Objective : To analyze the relationship between tongue volume, tongue position, dental and skeletal parameters in adult patients with different skeletal malocclusions, providing references for the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of skeletal malocclusions. Methods: This study has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee, and informed consent has been obtained from patients. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and cephalometric radiographs were collected from 60 adult patients, divided into three groups based on ANB angle values: skeletal Class I (0° < ANB < 4°), II (ANB > 4°), and III (ANB < 0°), with 20 cases in each group. Dental and skeletal parameters were measured using Dolphin software. Mimics software was used for 3D reconstruction of the tongue, oral cavity, and upper airway to measure tongue position, tongue volume, oral cavity volume, and upper airway volume, followed by statistical analysis. Results: The skeletal Class III group had significantly larger tongue and oral cavity volumes than the skeletal Class I and Class II groups (P = 0.02). Tongue length in the skeletal Class III group was also greater than in the skeletal Class I and Class II groups (P = 0.016). There was no significant difference in the ratio of tongue volume/oral cavity capacity among the three skeletal malocclusion groups (P > 0.05). Tongue volume was positively correlated with U1-SN and negatively correlated with overbite and overjet (P < 0.05). Additionally, tongue volume showed a significant positive correlation with Go-Gn and Pg-Np (P < 0.01), as well as with maxillary and mandibular dental arch width and basal bone arch width (P < 0.01). Upper airway volume was positively correlated with TT-VRL and TP-VRL (P < 0.05). Conclusion Patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion have larger tongue volumes and longer tongues. Patients with larger tongue volumes may also have larger, more forward-positioned mandibles. Patients with more posterior tongue positions may have smaller upper airway volumes. When developing orthodontic or orthognathic treatment plans, it is crucial to consider the relationship between tongue position, tongue volume, the jaws, and the airway to ensure optimal outcomes for both dental and orofacial function.

BACKGROUND:Physiotherapy is very important for the recovery after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.In recent years,many doctors are optimizing the physical rehabilitation program after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.However,there is still a lack of efficient rehabilitation training after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of vibration therapy combined with suspension training on movement and knee joint function after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. METHODS:A total of 80 patients undergoing first unilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction at the Affiliated Sport Hospital,Shanghai University of Sport were randomly divided into vibration therapy group(n=40)and vibration therapy+suspension training group(n=40).In the vibration therapy group,vibration therapy(10 minutes each,once a day,6 times per week)was performed at the 13th week after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Patients in the vibration therapy+suspension training group were treated with vibration therapy(10 minutes each,once a day,6 times per week)and suspension training(twice a week)at the 13th week after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Training in each group was performed for 8 weeks.Knee joint function was evaluated by knee joint Lysholm score before and 8 weeks after training.The symmetry index was evaluated by the isokinetic muscle strength evaluation training system.The balance test system was used to evaluate the average trace error difference of the bilateral multi-axes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with those before training,the knee Lysholm score and the knee extension and flexion symmetry indexes increased(P<0.05),and the average trace error difference decreased after training(P<0.05).Compared with the vibration therapy group,the knee Lysholm score in the vibration therapy+suspension training group increased(P<0.05),the knee extension and knee flexion symmetry index increased(P<0.05),and the average trace error difference decreased(P<0.05).To conclude,compared with vibration therapy training alone,vibration therapy combined with suspension training can significantly improve knee joint function,increase muscle strength and symmetry,and improve balance stability in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), one of the most severe types of male infertility, etiology often remains unclear in most cases. Therefore, this study aimed to detect four biallelic detrimental variants (0.5%) in the minichromosome maintenance domain containing 2 ( MCMDC2 ) genes in 768 NOA patients by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) demonstrated that MCMDC2 deleterious variants caused meiotic arrest in three patients (c.1360G>T, c.1956G>T, and c.685C>T) and hypospermatogenesis in one patient (c.94G>T), as further confirmed through immunofluorescence (IF) staining. The single-cell RNA sequencing data indicated that MCMDC2 was substantially expressed during spermatogenesis. The variants were confirmed as deleterious and responsible for patient infertility through bioinformatics and in vitro experimental analyses. The results revealed four MCMDC2 variants related to NOA, which contributes to the current perception of the function of MCMDC2 in male fertility and presents new perspectives on the genetic etiology of NOA.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/genetics* ; Meiosis/genetics* ; Spermatogenesis/genetics* ; Adult ; Exome Sequencing ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics* ; Alleles ; Infertility, Male/genetics*

Objective To analyze chemical constituents of compound Maxing Shigan decoction by ultra-high perfor-mance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS). Methods The separation was performed on a UPLC BEH C₁₈ column (2.1 mm×100 mm, 2.5 µm)，with a gradient elution applying 0.1% aqueous formic acid solution and 0.1% formic acid acetonitrile as a mobile phase. The column temperature was 40 °C. The flow rate was 0.4 ml/min and the analysis time was 15 min. Mass spectrometry (MS) data were collected in both positive and negative ESI ion modes. Results Through UPLC-QTOF/MS analysis and reference validation, a total of 59 chemical components in Maxing Shigan decoction were identified. Conclusion An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS) method was established to identify the chemical components of Maxing Shigan decoction. This method is simple, efficient, sensitive and accurate, and provides a basis for the elucidation of the pharmacodynamic material basis and mechanism of Maxing Shigan decoction. It can provide data reference for the optimization of the compatibility of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of COVID-19.

