Objective To explore the mechanism of electroacupuncture in improving lipid metabolism in polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS)based on metabolomics combined with transcriptomics.Methods Eight-een SD rats were divided into the control group,the PCOS group and the electroacupuncture group,with 6 rats in each group.The PCOS group and the electroacupuncture group used intragastric letrozole to establish the PCOS model.After the model was established,the electroacupuncture group was intervened with electroacu-puncture,while the control group was only given sodium carboxymethyl cellulose by gavage.Observed the changes in body weight and estrous cycle of the three groups,detected the sex hormones,blood lipids,liver function,ovarian morphology,plasma metabolism and liver function indicators of the three groups.Metabolo-mics was used to analyze the differences in metabolites in plasma,the differences in gene expression in the liv-er were detected by RT-qPCR.Results Weight gain and estrous cycle disorder occurred in the PCOS group,and the ovarian morphology showed a thinning of the granulosa cell layer,with a significant reduction in the number of corpus luteum and mature follicles.Meanwhile,sex hormones were abnormal(total testosterone and androgen levels were increased,estradiol and progesterone levels were decreased),dyslipidemia occurred(TC,TG,LDL-C were increased,HDL-C level was decreased),and liver function was abnormal(AST,total protein,ALB,TBIL were increased).The electroacupuncture group significantly reduced weight.It improved the estrous cycle,and the granulosa cell layer of the ovary thickened,with a significant increasing in the num-ber of corpus luteum and mature follicles.Meanwhile,sex hormone levels were improved(androgen and total testosterone levels were decreased,estradiol level was increased),lipid balance(TC,TG,LDL-C levels were reduced,HDL-C level was increased)and liver function(AST,total protein,ALB,and TBIL levels were de-creased)was restored.Transcriptomics suggested that electroacupuncture down-regulated the expression of cytochrome P450(CYPs)family genes related to steroid hormones and lipid metabolism,and the results were confirmed by RT-qPCR.Combined omics analysis revealed that electroacupuncture might mainly exert its effect on improving lipid metabolism disorders in PCOS rats through the linoleic acid metabolic pathway.Con-clusion Electroacupuncture can regulate lipid metabolism in rats with PCOS.

This study analyzes the global patents development and clinical applications of photon counting CT (PCCT) technology in the past 20 years, including the trends of global patent application, the patent portfolio planning, key innovations and technological evolution of top medical device companies. The study utilizes patent retrievals in incoPat database, and then carries out patent navigation analysis. At the same time, with reports of clinical trials and research, the advantages and prospects of PCCT in clinical diagnosis are sorted out. With the rapid growth of the number of patent applications for PCCT, the technologies and clinical trials are becoming increasingly mature. It is expected that in the next few years, more PCCT products will be launched to the market, bringing a more accurate and safe diagnostic experience to radiologists and patients.
Patents as Topic ; Photons ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Humans

Booster vaccinations are highly recommended in combating the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and its subvariants. However, the optimal booster vaccination strategies and related immune mechanisms with different prior vaccinations are under-revealed. In this study, we systematically evaluated the immune responses in mice and hamsters with different prime-boost regimens before their protective efficacies against Omicron were detected. We found that boosting with Ad5-nCoV, S_WT-2P or S_Omicron-6P induced significantly higher levels of neutralization activities against Omicron variants than CoronaVac and ZF2001 by eliciting stronger germinal center (GC) responses. Specifically, S_Omicron-6P induced even stronger antibody responses against Omicron variants in CoronaVac and Ad5-nCoV-primed animals than non-Omicron-specific vaccines but with limited differences as compared to Ad5-nCoV and S_WT-2P. In addition, boosting with a specific vaccine has the potential to remodel the existing immune profiles. These findings indicated that adenovirus-vectored vaccines and mRNA vaccines would be more effective than other types of vaccines as booster shots in combating Omicron infections. Moreover, the protective efficacies of the vaccines in booster vaccinations are highly related to GC reactions in secondary lymphatic organs. In summary, these findings provide timely important information on prime-boost regimens and future vaccine design.

