Liver regeneration following injury aids the restoration of liver mass and the recovery of liver function. In the present study we investigated the contribution of megakaryocytic leukemia 1 (MKL1), a transcriptional modulator, to liver regeneration. We report that both MKL1 expression and its nuclear translocation correlated with hepatocyte proliferation in cell and animal models of liver regeneration and in liver failure patients. Mice with MKL1 deletion exhibited defective regenerative response in the liver. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that MKL1 interacted with E2F1 to program pro-regenerative transcription. MAPKAPK2 mediated phosphorylation primed MKL1 for its interaction with E2F1. Of interest, phospholipase d2 promoted MKL1 nuclear accumulation and liver regeneration by catalyzing production of phosphatidic acid (PA). PA administration stimulated hepatocyte proliferation and enhanced survival in a MKL1-dependent manner in a pre-clinical model of liver failure. Finally, PA levels was detected to be positively correlated with expression of pro-regenerative genes and inversely correlated with liver injury in liver failure patients. In conclusion, our data reveal a novel mechanism whereby MKL1 contributes to liver regeneration. Screening for small-molecule compounds boosting MKL1 activity may be considered as a reasonable approach to treat acute liver failure.

Esophageal cancer （EC） is a common malignant tumor of the digestive system with an extremely poor prognosis. MicroRNA （miRNA） is an important regulator in tumor occurrence and development， and can participate in malignant biological behaviors such as tumor cell proliferation， invasion， metastasis and apoptosis. Traditional Chinese medicine has the characteristics of accurate curative effects， wide range of effects， and few side effects. The review uses miRNA as the entry point to systematically elaborate on the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine-mediated miRNA intervening in EC. The results showed that active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine （including curcumin， Tussilago farfara polysaccharides， Atractylodes macrocephala polysaccharides and ophiopogonin B） and Dougen guanshitong oral liquid could up-regulate the expressions of miRNAs such as miRNA-532-3p （miR-532-3p）， miR-551b-3p， miR-99a， miR-34a， miR-199a-3p and miR-377； and the active ingredients/parts of traditional Chinese medicine （including chrysin and Actinidia arguta extract）， and Chinese herbal formulas （including Chaihu shugan san combined with Xuanfu daizhe decoction and Modified jupi zhuru decoction） could down-regulate the expressions of miRNAs such as miR-199a-3p， miR-451 and miR-21， which could regulate the expressions of signaling pathways （phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B， etc.） or their downstream protein（zinc-finger and homeobox protein 1， etc.） or enzymes（thymidine kinase-1， etc.）， inhibit the proliferation， invasion and metastasis of EC cells and induce apoptosis， thereby ultimately achieving the purpose of preventing the disease from aggravating.

Reflux esophagitis is an inflammatory disease of esophageal mucosa damage caused by the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. Its incidence is on the rise， and it has become an important precancerous disease of esophageal cancer. Studies have shown that the continuous inflammatory response stimulates the esophageal mucosa， causing abnormal proliferation of esophageal epithelial cells and damage to esophageal mucosal tissue， which eventually leads to the occurrence of heterogeneous hyperplasia and even carcinogenesis. The nuclear transcription factor-kappa B （NF-κB） signaling pathway is one of the most classical inflammatory and cancer signaling pathways. It has been found that abnormal activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway is crucial to the development and prognosis of reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer. It is widely involved in the proliferation， autophagy， apoptosis， and inflammatory response of esophageal epithelial cells and tumor cells， accelerating the transformation of reflux esophagitis to esophageal cancer and making it a potential target for the treatment of reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer. Currently， there is no specific treatment for reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer， and large side effects often appear. Therefore， finding a promising and safe drug remains a top priority. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine scholars have conducted a lot of research on NF-κB signaling pathway， and the results indicate that NF-κB signaling pathway is an important potential target for traditional Chinese medicine to prevent and treat reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer， but there is a lack of comprehensive and systematic elaboration. Therefore， this paper summarized the relevant studies in recent years， analyzed the relationship among NF-κB signaling pathway， reflux esophagitis， esophageal cancer， and transformation from inflammation to cancer， and reviewed the research literature on the regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway in traditional Chinese medicine to prevent and treat reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer， so as to provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer.

