Objective To investigate the protective effect and mechanism of apigenin on the liver of hyperlipidemic mice based on metabolomics methods.Methods C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups including blank,model,fenofibrate(26.0 mg·kg-1),and apigenin(12.5 mg·kg-1)groups,with six mice in each group.Each group was treated with corresponding drug by gavage once a day for five days.On the third day of administration,the mouse model of acute hyperlipidemia was induced by a single intramuscular injection of Triton WR-1339(5 mL·kg-1)at a concentration of 0.12 g·mL-1.Biochemical indexes such as TC and TG in mice serum were measured by using a fully automatic microplate reader.HE staining was used to observe pathological changes in liver tissue.UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS technology was applied to analyze liver tissue samples.Differential metabolites were screened by using multivariate statistical analysis methods such as PCA,PLS-DA,and OPLS-DA.Then we ran the mass spectrometry information of these metabolites through online databases including HMDB,METLIN and KEGG,as well as combined with relevant literature to obtain the potential differential metabolites.The identified potential differential compounds were imported into the MetaboAnalyst platform for metabolic pathway analysis.Results Compared with the blank group,TC and TG levels in mice serum of model group increased obviously(P＜0.01).Irregular arrangement of liver cells,fat vacuoles and infiltration of inflammatory cells were found.Compared with the model group,TC and TG levels in mice serum of apigenin group decreased(P＞0.05).Fatty lesions in liver tissue were significantly improved,and fat vacuoles and inflammatory cell infiltration were significantly reduced.A total of 35 differential metabolites were screened.Twenty-six differential metabolites showed callback trend after apigenin treatment.Eight metabolic pathways were obviously affected,among which pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis,as well as arachidonic acid metabolism are two main metabolic pathways(P＜0.05).Conclusion Apigenin exhibits a certain protective effect on liver of hyperlipidemic mice,and its mechanism may be related to regulating liver inflammatory response and lipid metabolism-related pathways.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC)is characterized by high recurrence or distant metastases rate and the prognosis is challenging.There is mounting evidence that tumor-infiltrating B cells(TIL-Bs)have a crucial,synergistic role in tumor control.However,little is known about the role TIL-Bs play in immune microenvironment and the way TIL-Bs affect the outcome of immune checkpoint blockade.Using single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)data from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database,the study identified distinct gene expression patterns in TIL-Bs.HNSCC samples were categorized into TIL-Bs inhibition and TIL-Bs activation groups using unsupervised clustering.This classification was further validated with TCGA HNSCC data,correlating with patient prognosis,immune cell infiltration,and response to immunotherapy.We found that the B cells activation group exhibited a better prognosis,higher immune cell infiltration,and distinct immune checkpoint levels,including elevated PD-L1.A prognostic model was also developed and validated,highlighting four genes as potential biomarkers for predicting survival outcomes in HNSCC patients.Overall,this study provides a foundational approach for B cells-based tumor classification in HNSCC,offering insights into targeted treatment and immunotherapy strategies.

