ObjectiveA multiplex amplification system was constructed based on the capillary electrophoresis platform for simultaneous detection of saliva, semen, and vaginal secretions using tissue-specific RNA markers. The aim of this study is to identify the tissue origin of suspicious body fluid stains found at crime scenes and determine whether the body fluid stains at the crime scene are one or several types among saliva, semen, and vaginal secretions. MethodsThirty saliva samples, forty semen samples, and forty vaginal secretion samples (half from 2015 and half from 2024) were collected from healthy adult volunteers. Through primer designing, system formulation, and PCR condition optimization, a multiplex fluorescent amplification system was constructed. The specificity, sensitivity, and detection ability for mixed samples of this system were investigated, and it was tested using real crime scene materials. In the primer design stage, to reduce the requirements for RNA template quality, the amplification products were set within 80-300 bp. In the system formulation stage, dominant and subordinate primers were mainly considered. By reducing the concentration of dominant primers and increasing that of subordinate primers, a capillary electrophoresis spectrum with an appropriate peak height ratio was finally obtained. Additionally, gradient experiments were designed to adjust the concentrations of PCR reagents and PCR amplification conditions, and multiple versions of DNA amplification enzymes were optimized to achieve the best experimental results. ResultsThrough statistical analysis, there was no significant difference in the capillary electrophoresis of the 3 types of body fluid samples from the two years (2015 and 2024), demonstrating that the sample preservation method in this study can preserve samples for a relatively long time. The composite amplification system constructed in this study exhibited high specificity for all 3 types of body fluid, with no cross-reactions between the markers of each type of body fluid. The minimum detection thresholds for the 3 types of body fluid reached 0.002 9, 0.001 5, and 0.42 mg/L, respectively. This system also had a high degree of discrimination for mixed samples, especially for semen-saliva mixtures, where each body fluid marker could still be successfully detected when the concentration ratio of semen to saliva was 100:1. Meanwhile, in the two actual cases presented in this article, the application of this composite amplification system performed outstandingly. ConclusionThe composite amplification detection system constructed in this study can achieve the correct screening of saliva, semen, and vaginal secretions, overcoming the problems such as low specificity and sensitivity of marker tests and unbalanced RFU values of each marker in previous studies. The specificity and sensitivity meet the practical work requirements, and the operation is simple. It provides an analytical and identification method for body fluid stains in actual case and is applicable to the identification of the tissue origin of biological evidence at crime scenes involving sexual assault, indecent assault, and other criminal acts. In the future, more types of body fluid markers will be screened to expand the types of body fluids detected by the system, and body fluid-specific cSNP and cInDel genetic markers will be introduced to infer the sources (individuals and types) of mixed and complex stains more accurately.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Shugan Quyu Jiedu prescription （SGQYJDF） on inducing ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells based on the tumor protein 53 （p53）/solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11）/glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） pathway. MethodMHCC97H cells were divided into the blank serum group （10% blank serum medium）， SGQYJDF-containing serum low concentration group （5% SGQYJDF-containing serum and 5% blank serum medium）， SGQYJDF-containing serum medium concentration group （7.5% SGQYJDF-containing serum and 2.5% blank serum medium）， SGQYJDF-containing serum high concentration group （10% SGQYJDF-containing serum medium） and sorafenib group （sorafenib concentration of 10 μmol·L^-1 in 10% blank serum medium）. After 24 hours of intervention， the cell survival rate was detected by cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay. The cell proliferation ability was detected by 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine （EdU） staining. The intracellular ferrous ion （Fe²⁺） level was detected by ferrous ion fluorescent probe （FerroOrange） staining. The intracellular malondialdehyde （MDA） and glutathione （GSH） levels were detected by colorimetric assays. The ultrastructure of mitochondria was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The expression levels of ferroptosis-related proteins p53， SLC7A11 and GPX4 were detected by Western blot. ResultIn terms of cell viability， compared with the blank serum group， the SGQYJDF group showed a dose-dependent decrease in the survival rate of MHCC97H cells. Effect of the medium and high concentrations of SGQYJDF on the survival rate of MHCC97H cells were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Additionally， the results of the EdU assay showed that both the medium and high concentrations of SGQYJDF were able to inhibit the proliferation ability of MHCC97H cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Regarding the biochemical indicators of ferroptosis， compared to the blank serum group， the medium and high concentrations of SGQYJDF were able to dose-dependently increase the intracellular Fe²⁺ level （P<0.01）. The low， medium， and high concentrations of SGQYJDF were able to dose-dependently decrease the level of GSH in MHCC97H cells （P<0.01） and increase the level of MDA in the cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In terms of pathway-related protein expression， compared to the blank serum group， the medium and high concentrations of SGQYJDF could significantly increase the expression of p53 （P<0.01）. The low， medium， and high concentrations of SGQYJDF could significantly decrease the expression of GPX4 （P<0.01）. The high concentration of SGQYJDF could decrease the expression of SLC7A11 （P<0.01）. In terms of the cell morphology of ferroptosis， compared with the blank serum group， transmission electron microscopy revealed that the low concentration of SGQYJDF caused mitochondrial deformation， while the medium and high concentrations of SGQYJDF resulted in reduced mitochondrial volume， increased double-layer membrane density， and decreased mitochondrial cristae. These features were similar to those of sorafenib-induced ferroptosis. Furthermore， compared with the sorafenib group， the high concentration of SGQYJDF showed no statistically significant differences in cell survival rate， proliferation ability， Fe²⁺ level， MDA level， and GSH level. ConclusionThe results suggest that SGQYJDF may induce ferroptosis and inhibit proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma MHCC97H cells by upregulating the expression of p53， suppressing the expressions of GPX4 and SLC7A11， downregulating the level of GSH， and leading to the accumulation of intracellular Fe²⁺ and MDA.