Objective To explore the application of plasma 7 microRNA (miR7) testing in the differential diagnosis of very early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods This study is a multicenter real-world study. Patients with single hepatic lesion (maximum diameter≤2 cm) who underwent plasma miR7 testing at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Anhui Provincial Hospital, and Peking University People’s Hospital between January 2019 and December 2024 were retrospectively enrolled. Patients were divided into very early-stage HCC group and non-HCC group, and the clinical pathological characteristics of the two groups were compared. The value of plasma miR7 levels, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) in the differential diagnosis of very early-stage HCC was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC). In patients with both negative AFP and DCP (AFP＜20 ng/mL, DCP＜40 mAU/mL), the diagnostic value of plasma miR7 for very early-stage HCC was analyzed. Results A total of 64 528 patients from 4 hospitals underwent miR7 testing, and 1 682 were finally included, of which 1 073 were diagnosed with very early-stage HCC and 609 were diagnosed with non-HCC. The positive rate of miR7 in HCC patients was significantly higher than that in non-HCC patients (67.9% vs 24.3%, P＜0.001). ROC curves showed that the AUCs for miR7, AFP, and DCP in distinguishing HCC patients from the non-HCC individuals were 0.718, 0.682, and 0.642, respectively. The sensitivities were 67.85%, 43.71%, and 44.45%, and the specificities were 75.70%, 92.78%, and 83.91%, respectively. The pairwise comparison of AUCs showed that the diagnostic efficacy of plasma miR7 detection was significantly better than that of AFP or DCP (P＜0.05). Although its specificity was slightly lower than AFP and DCP, the sensitivity was significantly higher. Among patients negative for both AFP and DCP, miR7 maintained an AUC of 0.728 for diagnosing very early-stage HCC, with 67.82% sensitivity and 77.73% specificity. Conclusions Plasma miR7 testing is a potential molecular marker with high sensitivity and specificity for the differential diagnosis of small hepatic nodules. In patients with very early-stage HCC lacking effective molecular markers (negative for both AFP and DCP), miR7 can serve as a novel and effective molecular marker to assist diagnosis.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of the Tai Chi training on bone density， bone turnover markers， and heart rate variability for people with high-risk osteoporosis， and to provide evidence for the prevention of osteoporosis at early stage. MethodsSixty-six cases of people with high risk of osteoporosis were included， and they were divided into 33 cases each in the intervention group and the control group using the random number table method. The control group received osteoporosis health education three times a week， and the intervention group received Tai Chi training under the guidance of a trainer three times a week for 40 mins each time on the basis of the control group， and both groups were intervened for 12 weeks. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure the bone density of L₁~L₄ vertebrae， bilateral femoral necks and bilateral total hips in the two groups before and after the intervention； enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine bone turnover markers before and after the intervention， including pro-collagen type Ⅰ pro-amino-terminal prepropyl peptide （P1NP） and β-collagen type Ⅰ cross-linking carboxy-terminal peptide （β-CTX）. Seven cases with good compliance in the intervention group were selected. After wearing the heart rate sensor， they successively performed Tai Chi training and walking activities recommended by the guideline for 20 mins each， and the heart rate variability （HRV） during exercise was collected， including time-domain indexes such as standard deviation of normal sinus intervals （SDNN）， root-mean-square of the difference between adjacent RR intervals （RMSSD）， frequency-domain metrics such as low-frequency power （LF）， high-frequency power （HF）， and low-frequency/high-frequency power ratio （LF/HF）， as well as nonlinear metrics such as approximate entropy （ApEn）， sample entropy （SampEn）. ResultsFinally， 63 cases were included in the outcome analysis， including 30 cases in the intervention group and 33 cases in the control group. After the intervention， the differences of L₁~L₄ vertebrae， bone density of bilateral femoral neck and bilateral total hip in the intervention group were not statistically significant when compared with those before intervention （P＞0.05）， while the bone density of all parts of the control group decreased significantly compared with that before intervention （P＜0.05）， and the difference in the bone density of the L₁~L₄ vertebrae， bilateral femoral neck， and the right total hip before and after the intervention of the intervention group was smaller than that of the control group （P＜0.05）. The differences in P1NP and β-CTX between groups before and after intervention was not statistically significant （P＞0.05）. Compared with walking exercise， LF decreased， HF increased and LF/HF decreased during Tai Chi exercise （P＜0.05）； the time domain indexes and non-linear indexes between groups had no statistically significant difference （P＞0.05）. ConclusionTai Chi exercise can maintain lumbar， hip， and femoral bone density and improve sympathetic/parasympathetic balance in people at high risk for osteoporosis， but cannot significantly improve bone turnover markers.

Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory systemic disease in dermatology. Its high prevalence， recurrence rate， and numerous comorbidities impose a significant physical and mental burden on patients. With the continuous advancement of modern medicine， the emergence of biological agents has improved clinical efficacy， making it possible to overcome psoriasis， in addition to classical treatments. However， in clinical practice， adverse reactions， drug resistance， recurrence rates， and immune drift cannot be ignored. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a history of thousands of years in treating psoriasis， demonstrating good efficacy， high safety， and a low recurrence rate， but a standardized management system is lacking. Therefore， the 25^th Clinical Diseases Responding Specially to TCM Treatment Series （Psoriasis） Youth Salon， hosted by the Chinese Association of Chinese Medicine and organized by the Youth Committee of the Chinese Association of Chinese Medicine， invited 29 experts and scholars from TCM， Western medicine， and interdisciplinary fields to actively discuss the "Advantages， Challenges， and Clinical Transformation of TCM and Western Medicine in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Psoriasis". The experts at the meeting concluded that the advantages of TCM in the treatment of psoriasis are as follows. Firstly， in the TCM-led treatment plan， TCM's understanding of psoriasis follows the principle of combining the differentiation of disease and syndrome. This approach distinguishes the basic contradiction from the current main contradiction and enables a clear grasp of the dynamic process of psoriasis development. Based on the system of syndrome differentiation and treatment， TCM intervention is applied to address the current main contradiction， and the optimal TCM treatment plan is formulated by combining internal and external treatments. Adhering to the principle of "what is visible outside must be addressed inside"， TCM can prevent and treat psoriasis comorbidities early by differentiating syndrome types. Secondly， in the integrated TCM and Western medicine treatment plan， the combination of both methods not only enhances efficacy but also reduces the adverse reactions of immunosuppressants and biological agents， lowering the recurrence rate. This conference provides a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of psoriasis using TCM and integrated TCM and Western medicine， opening up new ideas for clinical and basic research and guiding future research directions.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical manifestation and genotype of a child with Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis 8 (PFIC8) due to variant of KIF12 gene. METHODS: A child diangosed with PFIC8 at Changzhou Children's Hospital in October 2017 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the child was collected. Peripheral blood samples (3 mL each) were collected from the patient, her parents and younger sister. Following extraction of genomic DNA, whole exome sequencing (WES) was carried out. Candidate variants were validated using Sanger sequencing. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the pathogenicity of candidate variants was classified. This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Changzhou Children's Hospital (Ethics No.: 2023-002). RESULTS: The main clinical manifestations of the child included high GGT cholestasis, portal hypertension, splenomegaly, and abnormal liver enzymes. WES revealed that she has harbored compound heterozygous variants of the KIF12 gene, namely c.245G >A (p.Arg82Gln) and c.1291del (p.Ser431Valfs*13). Bioinformatics analyses showed that both variants were pathogenic. A total of 25 cases were reported in 7 English literature, including 13 males and 12 females. All patients had presented with high GGT cholestasis. Some had progressed to cirrhosis, and 3 cases also had renal lesions. No death was reported. Six children were treated with LTx. Nineteen children were found to harbor homozygous variants of the KIF12 gene, and the remaining six harbored compound heterozygous variants of the same gene. The most common mutation was c.655C>T (p.Arg219*). The mutation sites are mainly located in the Kinesin motor catalytic domain, with high GGT cholestasis as the main clinical feature. No correlation was found between the genotype and phenotype. CONCLUSION PFIC8 caused by KIF12 deficiency is mainly characterized by high GGT cholestasis, for which there is no effective treatment. The c.245G>A and c.1291del compound heterozygous variants of the KIF12 gene probably underlay the pathogenesis in this child.
Humans ; Kinesins/genetics* ; Female ; Cholestasis, Intrahepatic/genetics* ; Phenotype ; Heterozygote ; Child ; Mutation ; Child, Preschool ; Male ; Exome Sequencing

Objective:Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), an allergen/immune-mediated chronic disorder of the esophagus, is witnessing an incremental rise in its global incidence. However, data in China are very limited. This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of EoE in Chinese adults at our medical center.Methods:We collected information, including clinical characteristics and endoscopic findings, relative to all cases of adult patients who met the pathological diagnostic criteria for EoE at our institution from January 2019 to May 2024. Patients diagnosed with reflux esophagitis (RE) were matched in a 1∶1 ratio based on age and sex, and comparisons were made between the two groups.Results:The overall detection rate of EoE in our hospital was approximately 0.05%, with a trend increasing yearly. In total, 61 patients met the diagnostic criteria for EoE, of whom 42 (68.9%) were male. The median age was 53 years. The clinical manifestations of EoE patients were diverse, with common symptoms including dysphagia, acid reflux, and upper abdominal pain. Serological examination revealed that 23.1% (9/39) of patients had increased absolute eosinophil counts. Allergic diseases were observed in 73.8% (45/61) patients. Most patients exhibited typical mucosal changes in the esophagus during endoscopy, the median EREFS score was 3 points. The most commonly administered treatment included proton pump inhibitors, and 13 patients received steroid treatment. During a follow-up period, 42 patients (68.9%) exhibited clinical symptom improvement or pathological remission. In comparison to Western countries, patients with EoE in China typically presented with milder disease severity and a more favorable prognosis. No significant differences were observed between younger and older adult groups regarding clinical symptoms, the proportion of comorbid allergic diseases, medications, or the rate of improvement ( P for all>0.05). Additionally, patients with EoE more commonly presented with dysphagia (29.5% vs. 1.6%, χ2=15.96, P<0.001), comorbid allergic diseases (73.8% vs. 13.1%, χ2=45.67, P<0.001), increased eosinophil counts (23.1% vs. 3.3%, χ2=7.61, P<0.01), and a positive response to corticosteroids when compared to patients with RE. Conclusions:This study systematically determined the clinical characteristics of adult EoE patients in China. Compared to Western countries, patients from China typically presented with milder disease severity and a more favorable prognosis. No significant clinical manifestations or prognosis differences were observed between younger and older patients. EoE can be differentiated from RE based on symptoms, the presence of comorbid allergic diseases, and the degree of serum eosinophil infiltration. For patients suspected of EoE, endoscopic esophageal biopsy will facilitate early diagnosis.