OBJECTIVE To investigate the targeting effect of folic acid-modified crebanine nanoparticles （FA-Cre@PEG- PLGA NPs， hereinafter referred to as “NPs”） combined with ultrasound irradiation on M109 cells in vitro and in vivo after administration， and explore the anti-tumor mechanism. METHODS CCK-8 assay was used to detect the inhibitory effect of NPs combined with ultrasound irradiation on the proliferation of M109 cells， and the best ultrasound time was selected. Using human lung cancer A549 cells as a control， the targeting of NPs combined with ultrasound irradiation to M109 cells was evaluated by free folic acid blocking assay and cell uptake assay. The effects of NPs combined with ultrasound irradiation on the migration， invasion， apoptosis， cell cycle and reactive oxygen species （ROS） levels of M109 cells were detected by cell scratch test， Transwell chamber test and flow cytometry at 1 h after 958401536@qq.com administration； the changes of mitochondrial membrane potential （MMP） were observed by fluorescence inverted microscope. A mouse subcutaneous tumor model of M109 cells was constructed， and the in vivo tumor targeting of NPs combined with ultrasound irradiation was investigated by small animal in vivo imaging technology. RESULTS NPs combined with ultrasound irradiation could significantly inhibit the proliferation of M109 cells， and the optimal ultrasound time was 1 h after administration. The free folic acid could antagonize the inhibitory effect of NPs on the proliferation of M109 cells， and combined with ultrasound irradiation could partially reverse this antagonism. Compared with A549 cells， the uptake rate of NPs in M109 cells was significantly higher （P＜0.01）， and ultrasound irradiation could promote cellular uptake. NPs combined with ultrasound irradiation could inhibit the migration and invasion of M109 cells and block the cell cycle in the G0/G1 and G2/M phases. Compared with control group， the apoptosis rate of M109 cells and ROS level were increased significantly （P＜0.01）， while the MMP decreased significantly （P＜0.01） in the different concentration （100， 200， 300 μg/mL） groups of M109 cells. Compared with the mice in non-ultrasound group， the fluorescence intensity and tumor-targeting index of the tumor site in the 0 h ultrasound group were significantly enhanced （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS NPs combined with ultrasound irradiation have a strong targeting effect on M109 cells in vitro and in vivo， the anti-tumor mechanism includes inhibiting cell migration and invasion， blocking cell cycle， and inducing apoptosis.

Objective: This study aims to explore the association between oral lichen planus (OLP) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and its anti-thyroid antibodies to provide clinical evidence for thyroid disease screening in patients with OLP. Methods: This study was approved by the institutional ethics committee. A total of 125 clinically and histopathologically confirmed patients with OLP were enrolled as the case group, and they were matched with 125 non-OLP controls based on sex and age. Demographic data (gender, age, lesion type, and disease duration) were collected from both groups. Serum levels of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) were measured to analyze their associations with sex, age, lesion type, and disease duration in patients with OLP. Result: The prevalence of HT in patients with OLP was 31.20%, significantly higher than that in the control group (9.60%) (χ2=18.504, P<0.001). The prevalence of HT in female patients with OLP (39.13%) was significantly higher than that in male patients (9.09%)（χ2=10.93，P<0.001）. The positivity rate of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) in patients with OLP (17.6%) was significantly higher than in the control group (4.0%) (χ2=10.989, P<0.001). The TPOAb positivity rate was significantly higher in female patients (22.83%) than in male patients (3.03%) (χ2=5.210, P=0.014). There was no statistically significant difference in the positivity rate of TgAb between patients with OLP (7.2%) and the control group (3.2%) (P>0.05). Patients with erosive lesions had a significantly higher TPOAb positivity rate (25.0%, 17/68) compared to those with non-erosive lesions (8.77%, 5/57), and the difference was statistically significant (χ2=4.831, P=0.028). Logistic regression analysis revealed that female patients with OLP had an 8.935-fold higher risk of being TPOAb positive compared to males (OR=8.935, 95%CI: 1.134-70.388, P=0.038). Patients with erosive OLP lesions had a 3.199-fold higher risk of TPOAb positivity compared to those with non-erosive lesions (OR=3.199, 95%CI: 1.064-9.618, P=0.038). Conclusion The prevalence of HT is higher in patients with OLP, with higher positivity rates of anti-thyroid antibodies observed in female patients and those with erosive OLP lesions. This suggests that thyroid disease screening should be incorporated into the clinical management of patients with OLP, especially for women and patients who present with erosive lesions.

