Objective To explore the value of high-frequency ultrasound in the detection of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma and displaying lesion characteristics. Methods A total of 38 paitients with hepatocellular carcinoma satellite lesions within 40 mm of subcutaneous tissue were underwent low-frequency (1-5 MHz) and high-frequency (6-9 MHz) ultrasound. Detection rates and ultrasonic features were compared. Results High-frequency grayscale ultrasound had a higher detection rate (71.1% vs. 36.8%, P＜0.001). Subgroup analysis showed higher detection rates with chemotherapy history (88.9% vs. 33.3%, P＝0.002), fatty liver (71.9% vs 31.3%, P＜0.001) or superficial lesion (within 20 mm, 76.5% vs 41.2%, P＝0.031). High-frequency ultrasound also showed clearer margins (P＝0.004) and more arterial-phase rim enhancement (P＝0.007). Conclusions 6-9 MHz ultrasound detects metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma, especially superficial lesions, more effectively than 1-5 MHz ultrasound and better visualizes characteristics.

Objective:To evaluate the academic quality and influence of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology in recent years, the main citation indicators of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology from 2019 to 2022 were analyzed. Methods:The total citation frequency, impact factor and others, etc. of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology were extracted from " Chinese S & T Journal Citation Report ( Natural Edition)" and " Chinese S & T Journal Citation Report( Extended Edition)", clout index (CI) was extracted from the Annual Report for Chinese Academic Journal Impact Factors( Natural Science), and World Journal Clout Index (WJCI) and quartile information were extracted from World Journal Clout Index( WJCI) of Scientific and Technological Periodicals for the analyses on the academic quality and influence of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology in recent years. Results:The annual source literature volume of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology were 299, 290, 346 and 335 from 2019 to 2022, respectively. The literature selection rates were 94%, 95%, 88% and 94%, respectively. The total core citation frequency increased from 5 055 in 2019 to 6 390 in 2022, and the total expanded citation frequency increased from 7 817 in 2019 to 9 550 in 2022. The core impact factors increased from 1.842 in 2019 to 3.371 in 2022, showing an upward trend and reaching a new historical high level. The extended impact factor increased from 2.799 in 2019 to 4.806 in 2022. The CI of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology increased from 1 048.704 in 2019 to 1 352.725 in 2022. The WJCI values of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology were 2.193, 4.327, 3.015, and 2.446 from 2019 to 2022, respectively, which were in Q1 quartile from 2020 to 2022. Conclusions:The main citation indicators of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology showed upward trends from 2019 to 2022, with the impact factor reaching a new historical high level. Since the inclusion in the Excellent Action Plan of Chinese Science and Technology Journals in 2019, the academic quality of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology has been improved continuously, resulting in significant increase of its domestic and international influence.

Objective:To analyze the characteristics of highly-cited papers in Chinese Journal of Epidemiology from 2020 to 2023, and provide a basis for subsequent paper solicitation and identify research hotspots. Methods:On December 9, 2023, the citation frequency of each paper in Chinese Journal of Epidemiology from 2020 to 2023 was obtained from China National Knowledge Infrastructure. The total citation frequency of each paper was sorted using Excel 2016 software, and papers with citation frequency ≥30 were extracted for analysis. The keywords of the papers and Contents in Brief were analyzed. Results:A total of 1 317 papers were included in the analysis, of which 389, 342, 308 and 278 papers were included from 2020 to 2023. The total citation frequency was 11 873, and all papers were cited with an average citation frequency of 9. The keywords with high citation frequency in the papers included 2019-nCoV, hypertension, colorectal tumor, hand-foot-mouth disease, hepatitis B. and the average frequency of citation were 162, 77, 62, 51 and 47, respectively. There were 15 highly cited Contents in Brief in total, 11 of which are vital Contents in Brief or unique Contents in Brief, including Response to COVID-19 Epidemic, China Kadoorie Biobank, Epidemiological Research on Infectious Diseases, Healthy Ageing, Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Control, Prevention and Control of Hepatitis B, Quality Assessment of Cancer Screening Guidelines and Consensus, The 40 th Anniversary of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology, Expert Forum, Review, Standard-Protocol-Guide. The total citation frequency was 3 951, accounting for 72.6% (3 951/5 438) of highly cited papers. Conclusions:In the past four years, the highly cited papers of this journal mainly focused on the research field of emerging infectious diseases and chronic diseases. The response to the 2019-nCoV epidemic highlights the academic leading role. The effect of selecting and planning a topic, commissioning authors to write on given topics and making an arrangement in advance with a subject for contribution to vital Contents in Brief or unique Contents in Brief of this journal is pronounced, and the academic influence of the journal continues to improve.