Objective:To investigate the safety of minimally invasive liver resection for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) complicated with portal hypertension.Methods:The propensity score matching and retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 807 patients with resectable HCC who underwent minimally invasive liver resection in 8 medical centers, including Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Affiliated with the Zhejiang University School of Medicine et al, from June 2011 to November 2022 were collected. There were 670 males and 137 females, aged 58(50,66)years. Of the 807 patients, 173 cases with portal hypertension were divided into the portal hypertension group, and 634 cases without portal hypertension were divided into the non-portal hypertension group. Observation indicators: (1) propensity score matching and comparison of general data of patients between the two groups after matching; (2) intraoperative and post-operative situations; (3) subgroup analysis. Propensity score matching was done by the 1:1 nearest neighbor matching method, with the caliper setting as 0.001. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3), and comparison between groups was conducted using the rank sum test. Count data were described as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Comparison of ordinal data was constructed using the non-parameter rank sun test. Results:(1) Propensity score matching and comparison of general data of patients between the two groups after matching. Of the 807 patients, 268 cases were successfully matched, including 134 cases in the portal hypertension group and 134 cases in the non-portal hypertension group. The elimination of the tumor diameter and robot-assisted surgery confounding bias ensured comparability between the two groups after propensity score matching. (2) Intraoperative and postoperative situations. The occlusion time of porta hepatis, cases with intraoperative blood transfusion, cases with postoperative complication, cases with complication >Ⅱ grade of Clavien-Dindo classification, cases of Clavien-Dindo classification as Ⅰ grade, Ⅱ grade, Ⅲ grade, Ⅳ grade, cases with liver related complication were 27.0(15.0,43.0)minutes, 33, 55, 15, 13, 29, 14, 1, 37 in the portal hypertension group, versus 35.0(22.0,60.0)minutes, 17, 25, 5, 14, 9, 4, 1, 13 in the non-portal hypertension group, showing significant differences in the above indicators between the two groups ( Z=-2.15, χ2=6.30, 16.39, 4.38, 20.72, 14.16, P<0.05). (3) Subgroup analysis. Results of subgroups analysis showed that in cases with major live resection, the operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, duration of postoperative hospital stay were 243.5(174.6,296.3)minutes, 200.0(150.0,600.0)mL, 7.5(6.0,13.0)days in the portal hypertension group, versus 270.0(180.0,314.5)minutes, 200.0 (75.0,450.0)mL, 7.0(5.5,10.0)days in the non-portal hypertension group, showing no significant difference in the above indicators between the two groups ( Z=-0.54, -1.73, -0.92, P>0.05). In cases with non-major live resection, the operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, duration of postoperative hospital stay were 170.0(120.0,227.5)minutes, 100.0(50.0,200.0)mL, 8.0(5.0,10.0)days in the portal hypertension group, versus 170.0(120.0,227.5)minutes, 100.0(50.0,200.0)mL, 7.0(5.5,9.0)days in the non-portal hypertension group, showing no significant difference in the above indicators between the two groups ( Z=-1.39, -0.10, 1.05, P>0.05). In cases with anatomical liver resection, the operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, duration of postoperative hospital stay were 210.0(150.0,285.0)minutes, 150.0(50.0,200.0)mL, 8.0(6.0,9.3)days in the portal hypertension group, versus 225.5(146.3,306.8)minutes, 100.0(50.0,250.0)mL, 7.0(6.0,9.0)days in the non-portal hypertension group, showing no significant difference in the above indica-tors between the two groups ( Z=-0.75, -0.26, -0.91, P>0.05). In cases with non-anatomical liver resection, the operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, duration of postoperative hospital stay were 173.5(120.0,231.5)minutes, 175.0(50.0,300.0)mL, 7.0(5.0,11.0)days in the portal hyper-tension group, versus 186.0(123.0,262.5)minutes, 100.0(50.0,200.0)mL, 7.0(5.0,9.5)days in the non-portal hypertension group, showing no significant difference in the above indicators between the two groups ( Z=-0.97, -1.12, -0.98, P>0.05). Conclusion:Minimally invasive liver resection or even major liver resection is safe and feasible for screened HCC patients complicated with portal hyper-tension, but attention should be paid to the prevention and treatment of postoperative complications.

Purpose: Loss-of-function mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene are common in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, the characteristic of APC specific mutations in mCRC is poorly understood. Here, we explored the clinical and molecular characteristics of N-terminal and C-terminal side APC mutations in Chinese patients with mCRC. Materials and Methods: Hybrid capture-based next-generation sequencing was performed on tumor tissues from 275 mCRC pati-ents to detect mutations in 639 tumor-associated genes. The prognostic value and gene-pathway difference between APC specific mutations in mCRC patients were analyzed. Results: APC mutations were highly clustered, accounting for 73% of all mCRC patients, and most of them were truncating mutations. The tumor mutation burden of the N-terminal side APC mutations group (n=76) was significantly lower than that of the C-terminal side group (n=123) (p < 0.001), further confirmed by the public database. Survival analysis showed that mCRC patients with N-terminus side APC mutations had longer overall survival than C-terminus side. Tumor gene pathway analysis showed that gene mutations in the RTK/RAS, Wnt and transforming growth factor β signaling pathways of the C-terminal group were significantly higher than those of the N-terminal group (p < 0.05). Additionally, KRAS, AMER1, TGFBR2, and ARID1A driver mutations were more common in patients with C-terminal side APC mutations. Conclusion APC specific mutations have potential function as mCRC prognostic biomarkers. There are obvious differences in the gene mutation patterns between the C-terminus and N-terminus APC mutations group, which may have certain guiding significance for the subsequent precise treatment of mCRC.