Three taraxerane nortriterpenoids were isolated from mastic by using various modern chromatographic separation techniques. They were identified as(5R,8R,9R,10S,11S,12R,13S,17R,18R)-28-norlupa-11,12-epoxy-14-taraxerene-3,16-dione(1),(5R,8R,9R,10S,11S,12R,13S,17S,18S)-17-hydroxy-28-norlupa-11,12-epoxy-14-taraxerene-3-one(2), and(5R,8R,9R,10R,11S,12R,13R,14S,17S,18S)-14,17-epoxy-28-norlupa-11,12-oxidotaraxerone(3) through the high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(HR-ESI-MS), infrared(IR), ultraviolet(UV), nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques as well as comparison with literature data. Compounds 1-3 were C-28 nortriterpenoids and isolated from mastic for the first time, and compounds 1-2 were new ones. In the model for RAW264.7 cell anti-inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS), compound 1 demonstrates an inhibitory effect on nitric oxide(NO) [IC_(50)=(13.38±0.68) μmol·L~(-1)], comparable to the activity of the positive control dexamethasone [IC_(50)=(14.59±1.49) μmol·L~(-1)]. Compounds 2 and 3 exhibit weaker inhibitory effects, with IC_(50) values of(24.17±2.56) and(22.25±2.84) μmol·L~(-1), respectively.
Animals ; Mice ; Triterpenes/isolation & purification* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Mastic Resin/chemistry* ; Nitric Oxide ; Molecular Structure ; Macrophages/immunology* ; RAW 264.7 Cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, is characterized by high mortality and recurrence rates. Common treatments include hepatectomy, liver transplantation, ablation therapy, interventional therapy, radiotherapy, systemic therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). While exhibiting specific advantages, these approaches are associated with varying degrees of adverse effects. To alleviate patients' suffering and burdens, it is crucial to explore additional treatments and elucidate the pathogenesis of HCC, laying a foundation for the development of new TCM-based drugs. With emerging research on gut microbiota, it has been revealed that microbiota plays a vital role in the development of HCC by influencing intestinal barrier function, microbial metabolites, and immune regulation. TCM, with its multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, has been increasingly recognized as a vital therapeutic treatment for HCC, particularly in patients at intermediate or advanced stages, by prolonging survival and improving quality of life. Recent global studies demonstrate that TCM exerts anti-HCC effects by modulating gut microbiota, restoring intestinal barrier function, regulating microbial composition and its metabolites, suppressing inflammation, and enhancing immune responses, thereby inhibiting the malignant phenotype of HCC. This review aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which gut microbiota contributes to the development and progression of HCC and highlight the regulatory effects of TCM, addressing the current gap in systematic understanding of the "TCM-gut microbiota-HCC" axis. The findings provide theoretical support for integrating TCM with western medicine in HCC treatment and promote the transition from basic research to precision clinical therapy through microbiota-targeted drug development and TCM-based interventions.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/microbiology* ; Liver Neoplasms/microbiology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Animals ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

PURPOSE: Intertrochanteric fracture (ITF) classification is crucial for surgical decision-making. However, orthopedic trauma surgeons have shown lower accuracy in ITF classification than expected. The objective of this study was to utilize an artificial intelligence (AI) method to improve the accuracy of ITF classification. METHODS: We trained a network called YOLOX-SwinT, which is based on the You Only Look Once X (YOLOX) object detection network with Swin Transformer (SwinT) as the backbone architecture, using 762 radiographic ITF examinations as the training set. Subsequently, we recruited 5 senior orthopedic trauma surgeons (SOTS) and 5 junior orthopedic trauma surgeons (JOTS) to classify the 85 original images in the test set, as well as the images with the prediction results of the network model in sequence. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) to compare the differences among the SOTS, JOTS, SOTS + AI, JOTS + AI, SOTS + JOTS, and SOTS + JOTS + AI groups. All images were classified according to the AO/OTA 2018 classification system by 2 experienced trauma surgeons and verified by another expert in this field. Based on the actual clinical needs, after discussion, we integrated 8 subgroups into 5 new subgroups, and the dataset was divided into training, validation, and test sets by the ratio of 8:1:1. RESULTS: The mean average precision at the intersection over union (IoU) of 0.5 (mAP50) for subgroup detection reached 90.29%. The classification accuracy values of SOTS, JOTS, SOTS + AI, and JOTS + AI groups were 56.24% ± 4.02%, 35.29% ± 18.07%, 79.53% ± 7.14%, and 71.53% ± 5.22%, respectively. The paired t-test results showed that the difference between the SOTS and SOTS + AI groups was statistically significant, as well as the difference between the JOTS and JOTS + AI groups, and the SOTS + JOTS and SOTS + JOTS + AI groups. Moreover, the difference between the SOTS + JOTS and SOTS + JOTS + AI groups in each subgroup was statistically significant, with all p < 0.05. The independent samples t-test results showed that the difference between the SOTS and JOTS groups was statistically significant, while the difference between the SOTS + AI and JOTS + AI groups was not statistically significant. With the assistance of AI, the subgroup classification accuracy of both SOTS and JOTS was significantly improved, and JOTS achieved the same level as SOTS. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the YOLOX-SwinT network algorithm enhances the accuracy of AO/OTA subgroups classification of ITF by orthopedic trauma surgeons.