Humans ; Atrial Fibrillation/surgery* ; Left Atrial Appendage Closure ; Heart Atria/surgery* ; Catheter Ablation/methods* ; Atrial Appendage/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:This work aims to explore the application value of cervical exfoliated cell DNA (Cysteine dioxygenase type 1, CDO1 and CUGBP Elav-like family member 4, CELF4) methylation in the detection of endometrial cancer in women of childbearing age. Methods:From November 2021 to October 2022, a prospective study was conducted on a total number of 517 reproductive-age women with abnormal uterine bleeding who had surgical indications for hysteroscopy at the Xiangya Third Hospital of Central South University. The cervical exfoliated cells were collected for cytology, HPV (human papillomavirus) and gene methylation detection before operation. Clinical information of patients, level of tumor-related biomarkers, and endometrial thickness of transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) were also collected. Single factor regression method was used to analyze the high-risk factors of endometrial cancer. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to obtain the area under the curve(AUC), focusing on the screening efficacy of gene methylation test for endometrial cancer in women of childbearing age.Results:The age, body mass index (BMI)≥25 kg/m 2, endometrial thickness≥11 mm, CDO1 m ΔCt≤8.4, CELF4 m ΔCt≤8.8, and double gene methylation were associated with endometrial cancer in women of childbearing age, 1.16(1.08-1.25), 4.33(1.89-10.31), 9.49(3.88-26.69), 69.62(25.70-224.36), 23.64(9.66-63.99), 87.39(24.83-555.05), all P<0.05. The AUC was 0.90 (95% CI 0.83-0.97) of CDO1 m/ CELF4 m in diagnosing endometrial carcinoma was higher than others factors, with sensitivity and specificity of 91.7% (95% CI 80.6%-100%) and 88.8% (95% CI 86.0%-91.6%). TVS combined with DNA methylation detection further improved the sensitivity to 95.8% (95% CI 87.8%-100%), but could not improve the specificity 68.0% (95% CI 63.8%-72.1%). Conclusions:For women of childbearing age with abnormal uterine bleeding or abnormal vaginal discharge, the accuracy of cervical cytology DNA methyl detection of endometrial cancer is better than other non-invasive clinical programs. DNA methylation combined with TVS can improve the sensitivity of detection.

Objective: Taxifolin is a natural flavonoid compound that can be isolated from onions, grapes, oranges and grapefruit. It also acts as a medicine food homology with extraordinary antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. This study aims to explain the protective effects and potential mechanisms of taxifolin against inflammatory reaction. Methods: Levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were assessed in different time after the treatment of taxifolin in RAW264.7 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Subsequently, the mRNA and protein levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and the phosphorylation expression levels of the MAPK signal pathway were also evaluated. A silico analysis was used to explain the binding situation for the investigation of taxifolin and MAPK signal pathway. And then MAPK inhibitors were used to reveal the expression level of iNOS, VEGF, COX-2 and TNF-α in RAW264.7 cells. Results: It was demonstrated that cell inflammatory damage induced by LPS was significantly alleviated after the treatment of taxifolin. Then, the mRNA and protein levels of iNOS, VEGF, COX-2 and TNF-α were reduced and the phosphorylation expression levels of the MAPK signal pathway were down-regulated remarkably as well. In silico analysis, taxifolin could form a relatively stable combination with MAPK signal pathway. MAPK inhibitors showed increasing or decreasing effect in the mRNA levels of iNOS, VEGF, COX-2 and TNF-α, which suggesting that taxifolin down-regulated iNOS, VEGF, COX-2 and TNF-α expressions were not entirely through the MAPK pathway. Conclusion: This finding demonstrated that taxifolin improved the inflammatory responses that partly involved in the phosphorylation expression level of MAPK signal pathway in RAW264.7 cells exposed to acute stress.

