Objective: The study aims to explore the neural mechanism of cognitive differences in college students with posttraumatic stress disorder under verbal fluency task based on functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), so as to provide neuroimaging support for the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD). Methods: Posttaumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Combat(PCL-C) was used to screen the subjects, including 21 students in PTSD group (PCL-C≥38) and 30 students in control group from September to Novenber in 2020. A 53 channel near infrared spectroscopy device was used to collect cerebral blood oxygen signals under the verbal fluency task, and correlation analysis, Mann Whitney U test and independent sample t test were performed on the results. Results: The difference in the total average score of PCL-C Scale between PTSD group and the control group(46.38±6.96，25.57±6.09) was statistically significant ( t=11.33, P <0.05). Correlation analysis showed that Avg-HbO in left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe was negatively correlated with PCL-C Score ( r=-0.37, P <0.05). Mann Whitney U test showed that in the left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe (Ch6), the Avg-HbO change in PTSD group [0.19(-0.09, 0.86)mmol/(L〖KG*7〗·mm)] was significantly lower than the control group [0.79( 0.37 , 1.47)mmol/(L ·mm)] ( Z=2.16, P <0.05), which was statistically significant. Conclusions The degree of PTSD was negatively correlated with the index of oxygenated hemoglobin in the left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe, and the oxygenated hemoglobin content in the PTSD group was lower than that in the normal group. In the future, fNIRS may be used to collect blood oxygen signals from the left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe in cognitive tasks to provide imaging evidence for the identification of PTSD.

In recent years, with the rapid development of organ donation after citizen’s death and transplantation, central and local governments in China have successively released incentive policies. To protect the legitimate rights and interests of organ donors after citizen’s death and their families, current status of incentive policies for organ donation after citizen’s death was illustrated and analyzed from the perspective of ethics. Combining with the principles of justice, respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence and beneficence, the problems existing in the implementation of incentive policies for organ donation after citizen’s death were identified in China, such as lack of continuous psychological intervention in spiritual incentives, the misinterpretation of humanitarian assistance in practice and the impact of indirect economic incentives on individual donation autonomy, etc. Relevant countermeasures and suggestions were proposed at the government, society and individual levels, aiming to provide reference for improving the incentive policies for organ donation after citizen’s death and accelerate the development of organ donation in China.

BACKGROUND:Tissue engineering has brought new hope to the clinical challenge of liver failure,and the preparation of plant-derived decellularized fiber scaffolds holds significant importance in liver tissue engineering. OBJECTIVE:To prepare apple tissue decellularized scaffold material by using fresh apple slices and a solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate,and assess its biocompatibility. METHODS:Fresh apples were subjected to decellularization using phosphate buffer saline and sodium dodecyl sulfate solution,separately.Afterwards,the decellularized apple tissues and apple decellularized scaffold materials were decontaminated with phosphate buffer saline.Subsequently,scanning electron microscopy was used to assess the effectiveness of decellularization of the apple materials.Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells were extracted from the inguinal fat BALB/C of mice,and their expression of stem cell-related markers(CD45,CD34,CD73,CD90,and CD105)was identified through flow cytometry.The cells were then divided into a scaffold-free control group and a scaffold group.Equal amounts of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells were seeded onto both groups.The biocompatibility of the decellularized scaffold with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells was evaluated using CCK-8 assay,hematoxylin-eosin staining,and phalloidine staining.Cell adhesion and growth on the scaffold were observed under light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.Furthermore,the scaffold was subdivided into the non-induced group and the hepatogenic-induced group.Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells were cultured on the decellularized apple scaffold,and they were cultured for 14 days in regular culture medium or hepatogenic induction medium for comparison.Immunofluorescent staining using liver cell markers,including albumin,cytokeratin 18,and CYP1A1,was performed.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the secretion of alpha fetoprotein and albumin.Additionally,scanning electron microscopy was employed to observe the morphology of the induced cells on the scaffold,verifying the expression of liver cell-related genes on the decellularized scaffold material.Finally,the cobalt-60 irradiated and sterilized decellularized apple scaffolds were transplanted onto the surface of mouse liver and the degradation of the scaffold was observed by gross observation and hematoxylin-eosin staining after 28 days. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The scanning electron microscopy results revealed that the decellularized apple scaffold material retained a porous structure of approximately 100 μm in size,with no residual cells observed.(2)Through flow cytometry analysis,the cultured cells were identified as adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells.(3)CCK-8 assay results demonstrated that the prepared decellularized apple tissue scaffold material exhibited no cytotoxicity.Hematoxylin-eosin staining and phalloidine staining showed that adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells were capable of adhering and proliferating on the decellularized apple tissue scaffold.(4)The results obtained from immunofluorescence staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells cultured on the decellularized apple scaffolds exhibited elevated expression of liver-specific proteins,including albumin,alpha-fetoprotein,cytokeratin 18,and CYP1A1.These results suggested that they were induced differentiation into hepatocyte-like cells possessing functional characteristics of liver cells.(5)The decellularized apple scaffold implanted at 7 days has integrated with the liver,with partial degradation of the scaffold observed.By 28 days,the decellularized apple scaffold has completely degraded and has been replaced by newly-formed tissue.(6)The results indicate that the decellularized scaffold material derived from apple tissue demonstrates favorable biocompatibility,promoting the proliferation,adhesion,and hepatic differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Objective To identify the biomarkers for early rheumatoid arthritis(RA)diagnosis and explore the possible immune regulatory mechanisms.Methods The differentially expressed genesin RA were screened and functionally annotated using the limma,RRA,batch correction,and clusterProfiler.The protein-protein interaction network was retrieved from the STRING database,and Cytoscape 3.8.0 and GeneMANIA were used to select the key genes and predicting their interaction mechanisms.ROC curves was used to validate the accuracy of diagnostic models based on the key genes.The disease-specific immune cells were selected via machine learning,and their correlation with the key genes were analyzed using Corrplot package.Biological functions of the key genes were explored using GSEA method.The expression of STAT1 was investigated in the synovial tissue of rats with collagen-induced arthritis(CIA).Results We identified 9 core key genes in RA(CD3G,CD8A,SYK,LCK,IL2RG,STAT1,CCR5,ITGB2,and ITGAL),which regulate synovial inflammation primarily through cytokines-related pathways.ROC curve analysis showed a high predictive accuracy of the 9 core genes,among which STAT1 had the highest AUC(0.909).Correlation analysis revealed strong correlations of CD3G,ITGAL,LCK,CD8A,and STAT1 with disease-specific immune cells,and STAT1 showed the strongest correlation with M1-type macrophages(R=0.68,P=2.9e-08).The synovial tissues of the ankle joints of CIA rats showed high expressions of STAT1 and p-STAT1 with significant differential expression of STAT1 between the nucleus and the cytoplasm of the synovial fibroblasts.The protein expressions of p-STAT1 and STAT1 in the cell nuclei were significantly reduced after treatment.Conclusion CD3G,CD8A,SYK,LCK,IL2RG,STAT1,CCR5,ITGB2,and ITGAL may serve as biomarkers for early diagnosis of RA.Gene-immune cell pathways such as CD3G/CD8A/LCK-γδ T cells,ITGAL-Tfh cells,and STAT1-M1-type macrophages may be closely related with the development of RA.

