Approximately 10% of the global adult population has diabetes, with accumulating evidence linking suboptimal vitamin D levels to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and its complications. Current clinical studies suggest that vitamin D supplementation may enhance insulin sensitivity and improve glycemic control, prompting significant interest in its potential as a therapeutic intervention. However, further high-quality, large-scale randomized controlled trials are required to validate its efficacy in glucose metabolism regulation and clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms. These investigations will provide critical evidence to inform precision medicine approaches for diabetes prevention and management.

Background Lipid metabolism in liver shows circadian-dependent profiles. The hepatotoxicity of environmental chemicals is dependent on circadian time. Objective To observe the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) exposure at different zeitgeber time (ZT) on hepatic and blood lipid metabolism and decipher the underlying mechanisms related to circadian rhythm in mice. Methods Thirty-five female C57BL/6J mice were sacrificed every 4 h in a light-dark cycle (12 h/12 h). The liver tissues were collected to describe the circadian profiles of hepatic Rev-erba, Bmal1, Clock, Srebp1c, and Chrebp mRNA expression levels within 24 h. Thirty female mice were divided into 6 groups by the timing (ZT3 represents the 3 h after light on, ZT15 represents the 3 h after light off) and dose (50 or 500 μg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹) of BPA exposure to observe hepatotoxicity. Mice were gavaged with designed doses of BPA once per day for 4 weeks. Mice were maintained with ad libitum access to food and water and measured body weight weekly. After the experiment, mice were euthanatized and liver tissues were separated to determine the biochemical indicators of lipid metabolism and lipid metabolism- and circadian-related gene mRNA expressions. Results Hepatic Rev-erba, Bmal1, Clock, Srebp1c, and Chrebp mRNA expression levels were rhythmic during a 24 h period in mice. At ZT3 and ZT15, BPA did not alter body weight, plasma glucose, plasma total cholesterol, plasma low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and plasma triglycerides (P>0.05). The plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased in the 50 μg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹ BPA group at ZT3 by 14.56% compared with the control group (P<0.05). The liver triglycerides increased in the 50 μg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹ BPA group at ZT15 by 115.20% compared with the control group (P<0.05). BPA decreased Srebp1c mRNA expression level when dosing at ZT3 and increased Chrebp, Srebp1c, and Acc1 mRNA expression levels when dosing at ZT15 compared with the control group (P<0.05). BPA increased Bmal1 mRNA expression level and decreased Rev-erbα mRNA expression level at ZT3 exposure and decreased Bmal1 and increased Rev-erbα mRNA expression level at ZT15 exposure (P<0.05). Conclusion BPA exposure at light or dark period has different effects on hepatic lipid metabolism in mice. Hepatic lipid deposit appears when BPA is dosed at dark period. Rev-erbα-Bmal1 regulation circuits and the subsequent upregulation of Srebp1c and Chrebp and the target gene Acc1 may be involved.

Objective:To explore the application effect of case-based learning (CBL) in teaching magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for non-imaging clinical professional postgraduates.Methods:Eighty non-imaging clinical professional postgraduates who had standardized residency training from 2017 to 2019 were selected as the participants and were randomly divided into two groups, experimental group and control group. The experimental group adopted CBL, and the control group adopted traditional teaching mode. After the standardized training in the radiology department, the differences in image reading scores, theoretical scores and course evaluation were compared between the two groups. SPSS 25.0 statistical software was used for analysis. Independent t test was used for the measurement data of normal distribution, Mann-Whitney U test was used for the measurement data of skewed distribution, and categorical variables were compared by chi-square test. Results:In the reading scores of MRI, the scores of the experimental group and the control group were (82.53 ± 5.72) points and (77.38 ± 6.14) points respectively, and the number of students in the experimental group whose reading scores were between 80-100 segment was 63.6% higher than that in the control group, with significant differences between the two groups ( P < 0.001), but without significant differences in theoretical average scores between the two groups ( P > 0.05). In addition, in the course evaluation, except for the index of learning burden, there were significant differences in other indexes between the experimental group and the control group ( P < 0.05). Conclusion:In the teaching of MRI, the application of the CBL helps non-imaging clinical professional postgraduates improve their MRI diagnostic thinking and independent reading ability.