Humans ; Hip Fractures/diagnostic imaging* ; Orthopedic Surgeons ; Algorithms ; Artificial Intelligence

Objective:To investigate the effect of pre-stroke metformin (MET) use on early neurological improvement (ENI) and outcome after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).Methods:AIS patients with T2DM underwent IVT in the Department of Neurology, Yuncheng Central Hospital from January 2019 to February 2025 were included retrospectively. According to whether MET was used before onset, they were divided into MET group and non-MET group. Early neurological improvement (ENI) was defined as a decrease in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≥4 at 24 hours after IVT compared to admission, or the NIHSS score was 0-1. At 90 days after onset, the modified Rankin Scale was used for outcome assessment, and ≤2 was good outcome and >2 was poor outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent influencing factors of ENI and outcome. Results:A total of 115 AIS patients with T2DM were included in the study, with an age of 65.42±12.22 years. There were 83 males (72.2%). Fifty-four patients (47.0%) used MET, and 61 (53.0%) used other hypoglycemic drugs; 43 (37.4%) developed ENI, and 33 (28.7%) had poor outcome at 90 days. There were no significant difference in all baseline data between the MET group and the non-MET group, but the proportions of patients with ENI and good prognosis at 90 days in the MET group were significantly higher than those in the non-MET group (all P<0.05). The proportions of hypertensive patients and baseline NIHSS scores in the ENI group were significantly lower than those in the non-ENI group, while the proportions of patients using MET, antihypertensive drugs, statins, and patients with good outcome was significantly higher than that in the non-ENI group (all P<0.05). The body weight, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, as well as the proportions of patients using antiplatelet drugs, MET, and patients with ENI in the good outcome group were significantly higher than those in the poor outcome group, while systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, and the proportions of patients with hemorrhagic transformation, and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage were significantly lower than those in the poor outcome group (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that using statins (odds ratio [ OR] 5.291, 95% confidence interval [ CI] 1.599-17.514; P=0.006) and MET ( OR 3.018, 95% CI 1.125-8.092; P=0.006) were the independent influencing factors of ENI; using MET ( OR 0.014, 95% CI 0.001-0.246; P=0.004) and anterior circulation stroke ( OR 0.005, 95% CI 0.000-0.745; P=0.038) were significantly independently associated with good outcome, while high baseline NIHSS score ( OR 2.092, 95% CI 1.198-3.655; P=0.009) and serum homocysteine ( OR 1.202, 95% CI 1.024-1.411; P=0.024) were significantly independently associated with the poor outcome. Conclusion:The use of MET before stroke onset can help improve ENI and clinical outcome in AIS patients with T2DM after IVT.

