ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodoutang （MLC） improves obesity-type polycystic ovary syndrome （PCOS） through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway. MethodsThirty-six female Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a blank control group （Con） and an obesity-type PCOS model preparation group. The model was induced by gavage with letrozole （1 mg·kg^-1） combined with a high-fat diet （HFD）. After model establishment， the obesity-type PCOS model preparation group was further divided into the model group （Mod， normal saline）， metformin group （Met， 0.3 g·kg^-1）， low-dose MLC group （MLC-L， 4.3 g·kg^-1）， medium-dose MLC group （MLC-M， 8.6 g·kg^-1）， and high-dose MLC group （MLC-H， 17.2 g·kg^-1）. Active components of MLC and targets of obesity-type PCOS were screened from databases， a protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed， and gene ontology（GO）and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis was performed. The gut microbiota structure was analyzed based on 16S rRNA sequencing and correlated with network pharmacology pathways. Body weight and estrous cycle were dynamically monitored. Ovarian morphology was observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Cell apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL）. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect levels of follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH）， testosterone （T）， and estradiol （E₂）. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of phosphorylated PI3K/PI3K （p-PI3K/PI3K）， phosphorylated Akt/Akt （p-Akt/Akt）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）. ResultsNetwork pharmacology screening identified 124 active components of MLC and 408 overlapping targets between the herbal formula and the disease. Core targets such as Akt1 and Bcl-2 were revealed. As indicated by 16S rRNA sequencing， the abundances of Lachnospiraceae， Lachnoclostridium， and Dorea were increased in the MLC groups （P<0.05）， while the abundance of Veillonella was decreased （P<0.05）. KEGG correlation analysis integrating network pharmacology and gut microbiota data showed significant enrichment of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Animal experiments showed that， compared with the Mod group， body weight decreased to normal levels in the Met， MLC-M， and MLC-H groups. The estrous cycle became regular. The number of corpora lutea increased and cystic follicles decreased. Serum levels of T， FSH， and LH/FSH were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the E₂ level was increased （P<0.01）. Ovarian cell apoptosis was reduced （P<0.01）， and the protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， and Bcl-2 in ovarian tissue were significantly increased， whereas Bax protein expression was significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionMLC can regulate gut microbiota structure， effectively improve ovarian pathology in rats with obesity-type PCOS， and inhibit ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis. The mechanism may be associated with upregulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodoutang （MLC） improves obesity-type polycystic ovary syndrome （PCOS） through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway. MethodsThirty-six female Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a blank control group （Con） and an obesity-type PCOS model preparation group. The model was induced by gavage with letrozole （1 mg·kg^-1） combined with a high-fat diet （HFD）. After model establishment， the obesity-type PCOS model preparation group was further divided into the model group （Mod， normal saline）， metformin group （Met， 0.3 g·kg^-1）， low-dose MLC group （MLC-L， 4.3 g·kg^-1）， medium-dose MLC group （MLC-M， 8.6 g·kg^-1）， and high-dose MLC group （MLC-H， 17.2 g·kg^-1）. Active components of MLC and targets of obesity-type PCOS were screened from databases， a protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed， and gene ontology（GO）and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis was performed. The gut microbiota structure was analyzed based on 16S rRNA sequencing and correlated with network pharmacology pathways. Body weight and estrous cycle were dynamically monitored. Ovarian morphology was observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Cell apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL）. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect levels of follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH）， testosterone （T）， and estradiol （E₂）. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of phosphorylated PI3K/PI3K （p-PI3K/PI3K）， phosphorylated Akt/Akt （p-Akt/Akt）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）. ResultsNetwork pharmacology screening identified 124 active components of MLC and 408 overlapping targets between the herbal formula and the disease. Core targets such as Akt1 and Bcl-2 were revealed. As indicated by 16S rRNA sequencing， the abundances of Lachnospiraceae， Lachnoclostridium， and Dorea were increased in the MLC groups （P<0.05）， while the abundance of Veillonella was decreased （P<0.05）. KEGG correlation analysis integrating network pharmacology and gut microbiota data showed significant enrichment of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Animal experiments showed that， compared with the Mod group， body weight decreased to normal levels in the Met， MLC-M， and MLC-H groups. The estrous cycle became regular. The number of corpora lutea increased and cystic follicles decreased. Serum levels of T， FSH， and LH/FSH were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the E₂ level was increased （P<0.01）. Ovarian cell apoptosis was reduced （P<0.01）， and the protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， and Bcl-2 in ovarian tissue were significantly increased， whereas Bax protein expression was significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionMLC can regulate gut microbiota structure， effectively improve ovarian pathology in rats with obesity-type PCOS， and inhibit ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis. The mechanism may be associated with upregulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Background/Aims: Liver transplantation (LT) following total hepatectomy is a life-saving treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The HCC recurrence after LT hinders the effectiveness of the procedure. The objective of this study is to develop a pre-operative risk stratification model based on a liquid biopsy. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive multi-omics study of 260 HCC patients from three centers, including clinical data, low-coverage whole-genome sequencing of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from plasma, as well as whole-exome, single-nucleus RNA, and spatial transcriptomics from matched tumor and non-tumor tissues. Results: We identified cfDNA-derived copy number alteration (CNA) signatures associated with post-transplant recurrence. By integrating cfDNA-derived CNA profiles with single-cell transcriptomic data, we traced recurrence-associated cfDNA to a distinct subpopulation of malignant cells within the primary tumor. These cells were embedded in a pro-metastatic microenvironment of specialized endothelial subtypes and cancer-associated fibroblasts. Notably, most recurrence-associated lesions were detectable in cfDNA prior to liver transplantation (LT). Building on these insights, we developed the ZJU Criteria based on CNA fragments and tumor markers, a pre-LT risk prediction tool that integrates conventional clinical factors with cfDNA-derived CNA signatures, and validated it using internal and independent external cohorts. Conclusion Our findings suggest that post-transplant recurrence commonly originates from advanced subclones that emerge late during tumor evolution. The ZJU Criteria provides an accurate, non-invasive strategy that significantly improves pre-LT risk stratification and clinical decision-making for patients with HCC.

Objective To investigate the effect of postoperative reduction quality in femoral neck fracture internal fixation on mechanical properties of the femoral head from the perspective of trabecular bone biomechanics.Methods From patients who underwent hip replacement surgery for femoral neck fractures,a total of 26 femoral head slice specimens were obtained.The central axis of the primary compressive trabeculae was defined as the 0° group,with the intersection point of the primary compressive trabeculae and the femoral calcar serving as the center.By rotating the specimens to simulate different reduction angles,the cut femoral head slice specimens were randomly divided into five groups:-10°,-5°,0°,5°,and 10°,representing femoral heads with varying reduction qualities.The specimens were subjected to single compression load tests and fatigue load tests.The load was set from 70 N to 1 400 N,at a frequency of 1 Hz,with 10 000 cycles.Axial stiffness,displacement,and the number of collapse cycles were measured,to compare the biomechanical properties of femoral head specimens under different reduction qualities.Results There were differences in the axial stiffness,displacement,and number of collapse cycles among the femoral head specimens in different groups.Under 800 N load,the axial stiffness of 0° group was significantly greater than that of±10° groups(P＜0.05).The axial stiffness of 0° group was also greater than that of the±5° groups,but the differences were not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The axial stiffness of±5° groups was greater than that of±10° groups(P＜0.05).0° group had a lower displacement than±5° groups and±10° groups.However,the differences in displacement between 0° group and±5° groups were not statistically significant(P＞0.05),while the differences between the 0° group and±10° groups were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The differences in displacement between±5° groups and±10° groups were also statistically significant(P＜0.05).0° group had a significantly higher number of collapse cycles than±10° groups(P＜0.05).The number of collapse cycles in 0° group was also higher than that in±5° groups,but the differences were not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The number of collapse cycles in±5° groups was significantly higher than that±10° groups(P＜0.05).Conclusions The quality of reduction after internal fixation of femoral neck fractures significantly affects the biomechanical properties of the femoral head.This study provides a scientific basis for optimizing treatment and postoperative management,aiming to improve clinical outcomes and patients' quality of life.

Aim To investigate the effect of p-AMPK activity on autophagy in different subtypes of MDA-MB-231(triple-negative breast cancer cells)and MCF-7(estrogen receptor-positive cells)and its regulatory mechanism.Methods MDA-MB-231 cells were trea-ted with EBSS,Baf-A1,and EBSS+Baf-A1 for four hours,and MCF-7 cells for eight hours.The effects of autophagy on cell proliferation and apoptosis were ob-served,mitochondrial morphology was examined,and the expression of autophagy markers LC3B,P62,LAMP1,TOM20,AMPK,p-AMPK,ULK1,and Bec-lin1/VPS34 proteins was detected.The autophagy pathway was validated by inhibiting AMPK activity.Results Breast cancer cells underwent autophagy af-ter starvation induction(EBSS),with inconsistent au-tophagy processes observed in different subtypes of breast cancer cells.Autophagy inhibited cell prolifera-tion.In MDA-MB-231 cells,autophagy led to an in-crease in p-AMPK levels and a decrease in ULK1 lev-els,initiating autophagy through p-AMPK activation of ULK1.In MCF-7 cells,both p-AMPK and ULK1 levels decreased after autophagy,suggesting that autophagy might not be mediated by p-AMPK activation.Conclu-sions MDA-MB-231 cells primarily initiate autophagy by directly activating ULK1 by p-AMPK,independent of the MTOR pathway.In MCF-7 cells autophagy might be triggered by inhibiting MTOR through AMPK activity or directly activating MTOR through other up-stream factors.Regulating p-AMPK activity based on the autophagy pathways in different cell subtypes could enable more precise targeting and treatment of different types of breast cancer.