【Objective】  To explore the development and research hotspots on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) diagnosis and predict research trends in the area. 【Methods】  All articles were retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data (Wanfang), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). All related papers published in journals from the foundation of the databases to December 31, 2022 were included. NoteExpress, Co-Occurrence(COOC), VOSviewer, and CiteSpace were used to visualize data about publication volumes, journals, authors, research institutions, and keywords as well as to analyze hotspots trending topics in the field. 【Results】  A total of 686 articles were retrieved from the databases, among which 610 papers were published in Chinese and 76 in English. In terms of the journals in which these papers were published, 238 of them were Chinese journals and 52 were English ones. The number of the papers published in journals presented a slow growth. According to the results from Chinese article analysis, WANG Yiqin from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine published the most papers in the field. The authors of Chinese papers belonged to six long-term research teams, led by WANG Yiqin and XU Jiatuo (Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), WEI Yuke (Guangdong University of Technology), LI Gang (Tianjin University), XI Guangcheng (Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academ of Sciences), and NIU Xin (Beijing University of Chinese Medicine), respectively. In accordance with results from English paper analysis, four authors equally publishing the most papers were YAN Haixia, HU Xiaojuan, and JIANG Tao (Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), and WEN Chuanbiao (Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine). The authors of English papers were from two major research teams in the field of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Currently, research hotspots on AI such as neural networks, data mining, machine learning, feature recognition, image processing, and expert systems, have been centered on tongue diagnosis, pulse diagnosis, and syndrome research in TCM. Additionally, it was found that research on the topic was gradually evolving from explorations of a single diagnosis method to investigations on the combination of multiple TCM diagnosis methods. 【Conclusion】  Research on AI application in TCM diagnosis is still in a slowly growing stage. As technology develops, AI has been applied to many aspects of TCM diagnosis. Therefore, how to combine the two for improving TCM diagnosis is something worthy of our brainstorming and exploring.

Objective:To assess the application value of China consensus on the protocol of early gastric cancer screening in Guangdong province.Methods:A new quantitative scoring system was used in Cantonese residents who underwent early gastric cancer screening from March 2018 to March 2019. According to the scores of initial screening, patients were divided into high-risk, medium-risk and low-risk groups. The detection rates of early gastric cancer, precancerous diseases and precancerous lesions under gastroscopy in each group were compared. Chi-square test was performed for statistical analysis.Results:A total of 545 individuals were selected for gastroscopy, in which 32 cases were classified into high-risk group, 184 into medium-risk group and 329 into low-risk group. The results of gastroscopy examination showed that high-risk group had the highest detection rate of early gastric cancer (12.5%), followed by medium-risk group (1.1%) and low-risk group (0) ( χ2=41.85, P<0.01); the detection rates of precancerous diseases exhibited a similar pattern: high-risk group (60.9%) > medium-risk group (52.4%) > low-risk group (34.3%) ( χ2=18.00, P<0.01). The detection rates of precancerous lesions were 17.9%, 8.8% and 8.8%, respectively, with no significant difference ( χ2=2.58, P=0.28). In terms of the positive rate of endoscopy, high-risk group (71.9%) showed the highest positive rate, followed by medium-risk group (57.1%) and low-risk group (40.1%) ( χ2=21.54, P<0.01). Conclusion:China consensus on the protocol of early gastric cancer screeing is of application value for the screening of early gastric cancer and precancerous lesions in the populations at risk of gastric cancer in Guangdong province.

Objective To compare three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound ( 3DCEUS) fusion imaging and computed tomography ( CT ) fusion imaging in evaluating ablation margin ( AM ) after radiofrequency ablation ( RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC) . Methods The 3DCEUS images of 60 patients before and after RFA were collected . The AM was evaluated by the self-developed 3DCEUS fusion imaging technique . The consistency of AM evaluation was compared between 3DCEUS and CT fusion imaging . The risk factors of local tumor progression ( LTP) including AM were analyzed . Results The registration success rate of 3DCEUS fusion imaging was 96 .7％ ( 58/60) . Thirty-one cases were in the AM<5 mm group ,and 27 cases were in the AM ≥5 mm group . The consistency of AM evaluation between 3DCEUS and CT fusion imaging was good ( Kappa coefficient = 0 .895 , P < 0 .001) . During a follow-up period ranging 4 .2 to 18 months ,LTP was identified in 5 tumors (8 .6％ ,5/58) .The incidence of LTP with the AM<5 mm was higher than that with the AM ≥5 mm ( P =0 .033) . Conclusions 3DCEUS fusion imaging is feasible for AM evaluation immediately after RFA with high consistency with CT fusion imaging . AM<5 mm evaluated on 3DCEUS fusion immediately after RFA is a risk factor for LTP .