Objective:To establish the reference values and growth curves of skeletal muscle mass among children in the Nanjing area.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted with children who underwent physical examination at the Department of Child Health Care, Children′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from 2020 January to 2022 September. Their height, weight, body fat mass and skeletal muscle mass were measured. Body mass index, percentage of body fat mass, percentage of skeletal muscle mass, relative skeletal muscle mass index and the ratio of skeletal muscle to body fat were calculated. The associations between skeletal muscle mass indices and physical measurements index were analyzed through the Spearman correlation test. The Mann-Kendall test was used to assess the trend for skeletal muscle mass. Generalized additive models for location, scale and shape were used to construct percentile reference values and growth curves of male and female skeletal muscle mass indices at different ages.Results:A total of 32 690 children aged 4-14 years were enrolled in this study, including 19 912 boys (60.91%). Skeletal muscle mass, percentage of skeletal muscle mass, relative skeletal muscle mass index and the ratio of skeletal muscle to body fat of boys and girls was 11.10 (8.40, 14.90) and 10.30 (7.90, 13.20) kg, 40.36% (37.01%, 43.13%) and 39.38% (36.43%, 41.88%), 6.70 (6.07, 7.52) and 6.33 (5.79, 7.00), 2.39 (1.46, 3.47) and 2.14 (1.45, 3.00) kg/m 2, respectively. Skeletal muscle mass of both boys and girls was all positively associated with weight ( r=0.97, 0.96), body mass index ( r=0.68, 0.63) and percentage of body fat mass ( r=0.40, 0.43) (all P<0.01). The reference values and growth curves showed that the percentage of skeletal muscle mass P50 ranged from 37.75%-44.61% in boys and from 36.22%-40.55% in girls. The relative skeletal muscle mass index P50 ranged from 5.80-9.68 kg/m 2 in boys and from 5.57-7.98 kg/m 2 in girls. The ratio of skeletal muscle to body fat P50 ranged from 1.86-2.67 in boys and from 1.29-2.41 in girls. There was an increasing trend with age for both boys and girls in the growth of skeletal muscle mass ( Z=4.20, 3.75, both Ptrend<0.01), and increased slightly before 9 years of age and then increased rapidly until 14 years of age in both boys and girls. Conclusions:The skeletal muscle mass indices change with age and gender during childhood. Percentile reference values for pediatric skeletal muscle mass indices can be used to evaluate the muscular growth and development in children in the Nanjing area.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of neck circumference on cardiometabolic risk in children.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study of natural sources. As the prediction cohort, clinical data were collected from 3 443 children aged 5-14 years who underwent physical examination in the Department of Child Healthcare, Children′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from July 2021 to September 2022. As the validation cohort for external validation, clinical data were collected from 604 children aged 5-14 years who underwent physical examination in the Department of Child Healthcare, Children′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from October 2022 to March 2023. Height, weight, neck circumference, waist circumference and body composition were measured in both groups, and body mass index, neck circumference to height ratio (NHtR), waist circumference to height ratio, body fat percentage and skeletal muscle percentage were calculated. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, blood lipid and uric acid and other cardiovascular and metabolic risk indicators were collected in both groups. The prediction cohort was further stratified into clustered and non-clustered groups based on the clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors (CCRF). Various variables between these 2 groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Pearson correlation and binary Logistic regression were conducted to investigate the correlations between neck circumference and cardiovascular metabolic risk factors. The accuracy of NHtR in predicting the CCRF was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC). The cutoff value was determined using the Youden index. The validation cohort was then divided into groups above and below the cutoff value, and the detection rate of CCRF between the 2 groups was compared using the χ2 test for validation .Results:In the prediction cohort of 3 443 children (2 316 boys and 1 127 girls), 1 395 (40.5%) children were overweight or obese, and 1 157 (33.6%) children had CCRF. Pearson correlation analysis revealed all significant positive correlations (all P<0.01) between neck circumference and systolic blood pressure ( r=0.47, 0.39), diastolic blood pressure ( r=0.27, 0.21), uric acid ( r=0.36, 0.30), and triglycerides ( r=0.20, 0.20) after adjusting for age in both males and females. Among both males and females, neck circumference both showed significant negative correlation (both P<0.01) with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( r=-0.27, -0.28), and no correlation with fasting glucose levels ( r=0.03, -0.03, both P>0.05). After adjusting for gender, age, and body fat percentage, increased body mass index, neck circumference, or waist circumference increased the risks of hypertension ( OR=1.23, 1.39, 1.07, all P<0.001), hyperuricemia ( OR=1.16, 1.23, 1.05, all P<0.001), hypertriglyceridemia ( OR=1.08, 1.16, 1.02, all P<0.01), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( OR=1.10, 1.27, 1.03, all P<0.01), and the CCRF ( OR=1.51, 1.73, 1.15, all P<0.01). The areas under the ROC curves of NHtR in predicting CCRF was 0.73, with sensitivity and specificity at 0.66 and 0.71, respectively. The corresponding optimal cut-off value was 0.21. Validation with 604 children confirmed that the detection of CCRF in the NHtR≥0.21 group was 3.29 times (60.5% (112/185) vs. 18.7% (79/422), χ2=107.82, P<0.01) higher compared to the NHtR <0.21 group. Conclusions:Neck circumference is associated with cardiovascular metabolic risks such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hyperuricemia in children. When the NHtR is ≥0.21, there is an increased likelihood of CCRF.