Aim To explore the compatibility and po-tential mechanism of effective components of Biejia-Ezhu against triple negative breast cancer(TNBC)and verify it by experiments.Methods Effective compo-nents and targets of Biejia-Ezhu were obtained by TC-MSP and Swiss Target Prediction.Disease targets of TNBC were obtained from OMMI and GeneCards data-bases.The PPI network was constructed using STRING database.GO and KEGG path enrichment analysis was performed using DAVID database.Cytoscape3.9.1 software was used to construct the"drug-component-target-disease"network,screen key targets and compo-nents for molecular docking,and further verify the com-patibility of key components and targets in vitro.Re-sults ① A total of 71 effective components were iden-tified in the Biejia-Ezhu drug pair.There were 146 drug targets associated with the disease.A total of 113 signaling pathways were identified by KEGG analysis.The 71 potential active components of Biejia-Ezhu mainly acted on key targets such as mTORC1,ULK1,TNF,EGFR,ESR1,STAT3,HIF1A,and PTGS2.Mo-lecular docking results showed that glycine and curcu-min were the key active components of Biejia-Ezhu,and both had strong docking activity against key target proteins mTORC1 and ULK1.②The results of in vitro experiment showed that glycine combined with curcu-min significantly inhibited the proliferation and clonal formation ability of TNBC cells(P＜0.05),up-regula-ted the expression of autophagy marker LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ,down-regulated the expression of EGFR,down-regula-ted the expression of pathway protein mTORC1,p-mTOR,p-ULK1,and promoted the expression of path-way protein ULK1(P＜0.05).Conclusion The key component of Biejia-Ezhu against triple-negative breast cancer is glycine-curcumin,the mechanism of which may be related to the regulation of the mTORC1/ULK1 signaling pathway to promote autophagy.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of combined sufentanil and remifentanil in pediatric ear, nose, and throat surgeries.Methods:This study used a prospective study design. A total of 110 pediatric children who underwent elective ear, nose, and throat surgery at Xi'an Children's Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were included in this study. The patients were randomly divided into a control group ( n = 55) and an observation group ( n = 55) using a random number table method. In the control group, only sufentanil was used for general anesthesia, while the observation group received both sufentanil and remifentanil during the anesthesia process. The changes in average arterial pressure and heart rate were compared between the two groups at five time points: T1 (before anesthesia induction), T2 (during tracheal intubation), T3 (at the start of surgery), T4 (5 min after the start of surgery), and T5 (immediately after surgery). Additionally, the recovery time for spontaneous breathing, the time to open eyes, extubation time, and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Ramsay sedation scores were compared between the two groups at three time points: T6 (5 min after extubation), T7 (15 min after extubation), and T8 (30 min after extubation). Pain Visual Analog Score was compared between the two groups at T8 (30 min after extubation), T9 (60 min after extubation), and T10 (90 min after extubation). Results:The differences in average arterial pressure and heart rate between the two groups at time points T1-T5, as well as Ramsay sedation scores at T6-T8 and Visual Analog Score scores at T8-T10, were all statistically significant ( F = 152.93, 2 718.29, 2 347.47, 751.77, all P < 0.05). In the observation group, the recovery time for spontaneous breathing [(5.37 ± 2.18) min vs. (6.74 ± 2.42) min], the time to open eyes [(9.03 ± 2.02) min vs. (10.84 ± 3.11) min], and extubation time [(13.22 ± 4.22) min vs. (16.47 ± 5.14) min] were significantly shorter in the observation group than in the control group ( t = 3.11, 3.62, 3.62, all P < 0.001). The incidence of adverse reactions was significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group [3.64% (2/55) vs. 16.36% (9/55), χ2 = 4.94, P < 0.05]. Conclusions:Both sufentanil alone and in combination with remifentanil yield effective anesthesia outcomes in pediatric ear, nose, and throat surgeries. However, the combination of sufentanil and remifentanil significantly shortens the recovery time for spontaneous breathing, the time to open eyes, and extubation time. This combined approach also lowers the incidence of adverse reactions, improves surgical outcomes, and promotes postoperative recovery of children.

