Objective: To investigate the status and associated factors of sports supplement usage among grade 9 students, so as to provide a scientific basis for targeted supervision and health education regarding sports supplement usage among junior high school students. Methods: From June to September 2025, a stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select 2 261 grade 9 students from 10 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) in China. A questionnaire survey was conducted on their sports supplement usage and related factors. The Chi square test was used to compare the usage rates of sports supplements among different groups of students, and binary Logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the related factors of sports supplement usage among grade 9 students. Results: Totally 59.7% of the grade 9 students used sports supplements. The usage rate (62.5%) was higher among boys than girls (56.3%), higher among students from rural areas and towns/counties (66.5%, 66.2%) than those from urban districts (52.9%), higher among boarding students (65.2%) than non resident students (54.3%), higher among students whose parents occupations were businessmen and workers (fathers: 65.0%, 63.7%; mothers: 63.6%, 61.1%) than those whose parents were farmers and civil servants (fathers: 57.5%, 54.1%; mothers: 58.8%, 55.7%), higher among students with a monthly family income of 5 000- 10 000 yuan (66.3%) than those in other income groups, and higher among students in the high score zone for the entrance physical examination to senior high school (67.7%) than those in the medium and low score zones ( 56.3% , 56.5%) ( χ 2=8.99, 42.21, 27.98, 20.55, 8.20, 22.74, 24.70, respectively, all P <0.05). Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that boys ( OR =1.26), those from rural areas ( OR =1.59), boarding students ( OR =1.36), those with a monthly family income of 5 000- 10 000 yuan ( OR =1.41), and those in the high score zone for entrance physical examination to senior high school ( OR =1.34) were more likely to use sports supplements during the entrance physical examination to senior high school; the probability of sports supplement usage was lower among students whose fathers were civil servants ( OR =0.74) (all P <0.05). Conclusions The usage of sports supplements is relatively common among grade 9 students. Intervention measures should be targeted at specific populations to reduce the risk of misuse.

Objective: To understand the growth and development levels of four physical measurements in children aged 3-6 years in China, so as to provide a reference for child nutrition improvement and health promotion. Methods: A stratified random sampling method was used to collect physical measurement data from 120 kindergartens 25 842 children aged 3-6 years across 24 provinces and cities in seven natural geographical regions of North China, Northeast China, East China, Central China, South China, Southwest China and Northwest China from 2020 to 2023. The development levels of head circumference, chest circumference, waist circumference, and hip circumference were evaluated using a grading method. The analysis of gender and age differences was conducted using Mann-Whitney U- test and Kruskal-Wallis test, and the comparison of abnormal detection rates for different genders was conducted using Chi square test. Results: The distribution range of children aged 3-6 was 51.74(50.08, 53.33) cm in terms of head circumference, 55.73(52.09, 59.04) cm in terms of chest circumference, 53.04(48.92, 56.40) cm in terms of waist circumference, and 59.36(56.30, 62.32) cm in terms of hip circumference. The detection rate of abnormal head circumference in boys and girls aged 3-6 years old was relatively high (19.71%-42.02%), and the detection rate of abnormal physical circumference development levels in boys was higher than that in girls of all ages ( χ 2=5.63-83.35, P <0.05). The detection rate of abnormal hip circumference (4.89%-6.53%) and chest circumference (4.51%-6.38%) in boys and girls aged 3-6 was relatively low, and there was no statistically significant difference in the abnormal rate between different ages and genders ( χ 2=0.00-1.61, 0.00-3.71, P >0.05). The detection rate of abnormal waist circumference in boys and girls aged 3-6 was relatively high (13.70%-42.45%), and the detection rate of abnormal waist circumference in girls was higher than that in boys aged 4-6 groups ( χ 2=10.49-58.18, P < 0.05). Conclusions The overall physical development of children aged 3-6 years in China is improving, but the abnormal detection rates for head circumference and waist circumference are relatively high. Child healthcare should focus on preventing and treating abdominal obesity, with differentiated health intervention strategies based on different age groups and genders.