Objective:To discuss the application and effectiveness of the flipped classroom based on Wechat platform in the teaching of neurology.Methods:clinical students of grade 2014 of binjiang college of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University were selected as teaching subject. The students were divided into experimental group which contained a total of 74 students in class one and class three and the control group which contained a total of 38 students in class two. Peripheral neuropathy and neuromuscular-junction disease were selected as teaching contents. The experimental group adopted flipped classroom as the teaching mode and Wechat platform for pre-class preparation, after-school review and interactive communication. The control group was taught by traditional teaching mode. Before and after class, students in the two groups had a small-scale test and were surveyed by questionnaire, respectively. Students in the two groups took the same final exam which included case analysis when the course was over. The scores of the final exam and the results of the case analysis of each group were recorded and analyzed. All data were processed with statistical software SPSS 20.0, and t-test or chi-square test was used. Results:Students in the experimental group had significantly higher test scores in the after-class small-scale test than those in the control group ( P=0.038). Their final exam scores were higher than those in the control group ( P=0.046), and their scores of case analysis in the final exam were higher than those in the control group ( P=0.026). The results of pre-class questionnaire survey showed that the proportion of students who chose "good" in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group on the understanding of the learning content and the preparation ( P<0.05). In the after-class questionnaire survey, the proportion of students who chose "excellent" and "good" in the evaluation of learning interest in the experimental group was higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05), the proportion of students in the experimental chose "good" in evaluating their self-learning ability was higher than that in the control group ( P<0.05), the proportion of "excellent" on clinical thinking ability and teaching satisfaction was higher in the experimental group than that in the control group ( P<0.05), and the overall proportion of students who chose "excellent" and "good" in all items in the experimental group were higher than that in the control group ( P<0.05). In the experimental group, the overall proportion of students who selected "excellent" and "good" in on the evaluation of their learning interest was significantly increased in the after-class questionnaire survey compared with the pre-class questionnaire survey ( P<0.01). Conclusions:The application of flipped classroom based on Wechat platform is feasible and effective in the teaching of neurology. It can make up for the deficiency of traditional teaching methods. It is helpful to improve students' learning interest and self-learning ability, and is also helpful to exercise their clinical thinking ability. Thus this method deserves further popularization.

Objective    To summarize the experience of minimally invasive anterior mediastinal tumor resection in our center, and compare the Da Vinci robotic and video-assisted thoracoscopic approaches in the treatment of mediastinal tumor. Methods    A retrospective cohort study was conducted to continuously enroll 102 patients who underwent minimally invasive mediastinal tumor resection between September 2014 and November 2019 by the single medical group in our department. They were divided into two groups: a robotic group (n=47, 23 males and 24 females, average age of 52 years) and a thoracoscopic group (n=55, 29 males and 26 females, average age of 53 years). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative thoracic drainage volume, postoperative thoracic drainage time, postoperative hospital stay, hospitalization expense and other clinical data of two groups were compared and analyzed. Results    All the patients successfully completed the surgery and recovered from hospital, with no perioperative death. Myasthenia gravis occurred in 4 patients of the robotic group and 5 of the thoracoscopic group. The tumor size was 2.5 (0.8-8.7) cm in the robotic group and 3.0 (0.8-7.7) cm in the thoracoscopic group. Operation time was 62 (30-132) min in the robotic group and 60 (29-118) min in the thoracoscopic group. Intraoperative bleeding volume was 20 (2-50) mL in the robotic group and 20 (5-100) mL in the thoracoscopic group. The postoperative drainage volume was 240 (20-14 130) mL in the robotic group and 295 (20-1 070) mL in the thoracoscopic group. The postoperative drainage time was 2 (1-15) days in the robotic group and 2 (1-5) days in the thoracoscopic group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the above parameters and postoperative complications (P>0.05). The postoperative hospital stay were 3 (2-18) days in the robotic group and 4 (2-14) in the thoracoscopic group (P=0.014). The hospitalization cost was 67 489 (26 486-89 570) yuan in the robotic group and 27 917 (16 817-67 603) yuan in the thoracoscopic group (P=0.000). Conclusion    Compared with the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, Da Vinci robot-assisted surgery owns the same efficacy and safety in the treatment of mediastinal tumor, with shorter postoperative hospital stay, but higher cost.

The technical combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and thoracic surgery is increasingly close, especially in the field of image recognition and pathology diagnosis. Additionally, robotic surgery, as a representative of high-end technology in minimally invasive surgery is flourishing. What progress has been or will be made in robotic surgery in the era of AI? This article aims to summarize the application status of AI in thoracic surgery and progress in robotic surgery, and looks ahead the future.

