Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of CT-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as an alternative for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in treating multiple pulmonary nodules. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 113 patients with multiple pulmonary nodules admitted to Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from October 2020 to October 2022. The patients were divided into the RFA group (n＝50) and the VATS group (n＝63) based on the treatment method. Perioperative indicators (operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative length of hospital stay), oncological outcomes (recurrence-free survival [RFS], overall survival [OS]), and postoperative complication rates were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to identify independent prognostic factors. Results The operation time in the RFA group was significantly shorter than that in the VATS group ([75.2±20.1] min vs [102.3±28.7]) min, P＜0.001). No statistically significant differences were observed in intraoperative blood loss and postoperative length of hospital stay. After follow-up of 24 (12, 30) months, no statistically significant differences were found in RFS (HR＝1.25, P＝0.445) or OS (HR＝1.42, P＝0.402) between the two groups. Mixed ground-glass nodules with high solid component and solid nodule were identified as independent risk factors for RFS (HR＝2.44, P＝0.023; HR＝2.97, P＝0.007) and OS (HR＝2.87, P＝0.022; HR＝3.43, P＝0.005) in patients with multiple pulmonary nodules. The total complication rate in the RFA group was lower than that in the VATS group (12.0% vs 34.9%, P＝0.009). Conclusions The efficacy of CT-guided RFA in treating multiple pulmonary nodules is comparable to that of VATS, with good safety, and it shows promise as an alternative to surgical treatment for multiple pulmonary nodules.

ObjectiveHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents 90% of all primary liver cancers. The main risk factors associated with HCC include viral hepatitis (B and/or C), alcohol abuse, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which progressively advance to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and ultimately evolve into HCC. Surgical resection represents the most effective treatment for HCC, while recent advances in immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell therapies, have provided improved treatment prospects for patients with unresectable HCC. However, the complex metabolic heterogeneity of HCC limits the therapeutic efficacy. Metabolic intermediates acyl-CoA not only provide energy and substrates for numerous biochemical reactions but also serve as donors for protein lysine acylation, a major class of post-translational modification (PTM). Therefore, a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying protein lysine acylation and hepatocarcinogenesis is urgently needed. MethodsThe levels of protein lysine acylation and silence information regulator 5 (SIRT5) expression levels in clinical HCC samples were analyzed by Western blot. Quantitative malonylome and succinylome of HCC samples were analyzed by antibody-based affinity enrichment coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The proliferation of HCC cells was analyzed with Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, the apoptosis was quantified by Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) staining coupled with flow cytometry, and the ability of cells to migrate was assayed by Transwell assays. The enzymatic activity of glutathione S-transferase Mu 1 (GSTM1) was quantified. Transgenic mice with hepatic overexpression of SIRT5 were constructed using CRISPR-Cas9, and primary hepatocarcinogenesis was induced by administration of diethylnitrosamine. ResultsWestern blot analysis indicated that the expression level of SIRT5 was elevated in clinical samples from HCC patients, and the levels of lysine malonylation, glutarylation, and succinylation were significantly reduced in HCC tissues. Knockout of SIRT5 in MHCC-97H and MHCC-97L hepatoma cells suppressed cell proliferation, and increased the percentage of apoptotic cells significantly. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of the differentially malonylome and succinylome of HCC samples revealed significant enrichment in two major classes of biological processes: core energy metabolism (e.g., glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, tricarboxylic acid metabolic process, fatty acid beta oxidation) and detoxification and oxidative stress response (e.g., response to toxic substance, chemical carcinogenesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS)). SIRT5 removes malonylation from lysine residues in GSTM1 and restores its detoxification activity, which is crucial for the survival of hepatocytes under stressed conditions. More importantly, in vivo experiment indicated that hepatic-specific overexpression of SIRT5 in mice accelerated diethylnitrosamine-induced liver fibrosis and hepatocarcinogenesis, indicating the critical role of SIRT5 in HCC progression. ConclusionThis study highlights the previously unrecognized SIRT5-GSTM1 axis as a key regulator in hepatocarcinogenesis, and suggests a potential target for the treatment of patients with HCC.