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of MRI ultra-short echo time sequence (MRI-UTE) in the diagnosis of pulmonary nodules.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 101 consecutive patients were recruited prospectively from January to August 2024 at Huazhong Fuwai Hospital of Zhengzhou University. All of the included patients were diagnosed with pulmonary nodules by chest CT examination and intended for treatment. All patients underwent low-dose CT examination and MRI-UTE examination. The number, classification, and lung imaging reporting and data system (lung-RADS) grading of the pulmonary nodules were analyzed. Nodules classification was determined as solid nodules or sub-solid nodules, and sub-solid nodules included part-solid nodules and pure ground-glass nodules. Taking the evaluation results of radiologists with 10 and 12 years of experience in chest imaging diagnosis as the reference standard, the Kappa test was used to analyze the agreement of CT and MRI-UTE in terms of the accurate diagnosis, classification, and lung-RADS grading of pulmonary nodules. Results:Among the 101 patients, a total of 216 pulmonary nodules were identified. MRI-UTE accurately diagnosed 180 pulmonary nodules, while 203 pulmonary nodules were detected by CT. The concordance was moderate ( Kappa=0.48, P<0.001). In terms of nodule classification, CT correctly classified 167 nodules as solid and 36 as sub-solid, whereas MRI-UTE correctly classified 153 as solid and 23 as sub-solid, with good agreement (weighted Kappa=0.73, P<0.001). For lung-RADS grading, CT correctly graded 186 nodules, with 85 graded as category 2, 46 as category 3, 33 as category 4A, 12 as category 4B, and 10 as category 4X; MRI-UTE correctly graded 155 nodules, with 74 graded as category 2, 30 as category 3, 30 as category 4A, 12 as category 4B, and 9 as category 4X. The agreement between the two modalities in determining lung-RADS grade was also good (weighted Kappa=0.74, P<0.001). Conclusion:MRI-UTE demonstrates good agreement with CT in the accurate diagnosis, classification, and lung-RADS grading of pulmonary nodules, indicating certain clinical application value.

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of MRI ultra-short echo time sequence (MRI-UTE) in the diagnosis of pulmonary nodules.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 101 consecutive patients were recruited prospectively from January to August 2024 at Huazhong Fuwai Hospital of Zhengzhou University. All of the included patients were diagnosed with pulmonary nodules by chest CT examination and intended for treatment. All patients underwent low-dose CT examination and MRI-UTE examination. The number, classification, and lung imaging reporting and data system (lung-RADS) grading of the pulmonary nodules were analyzed. Nodules classification was determined as solid nodules or sub-solid nodules, and sub-solid nodules included part-solid nodules and pure ground-glass nodules. Taking the evaluation results of radiologists with 10 and 12 years of experience in chest imaging diagnosis as the reference standard, the Kappa test was used to analyze the agreement of CT and MRI-UTE in terms of the accurate diagnosis, classification, and lung-RADS grading of pulmonary nodules. Results:Among the 101 patients, a total of 216 pulmonary nodules were identified. MRI-UTE accurately diagnosed 180 pulmonary nodules, while 203 pulmonary nodules were detected by CT. The concordance was moderate ( Kappa=0.48, P<0.001). In terms of nodule classification, CT correctly classified 167 nodules as solid and 36 as sub-solid, whereas MRI-UTE correctly classified 153 as solid and 23 as sub-solid, with good agreement (weighted Kappa=0.73, P<0.001). For lung-RADS grading, CT correctly graded 186 nodules, with 85 graded as category 2, 46 as category 3, 33 as category 4A, 12 as category 4B, and 10 as category 4X; MRI-UTE correctly graded 155 nodules, with 74 graded as category 2, 30 as category 3, 30 as category 4A, 12 as category 4B, and 9 as category 4X. The agreement between the two modalities in determining lung-RADS grade was also good (weighted Kappa=0.74, P<0.001). Conclusion:MRI-UTE demonstrates good agreement with CT in the accurate diagnosis, classification, and lung-RADS grading of pulmonary nodules, indicating certain clinical application value.

Extracellular elastase-like protease is one of the key virulence proteases of Scedosporium aurantiacum. To date, little is known about this enzyme in terms of genetic information, structure, properties and virulence mechanism due to the difficulties in purification caused by its low secretion amount, high specific activity, uncompleted genome sequencing and annotation. This work investigated the gene, structure and enzymatic properties of this enzyme. The S. aurantiacum elastase-like protease from the fungal culture supernatant was analyzed through tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) approach, illustrating its primary structure. Bioinformatics tools were employed to predict the conserved domain and tertiary structure, the enzymatic properties were also studied. It turned out that S. aurantiacum extracellular elastase-like protease demonstrated well hydrolysis towards elastin and bovine achilles tendon collagen, with V_max of 18.14 μg/s and 17.57 μg/s respectively, better than fish scale gelatin, with the lowest hydrolysis effect on casein. Its activity towards elastin was lower than that of the elastase from porcine pancreas, with values of K_cat/K_m of 3.541 (μg/s) and 4.091 (μg/s), respectively. It was an alkaline protease, with optimal pH 8.2 and temperature 37 ^oC. Zn²⁺ promoted the enzymatic activity while Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, elastatinal and PMSF inhibited its activity. Its sequence was similar to Paecilomyces lilacinus secreted serine protease (PDB Entry: c3f7oB_) with multiple conserved fractions each containing more than 7 amino acids, thus suitable for design of PCR primer. This study increased our knowledge on S. aurantiacum extracellular elastase-like protease in terms of structure and enzymatic properties, and may facilitate later studies on protein expression and virulence mechanism.
Animals ; Cattle ; Pancreatic Elastase/genetics* ; Elastin/genetics* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Serine Proteases/genetics*

