Objective To analyze the relationship between the expression of ferroptosis markers in the tumor microenvironment(TME)and the prognosis of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE)for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods This prospective observational study included 100 HCC patients who received TACE treatment at Langfang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March 2019 to June 2021 as the study subjects.The levels of 8-isoprostaglandin F2α(8-iso-PGF2α),4-hydroxy-2-nonenal(4-HNE),8-hydroxy-2'deoxyguanosine(8-OH-dG)and hepcidin in plasma were evaluated by ELISA kit at baseline(1 day before TACE),1 day after TACE and 4～8 weeks.The changes of ferroptosis related markers during TACE treatment were compared.The difference between the level of 8-iso-PGF2α,4-HNE and the baseline 1 day after TACE treatment was recorded as △8-iso-PGF2α,△4-HNE.Results Compared with the baseline,the levels of 8-iso-PGF2α and 4-HNE increased significantly and the level of hepcidin decreased significantly one day after TACE treatment,and the differences were statistically significant(t=8.03,16.29,2.92,all P<0.05).Compared with 1 day after treatment,the levels of 8-iso-PGF2α,4-HNE decreased and the level of 8-OH-dG increased at 4～8 weeks after TACE treatment,and the differences were statistically significant(t=9.12,17.17,2.63,all P<0.05).Multivariate COX analysis showed that △8-iso-PGF2α,△4-HNE and 8-iso-PGF2α 1 day after TACE treatment were independent factors affecting the overall survival after TACE(Wald χ2=5.205,13.801,6.054,all P<0.05).The survival time of patients with △4-HNE>2.01 μg/ml was significantly longer than that of patients with △4-HNE≤2.01 μg/ml(Log-rank=5.718,P=0.017),and that of patients with△8-iso-PGF2α>1.75ng/ml was sig-nificantly longer than that of patients with△8-iso-PGF2≤1.75ng/ml(Log-rank=4.163,P=0.041).Conclusion The prognosis of HCC patients who are in a state of high ferroptosis(4-HNE and 8-iso-PGF2 increased)at 1 day after TACE treatment is better,which indicate that ferroptosis mediated HCC death induced by TACE treatment.

AIM To establish the near-infrared spectroscopy quantitative models for moisture,23-acetylalismol B and 23-acetylalismol C in Alismatis Rhizoma decoction pieces.METHODS The near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS)data were collected in 95 batches of decoction pieces,after which drying method was adopted in the content determination of moisture,HPLC was applied to determining the contents of 23-acetylalismol B and 23-acetylalismol C,the quantitative models were established by partial least squares method combined with feature extraction algorithms.RESULTS The model training determination coefficients were 0.952 6,0.958 1 and 0.920 8,along with the prediction determination coefficients of 0.930 0,0.905 2 and 0.906 4,the residual prediction deviations(PRD)of 4.00,3.58 and 3.46,and the root mean square error ratios of prediction values to calibration values(RMSEP/RMSEC)of 1.15,1.11 and 1.06,respectively.CONCLUSION The quantitative models based on NIRS exhibit good prediction effects,which can be used for the rapid quality detection of Alismatis Rhizoma decoction pieces.

[Purpose]To analyze the trend of prostate cancer mortality in China from 2011 to 2020,and to predict the prostate cancer mortality trend from 2021 to 2030.[Methods]The data were collected from the National Mortality Surveillance System(NMSS)from 2011 to 2020,the burden of prostate cancer in China from 2011 to 2020 were analyzed by the number of deaths,age-standardized mortality rate(ASMR),years of life lost(YLL)and age-standardized YLL rate.Joinpoint regression model was used to calculate the average annual percentage change(AAPC)to describe the trend of change.The Bayesian age-period-cohort model was used to predict the mor-tality rate of prostate cancer from 2021 to 2030 and estimate the number of deaths of prostate can-cer in the future.Decomposition analysis was carried out to explore the potential drivers of changes of mortality.[Results]The number of prostate cancer deaths in China in 2020 was 30 805 with an ASMR of 5.56/105.The ASMR for prostate cancer in urban and rural areas was 6.56/105 and 4.84/105,respectively.From 2011 to 2020,the number of prostate cancer deaths,ASMR and age-standardized YLL rate of prostate cancer in China showed an upward trend,AAPC was 5.4％(95％CI:4.7％～6.1％),1.5％(95％CI:1.4％～1.6％)and 1.1％(95％CI:1.1％～1.2％),respective-ly.The ASMR of prostate cancer was higher in the eastern region than those in the central and western regions.Prostate cancer deaths increased in both urban and rural areas among people aged 60 years old and above.In 2030,it is predicted the ASMR of prostate cancer would increase to 5.74/105.Population aging,changes in age-specific mortality rates,and natural population growth accounted for 24.75％,2.77％,and 7.45％of the changes in total deaths of prostate can-cer,respectively.[Conclusion]The burden of prostate cancer is increasing in China.Targeted measures should be implemented in high-risk areas and high-risk groups to effectively reduce the disease burden caused by prostate cancer.