Brain’s neural activities encompass both periodic rhythmic oscillations and aperiodic neural fluctuations. Rhythmic oscillations manifest as spectral peaks of neural signals, directly reflecting the synchronized activities of neural populations and closely tied to cognitive and behavioral states. In contrast, aperiodic fluctuations exhibit a power-law decaying spectral trend, revealing the multiscale dynamics of brain neural activity. In recent years, researchers have made notable progress in studying brain aperiodic dynamics. These studies demonstrate that aperiodic activity holds significant physiological relevance, correlating with various physiological states such as external stimuli, drug induction, sleep states, and aging. Aperiodic activity serves as a reflection of the brain’s sensory capacity, consciousness level, and cognitive ability. In clinical research, the aperiodic exponent has emerged as a significant potential biomarker, capable of reflecting the progression and trends of brain diseases while being intricately intertwined with the excitation-inhibition balance of neural system. The physiological mechanisms underlying aperiodic dynamics span multiple neural scales, with activities at the levels of individual neurons, neuronal ensembles, and neural networks collectively influencing the frequency, oscillatory patterns, and spatiotemporal characteristics of aperiodic signals. Aperiodic dynamics currently boasts broad application prospects. It not only provides a novel perspective for investigating brain neural dynamics but also holds immense potential as a neural marker in neuromodulation or brain-computer interface technologies. This paper summarizes methods for extracting characteristic parameters of aperiodic activity, analyzes its physiological relevance and potential as a biomarker in brain diseases, summarizes its physiological mechanisms, and based on these findings, elaborates on the research prospects of aperiodic dynamics.

Aim To investigate the protective effect of liraglutide(LIRA)on acetaminophen(APAP)-in-duced hepatotoxicity at the in vivo level and to reveal the underlying mechanism.Methods Forty SPF grade male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into the Control,LIRA(200 μg·kg-1),APAP(500 mg·kg-1),LIRA+APAP,LIRA+APAP+3-methylade-nine(3-MA,30 mg·kg-1)groups,with eight mice in each group.The mice were administered for three con-secutive days,and the materials were taken after 24 h.The general condition and body weight of mice in each group were recorded,and liver morphology was ob-served.Serum ALT and AST levels,as well as SOD ac-tivity,MDA,and GSH content in liver homogenates,were measured using biochemical assay kits.The levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-6,TNF-α,and IL-1β in serum were detected by ELISA.Liver pathological changes were assessed by HE staining,while mitochon-drial and autophagosome structures in liver tissues were observed using transmission electron microscopy.The number of PCNA-positive cells in liver tissues was e-valuated using immunohistochemical staining.The pro-tein expression levels of LC3Ⅱ,p62,Bax,Bcl-2,PC-NA,and CyclinD1 in liver tissues were determined by Western blot.Results LIRA pretreatment can im-prove the general condition of mice with acetamino-phen-induced liver injury(AILI),reduce serum ALT and AST levels,and effectively ameliorate the appear-ance and morphology of the liver as well as the patho-logical damage to liver tissue.Simultaneously,the lev-els of inflammatory cytokines IL-6,TNF-α,and IL-1βare significantly decreased;SOD activity and GSH con-tent are significantly increased,while MDA content is significantly reduced.Transmission electron microsco-py observations reveal the presence of numerous auto-phagosomes in the cytoplasm of liver tissue.Immuno-histochemical staining results indicate a significant in-crease in the number of PCNA-positive cells.Further-more,the expression of LC3Ⅱ,Bcl-2,PCNA,and Cy-clinD1 proteins in liver tissue is significantly upregulat-ed,while the expression of p62 and Bax proteins is significantly downregulated.However,after interven-tion with the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA,the aforemen-tioned protective effects of LIRA are significantly.Conclusions LIRA pretreatment can significantly im-prove liver injury in AILI mice.Its protective mecha-nism may be related to enhancing autophagy in hepato-cytes,thereby reducing oxidative stress,inflammatory response and apoptosis in liver of AILI mice.