Objective To investigate the optimal scanning parameters for cone beam computed tomography(CBCT)of the nasal bone,to achieve low-dose scanning of the nasal bone CBCT.Methods Utilizing Prangmerka CBCT 3D single-tooth sequence,nasal bone scans were performed on two human-equivalent phantoms using two dose protocols,five body types,and five resolutions,resul-ting in 50 scanning sequences.The dose area product(DAP)and volume CT dose index(CTDIvol)were recorded.Objective image quality assessment was conducted by calculating the contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR),signal-to-noise ratio(SNR),noise,and figure of merit(FOM)in region of interest(ROI)set on sagittal images.Subjective scoring was performed using a five-point Likert scale.Differences in radiation dose and image quality among various scanning parameters were compared and analyzed.Results(1)Signifi-cant differences in DAP were observed among different dose modes,body types,and resolutions(P＜0.05),with the lowest DAP values recorded for the XS body type.(2)Statistically significant differences in CNR,SNR,noise,and FOM were found among differ-ent dose modes and resolutions(P＜0.05).The XS body type exhibited the highest SNR and FOM values and the lowest noise.The 200 μm resolution demonstrated the higher CNR value and the highest SNR value,with moderate noise and FOM value.(3)Signifi-cant differences in image quality,contrast,sharpness,and noise were observed among different dose modes,body types,and resolu-tions(P＜0.05).Higher subjective scores were assigned to the 200 μm and 150 μm resolutions,indicating clear anatomical details.Conclusion The scanning parameters of 200 μm resolution combined with an ultra-low-dose protocol for the XS body type achieve a balance between low radiation dose and high image quality,making them suitable for low-dose nasal bone CBCT examinations.

Objective:To investigate the value of intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics models based on 18F-FDG PET-CT in predicting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status in lung adenocarcinoma and interpret peritumoral radiomics features. Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. Patients with lung adenocarcinoma who underwent 18F-FDG PET-CT at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between January 2018 and April 2022 were retrospectively collected and samplied into a training set (309 cases) and a test set (206 cases) in a 6∶4 ratio randomly. Radiomics features were extracted from the intratumoral and peritumoral regions of interest based on PET and CT images, respectively, and the optimal feature sets were selected. Radiomics models were established using the XGBoost algorithm, and radiomics scores (intratumoral CT label, peritumoral CT label, intratumoral PET label, peritumoral PET label) were calculated. Logistic regression analysis was used to construct a clinical model and a combined model (incorporating PET-CT intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics, clinical features, and CT semantic features). The predictive performance of the models was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves and the area under the curve (AUC). Unsupervised clustering, Spearman correlation analysis, and visualization methods were used for the interpretability of peritumoral radiomics features. Results:In both the training and test sets, the AUC value of CT peritumoral labels was greater than that of CT intratumoral labels for predicting EGFR mutation status in lung adenocarcinoma (training set: Z=3.84, P<0.001; test set: Z=1.99, P=0.046). In the test set, the AUC value of PET intratumoral labels (0.684) was slightly higher than that of PET peritumoral labels (0.672) for predicting EGFR mutation status, but the difference was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). The combined model had the highest AUC value for predicting EGFR mutation status of lung adenocarcinoma in both the training and test sets and was significantly better than the clinical model (training set: Z=6.52, P<0.001; test set: Z=2.31, P=0.021). Interpretability analysis revealed that CT peritumoral radiomics features were correlated with CT shape features, and there were significant differences in CT peritumoral features between different EGFR mutation statuses. Conclusions:The value of CT peritumoral labels is superior to that of CT intratumoral labels in predicting EGFR mutation status in lung adenocarcinoma. The predictive performance of the model can be improved by combining PET-CT intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics, clinical features, and CT semantic features.

