Objective: This study aims to explore the association between oral lichen planus (OLP) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and its anti-thyroid antibodies to provide clinical evidence for thyroid disease screening in patients with OLP. Methods: This study was approved by the institutional ethics committee. A total of 125 clinically and histopathologically confirmed patients with OLP were enrolled as the case group, and they were matched with 125 non-OLP controls based on sex and age. Demographic data (gender, age, lesion type, and disease duration) were collected from both groups. Serum levels of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) were measured to analyze their associations with sex, age, lesion type, and disease duration in patients with OLP. Result: The prevalence of HT in patients with OLP was 31.20%, significantly higher than that in the control group (9.60%) (χ2=18.504, P<0.001). The prevalence of HT in female patients with OLP (39.13%) was significantly higher than that in male patients (9.09%)（χ2=10.93，P<0.001）. The positivity rate of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) in patients with OLP (17.6%) was significantly higher than in the control group (4.0%) (χ2=10.989, P<0.001). The TPOAb positivity rate was significantly higher in female patients (22.83%) than in male patients (3.03%) (χ2=5.210, P=0.014). There was no statistically significant difference in the positivity rate of TgAb between patients with OLP (7.2%) and the control group (3.2%) (P>0.05). Patients with erosive lesions had a significantly higher TPOAb positivity rate (25.0%, 17/68) compared to those with non-erosive lesions (8.77%, 5/57), and the difference was statistically significant (χ2=4.831, P=0.028). Logistic regression analysis revealed that female patients with OLP had an 8.935-fold higher risk of being TPOAb positive compared to males (OR=8.935, 95%CI: 1.134-70.388, P=0.038). Patients with erosive OLP lesions had a 3.199-fold higher risk of TPOAb positivity compared to those with non-erosive lesions (OR=3.199, 95%CI: 1.064-9.618, P=0.038). Conclusion The prevalence of HT is higher in patients with OLP, with higher positivity rates of anti-thyroid antibodies observed in female patients and those with erosive OLP lesions. This suggests that thyroid disease screening should be incorporated into the clinical management of patients with OLP, especially for women and patients who present with erosive lesions.

AIM: To investigate the protective effect of β-sitosterol on retinal structure and function and its underlying molecular mechanism in a sodium iodate(NaIO3)-induced mouse model of dry age-related macular degeneration(ARMD).METHODS: A dry ARMD mouse model was established by NaIO3 injection. The therapeutic effect of β-sitosterol intervention was evaluated using fundus photography, histopathology(HE staining), and electroretinography(ERG). Network pharmacology was employed to screen potential targets of β-sitosterol in ARMD, and molecular docking was used to validate the binding ability between β-sitosterol and these targets. The impact of β-sitosterol on ARPE-19 cell viability and apoptosis pathways was analyzed using CCK-8 assay, Hoechst staining, and Western blotting.RESULTS: The β-sitosterol significantly alleviated structural damage in the retinas of model mice(increased retinal and outer nuclear layer thickness, reduced yellowish-white drusen-like deposits)and functional impairment(partial restoration of a-wave and b-wave amplitudes). Network pharmacology identified PON1 as a key target of β-sitosterol; molecular docking demonstrated that β-sitosterol binds to PON1 via hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds. In vitro experiments showed that β-sitosterol(10 μmol/L)significantly increased ARPE-19 cell viability(P<0.01), reduced apoptosis(P<0.01), upregulated PON1 expression(P<0.01), and concurrently suppressed cleaved-Caspase3 expression(P<0.01).CONCLUSION: The β-sitosterol likely protects against oxidative stress-induced retinal damage by modulating PON1 to suppress the Caspase3-dependent apoptotic pathway. These findings provide experimental evidence supporting the development of β-sitosterol as a novel therapeutic agent for dry ARMD.

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a group of indolent tumors originating in the lymphohematopoietic system including lymph nodes and lymphoid tissues. The survival of FL has been significantly improved through the continuous development and optimization of novel drugs and therapeutic regimens. This article reviews the research progress of treatment strategies for newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory FL.