Objective To explore the effect of exercise-induced fatigue on intra-and interhemispher-ic functional connectivity of the primary motor cortex during unilateral ankle plantar-dorsiflexion.Meth-ods Twenty-four healthy adult males(age:21.6±2.2 years;all right-side dominant)were selected as participants for the study.They ran on a treadmill at an individualized constant speed until fatigue.Fatigue was determined when all the following criteria were met:(1)participants failing to maintain the individualized constant speed despite the strong verbal encouragement from the experimenters;(2)reaching a rating of perceived exertion(RPE)score of at least 19;and(3)their heart rate reaching 90%of their age-predicted maximal heart rate(220-age).Moreover,EEG signals from four channels(C1,C2,C3,and C4)of the primary motor cortex were collected during unilateral ankle dorsi-plan-tarflexion movements before and after fatigue,followed by EEG coherence analyses on the collected da-ta.Results Compared to the pre-fatigue state,the coherence values of the intra-hemispheric primary motor cortex electrode pairs C1-C3 and C2-C4 during unilateral ankle plantar-dorsiflexion decreased significantly in the alpha and gamma bands after fatigue(both P<0.05).Conversely,the value of the interhemispheric primary motor cortex electrode pair C1-C2 increased significantly in the beta band(P<0.05).Conclusion Exercise-induced fatigue significantly weakens the intra-hemispheric functional con-nectivity of the primary motor cortex during unilateral ankle plantar-dorsiflexion.However,it may en-hance the interhemispheric functional connectivity and potentially collaborate to strengthen the regula-tion of fatigued muscles.

Aim To investigate the mechanism of Guanxinning injection regulating cardiac immune mi-croenvironment to improve myocardial infarction in mice.Methods In this study,MI model was estab-lished by permanent ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery in mice.The mice were divided into five groups:sham operation group,model group,Guanxinning injection low dose group,Guanxinning in-jection high dose group and positive drug captopril group.Hearts were weighed,heart tissues were collect-ed,and Masson staining was used for pathological anal-ysis of heart tissues;immunofluorescence staining was used to detect apoptosis and CCL21 expression in the infarct border zone;flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of immune cells in myocardial ischemia tissues and lymph nodes;PCR was used to detect CCL21 expression in heart and in vitro human lymphat-ic endothelial cells(HLEC).Results Compared with the model group,the low and high dose groups of Guanxinning injection significantly improved cardiac hypertrophy.Apoptosis in the border zone of myocardi-al infarction was reduced in the low and high dose groups of Guanxinning injection and captopril group.Compared with the model group,the proportion of leu-kocytes in the infarct border zone was dreduced and the proportion of CD4+T cells,Treg cells,and CD8+T cells in the mediastinal lymph nodes and infarct border zone of the heart was regulated in the low and high dose groups of Guanxinning injection;CCL21 secretion by the heart and lymphatic vessels increased.Conclu-sions Guanxinning injection can significantly improve cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in MI mice,reduce ap-optosis in the infarct border zone,and play a role in an-ti-myocardial ischemia injury by promoting CCL21 ex-pression in lymphatic vessels to regulate the proportion of mediastinal lymph nodes and cardiac T cells after myocardial infarction.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and influencing factors of iodine-125 seed implantation in the treatment of recurrent radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma (RAIR-DTC) .Methods:Retrospective analysis of 18 patients with recurrent RAIR-DTC treated with iodine-125 particle implantation at Ward One, Department of Oncology, Hebei General Hospital from Sept. 2015 to Mar. 2022 was performed. A total of 35 lesions were involved, all permanently implanted with iodine-125 particles under image guidance, with particle activity ranging from 0.3mCi to 0.8mCi, and prescription doses ranging from 80 to 140 Gy. The study observed the objective response rate, local control rate, survival rate, adverse reactions, and factors influencing treatment efficacy.Results:After a follow-up period of 8 to 