Objective:To explore the therapeutic mechanism of moxibustion in Crohn disease(CD)-associated intestinal fibrosis by observing its effects on the angiotensin-converting enzyme(ACE)/angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ)/angiotensin Ⅱ type 1 receptor(AT1R)axis in CD mouse models.Methods:Six randomly selected male C57BL/6 mice were assigned to a normal group,while the remaining mice were administered 0.1 mL of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid via enema to establish a CD intestinal fibrosis model.After successful modeling,the mice were randomly divided into a model group,a moxibustion group,and a Western medication group,with 6 rats in each group.The normal group and the model group only received grabbing without intervention.In the moxibustion group,mild moxibustion was applied to Qihai(CV6)and bilateral Tianshu(ST25)once a day for 10 min each time over 7 consecutive days.The Western medication group was administered mesalazine suspension via oral gavage once a day for 7 consecutive days.At the end of the intervention,the general condition,disease activity index(DAI)score,and gross colon score of mice in each group were evaluated.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe and score the histological changes in the colon tissue in each group.Masson staining was used to observe colonic fibrosis and the ratio of collagen-positive areas was analyzed;the expression of Ang Ⅱ in the colon tissue was detected by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay;immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the protein and mRNA expression of ACE and AT1R in the colon tissue,respectively;Western blotting was used to detect the expression of transforming growth factor(TGF)-β1 and connective tissue growth factor(CTGF)in the colon tissue.Results:Compared to the normal group,the DAI score,gross colon score,colonic histological score,collagen-positive area ratio,ACE protein and mRNA,Ang Ⅱ protein,AT1R protein and mRNA,TGF-β1 protein,and CTGF protein in the colon tissue in the model group increased significantly(P<0.01).In contrast,the above indicators in both the moxibustion group and the Western medication group reduced significantly compared to the model group(P<0.01 or P<0.05).There was no statistical difference in these indicators between the moxibustion group and the Western medication group(P>0.05).Conclusion:Moxibustion can alleviate intestinal fibrosis in CD mice,and its therapeutic mechanism may be associated with the regulation of colonic ACE/AngⅡ/AT1R axis.

AIM:To investigate the role of BRCA2 and CDKN1A interacting protein(BCCIP)in gastric can-cer(GC)and elucidate its mechanism in mediating cisplatin resistance.METHODS:The BCCIP mRNA expression was assessed in GC tissues(n=415)and normal tissues(n=34)using The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database.In an in-ternal cohort(n=36 for RT-qPCR;n=5 for Western blot;n=30 for immunohistochemistry),BCCIP expression at both mRNA and protein levels was examined in GC tissues and paired adjacent normal tissues.Human GC cell lines AGS and HGC27 were cultured in vitro and treated with cisplatin in a dose(0,2,4,6,8 and 10 μmol/L)-and time(0,6,24 and 48 h)-dependent manner,followed by Western blot analysis of BCCIP expression.Stable BCCIP knockdown cell lines(shRNA#1 and shRNA#2 groups)were generated via lentiviral transfection,with empty vector-transfected cells serving as controls(vector group).Flow cytometry and colony formation assay were performed to evaluate the effects of BCCIP on apoptosis and colony-forming ability of GC cells treated with cisplatin.Western blot was utilized to detect the changes of BCCIP protein expression levels in the cytoplasm and nucleus of GC cells after cisplatin(2.5 and 1.0 μmol/L)treatment,as well as the effects of BCCIP on the expression of DNA damage marker γ-H2AX and apoptosis-related proteins cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3,and the activation of checkpoint kinase 1(CHK1)after cisplatin(2.5 and 1.0 μmol/L)treatment.Immunofluorescence was conducted to observe the effect of BCCIP on γ-H2AX expression in GC cells treated with cisplatin(2.5 and 1.0 μmol/L).RESULTS:The BCCIP expression was significantly up-regulated in GC tissues compared with normal tissues(P<0.01).Cisplatin induced up-regulation of BCCIP expression in a dose-and time-depen-dent manner.Knockdown of BCCIP significantly enhanced cisplatin-induced apoptosis(P<0.01)and reduced colony-forming ability(P<0.05)of GC cells.Knockdown of BCCIP promoted the expression of γ-H2AX,but inhibited the activa-tion of CHK1 after cisplatin treatment,with increased protein levels of cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Cisplatin promotes the expression of BCCIP in GC cells.BCCIP confers cisplatin resistance in GC cells by suppressing apoptosis through modulation of DNA damage response pathways.