Objective To identify the biomarkers for early rheumatoid arthritis(RA)diagnosis and explore the possible immune regulatory mechanisms.Methods The differentially expressed genesin RA were screened and functionally annotated using the limma,RRA,batch correction,and clusterProfiler.The protein-protein interaction network was retrieved from the STRING database,and Cytoscape 3.8.0 and GeneMANIA were used to select the key genes and predicting their interaction mechanisms.ROC curves was used to validate the accuracy of diagnostic models based on the key genes.The disease-specific immune cells were selected via machine learning,and their correlation with the key genes were analyzed using Corrplot package.Biological functions of the key genes were explored using GSEA method.The expression of STAT1 was investigated in the synovial tissue of rats with collagen-induced arthritis(CIA).Results We identified 9 core key genes in RA(CD3G,CD8A,SYK,LCK,IL2RG,STAT1,CCR5,ITGB2,and ITGAL),which regulate synovial inflammation primarily through cytokines-related pathways.ROC curve analysis showed a high predictive accuracy of the 9 core genes,among which STAT1 had the highest AUC(0.909).Correlation analysis revealed strong correlations of CD3G,ITGAL,LCK,CD8A,and STAT1 with disease-specific immune cells,and STAT1 showed the strongest correlation with M1-type macrophages(R=0.68,P=2.9e-08).The synovial tissues of the ankle joints of CIA rats showed high expressions of STAT1 and p-STAT1 with significant differential expression of STAT1 between the nucleus and the cytoplasm of the synovial fibroblasts.The protein expressions of p-STAT1 and STAT1 in the cell nuclei were significantly reduced after treatment.Conclusion CD3G,CD8A,SYK,LCK,IL2RG,STAT1,CCR5,ITGB2,and ITGAL may serve as biomarkers for early diagnosis of RA.Gene-immune cell pathways such as CD3G/CD8A/LCK-γδ T cells,ITGAL-Tfh cells,and STAT1-M1-type macrophages may be closely related with the development of RA.

Objective To assess the safety of femoral artery puncture procedures guided by X-ray and ultrasound among elderly patients.Methods A total of 480 patients undergoing transcatheter interventional treatment for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases through the femoral ar-tery in our hospital between January 2016 and December 2022 were enrolled in the study.Of them,326 patients receiving femoral artery puncture guided by X-ray fluoroscopy were assigned into X-ray group,while the other 154 patients guided by vascular Doppler ultrasound were into ultrasound group.With propensity score matching(PSM)in a ratio of 1∶1,finally 270 patients were included.Their general clinical data,success rate of puncture,puncture site,and incidence of vascular complications were compared between the two groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for vascular complications.Results Before PSM,there were no statistical differences in the mean distance from the skin fold to the bifurcation of the common femoral artery(2.5±1.0 cm vs 2.4±0.8 cm)or the distance from the fold to the in-guinal ligament(6.4±1.4 cm vs 6.3±1.7 cm)between the X-ray group and the ultrasound group(P＞0.05).After PSM,the X-ray group exhibited an obviously higher incidence of puncture points below the common femoral artery than the ultrasound group(14.8％vs 6.7％,P＜0.05),but no significant differences were observed in the one-time success rate of puncture or the occur-rence of vascular complications between the two groups(P＞0.05).Multivariate logistic regres-sion analysis indicated that the presences of non-common femoral artery and femoral artery calci-fication at the puncture site was independent risk factors for vascular complications(OR=8.379,95％CI:3.561-19.717;OR=3.922,95％CI:1.664-9.242).Conclusion There is no statistical disparity in safety between X-ray-versus ultrasound-guided femoral artery puncture procedures.Cli-nicians should choose appropriate puncture procedure or combine them together based on individual con-dition of patients.