115 months,according to the objective efficacy evaluation criteria of solid tumors 1.1,the objective response rates were 51.4% (18/35) ,80.0% (28/35) ,68.6% (24/35) ,60.0% (21/35) ,42.9% (15/35) at 3,6,12,24,36 months postoperatively,respectively.The local control rates were 100% (35/35) ,100% (35/35) ,80.0% (28/35) ,62.9% (22/35) ,51.4% (18/35) at 3,6,12,24,36 months postoperatively,respectively.The 1-,2-, and 3-year postoperative survival rates were 83.3% (15/18) ,72.2% (13/18) ,61.1% (11/18) ,respectively.During the follow-up period,4 patients developed progressive lesions in the target area.One grade I radioactive skin injury,one grade Ⅱ radioactive skin injury,and no residual particle-related adverse reactions.The results of multivariate analysis showed that D90,tumor involvement of the esophagus were the factors influencing the recent efficacy.The area under the ROC curve for D90 was 0.804 with the best bound of 106.5Gy.Conclusion:Iodine-125 particle implantation is safe and effective for recurrent RAIR-DTC.D90,tumor involvement of the esophagus are the influencing factors of the recent efficacy,and the D90≥106.5Gy treatment effect is better.

Objective:To explore the changes in nutritional status and body composition of cervical cancer patients during concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and their correlation with CCRT toxicities.Methods:In this prospective and observational clinical study, eligible treatment -na?ve patients with stage IB-IV primary cervical cancer were consecutively enrolled in the Department of Radiotherapy of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from September 2022 to August 2023. The patients were screened for nutritional risks, received dietary assessment, and were measured for body composition using multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance at baseline (prior to treatment), 4 weeks, and 8 weeks since treatment initiation. Insufficient muscle mass was diagnosed ccording to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria. The severity of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and hematological toxicity was assessed by the U.S. National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 5.0).Results:A total of 109 patients were included. At baseline, there were 11 (10.1%) patients who were lean, 17 (15.6%) patients with insufficient muscle mass, and 28 patients (25.7%) at nutritional risk; at Week 8 of CCRT, patients at nutritional risk increased to 61 (56.0%). Compared to baseline, weight [(59.34±9.67) kg vs. (61.30±9.64) kg, P<0.001], skeletal muscle index [SMI, (6.15±0.74) kg/m 2vs. (6.39±0.74) kg/m 2, P<0.001], body fat percentage [(31.13±7.67) % vs. (32.07±7.70) %, P=0.004] were significantly decreased at Week 8 of CCRT. Besides, ≥10% SMI loss was only related to baseline body fat percentage ( HR=0.216, 95% CI: 0.001-0.724, P=0.038), but not related to age, nutritional status, or muscle mass (all P>0.05). At baseline and 8 weeks since CCRT, 8 (28.6%) and 40 (65.6%) patients at nutritional risk received nutritional support, respectively. During CCRT, the rates of grade ≥2 nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and grade 3/4 hematological toxicity were 37.6%, 28.4% and 44.0%, respectively. Baseline nutritional risk was a risk factor for diarrhea ( HR=2.447, 95% CI: 1.017-6.068, P=0.047), and an advanced International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage was a risk factor for severe nausea and vomiting ( HR=1.735, 95% CI: 1.005-2.995, P=0.048). Patients presenting with severe nausea and vomiting had more significant reductions in body mass index [(-1.44±1.29) kg/m 2vs. (-0.59±0.84) kg/m 2, P<0.001] and SMI [(-0.37±0.41) kg/m 2vs. (-0.12±0.27) kg/m 2, P=0.013] compared to those without nausea and vomiting, while there was no significant difference in visceral fat area between these two groups [(-9.95±19.48) cm 2vs. (-5.12±15.79) cm 2, P=0.161]. Conclusions:Patients with cervical cancer have increased nutritional risk and more loss of body weight and muscle mass during CCRT. The presence of nutritional risk at baseline is a risk factor for diarrhea, while nausea and vomiting exacerbate the losses of body weight, muscle, and fat. Close monitoring, intensive symptomatic therapy, and appropriate nutritional interventions should be performed in the clinical setting to improve patients' tolerance of treatment and maintenance of body weight.