Space medicine,as a comprehensive discipline ensuring the safety,health,and efficient performance of astronauts during manned space missions,focuses on elucidating the underlying mechanisms of multi-system physiological effects induced by extreme space environments and developing corresponding protective strategies.With China's space program transitioning into an application and development phase,space medical experiments—a critical domain within space applications—face significant opportunities and challenges.This paper reviews the international development trend in the field of medical experiments and the progress in China from perspectives including platform system construction,utilization of novel technologies,and scientific discoveries.It further outlines the engineering framework,guiding ideology,and key research directions for space medical experiments under China's Space Station Application and Development Project.Deliberations and prospects center on the in-depth analysis of the adaptation law of life in space flight,the application of big data and artificial intelligence technology,the emerging challenges it faces,and the scientific research organization models.This work aims to provide a reference for the development of space medical experiment field in China.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of β-blockers in older patients with hypertension combined with vascular dementia.Methods A total of 152 older patients with hypertension combined with vascular dementia who were admitted to Shanxi Provincial Fenyang Hospital between January 2022 and October 2024 were enrolled.The participants were randomly assigned to either the study group or the control group(76 patients each)using the randomized numerical table method.Both groups received conventional treatment,and the study group received metoprolol for 5 weeks in addition to the conventional treatment.Primary outcome indicators,including changes in systolic blood pressure(SBP)and diastolic blood pressure(DBP)before and after treatment,were examined.Additionally,comparison was made to examine the intergroup difference in serological markers,including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin(IL)-6,IL-8,matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP-9),homocysteine(Hcy),and superoxide dismutase(SOD)levels,and the scores for intelligence,cognitive,and behavioral assessments.Adverse reactions were recorded.Results After treatment,the study group showed reduced SBP from(146.90±7.35)mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa)to(120.00±6.03)mmHg and reduced DBP from(90.24±5.97)mmHg to(77.23±6.81)mmHg.The reduction in blood pressure in the study group became more significantly when compared with that of the control group,with intergroup difference in SBP reduction being-8.54 mmHg(P<0.001)and intergroup difference in DBP reduction being-10.80 mmHg(P<0.001).Patients in the 2 groups showed statistically significant differences in the levels of hs-CRP,TNF-α,IL-6,IL-8,MMP-9,and Hcy,and in their cognitive and behavioral scores(P<0.05).No statistically significant differences were found in pulse pressure,von Willebrand factor(vWF)levels,or intelligence scores before and after treatment(P>0.05).The main adverse reactions in the study group were central nervous system reactions(22.37%)and withdrawal syndrome(17.11%).Conclusion The β-blocker metoprolol effectively controlled blood pressure,significantly reduced levels of pro-inflammatory factors and specific vascular injury markers,and improved cognitive function and behavioral symptoms in older patients with hypertension combined with vascular dementia,suggesting its therapeutic efficacy for this condition.However,attention should be paid to its associated adverse reactions.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) for muscle atrophy in patients with immobilization after surgical fixation of foot and ankle fractures.MethodsThis was a two-arm randomized controlled trial wherein 80 patients were recruited and divided into control (n = 40) and intervention (n = 40) groups. The control group received conventional orthopedic treatment, whereas the intervention group received TEAS and conventional treatment. The intervention group received TEAS 3 times a week for 30 min each time for 8 weeks. The primary outcomes were muscle thickness (MT) and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the rectus femoris and gastrocnemius muscles, whereas the secondary outcome measure was echo intensity (EI). Data were collected before the fixation operations (baseline assessment) and 4 and 8 weeks after intervention.ResultsCompared with baseline, the MT and CSA were reduced in both groups by the end of treatment, whereas EI increased in both groups. At week 4, the reduction in the rectus femoris CSA in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P = .02); however, the between-group differences in the MT and EI (all P .05) were not significant. No serious adverse events were observed in either group.ConclusionOur study showed that TEAS can improve muscle atrophy by attenuating the decline in the muscle CSA. Because this was only a pilot trial, subsequent studies will need longer follow-ups and larger sample sizes.

Fungal infections of the digestive tract in children can be caused by a variety of fungi, the most common of which are Candida and Aspergillus.Occurrence of invasive fungal infections is dependent on numerous factors including geographic location and routes of exposure, and host factors, such as predisposing conditions, high-risk medications, or underlying medical comorbidities that modulate overall immune function.However, advances in DNA and ribosomal RNA sequencing and serologic testing have led to shifts in how gut fungal microbiota are identified and in diagnosing opportunistic infections.This article will briefly expound the common pathogens, risk factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of gastrointestinal fungal infections in children.