Objective:To explore the value of jellyfish sign, an abnormal ultrasonographic sign, in predicting adverse perinatal outcomes of women with complete placenta previa combined with placenta accreta spectrum disorders (PAS).Methods:This retrospective study analyzed the ultrasound images of 72 singleton gravidas, diagnosed with complete placenta previa combined with PAS, who underwent cesarean section at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between January 2020 and February 2023. Based on the presence and absence of the jellyfish sign in ultrasound images, these gravidas were divided into the jellyfish-sign group (15 cases, 20.8%) and the non-jellyfish-sign group (57 cases, 79.2%). The clinical data and perinatal outcomes of the two groups were analyzed. The adverse perinatal outcomes encompassed conditions such as abdominal aorta balloon block, uterine artery embolism, hysterectomy, postpartum hemorrhage, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission of their neonates. Statistical analysis was performed using two independent samples t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test and the Chi-square (or Fisher's exact) test. Results:(1) The jellyfish-sign group exhibited a higher parity [(1.6±0.7) times vs (1.2±0.6) times, t=2.01] and higher prenatal scores of placenta accreta [(12.3±1.5) scores vs (8.6±2.9) scores, t=6.59] than those in the non-jellyfish-sign group (both P<0.05). Among the 57 cases in the non-jellyfish-sign group, there were 14 cases of placenta creta (24.6%), 40 cases of placenta increta (70.2%), and three cases of placenta percreta (5.3%). Among the 15 cases in the jellyfish-sign group, nine cases were diagnosed with placenta increta, six with placenta percreta, and none with placenta creta. The difference in distribution between the two groups was statistically significant (Fisher's exact test, P<0.001). (2) Intraoperative blood loss [(for those who accepted abdominal aorta balloon block, 1 973±1 057) ml vs (1 211±576) ml, t=2.55], red blood cells transfused [4.0 U (2.0-23.0 U) vs 2.5 U (0.0-11.0 U), Z=－2.53], postoperative hospitalization time [(9.7±2.4) vs (7.5±2.2) d, t=3.36], the incidence of abdominal aorta balloon block [15/15 vs 38.6% (22/57), χ2=17.92], uterine artery embolism [for those who accepted abdominal aorta balloon block, 3/15 vs 1.8% (1/57), Fisher's exact test], and requiring blood transfusion [15/15 vs 63.2% (36/57), Fisher's exact test] were higher in the jellyfish-sign group than those in the non-jellyfish-sign group. However, the non-jellyfish-sign group had lower gestational age at delivery [(33.6±1.5) weeks vs (35.2±1.8) weeks, t=－3.24], and lower neonatal Apgar score at 1 min and 5 min [1 min: 8 scores (3-10 scores) vs 9 scores (4-10 scores), Z=－2.46; 5 min: 9 scores (7-10 scores) vs 10 scores (6-10 scores), Z=－2.02] (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in emergency surgery rate, 24 h postoperative blood loss, neonatal birth weight, and proportion of NICU admission between the two groups. Additionally, no cases of hysterectomy or death were observed in the two groups. Conclusions:Ultrasound examination revealing jellyfish signs in patients with complete placenta previa and PAS is associated with an increased likelihood of adverse perinatal outcomes. Consequently, the management of these patients should be given greater attention.

Objective : To discuss the treatment of pneumoparotid and to provide a reference for clinical practice. Methods: A case of refractory pneumoparotid was reported, and the diagnosis and treatment of parotid emphysema were reviewed and analyzed in combination with the literature. Results : This child had parotid gland enlargement without any obvious cause for more than 1 month. Conservative treatment, such as anti-inflammatory agents, psychological interventions and physical compression were ineffective. The patient had a history of cerebral palsy with epilepsy and involuntary cheek bulging behavior. Therefore, we considered it a refractory case. It was cured after parotid duct ligation and partial parotidectomy of the superficial lobe. A literature review showed that a pneumoparotid is a rare parotid enlargement. Most of the clinical cases were considered to be caused by the return of air into the parotid gland through the parotid duct due to an increase in oral pressure. The diagnosis of pneumoparotid mainly depends on intermittent parotid gland swelling and other clinical manifestations and imaging examination methods, such as ultrasound, CT, MRI and angiography. Its treatment mainly includes conservative anti-inflammatory treatment, physical therapy and psychological intervention. Surgical treatment is indicated for refractory parotid emphysema. Conclusion Pneumoparotid cases may further develop into parotid inflammation, which is generally treated conservatively. For some severe, recurrent and poor compliance cases, surgical treatment is sometimes needed.