Objective To compare the accuracy and clinical application value of contrast-induced fractional flow reserve(cFFR),resting full-cycle ratio(RFR),and quantitative flow ratio(QFR)in evaluating coronary artery borderline lesions,using fractional flow reserve(FFR)as the gold standard.Methods A retrospective study was conducted including 143 patients with 143 lesions who underwent coronary angiography(CAG)and were tested for cFFR,RFR,QFR,and FFR at Peking University Third Hospital from September 2020 to January 2022.Clinical data,CAG lesion anatomical data,and target vessel cFFR,RFR,QFR,and FFR measurements were collected.The correlation and diagnostic concordance of cFFR,RFR,QFR,and FFR were analyzed.Results The mean age of the 143 patients was 66(58,71)years,with 90(62.9％)being male.Among them,60(42.0％)patients were diagnosed with unstable angina,and 115(80.4％)target lesions were located in the left anterior descending artery.Correlation analysis showed that RFR,QFR,and cFFR were all significantly correlated with FFR(r=0.956,r=0.861,r=0.751,P＜0.001).Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated high agreement between cFFR,RFR,QFR,and FFR.Receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)for RFR corresponding to FFR ≤0.80 was 0.92(95％CI 0.87-0.96),for QFR was 0.89(95％CI 0.83-0.95),and for cFFR was 0.96(95％CI 0.94-0.99).Conclusions cFFR,RFR,and QFR show high concordance with FFR,with similar diagnostic consistency between the three methods and FFR.

AIM To observe the effects of Yiqi Jiedu Tongluo Formula(YQJDTL)on renal microvascular endothelial function and prevention of renal injury in a rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).METHODS The SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group and a model group.The model group was administered with high-fat diet combined with a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ to establish the T2DM model.The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into the model group,the canagliflozin group(9 mg/kg),and the low-dose and high-dose YQJDTL groups(4.77,9.45 g/kg).The corresponding doses of the drug were administered by gavage for a total of 12 weeks,during which the rats underwent observation of their general condition and blood glucose changes.After the end of administration,the rats had their levels of renal index,24-hour UP,serum SCr,BUN,TC,TG,HDL-C,LDL-C,ET-1 and NOS measured;their changes in renal microvasculature and the degree of renal fibrosis observed using HE staining,Masson staining,PAS staining,and PASM staining;their ultrastructure of the glomeruli observed using transmission electron microscopy;their renal protein expressions of TGF-β,SMAD2,SMAD3,Col-1,VEGFA and PKC detected by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot;and their renal mRNA expressions of VEGFA,TGF-β,SMAD2 determined by RT-qPCR.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the high-dose YQJDTL group showed decreased levels of renal index,blood glucose,TG,TC,HDL,24 h UP,BUN,SCr and ET-1(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);increased LDL and NOS levels(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);reduced renal inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis degree,inhibited fusion of foot processes and thickening of basement membrane;decreased renal protein expressions of TGF-β,SMAD2,SMAD3,VEGFA,PKC and Col-1(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and decreased mRNA expressions of VEGFA,TGF-β and SMAD2(P＜0.01).CONCLUSION In the rat models of T2DM,YQJDTL can reduce their levels of blood glucose and lipids by improving the renal indices levels and the renal microvascular endothelial functions to alleviate renal fibrosis and microangiopathy as well,and the mechanism may be associated with the down-regulated expressions of TGF-β/SMAD and VEGF pathway-related proteins.