Purpose To investigate the predictive value of MRI-based peritumoral edema(PE)of lymph node(LN)metastasis burden in patient with invasive breast cancer.Materials and Methods A total of 213 patients in Sichuan Cancer Hospital with invasive breast cancer confirmed by pathology after surgery were enrolled retrospectively from September 2017 to February 2019.Based on the status and number of LN metastases proved by axillary surgery pathology,all patients were divided into high-burden LN metastasis group(n=47 cases,total number of metastatic LN greater than 2)and low-burden LN metastasis group(n=166 cases,total number of metastatic LN less than or equal to 2).T2WI features,including PE type and PE degree,were analyzed.On DCE-MRI,MRI features of breast cancer were analyzed based on BI-RADS.The predictive value of T2WI features and MRI features for LN metastasis burden was assessed by univariate analysis,and the statistically significant features identified by univariate analysis were further subjected to multivariate Logistic regression analysis to establish a prediction model.The model's performance for LN metastasis burden prediction was evaluated via receiver operating characteristic curve,and the predictive metrics were calculated based on the Youden index.Results The rate of high-burden LN metastasis was 22.1%(47/213).The results of univariate analysis showed that PE degree(OR=18.70,P＜0.001),PE type(OR=16.00,P＜0.001),tumor maximum diameter(OR=1.40,P=0.025),and tumor minimum diameter(OR=2.01,P=0.003)were predictive features for high-burden LN metastasis.The multivariate regression analysis showed that the peritumoral edema features,including PE degree(OR=8.02,P＜0.001)and PE type(OR=5.53,P=0.001)were independent predictive features for high-burden LN metastasis.The area under the curve of the final predictive model was 0.842.The diagnostic sensitivity was 0.766,the specificity was 0.861,the positive predictive value was 0.610,and the negative predictive value was 0.929.Conclusion The PE on preoperative MRI have good predictive performance for LN metastasis burden prediction in patient with invasive breast cancer,particularly for low-burden LN metastasis.

AIM:To investigate the effects of Nrf1 on neuronal apoptosis treated by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion and the mechanism.METHODS:Single-cell sequencing data was ana-lyzed by GEO database,and the correlation of Nrf1 expression with apoptotic pathways evaluated based on GSVA package calculations.PC12 cells and primary neurons were divided into the Normal group,the OGD/R group,the OGD/R+siRNA-NC group,and the OGD/R+Nrf1-siRNA-2 group.Cell images was observed by laser scanning confocal mi-croscopy;the viability of cells were detected by MTT assay;the apoptosis of cells were detected by flow cytometry;DHE fluorescent probe to detect ROS levels,the protein expression of Nrf1,bcl-2 and Bax were detected by Western blot;and nuclear translocation was observed by laser scanning confo-cal microscope.RESULTS:The results of biosigna-ture analysis revealed that Nrf1 was mainly en-riched in the apoptotic pathway;compared with normal group,the cell body became smaller,syn-apse broke,cells clustered in PC12 cells and prima-ry neurons with OGD/R treated,and the vitality of PC12 cells and neuronal were decreased significant-ly(P＜0.01);ROS levels were significantly higher(P＜0.01),the expressions of Nrf1 and Bax were in-creased significantly,and the expression of bcl-2 was decreased significantly(P＜0.05).Compared with the OGD/R group,there was no significant dif-ference in the siRNA-NC group;compared with the siRNA-NC group,the viability of cells was de-creased significantly(P＜0.01);ROS levels were sig-nificantly increased(P＜0.01),the expressions of Nrf1 and Bax were increased markedly,and the ex-pressions of bcl-2 was decreased significantly(P＜0.05)in Nrf1-siRNA-2 group.CONCLUSION:Nrf1 at-tenuates neuronal injury caused by oxygen glucose deprivation/reperfusion via inhibiting apoptosis.