Objective To assess the tear film stability and morphological characteristics of the tarsal gland in myopic children.Methods In this prospective descriptive study,myopic children who performed refractive examinations in the Pediatric Ophthalmology & Refraction Clinic,Jinan Mingshui Eye Hospital from November 2021 to November 2022 were in-cluded.An Ocular Surface Disease Index(OSDI)questionnaire survey was carried out;tear meniscus height(TMH),non-invasive first breakup time(NIf-BUT)and images of the tarsal glands were obtained by OCULUS Keratograph 5M compre-hensive ocular surface analyzer.In addition,the atrophy and tortuosity of tarsal glands were scored to analyze the tear film stability and clinical characteristics of tarsal glands in myopic children.Results A total of 48 myopic children(91 eyes)aged from 7 to 16(10.25±2.23)years were recruited,including 27 males(56.25％)and 21 females(43.75％).The aver-age TMH was(0.19±0.04)mm(95％CI:0.18-0.19)and the average NIf-BUT was(5.40±2.62)s(95％CI:4.90-5.94);the TMH was positively correlated with NIf-BUT(r=0.223,P=0.034).The tarsal gland atrophy score was 1(0,1).The tortuosity score of the upper and lower tarsal gland was 0(0,1)and 0(0,0),respectively,with a statistically significant difference(Z=3.692,P＜0.001).In all subjects,49 eyes(53.85％)had tarsal gland atrophy,and 37 eyes(40.66％)had tarsal gland tortuosity.There were significant differences in TMH and NIf-BUT between children aged＜12 years and children aged ≥12 years(both P＜0.05).There was a significant difference in TMH between children with an OSDI score＜13 and children with an OSDI score ≥ 13(t=2.305,P=0.026).There was a significant difference in NIf-BUT between mild and moderate myopia children(t=2.300,P=0.024);the spherical equivalent was positively correlated with NIf-BUT(r=0.283,P=0.023).Conclusion Children with mild to moderate myopia show low tear film stability and a certain proportion of abnormal morphology in tarsal glands.In addition to the refractive status of children,attention should also be paid to ocular surface health in the refraction clinic.

Objective The study aimed to elucidate the evolution of the syndromes in Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)and TCM syndrome elements in different chronic stages of psoriasis vulgaris.Methods A database was constructed using electronic medical records collected from July 2019 to March 2024 from 1,049 patients with psoriasis vulgaris.The study used Sankey diagrams and network association graphs to analyze the evolution of TCM syndromes and their elements in patients at the different stages:initial diagnosis,progressive stage(Week 2-3),progressive stage(Week 4-5),skin lesion improvement stage(Week 6-7),and remission stage.The syndrome elements network was constructed using community detection algorithms,and the association rules between local skin lesion syndrome differentiation and overall syndrome differentiation were displayed using heatmaps.Results(ⅰ)Initial diagnosis.In the syndrome differentiation of local skin lesions,blood heat syndrome was the most common(79.79％);among the disease location of TCM syndrome elements(called"disease location"),liver was the most prevalent(35.62％);and among the pathological factors of TCM syndrome elements(called"pathological factors"),fire(heat)was the most common(75.48％).(ⅱ)Active stage(Week 2-3).In the syndrome differentiation of local skin lesions,blood heat syndrome remained the most prevalent(73.13％);among the disease location,liver was still the most prevalent(31.71％);and among the pathological factors,fire(heat)continued to be the most common(82.11％),while dampness(22.26％)and qi stagnation(8.39％)began to increase.(ⅲ)Active stage(Week 4-5).The syndrome differentiation of local skin lesions was dominated by blood heat syndrome(45.91％)and blood dryness syndrome(37.19％);among disease location,the interior was the most prevalent(15.25％);and among the pathological factors,fire(heat)remained the most common(50.66％),with an increase in yin deficiency(34.26％).(ⅳ)Skin lesion improvement stage(Week 6-7).In the syndrome differentiation of local skin lesions,both blood dryness syndrome(49.44％)and blood stasis syndrome(33.33％)increased;among the disease location,meridians increased most significantly and became the most prevalent(13.44％);and among the pathological factors,blood stasis increased most significantly and became the most prevalent(28.20％).(ⅴ)Remission stage.In the syndrome differentiation of local skin lesions,blood stasis syndrome became the primary(55.69％),while the percentage of blood dryness syndrome decreased(21.16％);meridians(25.71％)and blood stasis(62.34％)remained the most predominant syndrome elements related to disease location or pathological factors.Conclusion The overall pattern of TCM syndromes in psoriasis vulgaris evolved from excess to deficiency.From the initial diagnosis to the active phase(Week 2-3),heat syndrome dominated;during the active phase(Week 4-5),heat syndrome coexisted with damp syndrome or yin deficiency syndrome;changes in the syndrome element network were the most significant during the lesion improvement phase,with blood stasis gradually increasing and peaking during the remission phase.Blood stasis,dampness,and qi stagnation were pervasive throughout psoriasis vulgaris;qi stagnation and blood stasis may be the main elements causing further deterioration and prolonged course of the disease during the active phase in patients.