Long-term spaceflight,characterized by drastic changes in spatial position,disrupts the Earth's inherent environmental periodic signals,such as the day-night light-dark cycle.This leads to a misalignment between the external environmental cycles and the body's endogenous biological rhythms.The cumulative effect of this persistent"time difference"severely disrupts the core biological pathways that regulate the circadian rhythm.It triggers a series of neuroendocrine and behavioral stress responses,exemplified by sleep-wake disorders,which have become a core medical problem constraining the success of long-term space missions and astronaut health.Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)posits that aligning with the rhythmic changes of heaven,earth,day,night,and the four seasons,and maintaining the dynamic balance and harmonious functioning of the body's Yin and Yang vital energies,are fundamental principles for safeguarding vitality and resisting external pathogens and internal injuries.However,in the prolonged weightlessness,confinement,and abnormal lighting environment of deep space flight,the bond between the human body and natural rhythms is forcibly severed.Yin and Yang Qi become difficult to sustain,the mechanisms of ascent,descent,exit,and entry are obstructed,the visceral Qi transformation functions are impaired,and the circulation of Qi and Blood becomes disordered,ultimately leading to the onset of various disorders.This paper,grounded in the TCM temporal medicine perspective of"correspondence between heaven and human"(tian ren xiang ying)and the theories of Yin-Yang and Qi-Blood,meticulously reviews the historical classics and modern research on acupoint intervention strategies for addressing rhythm disorders and harmonizing Yin and Yang.Building upon this foundation,it innovatively proposes and argues for an integrated acupoint prescription strategy:the"Bei Xin Wu Xue"combined with the classic paired points Zhaohai(KI6)-Shenmai(BL62)on the lower limbs to regulate the dynamic balance of the Yin and Yang Heel Vessels(Yin/Yang Qiao Mai),and the classic paired points Taichong(LR3)-Yongquan(KI1)to guide Qi downward.This combination aims to work at multiple levels-"Heart-Brain,Yin-Yang,Liver-Kidney"-to calm the Heart Spirit,clear the Brain Mansion,and tonify the Liver and Kidney.The goal is to restore Yin and Yang Qi to an orderly and coordinated state,thereby assisting the disordered biological rhythm system in regaining homeostasis.This provides a novel TCM-inspired approach of"rhythm regulation and equilibrium restoration"(tiao shi fu heng)to safeguard the long-term in-orbit health of astronauts.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) for muscle atrophy in patients with immobilization after surgical fixation of foot and ankle fractures.MethodsThis was a two-arm randomized controlled trial wherein 80 patients were recruited and divided into control (n = 40) and intervention (n = 40) groups. The control group received conventional orthopedic treatment, whereas the intervention group received TEAS and conventional treatment. The intervention group received TEAS 3 times a week for 30 min each time for 8 weeks. The primary outcomes were muscle thickness (MT) and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the rectus femoris and gastrocnemius muscles, whereas the secondary outcome measure was echo intensity (EI). Data were collected before the fixation operations (baseline assessment) and 4 and 8 weeks after intervention.ResultsCompared with baseline, the MT and CSA were reduced in both groups by the end of treatment, whereas EI increased in both groups. At week 4, the reduction in the rectus femoris CSA in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P = .02); however, the between-group differences in the MT and EI (all P .05) were not significant. No serious adverse events were observed in either group.ConclusionOur study showed that TEAS can improve muscle atrophy by attenuating the decline in the muscle CSA. Because this was only a pilot trial, subsequent studies will need longer follow-ups and larger sample sizes.

Objective To track and evaluate the improvement efficacy of a 3-year continuous implementation of special action of"Improving the pathogen detection rate before antimicrobial therapy",and provide evidence-based basis for future work.Methods Clinical data of inpatients in a tertiary comprehensive hospital from 2020 to 2023 were collected.The baseline survey result in 2020 was taken as the pre-improvement group,and the continuous im-plementation of special action improvement goal from 2021 to 2023 was as the post-improvement group.Measures were taken,including improving the information system,establishing a multi-department collaboration mechanism,providing multi-level training and education for all staff,standardizing medical behavior and pathogen detection processes,and strengthening supervision efficiency.Indicators were dynamically tracked and strategies were fo-llowed up promptly.Monitoring and data acquisition were carried out through the hospital infection information sys-tem.R 4.1.3 statistical software was adopted to compare the differences between two sets of indicators and the changing trends of data in different years,and the improvement efficacy was evaluated.Results After promoting the improvement goal of 3-year special action,the therapeutic antimicrobials usage rate decreased,presenting a downward trend with years(P＜0.001).Pathogen detection rate before antimicrobial therapy increased from 39.38％to 85.40％;blood culture detection rate increased from 14.11％to 49.28％;pathogen detection rates before restricted and special antimicrobial therapy increased from 31.76％and 55.97％to 92.11％and 99.10％,respectively;patho-gen detection rate before combined use of key antimicrobial agents increased from 83.09％to 97.74％,all presen-ting increasing trends year by year(all P＜0.001).The detection rate of multidrug-resistant organisms decreased.Detection rates of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE)and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA)presented downward trends(P＜0.001).Healthcare-associated infection(HAI)diagnosis-related patho-gen detection rate remained above 90％.Consistency rate between specimen collection and infection sites increased from 73.26％to 91.67％,with an increasing trend year by year(P＜0.05).The internal medicine department had the lowest consistency rate,while the critical care medicine department had the highest consistency rate.Conclusion Three-year continuous promotion of the special action improvement goal and dynamic evaluation have greatly im-proved the clinical medical personnel's capability in judging the indicators and detection timing of pathogen speci-mens accurately,standardized diagnosis and treatment behavior,and guided the correct and rational use of antimi-crobial agents in clinical practice,thus reduced the occurrence of bacterial resistance in hospital.