Objective:To select the differential prognostic lactic acid metabolism-related genes(LRGs)of the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC)to construct the LRGs prognostic model of HNSCC,and to clarify the potential mechanism.Methods:The HNSCC gene expression and clinical data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)Databases,the LRGs were identified through GeneCards Database,and R software was used to screen out the LRGs of HNSCC;univariate Cox regression analysis was used to identify prognosis-related genes;two different subtypes were identified based on the prognostis-related LRGs;Kaplan-Meier(K-M)curve analysis was used to compare the prognosis of the patients between two groups;CIBERSORT algorithm was used to perform the immuno-correlation analysis between two groups;multivariate Cox regression analysis and LASSO regression analysis were used to construct the prognostic model;receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)and K-M survival curve were used to assess the relationship between LRGs and survival and prognosis of the HNSCC patients.The prognostic model was validated by GSE27020,GSE41613,and GSE65858 datasets.The experiment were grouped based on risk score,and immune-related analysis and tumor score analysis were performed.Results:The TCGA Database differential analysis results showed that 1 196 LRGs were identified from HNSCC samples;univariate Cox regression analysis selected 27 differentially expressed genes(DEGs)associated with the prognosis of the HNSCC patients.Two different LRGs subtypes(Group 1 and Group 2)were identified according to the prognosis-related genes.The K-M survival curves results showed that the overall survival(OS)of the patients in Group 2 was significantly higher than that in Group 1,and the immune cell expression amount of the patients in Group 2 was also higher than that in group 1.The multivariate Cox regression and LASSO regression analysis results screened out 9 LRGs,including hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase 1(HPRT1),amyloid precursor protein(APP),glycogen phosphorylase L(PYGL),urokinase-type plasminogen activator(PLAU),cannabinoid receptor 2(CNR2),stanniocalcin 2(STC2),nucleotide binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 1(NLRP1),integrin-linked kinase(ILK),and forkhead box B1(FOXB1);the prognostic model was constructed.The K-M and ROC curve results indicated that the expression levels of above 9 genes were associated with the survival and prognosis of the HNSCC patients,providing good 1-year,2-year,and 3-year survival prediction effect,and the area under ROC curve(AUC)values were all greater than 0.650.Furthermore,the predictive ability of the prognosis model was validated in GSE27020,GSE41613,and GSE65858 datasets.The patients classified based on the risk scores had distinguishable immune statuses.Conclusion:The differentially expressed LRGs of HNSCC screened by bioinformatics methods are related to the survival and prognosis of the HNSCC patients;the prognostic model constructed by 9 LRGs can predict the survival status and treatment response of the HNSCC patients.

Objective To compare the diagnostic value of ultrasonography and CT in acute appendicitis.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 279 patients who were diagnosed with acute appendicitis and followed emergency surgery.Patients were divided into different subgroups based on postoperative pathological results and body mass index(BMI),and the pathological results were used as the gold standard to analyze whether there were differences in the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography and CT examination for acute appendicitis.Results A total of 279 patients with confirmed acute appendicitis,with 64 cases of simple appendicitis,127 cases of suppurative appendicitis,and 88 cases of gangrenous appendicitis according to pathological classification.The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography was 68.75%(44/64),73.22%(93/127),and 81.81%(72/88),respectively.The diagnostic accuracy of CT was 71.87%(46/64),82.67%(105/127),and 90.90%(80/88),respectively.There was no statistically significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between the two examinations(P>0.05).Subgroup analysis based on patient BMI showed that there was no difference in diagnostic accuracy of the two examinations for patients with normal BMI(P>0.05),while for overweight and obese patients,the diagnostic accuracy of CT was better than that of ultrasonography,with a statistical difference(P<0.05).Conclusion There is no difference in the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography and CT examinations for acute appendicitis of different pathological types.But for overweight and obese acute appendicitis patients,the diagnostic accuracy of CT examination is superior to ultrasonography.

To investigate the associations of serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its subtypes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Jiangsu Province.Methods:The participants were enrolled in the Comprehensive Research project regarding 'Prevention and Control of Diabetes' in Jiangsu Province. The baseline survey was conducted from 2013 to 2014, and follow-up until December 31, 2021. After excluding the participants who self-reported with chronic liver disease/stroke/coronary heart disease at baseline survey and those with incomplete information on GGT, a total of 16 147 T2DM patients were included in the final analysis. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to calculate the hazard ratio ( HR) and their 95% CI of GGT for CVD, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Restricted cubic spline models were applied to analyze the dose-response relationship between GGT and the risk of CVD and its subtypes. Results:During the median follow-up time of 8.02 years, 2 860 CVD cases were registered, including 196 cases of myocardial infarction and 2 730 cases of stroke. Multivariate Cox proportional risk regression model indicated that compared to the lowest serum GGT level group, the highest GGT level group had a 24% increased risk of CVD ( HR=1.24, 95% CI: 1.09-1.41) and a 23% increased risk of stroke ( HR=1.23, 95% CI: 1.08-1.40). The restricted cubic spline model showed a nonlinear dose-response relationship between GGT and the risk of CVD, myocardial infarction, and stroke in T2DM patients. Conclusions:High levels of GGT may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in T2DM patients, which needs further exploration and validation in future clinical practice.