OBJECTIVES: To investigate the causal relationship between gut microbiota and kidney stones. METHODS: Mendelian randomization analysis was conducted based on data from the MiBioGen consortium gut microbiota GWAS (exposure factors) and the IEU Open GWAS kidney stone dataset ukb-b-8297 (outcome variables) using the inverse variance weighted, MR-Egger regression, weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode methods. Heterogeneity, pleiotropy, and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses were also performed. In the animal experiment, 12 male SD rats were randomized into control group with saline treatment and kidney stone model group treated with 1% ethylene glycol and 2% ammonium chloride for 28 consecutive days. Urine, blood, and intestinal samples of the rats were collected for testing the changes in renal function and intestinal barrier-related indicators, and kidney and colon pathologies were examined with histological staining and immunohistochemistry. The changes in diversity and abundance of gut microbiota were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. RESULTS: Mendelian randomization analysis showed that decreased abundances of Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group (OR=0.9974, 95% CI: 0.9948-0.9999, P=0.0393) and Gordonibacter (OR=0.9987, 95% CI: 0.9974-0.9999, P=0.0403) were associated with an increased risk of kidney stones without significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy, and sensitivity analyses suggested robustness of the results. The rat models of kidney stones exhibited significant renal function impairment and calcium oxalate crystal deposition, accompanied by decreased expressions of intestinal barrier-related proteins with lowered intestinal α- and β-diversity indices. Intestinal Gordonibacter abundance was significantly reduced in the rat models while the Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group did not differ significantly between the control and model groups. CONCLUSIONS Decreased Gordonibacter abundance in gut microbiota is associated with an increased risk of kidney stones. The protective role of the Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group against kidney stones as suggested by Mendelian randomization analysis fails to be supported by the experimental evidence and awaits further investigation.
Animals ; Kidney Calculi/microbiology* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Male ; Disease Models, Animal ; Intestines/microbiology* ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics*

Cancer stands as a significant global public health challenge, and cancer screening serves as a pivotal strategy for reducing its mortality. Presently, only a limited number of cancer types have appropriate screening methods available. Traditional single-cancer screening approaches are fraught with limitations, including invasiveness, low accuracy, and poor patient compliance. Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) leveraging liquid biopsy technology enables non-invasive and efficient early detection of multiple cancers by analyzing biomarkers such as cell-free DNA, cell-free RNA, proteins, and metabolites in blood and other bodily fluids. This innovative approach substantially broadens the spectrum of detectable cancers and enhances population coverage, showcasing immense potential for improving existing cancer screening strategies. This expert consensus comprehensively reviews the progress of liquid biopsy-based MCED, biomarker selection and detection technologies, the criteria for cancer type selection, research design and clinical utility evaluation, as well as implementation pathways. The overarching goal of this consensus is to offer scientific guidance for further research and the widespread adoption of MCED, thereby facilitating the continuous optimization of cancer screening strategies.

Objective:To observe the expression level of long noncoding RNA RP11-97C16.1 in bladder cancer tissues and its relationship with the survival time of bladder cancer patients, and to explore the role and potential molecular mechanism of RP11-97C16.1 in the proliferation of bladder cancer cells.Methods:The expression difference of RP11-97C16.1 in bladder cancer tissue and adjacent tissue was analyzed by TCGA database, and the relationship between the expression level of RP11-97C16.1 and the survival time of bladder cancer patients was analyzed by GEPIA database. The expression of RP11-97C16.1 in four bladder cancer cell lines (T24, MGH-U3, J82, UM-UC-3) was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The UM-UC-3 cells were divided into RP11-97C16.1 group and control group, and the transfectants were pcDNA-RP11-97C16.1 plasmid and negative control plasmid, respectively. The expression levels of RP11-97C16.1 and miR-3687 were detected by RT-qPCR. The viability and proliferation ability of UM-UC-3 cells were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and colony formation assay. The complementary relationship between RP11-97C16.1 and miR-3687 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. The expression levels of Cyclin E2, CDK2, CDK4, CDK6 and Cyclin D2 were detected by Western blotting. Measurement data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation ( ± s), independent sample t-test was used for comparison between two groups, and one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups. Results:Compared with adjacent tissues, the expression of RP11-97C16.1 in bladder cancer tissues was significantly decreased ( P<0.01). Compared with patients with lower expression of RP11-97C16.1, patients with higher expression of RP11-97C16.1 had longer overall survival time ( P<0.01). Compared with the SV-HUC-1 cell line, the expression of RP11-97C16.1 was significantly decreased in the four bladder cancer cell lines ( P<0.01). In UM-UC-3 cells in which RP11-97C16.1 was upregulated, the expression of miR-3687 was decreased ( P<0.01). Compared with the control group, up-regulation of RP11-97C16.1 could significantly reduce the proliferation ability of UM-UC-3 cells ( P<0.05), and decrease the number of bladder cancer cell colonies ( P<0.01). RP11-97C16.1 could target and bind miR-3687 ( P<0.01). Compared with the control group, overexpression of RP11-97C16.1 could significantly decreased the expression of Cyclin E2, CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, and Cyclin D2 proteins. Conclusions:The expression of RP11-97C16.1 is low in bladder cancer tissue, and patients with higher expression of RP11-97C16.1 have a longer survival time. Up-regulation of RP11-97C16.1 can down-regulate the expression of miR-3687, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of bladder cancer cells UM-UC-3.

