This study investigated the role of the nuclear factor of activated T cells c3 (NFATc3) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) during aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD) progression and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Cytoplasmic and nuclear NFATc3 levels were elevated in human and mouse AAD. VSMC-NFATc3 deletion reduced thoracic AAD (TAAD) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) progression in mice, contrary to VSMC-NFATc3 overexpression. VSMC-NFATc3 deletion reduced extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and maintained the VSMC contractile phenotype. Nuclear NFATc3 targeted and transcriptionally upregulated matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and MMP2, promoting ECM degradation and AAD development. NFATc3 promoted VSMC phenotypic switching by binding to eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) and inhibiting its phosphorylation in the VSMC cytoplasm. Restoring eEF2 reversed the beneficial effects in VSMC-specific NFATc3-knockout mice. Cabamiquine-targets eEF2 and inhibits protein synthesis-inhibited AAD development and progression in VSMC-NFATc3-overexpressing mice. VSMC-NFATc3 promoted VSMC switch and ECM degradation while exacerbating AAD development, making it a novel potential therapeutic target for preventing and treating AAD.

Objective To observe the value of machine learning(ML)models based on ultrasound radiomics for preoperatively distinguishing atypical parathyroid tumor(APT)/parathyroid carcinoma(PC)and parathyroid adenoma(PA).Methods Totally 330 primary hyperparathyroidism patients who underwent surgical treatments were retrospectively enrolled and categorized into APT/PC group(n=78)and PA group(n=252)according to surgical pathology and clinical follow-up results,also divided into training set(n=231)and test set(n=99)at the ratio of 7∶3.Based on preoperative ultrasound,545 radiomics features were extracted,and recursive feature elimination(RFE),Kruskal-Wallis or analysis of variance methods were used to screen the features,respectively.Support vector machine(SVM),linear discriminant analysis(LDA),least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression(LRLASSO),also random forest(RF)and decision tree(DT)algorithms were adopted to construct ML models for differentiating APT/PC and PA,respectively.Then the models were trained in training set,their performance were verified in test set,and a 5-fold cross-validation was adopted to screen out the better combinations.Results Compared with Kruskal-Wallis and analysis of variance methods,the distinguishing efficacy of SVM,LDA,LRLASSO,RF and DT models constructed based on features screened out using RFE method in training set(area under the curve[AUC]=0.870,0.878,0.850,0.847,1.000)and test set(AUC=0.856,0.842,0.827,0.847 and 0.704)were all relatively higher.In test set,the AUC of SVM,LDA,LRLASSO and RF models constructed based on the features screened out using RFE method(included 25,23,17 and 23 features)were all higher than that of DT model(8 features)(all P＜0.001).No significant difference of AUC was found between SVM,LRLASSO or RF models and LDA model(all P＞0.05).The AUC of SVM and RF models were higher than that of LRLASSO model(both P＜0.05),while of SVM and RF models were not significantly different(P＞0.05),indicating that SVM,LDA and RF models were better ones.Conclusion SVM,LDA,LRLASSO,RF and DT models based on ultrasound radiomics could effectively distinguish APT/PC and PA preoperatively,among which SVM,LDA and RF models had better diagnostic efficacy.

Objective To observe the clinical and CT findings of hepatic perivascular epithelioid cell tumor(PEComa)compared with liver cancer and liver adenoma.Methods Thirty patients with hepatic PEComa,31 patients with liver cancer and 31 patients with liver adenoma were retrospectively enrolled.Compared with liver cancer and liver adenoma,the clinical and CT findings of hepatic PEComa were observed.Results Significant differences of patients' gender,age and symptoms,also of the proportion of hepatitis,cirrhosis and positive alpha fetoprotein(AFP)were found between hepatic PEComa group and liver cancer group(all P＜0.05),while of patients' gender and age were found between hepatic PEComa group and liver adenoma group(both P＜0.05).Significant differences of the proportion of fat and malformed blood vessels,enhancement mode,as well as contrast enhancement ratio CER of arterial and venous phases were noticed between hepatic PEComa group and liver cancer group(all P＜0.05),while of the proportion of fat,capsule and malformed blood vessels,as well as enhancement mode and CER of arterial and venous phases were noticed between hepatic PEComa group and liver adenoma group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Compared with liver cancer and liver adenoma,hepatic PEComa was mostly benign and more common in women,with somewhat characteristic CT findings being helpful to differential diagnosis.