Objective : To investigate the feasibility of epidural catheters in parotid gland duct anastomosis and the function of the affected side gland after parotid gland duct anastomosis. Methods: Thirteen patients who were treated in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Xuzhou Central Hospital using an epidural catheter as the scaffold for parotid gland catheter anastomosis were enrolled from Jan. 2019 to June 2021. The swelling, salivary fistula and catheter patency in the parotid gland area were evaluated two weeks after the operation. 99mTcO4- single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was used for quantitative detection of salivary gland secretion function Results: Thirteen patients had no swelling or salivary fistula in the parotid gland area of the affected side two weeks after the operation, and the catheter secretion was unobstructed. There was no significant difference in the uptake rate between the parotid gland on the affected side and the parotid gland on the healthy side (t = -0.859, P = 0.399), and there was no significant difference in the excretion rate between the parotid gland on the affected side and the parotid gland on the healthy side (t = 0.693, P = 0.495). The parotid gland excretion function of the affected side was excellent three months after the operation. Conclusion Parotid duct anastomosis with an epidural catheter as the stent has good feasibility, and parotid gland secretion function recovers well after the operation, which is worthy of clinical application.

Dioscoreae Rhizoma formula granules are made from decoction pieces by decocting， extracting， separating， concentrating， drying and granulating， which have the advantages of simple dispensing， convenient use and easy to take without decoction. However， because Dioscoreae Rhizoma is rich in starch and mucus components， its extract powder and formula granules are poorly soluble and difficult to dissolve or disperse completely within 5 min， and the insoluble material is difficult to dissolve completely even after 24 h in water， which affects the quality evaluation of the formula granules and medication psychology of patients. Therefore， by studying the dissolution process and mechanism of Dioscoreae Rhizoma extract and its formula granules， it was found that the special chemical composition of Dioscoreae Rhizoma， the denaturation of starch and its compounding with protein and other substances during the high temperature extraction process， and the contraction of coating membrane during the spray drying process were combined to form the special microstructure of coating membrane covering starch granules， and it is the root cause of poor solubility of Dioscoreae Rhizoma formula granules. Based on the research on the structure， property and function of the powder， this paper proposed a technical strategy to improve the solubility of Dioscoreae Rhizoma formula granules by powder modification process， and experimentally demonstrated that the modified Dioscoreae Rhizoma formula granules could completely dissolve within 2 min， which solved the technical problem and could provide reference for the improvement of solubility of other similar varieties， and promote the high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine formula granule industry.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of preoperative bi-parametric MRI radiomics for the International Society of Urological Pathology(ISUP)grading of prostate cancer(PCa).Methods One hundred and sixty-five patients with PCa confirmed by pathology were analyzed retrospectively.According to the ISUP grading system,PCa patients were divided into five subgroups:G1 group(Gleason score=6),G2 group(Gleason score=3+4),G3 group(Gleason score=4+3),G4 group(Gleason score=8)and G5 group(Gleason score=9 or 10).A total of 3 948 radiomics features were extracted from T2WI,diffusion weighted imaging(DWI),and apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)images of each patient.Patients were classified into two categories based on Gleason score&ge;4+3 or ≤3+4.A radiomics signature(Rad-score)was constructed after reduction of dimension by the minimum redundancy maximum relevance(mRMR)and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO).The Spearman rank correlation test was used to evaluate the correlation between Rad-score and ISUP grading groups.The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the difference of Rad-score among the five groups.Results Eleven most valuable features were selected as the Rad-score after reducing the dimension by mRMR and LASSO algorithm.Moderate correlation existed between Rad-score and ISUP grading(r=0.53,P＜0.05).There were significant differences in Rad-score between G1 and G2 groups and G3,G4 and G5 groups(P＜0.05),no significant difference existed between the remained two groups(P＞0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve for Rad-score were 0.827,0.762,0.563,0.657,0.698 for G1,G2,G3,G4 and G5 groups,respectively.Conclusion The radiomics based on bi-parametric MRI can be used to predict grade 1,2 PCa patients in the ISUP grading system.