Immune checkpoints are the crucial regulators of immune system and play essential roles in maintaining self-tolerance, preventing autoimmune responses, and minimizing tissue damage by regulating the duration and intensity of the immune response. Furthermore, immune checkpoints are usually overexpressed in cancer cells or noninvasive cells in tumor tissues and are capable of suppressing the antitumor response. Based on substantial physiological analyses as well as preclinical and clinical studies, checkpoint molecules have been evaluated as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of multiple types of cancers. In the last few years, extensive evidence has supported the immunoregulatory effects of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). The main advantage of TCMs and natural medicine is that they usually contain multiple active components, which can act on multiple targets at the same time, resulting in additive or synergistic effects. The strong immune regulation function of traditional Chinese medicine on immune checkpoints has also been of great interest. For example,

Objective:In recent years, the editorial board and editorial department of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology have taken a series of measures to further improve the academic quality and influence of the journal. This study analyzed the citation index of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology from 2006 to 2019, and evaluated the academic quality and influence of the journal. Methods:The total citation frequency, impact factor, annual index and other citation rate etc. of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology were extracted from Chinese S&T Journal Citation Report, 2006-2019 (Expanded Edition) and Chinese S&T Journal Citation Report, 2006-2019 (Natural Science) for the analysis on academic quality and influence of the journal. Results:From 2006 to 2019, there were 241-406 articles published in Chinese Journal of Epidemiology per year. The literature selection rate over the years ranged from 66% to 100%. The total expanded citation frequency of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology increased from 3 365 in 2006 to 7 817 in 2019, and the total core citation frequency increased from 1 875 in 2006 to 5 055 in 2019 with slight fluctuation. The expanded impact factor increased from 1.566 in 2006 to 2.799 in 2019. The core impact factor increased from 0.904 in 2006 to 1.842 in 2019. The expanded annual index rose from 0.224 in 2006 to 0.741 in 2019. The core annual index rose from 0.170 in 2006 to 0.602 in 2019. Conclusion:The academic quality and influence of Chinese Journal of Epidemiology has been improved gradually and its ability to focus on hot spots and report new academic achievement has been further strengthened in recent years.

Diabetes has become a chronic disease endangering people’s health all over the world. This translated into a huge economic burdento society. Diabetic foot ulcer is difficult to heal due to ischemia, infection, neuropathy and other reasons, which leads to increased risk of amputation and infectious death. Amputation is the main method in traditional treatment, which is adverse to improve the quality of patients’ lives. Thus, more and more scientists pay attention to the treatment of diabetic foot with mesenchymal cells. In this article, we will give a general introduction to the multi-functional mesenchymal stromal cells and explain the mechanism of their use in diabetic foot ulcer, as well as introduce several cases of clinical and preclinical studies on the application of mesenchymal cells in the treatment of diabetes ulcers in foreign countries.

Diabetes has become a chronic disease endangering people’s health all over the world. This translated into a huge economic burdento society. Diabetic foot ulcer is difficult to heal due to ischemia, infection, neuropathy and other reasons, which leads to increased risk of amputation and infectious death. Amputation is the main method in traditional treatment, which is adverse to improve the quality of patients’ lives. Thus, more and more scientists pay attention to the treatment of diabetic foot with mesenchymal cells. In this article, we will give a general introduction to the multi-functional mesenchymal stromal cells and explain the mechanism of their use in diabetic foot ulcer, as well as introduce several cases of clinical and preclinical studies on the application of mesenchymal cells in the treatment of diabetes ulcers in foreign countries.