Objective To establish a finite element model of the hallux valgus foot and study the stress and displacement changes in the first and second rays of the hallux valgus under different tensile forces.Methods Foot CT images of a patient with hallux valgus were imported into Mimics to reconstruct a three-dimensional(3D)skeletal model of the foot.The 3-matic software was used to mesh the reconstructed model and generate the volume mesh.The optimized model was imported into ANSYS for finite element analysis.The relationship between the tensile forces and the stress/displacement of the first and second rays of the hallux valgus was verified by changing the size and direction of the tensile forces.Results Tensile forces of different magnitudes and directions were applied to the first proximal phalanx.When the force was less than 12 N,with an increase in tension,the displacement of the first phalange changed more significantly.For every 2 N increase in tension,the displacement increased by approximately 1 mm.When the force was greater than 12 N,with an increase in tension,the stress on the first phalange increased,whereas the displacement only changed slightly.In addition,when the magnitude of the force remained unchanged at 12 N and the direction of the force changed at intervals of 15°,the stress and stress distributions of the first and second rays changed with direction,and the displacement also changed accordingly.When the direction of the force was perpendicular to that of the second phalanx,the displacement of the first phalanx increased.Conclusions Finite element analysis technology can vividly and accurately analyze the stress and displacement changes of the first and second rays of hallux valgus under different tensile forces,and it lays a foundation for the design of hallux valgus orthoses.

Objective To investigate the effect and potential molecular mechanism of PTGS2 on the prognosis of colon cancer patients.Methods The transcriptomic and proteomic data of pan-cancer were collected from TCGA,HPA,UALCAN and other databases,and the expression pattern and prognostic value of PTGS2 were analyzed by combining the clinical data such as staging,histology,survival time and so on.Based on GSEA,the biological functions which were significantly activated in patients with high expression of PTGS2 were iden-tified and the colon cancer cell line SW480 was used as an example for in vitro validation.PTGS2 over-expressing cell strains were constructed,and the effect on cell proliferation was determined by CCK8 method.Different concen-trations of H2O2 were used to form gradient oxidative stress,and the changes in cell antioxidant capacity were detected.The regulatory mechanism was preliminarily verified by Western blot.Results The transcription and expression of PTGS2 were found to be significantly up-regulated in colon cancer patients(P<0.05),and the increased expression of PTGS2 was associated with an increased mortality risk(P<0.05).Data analysis and in vitro experiments showed that over-expression of PTGS2 may promote the proliferation of colon cancer cells by activating the mTOR pathway.The antioxidant effect of cells was regulated by up-regulating oxidative stress regulatory proteins SOD2 and NRF2.Conclusions PTGS2 is a potential risk factor for colon cancer and its over-expression promotes cell proliferation,enhances cell antioxidant effect and is associated with poor progno-sis of colon cancer patients.

Background: Gout is the most prevalent form of inflammatory arthritis in the world. Total hip arthroplasty (THA) has emerged as a widely sought-after and highly effective surgical procedure for advanced hip diseases. However, there is a lack of research on the impact of gout on primary THA outcomes in large cohorts. This study aimed to address this gap by primarily investigating complications following THA in patients with or without gout. Methods: Patients with records of gout in the 2 years leading up to their primary THA and who also have at least 2 years of follow-up were identified using a national insurance database and compared to a 5:1 matched control. A total of 32,466 patients with gout and 161,514 patients without gout undergoing THA were identified. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were done for medical complications up to 90 days and surgical complications up to 2 years. In addition, 90-day emergency department (ED) visits and inpatient readmission were also documented. Results: Patients with gout demonstrated higher rates of medical complications including deep vein thrombosis, transfusion, acute kidney injury, and urinary tract infection than non-gout patients (p < 0.001). Gout patients also showed higher rates of pulmonary embolism (p = 0.017). Increased incidences of surgical complications were identified in gout patients, specifically wound complications and periprosthetic joint infection (p < 0.001). There was an increased risk of revision for gout patients up to 90 days (p = 0.003), 1 year (p = 0.027), and 2 years (p = 0.039). There was also an increased risk of dislocation for gout patients up to 90 days (p = 0.022) and 1 year (p = 0.047), but not at 2 years. No significant difference was observed in aseptic loosening or periprosthetic fracture. Additionally, gout patients also demonstrated a higher likelihood of 90-day ED visits and readmission (p < 0.001). Conclusions Primary THA in gout patients is associated with increased risks of multiple medical and surgical complications. Our findings provide insights into the planning and expectation of THA for patients with gout. These insights have the potential to benefit the decision-making process for gout patients considering THA.