Cancer stands as a significant global public health challenge,and cancer screening serves as a pivotal strategy for reducing its mortality.Presently,only a limited number of cancer types have appropriate screening methods available.Traditional single-cancer screen-ing approaches are fraught with limitations,including invasiveness,low accuracy,and poor patient compliance.Multi-cancer early detection(MCED)leveraging liquid biopsy technology enables non-invasive and efficient early detection of multiple cancers by analyzing biomarkers such as cell-free DNA,cell-free RNA,proteins,and metabolites in blood and other bodily fluids.This innovative approach substantially broadens the spectrum of detectable cancers and enhances population coverage,showcasing immense potential for improving existing can-cer screening strategies.This expert consensus comprehensively reviews the progress of liquid biopsy-based MCED,biomarker selection and detection technologies,the criteria for cancer type selection,research design and clinical utility evaluation,as well as implementation path-ways.The overarching goal of this consensus is to offer scientific guidance for further research and the widespread adoption of MCED,thereby facilitating the continuous optimization of cancer screening strategies.

The blood products industry in China,the United States,the European Union and Japan are at different stages of development,with very different laws,regulations and regulatory systems.This paper uses methods such as literature review,policy comparison,and case study.By analyzing and comparing the blood product regulatory policies in various countries,it is found that compared with the United States,the European Union and Japan,China has differences in several areas,including plasma quarantine period,plasma fractionation processes and intermediate products,segmented production of blood products,and import management policies.It is suggested that we should learn from foreign regulatory experiences,and explore the establishment of blood product regulatory policies suitable for China's national conditions.Recommendations include optimizing China's source plasma quarantine period and blood product production process management policies,promoting multiple sites and segmented production of blood products,and establishing flexible blood product import and export management systems.These measures aim to provide references for promoting the development of the blood product industry and improving the accessibility of medications for the public.

The blood products industry in China,the United States,the European Union and Japan are at different stages of development,with very different laws,regulations and regulatory systems.This paper uses methods such as literature review,policy comparison,and case study.By analyzing and comparing the blood product regulatory policies in various countries,it is found that compared with the United States,the European Union and Japan,China has differences in several areas,including plasma quarantine period,plasma fractionation processes and intermediate products,segmented production of blood products,and import management policies.It is suggested that we should learn from foreign regulatory experiences,and explore the establishment of blood product regulatory policies suitable for China's national conditions.Recommendations include optimizing China's source plasma quarantine period and blood product production process management policies,promoting multiple sites and segmented production of blood products,and establishing flexible blood product import and export management systems.These measures aim to provide references for promoting the development of the blood product industry and improving the accessibility of medications for the public.

Cancer stands as a significant global public health challenge,and cancer screening serves as a pivotal strategy for reducing its mortality.Presently,only a limited number of cancer types have appropriate screening methods available.Traditional single-cancer screen-ing approaches are fraught with limitations,including invasiveness,low accuracy,and poor patient compliance.Multi-cancer early detection(MCED)leveraging liquid biopsy technology enables non-invasive and efficient early detection of multiple cancers by analyzing biomarkers such as cell-free DNA,cell-free RNA,proteins,and metabolites in blood and other bodily fluids.This innovative approach substantially broadens the spectrum of detectable cancers and enhances population coverage,showcasing immense potential for improving existing can-cer screening strategies.This expert consensus comprehensively reviews the progress of liquid biopsy-based MCED,biomarker selection and detection technologies,the criteria for cancer type selection,research design and clinical utility evaluation,as well as implementation path-ways.The overarching goal of this consensus is to offer scientific guidance for further research and the widespread adoption of MCED,thereby facilitating the continuous optimization of cancer screening strategies.