Objective To study the effect of exosomes ( EXs) released from high expression of miR-132-3p mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injured endothelial cell function. Methods MSCs extracted from bone marrow of C57BL/6 mice were cultured primarily. MSCmiR-132-3p was obtained from MSCs infected with lentivirus loaded with miR-132-3p vector. At the same time,MSCNC was obtained by infecting MSCs with control lentivirus loaded with scramble sequence. EXs released from MSCNCand MSCmiR-132-3pwas isolated,and MSC-EXs and MSC-EXsmiR-132-3pwere obtained respectively. The obtained EXs and H/R damaged mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells (bend3) were co-cultured. According to culture conditions,the cells were divided into normal culture group (normal cell culture),H/R group (making a H/R model),MSC-EXs group (MSC-EXs co-culture),MSC-EXsmiR-132-3p group (MSC-EXsmiR-132-3pco-culture), and MSC-EXsmiR-132-3p+ LY294002 group ( before the cells and MSC-EXsmiR-132-3pwere co-cultured,treated by adding phosphatidyl alcohol 3 kinase [ PI3K] signaling pathway blocker LY294002 [20 μmol/L]). Quantitative real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of miR-132-3p in MSCs,MSC-EXs,and bend3 cells. Angiogenesis kit was used to detect angiogenic ability of bend3 cells,and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to detect the proliferative capacity of bend3 cells. Scratch test was used to detect the migration ability of bend3 cells. hochest33258 staining showed cell apoptosis. Western blot was used to detect the phosphorylation level of protein kinase B ( Akt) . Results Compared with the H/R group, the MSC-EXs treatment group significantly improved the angiogenesis,proliferation,migration abilities, and Akt phosphorylation level of bend 3 cell damage induced by H/R (The H/R group were 3 ± 1,0. 275 ± 0. 020,147 ± 8 μm,and 0. 89 ± 0. 12,respectively;the MSC-EXs treatment group were 8 ± 3,0. 358 ± 0. 030,218 ± 10 μm, and 1. 37 ± 0. 25 μm,respectively;all P<0. 01). Apoptosis was significantly reduced (47 ± 2% vs. 63 ± 2%,all P<0. 01). Compared with the MSC-EXs treatment group,the angiogenesis,proliferation,migration abilities,and Akt phosphorylation level of bend 3 cells in the MSC-EXsmiR-132-3ptreatment group were increased (14 ±3,0. 444 ± 0.050,357±10μm,and1.67±0.23,respectively,all P<0.01).Apoptosis was significantly reduced (34±1%,all P<0. 01) . Compared with the MSC-EXsmiR-132-3ptreatment group, cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis abilities,and Akt phosphorylation level in the MSC-EXsmiR-132-3p+LY294002 group were significantly reduced (5 ± 2,0. 304 ± 0. 050,175 ± 8 μm and 0. 95 ± 0. 11,respectively,all P<0. 01). Conclusion MSC-EXs with high expression of miR-132-3p may improve many physiological functions of H/R-induced damaged cerebrovascular endothelial cells by activating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Objective To observe the change of intestinal microflora on the process of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH),and to explore the synbiotics therapeutic effect on NASH.Methods Rats were administrated with high fat diet to establish NASH model.In the process of NASH rats modeling,the level of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), fasting blood sugar (FBS) and fasting insulin (FINS) was dynamically tested by automatic biochemical analyzer.The change of main intestinal flora was detected by 16 S rRNA fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction.NAFLD activity score was calculated.HE staining was used to observe the hepaticpathological changes and the TLR4 expression was detected by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemical method.Until the 4th,8th,10th weekin the process of NASH modeling, 10 rats were feeded with synbiotics for 2 weeks, and all of above indicators were tested and observed.Results 1)With the extension of a high-fat diet feeding time, the degree of hepatocyte steatosis obviously increased.NAFLD score was significantly heightened(P<0.01).2)Number of independent activities of rats significantly increased, the serological level of TG, TC, LDL, FBS and FINS were lower significantly after intervention with synbiotics for 2 weeks(P<0.05).3)Synbiotics intervention for two weeks significantly increased the amount of bifidobacterium and lactobacillus and decrease the amount of enterococcus significantly(P<0.05).4)The expression of TLR4 was gradually increased in the process of NASH rats modeling(P<0.05),but decreased after 2 weeks of the synbiotics-intervention (P<0.05).Conclusions Intestinal microecology change is closely related to the development of NASH,therefor, synbiotics could improve the quality of life and biochemical indicators of NASH rats through adjusting intestinal microecology and the expression level of TLR4 protein might been involved.

Objective To comparatively analyze CEUS features of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (CHC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods Thirty-one patients with HBV-related CHC and 31 patients with HBV-related HCC confirmed by pathology were enrolled and CEUS features were compared.Results On CEUS,HBV-related CHC and HBV-related HCC mainly manifested as hyper-enhanced in arterial phase and hypo-enhanced in portal phase and delayed phase.No significant differences of enhancement level on CEUS were found between HBV-related CHC and HBV-related HCC.When the maximum diameter of tumor ≤3.0 cm,both HBV-related CHC and HBV-related HCC were mainly homogeneous enhancement (P=1.000).When the maximum diameter of tumor more than 3.0 cm,diffuse heterogeneous enhancement and peripheral irregular rim-like enhancement were more commonly observed in HBV-related CHC,while diffuse heterogeneous enhancement was more commonly noted in HBV-related HCC (P=0.001).Conclusion The enhancement pattern of HBV-related CHC ＞3.0 cm has relative specific performance.