Objective To analyze the performances of electronic portal imaging device (EPID) in mechanical and dosimetry responses,and to investigate the feasibility of adopting EPID as a daily quality assurance (QA) equipment. Methods The EPID of Trilogy linear accelerator was tested for mechanical position repeatability and dose linear response. Then,a group of special fields were edited manually for simulations of field translation and symmetry deviations,and the sensitivities of EPID and MyQA Daily to field translation and symmetry deviations were evaluated,and moreover,the linear correlation between the set value and the measured value was analyzed. Finally,daily QA was conducted with EPID and MyQA Daily for 30 consecutive days,and the measurement results and time consumption were analyzed. Results The maximum deviation of EPID position repeatability was 0.4 mm,and the dose response was linearly correlated (R2>0.999). The symmetry deviation test results showed that both of EPID and MyQA Daily were capable to effectively detect the 0.2％ offset in symmetry,and a linear correlation was demonstrated between the set value and the measured results (R2>0.995). In translation test,the linear correlation of EPID was more explicit than that of MyQA Daily (R2=0.992 vs R2=0.976). In daily QA,all the measured results of EPID and MyQA Daily were within the clinic acceptance tolerance. Moreover,the mean value of Y-directional symmetry and flatness measured by EPID was approximately 1.00％ larger than MyQA Daily. The average time required by EPID was 50 s less than MyQA Daily[(129.97±4.16) s vs (184.53±4.23) s]. Conclusion EPID can be served as a reliable and efficient daily QA equipment for linear accelerator. However,it is not capable to be used as a criterion for evaluating linear accelerator performance.