Objective This study utilized bioinformatics to investigate the role of secreted phosphoprotein 1(SPP1)in tumors and assess its differential expression and prognostic significance across human cancers.Method Cancer sample data was sourced from the Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Genotype-tissue Expression(GTEx)database.Analysis of gene expression differences in pan-cancer involving SPP1 utilized the CPTAC database,correlations between SPP1 and patient survival outcomes were assessed using GEPIA2,and alterations in gene mutations for SPP1 across 32 cancers were appraised via the CbioPortal tool.Results Across 32 tumor types,SPP1 mRNA disparity is observed in eight cancer types,decreasing only in clear cell renal carcinoma while increasing in other malignancies.Expression in tumor stage is specific;SPP1 mRNA negatively correlates with patient overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS);low methylation associated with SPP1 gene activity promotes oncogene activation,impacting tumor cell generation,apoptosis,and proliferation,thereby influencing cancer progression;SPP1 primarily exhibits missense mutations that correlate with poor prognoses in prostate and stomach cancer patients.Conclusion Through pan-cancer studies,SPP1's selective expression in human malignancies was validated and found to be strongly correlated with clinical prognosis.This suggests that SPP1 is a viable target for cancer prognostic precision.

Objective To utilize bioinformatic approaches to elucidate the correlation between secreted phosphoprotein 1(SPP1)and immune infiltration in various malignancies,elucidating the mechanism of gene function in cancer-immune cell interplay.Methods Cancer samples were derived from the Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Genotype-tissue Expression(GTEx)database,examining SPP1 expression difference between tumors and normal tissues using Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis(GEPIA2),and its correlation with different immune cells in extracellular matrix via TIMER2 Database.SPP1's association with interacting molecules was scrutinized on the STRING website,followed by assessment of its distinct functional state across various cancers from Cancer Single-cell State Atlas Database(Cancer SEA).Results In 32 tumor types,SPP1 mRNA is significantly elevated in 23 types of cancers and correlates heavily with fibroblast,integrin family,and CD44.Furthermore,the SPP1 gene exhibits profound specificity in tumor functions such as vascular invasion,metastasis,DNA damage,and repair.Conclusion Specific expression of SPP1 in tumors signifies a significant correlation with tumor immune cells in the extracellular matrix,promoting tumor progression and invasion.This suggests that targeted monitoring of SPP1 could serve as a prospective cancer diagnostics/therapeutics biomarker.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic performances of plasma placental extracellular vesicles (pcEV) and their clearance protein (Lactadherin) in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes in patients with severe preeclampsia (sPE).Methods:This is a retrospective case-control study. 60 patients aged 32 (29, 36) years diagnosed with sPE at 27-37 weeks of pregnancy, who underwent prenatal examinations and delivered between January 31 th, 2018 and January 31 th, 2019, were recruited. According to the occurrence of endpoint events (fetal distress and/or fetal growth restriction), sPE patients were further divided into an event group of 34 cases and a non event group of 26 cases. 33 healthy pregnant women of the same gestational age were selected as the control group, aged 31 (29, 36) years old. 25 non pregnant healthy women were selected as the healthy control group, aged 26 (25, 38) years old. Flow cytometry was used to detect placental alkaline phosphatase antibody positivity as pcEV, while membrane surface expression of phosphatidylserine, i.e. membrane associated protein V (AV) positivity as AV +pcEV. ELISA kits were used to detect the level of Lactadherin. Logistic regression was used to perform multiple correlation analysis. The performances of pcEV and Lactadherin in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes were evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Survival analyses were performed by the Kaplan