Colorectal cancer （CRC）， a malignant tumor of the digestive system， originates from the colorectal mucosa epithelium and is usually asymptomatic until it progresses to an advanced stage. With high incidence around the globe and the increasingly younger patients， this disease poses a serious threat to the health and lives of the patients. Although the pathogenesis of this disease is not fully understood， it is generally believed that it is associated with autophagy， apoptosis， and inflammation. Autophagy and apoptosis as two types of programmed cell death are subject to complex interactive regulation， and the imbalance between them is closely related to the occurrence， development， and prognosis of a variety of diseases. Studies have shown that autophagy-apoptosis balance plays a key role in CRC. On the one hand， autophagy and apoptosis coordinate with each other to inhibit CRC cell growth. On the other hand， autophagy can antagonize apoptosis to promote CRC cell growth. In clinical practice， surgery is often combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy to treat CRC， which can control the progression of CRC to a certain extent but has serious adverse effects and poor long-term results. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has been proved to be effective in the treatment of CRC. Studies have shown that numerous herbal active components can promote CRC cell death by regulating the autophagy-apoptosis balance， thereby blocking the progression of this disease. The process of autophagy-apoptosis balance in regulating cell activities has similar theoretical connotations with the Yin and Yang theory of TCM. Applying TCM in regulating autophagy-apoptosis balance at various stages of CRC has become a frontier， while the comprehensive elaboration remains to be conducted. By reviewing the relevant studies in recent years， this paper introduces the correlation between the Yin and Yang theory and the autophagy-apoptosis balance， the role of autophagy-apoptosis balance in CRC， and the research progress in the application of 27 Chinese herbal active components such as flavonoids， terpenoids， glycosides， and phenols capable of regulating autophagy-apoptosis balance in the treatment of CRC. The active components in Chinese medicines can recover the autophagy-apoptosis balance in CRC by acting on microtuble-associated protein 1 light chain 3（LC3）， Beclin-1， and B-cell lymphoma-2（Bcl-2）to regulate multiple signaling pathways such as protein kinase B（Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin（mTOR）and reavtive oxygen species（ROS）/ c-Jun N-terminal kinase（JNK）， thus balancing Yin and Yang. This review aims to provide a reference for the treatment of CRC and the development of new drugs.

Objective:To explore the consistency between modified 12+ X prostate biopsy under transrectal interventional ultrasound and postoperative Gleason score in prostate cancer patients.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 312 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent radical resection at Zhongshan People′s Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022. All patients underwent modified 12+ X prostate biopsy and prostate system biopsy under transrectal interventional ultrasound before surgery. Using the Gleason score of postoperative pathological specimens as the " gold standard", the detection rates of prostate cancer and clinically significant prostate cancer using modified 12+ X prostate biopsy and prostate system biopsy under transrectal interventional ultrasound were compared, and the consistency between the two methods alone or in combination and postoperative Gleason score was compared.Results:Among 312 patients, the positive detection rate of the improved 12+ X puncture biopsy combined with the system puncture biopsy was significantly higher than that of the individual detection (95.51% vs 80.77% vs 76.92%), with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). The improved 12+ X puncture biopsy combined with system puncture biopsy showed a clinically significant higher detection rate of prostate cancer in positive patients compared to the two tests alone (94.63% vs 77.78% vs 80.00%), with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the detection rate of clinically significant prostate cancer among patients who missed diagnosis, either alone or in combination with biopsy ( P>0.05). The upgrade rate of Gleason score after prostate improvement 12+ X puncture biopsy (25.00%) was significantly lower than that of prostate system puncture (44.17%), which was significantly higher than combined puncture biopsy (11.74%), with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). After 312 patients received combined puncture biopsy, urinary retention was found in 14 cases (4.49%), hematuria in 30 cases (9.62%), fever in 28 cases (8.97%), and blood in stool in 18 cases (5.77%). After symptomatic treatment, they basically improved within 3 days after puncture. Conclusions:The combination of modified 12+ X prostate biopsy with systematic biopsy under transrectal interventional ultrasound can improve the detection rate of prostate cancer, and has good consistency with the postoperative Gleason score of prostate cancer patients, which has good clinical application value.