Objective To observe the value of machine learning(ML)models based on ultrasound radiomics for preoperatively distinguishing atypical parathyroid tumor(APT)/parathyroid carcinoma(PC)and parathyroid adenoma(PA).Methods Totally 330 primary hyperparathyroidism patients who underwent surgical treatments were retrospectively enrolled and categorized into APT/PC group(n=78)and PA group(n=252)according to surgical pathology and clinical follow-up results,also divided into training set(n=231)and test set(n=99)at the ratio of 7∶3.Based on preoperative ultrasound,545 radiomics features were extracted,and recursive feature elimination(RFE),Kruskal-Wallis or analysis of variance methods were used to screen the features,respectively.Support vector machine(SVM),linear discriminant analysis(LDA),least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression(LRLASSO),also random forest(RF)and decision tree(DT)algorithms were adopted to construct ML models for differentiating APT/PC and PA,respectively.Then the models were trained in training set,their performance were verified in test set,and a 5-fold cross-validation was adopted to screen out the better combinations.Results Compared with Kruskal-Wallis and analysis of variance methods,the distinguishing efficacy of SVM,LDA,LRLASSO,RF and DT models constructed based on features screened out using RFE method in training set(area under the curve[AUC]=0.870,0.878,0.850,0.847,1.000)and test set(AUC=0.856,0.842,0.827,0.847 and 0.704)were all relatively higher.In test set,the AUC of SVM,LDA,LRLASSO and RF models constructed based on the features screened out using RFE method(included 25,23,17 and 23 features)were all higher than that of DT model(8 features)(all P＜0.001).No significant difference of AUC was found between SVM,LRLASSO or RF models and LDA model(all P＞0.05).The AUC of SVM and RF models were higher than that of LRLASSO model(both P＜0.05),while of SVM and RF models were not significantly different(P＞0.05),indicating that SVM,LDA and RF models were better ones.Conclusion SVM,LDA,LRLASSO,RF and DT models based on ultrasound radiomics could effectively distinguish APT/PC and PA preoperatively,among which SVM,LDA and RF models had better diagnostic efficacy.

Objective To observe the clinical and CT findings of hepatic perivascular epithelioid cell tumor(PEComa)compared with liver cancer and liver adenoma.Methods Thirty patients with hepatic PEComa,31 patients with liver cancer and 31 patients with liver adenoma were retrospectively enrolled.Compared with liver cancer and liver adenoma,the clinical and CT findings of hepatic PEComa were observed.Results Significant differences of patients' gender,age and symptoms,also of the proportion of hepatitis,cirrhosis and positive alpha fetoprotein(AFP)were found between hepatic PEComa group and liver cancer group(all P＜0.05),while of patients' gender and age were found between hepatic PEComa group and liver adenoma group(both P＜0.05).Significant differences of the proportion of fat and malformed blood vessels,enhancement mode,as well as contrast enhancement ratio CER of arterial and venous phases were noticed between hepatic PEComa group and liver cancer group(all P＜0.05),while of the proportion of fat,capsule and malformed blood vessels,as well as enhancement mode and CER of arterial and venous phases were noticed between hepatic PEComa group and liver adenoma group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Compared with liver cancer and liver adenoma,hepatic PEComa was mostly benign and more common in women,with somewhat characteristic CT findings being helpful to differential diagnosis.

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of electroacupuncture at Zhongwan （CV12） on gastric nociceptive response induced by gastric acid stimulation and explore the underlying mechanisms associated with nuclei of the medullary viscerosensory and visceral motor neurons. MethodsTwenty SD rats were given intragastric administration of 0.5 mol/L diluted hydrochloric acid （0.5 ml/100 g） to induce gastric nociceptive response induction. Eight rats were randomly selected to record the gastric slow wave （GSW） area under the curve， and extracellular discharge frequency of neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract （NTS） and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve （DMV） before intragastric administration and at 1， 5， 10， 15， 20， 25， 30， 35， 40， 45， 50， 55， and 60 minutes after intragastric administration. The remaining 12 rats received electroacupuncture intervention at Zhongwan within 5 to 25 minutes after intragastric administration of diluted hydrochloric acid， with a duration of one minute. The GSW area under the curve and extracellular discharge frequency of NTS and DMV neurons were compared between the 1-minute intervals before and after electroacupuncture intervention. ResultsCompared to the baseline before intragastric administration， the area under the curve of GSW significantly increased at 1， 5， 10， 15， 20， and 25 minutes after intragastric administration， and the extracellular discharge frequency of excitatory neurons in the NTS （accounting for 90%， 57/63） significantly increased at 1， 5， 10， 15， 20， 25， 30， 35， and 40 minutes， both reaching peak values at 1 minute after intragastric administration （P＜0.01 or P＜0.05）. The extracellular discharge frequency of inhibitory neurons in the DMV （accounting for 91%， 20/22） showed a non-significant increase at 1 minute after intragastric administration （P＞0.05）， but significantly decreased at other timepoints （P＜0.05）. Compared to the baseline before electroacupuncture intervention， the GSW area under the curve and the extracellular discharge frequency of excitatory neurons in the NTS significantly decreased （P＜0.05）， while the extracellular discharge frequency of inhibitory neurons in the DMV showed no significant difference （P＞0.05）. ConclusionElectroacupuncture at Zhongwan can improve gastric nociceptive response induced by gastric acid stimulation， possibly by reducing the transmission of visceral sensation and decreasing the excitability of NTS neurons in the medulla.