Meier curve. The hazard ratios (HR) was calculated by the Cox proportional risk regression model. Results:The plasma AV +pcEV levels in sPE patients were 8 260 (4 991, 16 751)/μl, which were higher than 1 088 (784, 1 871)/μl of healthy pregnant women and 206 (116,256)/μl of healthy controls ( H=94.490, P<0.05). The plasma AV +pcEV levels in sPE patients with endpoint events were 11 225 (7 496, 20 599)/μl, which were higher than 5 199 (2 914, 8 347)/μl of patients without endpoint events ( U=178, P<0.05). The plasma levels of Lactadherin in sPE patients were 2 635 (1876, 3 137) pg/ml, which were higher than 1 597 (1 287, 1 818) pg/ml in healthy pregnant woman and 1 123 (749, 1 405) pg/ml in healthy controls ( H=54.307, P<0.05). ROC showed that the critical value of AV +pcEV predicting fetal distress and/or fetal growth restriction events within 77 days in sPE patients was 6 524/μl and area under the curve(AUC) was 0.799 (95% CI 0.680-0.917). The critical value of Lactadherin was 2 336.5 pg/ml and AUC was 0.702 (95% CI 0.564-0.841). Logistic regression analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between AV +pcEV levels in sPE patients and 24-hour urine protein quantification ( OR=9.288, 95% CI 1.993-43.293), as well as the need for combined antihypertensive therapy ( OR=18.690, 95% CI 1.919-182.077) ( P<0.05). Survival analysis showed that the cumulative probability of fetal distress and/or fetal growth restriction events within 77 days were significantly increased in sPE patients with AV +pcEV levels above the critical value (Log-rank χ 2=21.430, P<0.05). The Cox proportional regression model showed that the levels of AV +pcEV can independently identify fetal distress and/or fetal growth restriction events ( HR=7.983, P<0.05). Conclusions:The changes of pcEV in plasma of pregnant women in late pregnancy were related to the development of PE. High concentrations of pcEV suggested an increased risk of fetal distress and fetal growth restriction, and pcEV could serve as an effective marker for early warning of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility of using MRI-only simulation images for dose calculation of both photon and proton radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma cases.Methods:T 1-weighted MRI images and CT images of 100 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with radiotherapy in Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2020 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. MRI images were converted to generate pseudo-CT images by using deep learning network models. The training set, validation set and test set included 70 cases, 10 cases and 20 cases, respectively. Convolutional neural network (CNN) and cycle-consistent generative adversarial neural network (CycleGAN) were exploited. Quantitative assessment of image quality was conducted by using mean absolute error (MAE) and structural similarity (SSIM), etc. Dose assessment was performed by using 3D-gamma pass rate and dose-volume histogram (DVH). The quality of pseudo-CT images generated was statistically analyzed by Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results:The MAE of the CNN and CycleGAN was (91.99±19.98) HU and (108.30±20.54) HU, and the SSIM was 0.97±0.01 and 0.96±0.01, respectively. In terms of dosimetry, the accuracy of pseudo-CT for photon dose calculation was higher than that of the proton plan. For CNN, the gamma pass rate (3 mm/3%) of the photon radiotherapy plan was 99.90%±0.13%. For CycleGAN, the value was 99.87%±0.34%. The gamma pass rates of proton radiotherapy plans were 98.65%±0.64% (CNN, 3 mm/3%) and 97.69%±0.86% (CycleGAN, 3 mm/3%). For DVH, the dose calculation accuracy in the photon plan of pseudo-CT was better than that of the proton plan.Conclusions:The deep learning-based model generated accurate pseudo-CT images from MR images. Most dosimetric differences were within clinically acceptable criteria for photon and proton radiotherapy, demonstrating the feasibility of an MRI-only workflow for radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal cancer. However, compared with the raw CT images, the error of the CT value in the nasal cavity of the pseudo-CT images was relatively large and special attention should be paid during clinical application.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.