Colorectal cancer （CRC） is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide， with increasing incidence and mortality rates. The disease often develops covertly and lacks specific symptoms in its early stages， leading to late-stage diagnoses in most patients. It has become a prominent research topic in the field of digestive system tumors. The exact mechanisms underlying CRC are not yet clear and involve factors such as genetics， gene mutations， inflammatory responses， and aberrant activation of tumor-related signaling pathways. Nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） is a crucial transcription factor that participates in various biological processes， including inflammatory responses， immune responses， cell proliferation， and apoptosis. Research suggests that NF-κB， serving as a molecular link between inflammation and cancer， is highly expressed in CRC. It promotes the occurrence and development of CRC by regulating the activity of target genes such as cell pro-inflammatory factors， chemokines， angiogenic factors， metastasis factors， and anti-apoptotic proteins. Currently， common treatments for CRC include surgery， radiation therapy， and chemotherapy drugs like 5-fluorouracil. However， these treatments have limitations such as significant adverse reactions， high metastasis rates， and the development of drug resistance. Therefore， the search for effective， low-adverse-reaction drugs to replace or supplement current treatments is essential. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has shown some effectiveness in preventing and treating CRC. TCM has been found to inhibit the growth of CRC cells by modulating the NF-κB signaling pathway， playing a positive role in the occurrence and progression of CRC. Based on the asthenia in origin and sthenia in superficiality and deficiency-excess in complexity in CRC， this article summarized and analyzed the mechanisms and effects of TCM interventions targeting the NF-κB signaling pathway in CRC， and reviewed advances of 10 Chinese medicinal compound formulas and 37 Chinese medicinal monomer components of different types， including flavonoids， phenols， alkaloids， glycosides， and terpenoids with the effects of dispelling pathogenic factors， reinforcing healthy qi， and removing toxins in the prevention and treatment of CRC by targeting the NF-κB pathway. It is found that Chinese medicine can inhibit CRC cell proliferation， invasion， metastasis， angiogenesis， and inflammation by modulating the NF-κB signaling pathway， induce cell apoptosis， restore drug and radiation sensitivity， and counteract CRC. This article is expected to provide insights and references for the in-depth exploration and treatment of CRC mechanisms.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most destructive malignant tumors； the pathogenesis of this disease is complex and is closely related to genetic susceptibility， chronic pancreatitis， and gene mutations in signaling pathways. The phosphoinositide 3- kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway is a classical cancer signaling pathway that is aberrantly activated in pancreatic cancer cells. In recent years， it has been found that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） monomers show special activity in the treatment of pancreatic cancer and can be potential drug for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Based on PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， this paper summarizes the mechanism of TCM monomer intervening in pancreatic cancer and finds that TCM monomer of alkaloids （sinomenine， dictamnine， dauricine， etc.）， terpenoids （saikosaponin A， linderalactone， isoalantolactone， etc.）， phenols （6-gingerol， curcumin， pterostilbene， etc.）， flavonoids （fisetin， kaempferol， quercetin， etc.） and quinones （β-hydroxyisovaleryl shikonin， rhein， lucidone， etc.） can inhibit the proliferation， invasion and migration of pancreatic cancer cells， regulate autophagy and apoptosis， and then inhibit the pathological process of pancreatic cancer by inhibiting PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.