Objective:To explore the differences between the Phoenix sepsis scoring system including Phoenix sepsis score (PSS) and Phoenix-8 organ dysfunction score (hereinafter referred to as Phoenix-8) and the commonly used pediatric sepsis scores in evaluating clinical characteristics and prognostic analysis of pediatric patients with severe sepsis diagnosed under traditional standards, namely the diagnostic criteria from the 2005 International Pediatric Sepsis Consensus Conference.Methods:This study was a retrospective observational study. From December 2020 to March 2023, 202 pediatric patients with severe sepsis meeting the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. Based on the sepsis diagnostic criteria outlined in the International Consensus Criteria for Pediatric Sepsis and Septic Shock (2024), the pediatric patients were categorized into a sepsis group and a non-sepsis group. Sepsis group was further subdivided into a death subgroup and a survival subgroup based on the outcomes. The age, hospitalization costs, disease outcome indicators (e.g., mortality rate and incidence of septic shock), major organ (e.g., heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys) damage and their correlations, as well as PSS, Phoenix-8 and commonly used pediatric sepsis scores (e.g., pediatric sequential organ failure assessment (pSOFA), pediatric risk of mortality score Ⅲ (PRISM Ⅲ), pediatric logistic organ dysfunction-2 score (PELOD-2), pediatric multiple organ dysfunction score (P-MODS), pediatric critical illness score (PCIS), and pediatric early warning score (PEWS)) were collected and compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and precision-recall curve were plotted to evaluate the predictive ability of PSS, Phoenix-8, and commonly used pediatric sepsis scores for mortality risk in pediatric patients with severe sepsis under traditional standards. Predictive performance was quantified using the area under the ROC curve (AUROC). Univariate logistic regression analysis was employed to quantify the odds ratios of PSS and Phoenix-8 for predicting mortality risk. Patients with severe sepsis under traditional standards were further stratified into subgroups based on complications and comorbidities, including central nervous system (CNS) diseases, multiple infections, cardiovascular system diseases, shock, and malignancies. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test was used to assess calibration of PSS and Phoenix-8, and the DeLong test was used to compare whether there were statistically significant differences in the AUROC of PSS and Phoenix-8 for predicting mortality risk among different subgroups of pediatric patients. Results:Compared with those in non-sepsis group, pediatric patients in sepsis group were significantly older ( Z=-2.92, P<0.05) with higher incidences of septic shock and mortality, hospitalization costs, PRISM Ⅲ, PEWS, pSOFA, PELOD-2, PSS, and Phoenix-8 (with χ2 values of 21.28 and 13.64, respectively, Z values of -1.99, -5.33, -5.10, -8.55, -6.91, -10.98, and -9.93, respectively, P<0.05), and lower PCIS ( Z=-3.34, P<0.05). Compared with those in survival subgroup, hospitalization costs, PSS, Phoenix-8, PRISM Ⅲ, PEWS, pSOFA, PELOD-2, and P-MODS of pediatric patients in death subgroup was significantly higher (with Z values of -2.50, -3.50, -2.47, -5.11, -3.84, -2.94, -3.61, and -3.04, respectively, P<0.05). Compared with those in survival subgroup, the incidences of lung damage and liver damage of pediatric patients in death subgroup were also significantly higher (with χ2 values of 6.20 and 10.94, respectively, P<0.05), and 64.7% (97/150) of patients exhibited two or more concurrent organ damage. For predicting mortality risk in pediatric patients with severe sepsis under traditional standards, the AUROC values for PRISM Ⅲ, PCIS, PEWS, pSOFA, PELOD-2, P-MODS, PSS, and Phoenix-8 were approximately 0.70, with optimal cutoff values of 17.5, 91.0, 5.5, 4.5, 2.5, 4.5, 3.5, and 4.5, respectively; PELOD-2 demonstrated the highest sensitivity (0.83); while PRISM Ⅲ, PSS, and Phoenix-8 showed high specificity (>0.80). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that for every 1-point increase in the PSS within 24 hours of pediatric intensive care unit admission, the relative risk of mortality increased by 63.7% (with odds ratio of 1.64, 95% confidence interval of 1.34-1.99, P<0.05). Similarly, for every 1-point increase in the Phoenix-8, the relative risk of mortality increased by 37.5% (with odds ratio of 1.38, 95% confidence interval of 1.18-1.60, P<0.05). The AUROC values (around 0.80) of PSS and Phoenix-8 for predicting mortality risk in pediatric patients with severe sepsis combined with CNS diseases, multiple infections, and cardiovascular system diseases were relatively high. In contrast, the AUROC values (0.60-0.80) for predicting mortality risk in pediatric patients with severe sepsis combined with shock or malignant tumors were moderate. All models passed the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test ( P>0.05). The DeLong test indicated no statistically significant differences in predictive ability between PSS and Phoenix-8 across subgroups of pediatric patients ( P>0.05). Conclusions:PSS and Phoenix-8 exhibited higher specificity than most of the commonly used pediatric sepsis scores in predicting mortality risk under traditional standards. Both scores performed much better in predicting the mortality risk in pediatric patients with severe sepsis combined with CNS diseases, multiple infections, and cardiovascular system diseases.

This article reviews the benifits and challenges of nano-microspheres (NPs) in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). OA is a degenerative disease associated with aging, trauma, and excessive loading, with treatment strategies including basic therapy, drug therapy, reparative therapy, and reconstructive surgery. As emerging nanomaterials, NPs offer unique advantages in promoting cartilage repair due to their high surface area, excellent drug-loading capacity, and good biocompatibility. These advantages include facilitating chondrocyte generation through magnetic-mechanical control of mesenchymal stem cell microspheres and enhancing antioxidant levels using biomimetic liposomal NPs combined with glucosamine. Additionally, NPs can effectively modulate inflammatory responses, such as by inhibiting the formation of M1 macrophages and promoting their polarization to the M2 type to alleviate inflammation. Some NPs also enhance joint lubrication and relieve pain, such as hyaluronic acid-based NPs modified with choline phosphate groups. However, the application of NPs faces challenges such as high production costs, poor biocompatibility for certain types, and unknown long-term safety. Despite these challenges, with advancements in nanotechnology and a deeper understanding of the pathological mechanisms of OA, NPs are expected to provide new therapeutic approaches and more comprehensive and effective treatment options for OA patients in the future.