Objective To investigate the effect of G9a histone methyltransferase inhibitor BIX01294 on the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cell(VSMC)and its underlying mechanism.Methods Twelve SD rats were divided into the control group and the treatment group,with 6 rats in each group.The rats were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection with sodium pentobarbital,then exposed the common carotid artery and the internal and external carotid artery after disinfection and skin preparation,ligated the distal end of the internal and external jugular veins,clamped the proximal end of the common carotid artery,cut the external carotid artery,inserted the balloon catheter,blocked the blood flow by compression,and ligated the proximal end of the external carotid artery after withdrawing the balloon.The common carotid artery clamping state of rats in the treatment group was maintained after withdrawing the balloon,then restored the blood flow after perfusion with 100 μmol/L BIX01294 solution for 30 seconds;rats in the control group were restored the blood flow after perfusion with PBS for 30 seconds.VSMC were divided into the normal group and the BIX01294 groups.Cells in the normal group were cultured in low glucose medium containing 2%fetal bovine serum,and cells in the BIX01294 groups were co-treated with 2.5,5.0,7.5 and 10.0 μmol/L BIX01294 on the basis of the normal group,respectively.CCK-8 assay and EDU assay were used to detect the cell activity and proliferative ability respectively,to screen appropriate concentration of BIX01294.The cell apoptosis was detected by TUNEL assay between the normal group and the BIX01294 group,and the control group and the treatment group.Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of autophagy-and apoptosis-related proteins in the normal group and BIX01294 group.Results Compared with 0 μmol/L,the activity and proliferative ability of VSMC decreased in a concentration-dependent manner after treatment with BIX01294 at different concentrations(P<0.05).Compared with the normal group,the apoptosis level of VSMC in the BIX01294 group was increased(P<0.05),the expression of VSMC autophagy-and apoptosis-related proteins of LC3Ⅰ/Ⅱ and Bax were up-regulated(P<0.05),and the expression of Bcl-2 and p62 proteins were down-regulated(P<0.05).In vivo test results showed that BIX01294 local perfusion aggravated the apoptosis of carotid VSMC.Conclusion BIX01294 activates VSMC autophagy and apoptosis and inhibits its proliferation.

Objective:To evaluate the effectiveness of diaphragm ultrasound in predicting the success of extubation from tracheotomy in patients with acquired brain injury.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 51 brain-injured patients. They were divided into an extubation failure group and an extubation success group. The results of ultrasound examination of the diaphragm in the 2 groups were analyzed by univariate analysis, and the independent variables with significance were further subjected to multivariate logistic regression analysis. R software was applied to build the diaphragm indicators showing significant predictive power into a histogram model. The predictive value of this nomogram model was assessed using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve.Results:The univariate analysis revealed significant differences between the two groups in terms of diaphragm excursion, diaphragm thickening fraction and diaphragm excursion-time index. The multivariate logistic regression analysis and the nomogram showed that those three variables are independent influencing factors predicting the success of decannulation. The areas under the ROC curves confirmed that finding.Conclusions:Diaphragm excursion, diaphragm thickening fraction and the diaphragm excursion-time index are useful independent predictors of the success of decannulation among brain injury patients.

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the expression and clinical significance of TLDC2 in colorec-tal adenocarcinoma.Methods Data from the human protein atlas(HPA)and the cancer genome atlas(TCGA)indi-cated that TLDC2 was highly expressed in colorectal adenocarcinoma.We further analyzed the expression of TLDC2 in 400 colorectal adenocarcinomas and 447 other solid tumors using tissue microarrays and immunohistochemical(IHC)staining.Result The positive expression rate of TLDC2 was significantly higher than that of SATB2 in colorectal ade-nocarcinomas(96.5％vs 87.0％,P＜0.000 1).TLDC2 positivity exceeded that of SATB2 in both low-or high-grade colorectal adenocarcinoma(99.4％vs 88.7％,P＜0.000 1;83.3％vs 79.2％,P=0.669 9).In addition,the expression of TLDC2 and SATB2 was evaluated in 447 cases of other types of solid tumors.TLDC2 was expressed in neuroendocrine tumors as well as in gastric and appendiceal adenocarcinomas,whereas SATB2 was detected in a small number of melanomas,ovarian cancers,breast cancers and gallbladder cancers.The positive and specificity of TLDC2 for colorectal adenocarcinoma were 97％(95％CI=0.94-0.98)and 85％(95％CI=0.81-0.88),respectively.Combined detection of TLDC2 and SATB2 yielded a sensitivity of 96％(95％CI=0.93-0.97)and a specificity of 93％(95％CI=0.90-0.95).Conclusion Analysis of large-scale datasets and IHC staining demonstrated that TLDC2 is a highly sensitive and specific biomarker for colorectal adenocarcinoma.