the efficacy of immunotherapy.
Humans ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/genetics* ; Immunotherapy ; Prognosis ; Pyrroline Carboxylate Reductases/metabolism* ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; delta-1-Pyrroline-5-Carboxylate Reductase ; Microsatellite Instability ; Tumor Microenvironment ; Mutation ; Computational Biology ; Molecular Docking Simulation

Objective : To explore the role and mechanism of 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC) in inflammatory bow- el disease (IBD) in mice． Methods : All mice were divided into three groups : the control group was fed normally ; the DSS model group was fed with 2. 5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) solution ; the DSS + 25-HC experimental group was fed with 2. 5% DSS solution and he mice in the experimental group were intraperitoneally injected with 25-HC．The symptom changes of the mice were evaluated by assessing the disease activity index(DAI) ，and the tis- sue changes were judged by histological scoring．The expression of interleukin-17 and its signaling pathways in the mice were detected by Western blot，qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry /fluorescence，and flow cytometry．Combined with the detection of tight junction proteins in the intestinal epithelium of the mice，the mechanism by which 25-HC affects IBD in mice was explored． Results : In comparison to the DSS control group，The DSS + 25-HC experimen- tal group mice exhibited a reduction in body weight ( F = 30. 1，P ＜0. 000 1) ，a shortened colon ( F = 63. 8，P < 0. 05) ，and elevated DAI(F = 774. 5，P＜0. 000 1) and histopathological scores(F = 141. 5，P＜0. 05) ．Addition- ally，the expression of tight junction-associated proteins(ZO-2，Occludin，JAM and Claudin-4) was found to be sig- nificantly reduced．The level of IL-17 significantly decreased，and its expression level was positively correlated with tight junction proteins． Conclusion 25-HC inhibited IL-17 production by colonic γδ T cells through the RORγt pathway，aggravated mucosal injury，and promoted the development of DSS-induced acute colitis in mice．

Objective:To study the correlation between osteoporosis and the joint of small articular process of lumbar vertebra,and the correlation between bone mineral density(BMD)and various parameters of small joint based on quantitative computed tomography(QCT),so as to provide scientific basis for formulating clinically treatment strategies.Methods:This study included 63 patients who admitted to orthopedics of The Second Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2023 to March 2024 due to waist discomfort and lower limb pain.According to BMD standard of CT examination for lumbar vertebra,these patients were divided into normal BMD group(31 cases),osteopenia group(21 cases)and osteoporosis group(11 cases).All patients underwent CT scan on lumbar vertebra.The mode with body membrane were adopted to measure BMD,the area of left and right articular process,CT value,height after the scan was completed.Whether existed osteophytes,endplate inflammation and intervertebral disc herniation in each group were checked.Univariate Analysis of Variance(ANOVA)was employed to assess the differences among different BMD groups in age,gender,area of articular process,CT value and height.The Pathria grading system was adopted to assess the degeneration degree of intervertebral joint,and the Fisher's exact test was used to analyze the differences in degeneration scores of articular process among three groups.At the same time,the pairwise comparison between groups also was conducted.Spearman's rank correlation analysis was conducted to explore the correlation between BMD and the degeneration degree of intervertebral joint.Results:The BMD value of normal BMD group was(165.14±30.11)mg/cm3,and that of osteopenia group was(98.98±10.14)mg/cm3,and that of osteoporosis group was(58.62±18.73)mg/cm3.There was a statistically significant difference in BMD value among three groups(F=103.121,P＜0.001),and there was a statistically significant difference in BMD value between normal BMD group and osteopenia group as the result of pairwise comparison between groups(t=10.018,P＜0.001).There was statistically significant difference in BMD value between normal BMD group and osteoporosis group(t=12.989,P＜0.001),and there was statistically significant difference in BMD value between osteopenia group and osteoporosis group(t=4.641,P＜0.001).The areas of left and right upper articular process of normal BMD group were less than that of other two groups,and the differences of CT value and height of left and right upper articular process among three groups were significant(F=27.350,24.458,P＜0.05),respectively.The CT value of normal BMD group was higher than that of other two groups,and CT values of right upper articular process of osteopenia group was significantly lower than that of osteoporosis group,and the difference was statistical significance(t=2.191,P＜0.05).The heights of left and right upper articular processes of normal BMD group were lower than those of osteoporosis group,and the height of right upper articular process was lower than that of osteopenia group(t=2.331,-2.798,-2.618,P＜0.05).There was a negative correlation between osteoporosis degree and the degeneration of articular process joints(r=-0.745,P＜0.001).With the decreasing of BMD value,the degeneration of articular process joint gradually aggravated,and the ratios of osteophytes,endplate inflammation and intervertebral discs increased.Conclusion:There is a certain correlation between the osteoporosis and the degeneration of articular process joints of lumbar intervertebral disc.The ratios of osteophytes,endplate inflammation and intervertebral disc herniation increase,and both the area and height of the left and right articular process increase when the reduction of bone mass reaches to a serious degree.