Objective:To establish a nomogram for preoperative differentiating intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on clinical, ultrasound, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) data.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on ultrasound and CEUS data of 462 patients who underwent hepatectomy in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from January 2016 to December 2023, including 262 cases of HCC (56.7%) and 200 cases of ICC (43.3%). The data were randomly divided into training set ( n=324) and validation set ( n=138) in a 7∶3 ratio. Univariate analysis was used to initially screen for variables with statistically significant differences between HCC and ICC groups in the training set, and LASSO regression was performed to select the variables with higher coefficients. Logistic regression analyses were then used to predict independent risk factors for ICC. A nomogram was drawn using R software. The performance of the nomogram was then validated using ROC curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results:Univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in age, gender, liver cirrhosis, HBsAg (+ ), ALP >185 U/L, CA19-9 >27 kU/L, CA242>10 kU/L, irregular shape, border, cholangiectasis, portal vein tumor thrombus, enhanced pattern in arterial phase, clearance time <60 s, intra-tumoral vein between ICC and HCC groups (all P<0.05). The top 10 features were selected for LASSO regression analysis. Logistic regression analysis revealed that gender, cirrhosis, CA19-9>27 kU/L, CA242>10 kU/L, cholangiectasis, clearance time <60 s, intra-tumoral vein and enhanced pattern in arterial phase were risk factors for ICC (all P<0.05). The area under the ROC curve in the training and validation groups were 0.963 and 0.914, respectively. In the training group, the specificity and sensitivity of the nomogram were 0.926 and 0.917, respectively, and in the validation group, they were 0.875 and 0.871, respectively. The calibration curve showed that the prediction effect of the model was in good agreement with the actual situation. DCA showed that the nomogram could increase the net benefit to the different diagnosis of ICC in patients. Conclusions:The nomogram based on clinical, ultrasound and CEUS features has a good predictive value for preoperative identification of ICC and provides reliable evidence for clinical practice.

Objective:To establish and evaluate a clinical and ultrasound parameters-based nomogram for the preoperative differentiating diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).Methods:A total of 723 patients undergoing hepatectomy in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University from January 2016 to August 2022 were retrospectively screened. A total of 399 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, 198 cases) or ICC (201 cases) were enrolled in this study, including 284 males and 115 females, aged (60.5±10.5) years. Through random sampling using computer-generated random numbers, patients were divided into training ( n=279) and validation groups ( n=120) in a ratio of 7∶3. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to identify factors differentiating ICC, and a nomogram was established using R software based on independent risk factors for ICC. The accuracy of the nomogram was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve and calibration curves. Decision curve analysis was performed to assess the net benefit of the model. Results:Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that irregular shape, cholangiectasis, female, cirrhosis, carbohydrate antigen 242 >10 U/ml, carbohydrate antigen 125 >30 U/ml and alpha-fetoprotein >10 μg/L were independent differentiating factors for ICC (all P<0.05). A nomogram was constructed based on those factors. The nomogram showed a better discrimination between ICC and HCC. The area under the curve of the training group and the validation group were 0.966 and 0.956, respectively. The calibration curve showed that the prediction effect of the model is in good agreement with the actual situation. Decision curve analysis showed that the nomogram was more effective than diagnosing all patients as either HCC or ICC, which yielded a net benefit at the most reasonable threshold probabilities. Conclusion:The nomogram for the preoperative diagnosis of ICC based on clinical and ultrasound features showed a good diagnostic performance.

Objective To investigate the distribution characteristics of antibiotics in source water and their health risks to human body in Yichang City, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of new types of pollution such as antibiotics in drinking water. Methods Solid phase extraction (SPE) was used for enrichment, and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to detect and analyze the content of five types of antibiotics including sulfonamides, tetracyclines, chloramphenicol, quinolones and β-lactams in the main drinking water sources of Yichang City. The human health risk assessment of these antibiotics was conducted. Results All five types of antibiotics were detected in the source water of Yichang City, and the detection rate was 6.25% to 81.25%. The total detection rate of β-lactam antibiotics was the highest, and the highest detection concentration of norfloxacin was 213.9 ng/L. The health risk assessment of 11 antibiotics detected in the source water showed that these antibiotics would not cause obvious health harm to human body, but the risk entropy (RQ_H) tended to increase with the younger age. Conclusion The distribution level of antibiotics in source water of Yichang City will not cause obvious health harm to human body.

Objective:To evaluate the auxiliary role of the Python-based handover database in online teaching activities for medical clerks and to complete the teaching tasks during the COVID-19 epidemic.Method:Sixteen teachers were randomized into two groups, experimental group and control group, with 8 ones in each group. The experimental group used the self-built handover database, while the control group used the hospital's HIS system. To make multimedia courseware for medical students, suitable cases were screened. The time to acquire cases and picture data, and the index like numbers were statistically analyzed, and the quality of multimedia courseware was scored. All the data were analyzed by SPSS 25.0 statistical software.Results:The time for the two groups of teachers to acquire target cases during making multimedia coursewares were (8.88±3.48) min and (43.50±5.26) min respectively; the time to obtain the pictures were (5.62±1.92) min and (30.25±5.39) min; the numbers of obtained pictures were (11.12±2.17) and (6.12±2.80); and the scores of coursewares were (92.62 ± 4.93) points and (84.75 ± 6.20) points respectively, all with significant differences.Conclusion:The application of the self-made handover database can significantly improve the speed of teachers' access to related teaching data, and also can improve the quality of multimedia courseware.