Objective: To evaluate and compare the clinical value of early enteral nutrition (EEN) and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) af-ter esophageal cancer surgery. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 237 patients who underwent esophageal cancer surgery at Bei-jing Shijitan Hospital from March 2011 to March 2019. They were assigned into two groups based on the postoperative nutritional sup-port used: EEN (136 cases) and TPN (101 cases). Nutritional status, liver function, recovery of gastrointestinal function, days of hospital-ization, and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups after propensity score matching. Results: Using 1 :1 nearest neighbor matching, we successfully matched 91 pairs of patients. The prealbumin (PA) level was significantly higher in the EEN group than in the TPN group 7 days after surgery (P<0.05); however, there was no significant difference in albumin (ALB) level before surgery, 3 or 7 days after surgery. Additionally, the levels of ALT and AST in the EEN group were significantly lower than those in the TPN group 3 and 7 days after surgery (P<0.05). The incidence of acid reflux, vomiting, and diarrhea in the EEN group was higher than that in the TPN group, while the incidence of pulmonary edema and pulmonary infection was lower in the EEN group than in the TPN group (P<0.05). Conclusions: Compared with TPN, EEN is associated with a high incidence of acid reflux, vomiting, and diarrhea after esophageal cancer surgery, but it has a lower impact on liver function. EEN can promote the recovery of intestinal function, improve nutritional indicators, and shorten hospitalization time.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of multiparametric MRI in early prostate cancer(PCa) based on PI-RADS version 2.Methods 27 surgically-proved early PCa patients were collected in this retrospective study.T2WI,DWI and DCE were evaluated by two blinded radiologists.By 12 sub-region classification method the possibility of the presence of cancer at each sub-region was scored according to the PI-RADS V2.The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the diagnosic efficacy of the following 4 protocols:T2WI alone(protocol 1),T2WI+DWI(protocol 2),T2WI+DCE(protocol 3),T2WI+DWI+DCE(protocol 4).The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy for each protocol were calculated.The average scores of cancerous sub-regions and non-cancerous sub-regions were calculated and the independent sample t test was used to compare the four protocols.Results 324 sub-regions were analyzed in 27 early PCa patients and then divided into 119 cancerous sub-regions and 205 non-cancerous sub-regions,including 64 peripheral zone cancerous sub-regions and transition zone cancerous sub-regions.In protocol 1-4, the average scores of cancerous sub-regions in orderwere 3.13±1.19,3.27±1.15,3.28±1.23, 3.33±1.16,respectively.Non-cancerous sub-regions's scores in order were 1.98±0.90,1.91±0.91, 2.03±0.99,1.94±0.96 respectively and there were significant differences among each protocol (P<0.05).The area under the ROC curve of the 4 protocols for region-based analysis were displayed in descending order: protocol 4 (0.819), protocol 2 (0.810), protocol 3 (0.772), protocol 1 (0.765) and there were no significant differences between any two protocols (P>0.05).In four protocols, the sensitivity in order were 45.40%, 56.30%, 59.70%, 61.34%, while the specificity in order were 95.10%, 96.10%, 89.80%, 96.60%, and the accuracy in order were 76.85%, 81.48%, 78.70%, 83.65%.Conclusion Multiparametric MRI can improve the diagnostic accuracy for the detection of early PCa, and T2WI+DWI+DCE is with the highest value.The PI-RADS V2 system is a better semi quantitative method for evaluation of early PCa.

BACKGROUND: Mechanisms related to bone fracture and nonunion have been clarified, but the healing time and treatment strategy of delayed union remain controversial. OBJECTIVE: To establish a reliable model of femoral delayed union using external fixation in the New Zealand white rabbit. METHODS: Seventy-two New Zealand white rabbits were randomized to three groups. After removal of 10-mm femoral middle bone cortex with internal and external periosteum and bone marrow, a uniplanar external fixator was used. There was a 1 mm gap between broken ends (group A), and the broken ends were sealed by bone wax (group B). For controls, only bone cortex was cut and then fixed to contact the broken ends. The gross, radiological and histological observations were performed to observe the bone healing at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after modeling. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The control group achieved bone healing at the 4th week, which was considered as the normal time of bone healing. The groups A and B achieved healing at the 12th week, which was remarkably longer than that in the control group. The rabbit femoral delayed union model showed the typical X-ray imaging and pathological features of delayed union. Our results suggest that the model is reasonable and reliable, which can provide reference for clinical research.

Objective To evaluate the value of T2WI scores for diagnosis and differential diagnosis of transition zone prostate cancer(PCa).Methods T2WI of 43 cases of transition zone PCa and 91 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH) were analyzed retrospectively.Transition zone T2WI signs were divided into the main signs and the secondary signs, which were given different scores and were evaluated separately by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for their diagnostic value.Results In a total of 11 scores sections (-1-10), as the increase of scores, the sensitivity of transition zone PCa was decreased while the specificity and positive predictive value were both increased.According to the ROC curve, when the critical value of scores≥4.5, the sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and the accuracy were 81%,73.3%,90.9%,70.4% respectively.When the scores ≥8.5,the specificity and positive predictive value were both 100%.When the scores ≥0.5 and ≥1.5,the negative predictive value were 100%.Conclusion T2WI scores can quantitatively analyze the transition zone PCa,which has an important value to improve the clinical diagnosis and guide treatment.