Cancer stands as a significant global public health challenge, and cancer screening serves as a pivotal strategy for reducing its mortality. Presently, only a limited number of cancer types have appropriate screening methods available. Traditional single-cancer screening approaches are fraught with limitations, including invasiveness, low accuracy, and poor patient compliance. Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) leveraging liquid biopsy technology enables non-invasive and efficient early detection of multiple cancers by analyzing biomarkers such as cell-free DNA, cell-free RNA, proteins, and metabolites in blood and other bodily fluids. This innovative approach substantially broadens the spectrum of detectable cancers and enhances population coverage, showcasing immense potential for improving existing cancer screening strategies. This expert consensus comprehensively reviews the progress of liquid biopsy-based MCED, biomarker selection and detection technologies, the criteria for cancer type selection, research design and clinical utility evaluation, as well as implementation pathways. The overarching goal of this consensus is to offer scientific guidance for further research and the widespread adoption of MCED, thereby facilitating the continuous optimization of cancer screening strategies.

BACKGROUND:Osteoporosis is often accompanied by sarcopenia and an increased risk of fractures from falls.Recent studies have indicated a close relationship between lipid metabolism and sarcopenia.Abnormal lipid metabolism may directly impact muscle physiological function and metabolism. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the relationship between lipid metabolism and sarcopenia and evaluate their causal relationship using Mendelian randomization. METHODS:Mendelian randomization was used to explore the causal relationship between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,high-density lipoprotein cholesterol,triglycerides,and muscle mass.Research data from genome-wide association studies were used and a sensitivity analysis was conducted to verify the reliability of the results.Approximate indicators of muscle mass,including trunk lean mass and appendicular lean mass,were used as outcome measures. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The study found a negative correlation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides with muscle mass,while no correlation was observed between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and muscle mass.The results of the sensitivity analysis indicated a robust causal relationship.Using Mendelian randomization,this study provides evidence of a causal relationship between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides and muscle mass.This finding deepens our understanding of the effects of lipids on sarcopenia and has important clinical implications for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia and osteoporosis.

Objective To explore the correlations between image quality of prospective and retrospective electrocardiogram(ECG)-gated CT coronary angiogram and radiation dose in patients with different heart rates.Methods A total of 135 patients undergoing 256-slice spiral CT coronary angiography were enrolled in the study.Among them,66 cases received prospective ECG-gated scanning(prospective ECG-gated group)and further divided into two subgroups with heart rate≤80 beats/min(prospective ECG-gated+low heart rate subgroup,n=39)and>80 beats/min(prospective ECG-gated+high heart rate subgroup,n=27).The other 69 cases underwent retrospective ECG-gated scanning(retrospective ECG-gated group),including 45 cases with heart rate≤80 beats/min(retrospective ECG-gated+low heart rate subgroup)and 24 with heart rate>80 beats/min(retrospective ECG-gated+high heart rate subgroup).The baseline data,image quality[mean CT value,image noise,signal-to-noise ratio(SNR),subjective image quality score]and radiation dos[CT volume dose index(CTDIvol),dose length product(DLP),effective dose(ED)]were compared among 4 subgroups.The correlations of image quality with heart rate and radiation dose in prospective and retrospective ECG-gated groups were analyzed.Results The heart rates in prospective and retrospective ECG-gated+low heart rate subgroups were lower than those in prospective and retrospective ECG-gated+high heart rate subgroups(P<0.05).When comparing the mean CT value,image noise,SNR and subjective image quality score among 4 subgroups,no statistically significant differences were observed(P>0.05).The CTDIvol,DLP and ED in prospective ECG-gated+low heart rate subgroup were significantly lower than those in the other 3 subgroups(P<0.05),and the indicators in prospective ECG-gated+high heart rate subgroup were lower than those in retrospective ECG-gated group(including low and high heart rate subgroups)(P<0.05).Pearson correlation coefficient analysis revealed that the mean CT value,image noise,SNR,subjective image quality score had no significant correlation with heart rate,CTDIvol,DLP and ED in prospective and retrospective ECG-gated groups(P>0.05).Conclusion The subjective and objective image quality of 256-slice spiral CT coronary angiography is not correlated with radiation dose.Prospective ECG-gated scanning can reduce the radiation dose and ensure the image quality as compared with retrospective ECG-gated scanning.This holds true for eligible patients with high heart rate,and the former can effectively reduce radiation exposure.Therefore,prospective ECG-gated scanning is worthy to be promoted in clinic.