Objective To obtain the protective performance parameters of barium sulfate mortar against positron nuclide γ-rays, provide reference data for precise shielding calculations, and guide the design, evaluation, and construction of radiation shielding. Methods The FLUKA program was used to build a model for simulating the dose equivalent rate variation around points of interest under the irradiation of the most commonly used positron nuclide ¹⁸F with changes in the thicknesses of lead and barium sulfate mortar. The transmission curves of lead and barium sulfate mortar were fitted, and the half-value layer (HVL) and lead equivalence of barium sulfate mortar were calculated based on the fitted curves. Results The ambient dose equivalent rate coefficient of positron nuclide ¹⁸F was 1.339 4×10⁻¹ μSv·m²/MBq·h and the HVL for lead was 4.037 mm, with deviations of 0.043% and 1.53% compared to the values provided in the AAPM Report No. 108, respectively. The HVLs for γ-rays produced by ¹⁸F, using barium sulfate mortar with apparent densities of 4.20, 4.00, and 3.90 g/cm³ mixed with 35.2-grade cement in a 4∶1 mass ratio, were 2.914, 2.969, and 3.079 cm, respectively. The lead equivalences were 0.1385, 0.1360, and 0.1311 mmPb/mm, respectively. Conclusion The three types of barium sulfate mortar can provide good protection against γ-rays in positron imaging locations. As the apparent density of barium sulfate increases, its protective effect improves slightly but remains significantly better than common construction materials like concrete and solid bricks.

Metabolites produced as intermediaries or end-products of microbial metabolism provide crucial signals for health and diseases, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). These metabolites include products of the bacterial metabolism of dietary substrates, modification of host molecules (such as bile acids [BAs], trimethylamine-N-oxide, and short-chain fatty acids), or products directly derived from bacteria. Recent studies have provided new insights into the association between MASLD and the risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). Furthermore, alterations in microbiota composition and metabolite profiles, notably altered BAs, have been described in studies investigating the association between MASLD and the risk of CKD. This narrative review discusses alterations of specific classes of metabolites, BAs, fructose, vitamin D, and microbiota composition that may be implicated in the link between MASLD and CKD.

Metabolites produced as intermediaries or end-products of microbial metabolism provide crucial signals for health and diseases, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). These metabolites include products of the bacterial metabolism of dietary substrates, modification of host molecules (such as bile acids [BAs], trimethylamine-N-oxide, and short-chain fatty acids), or products directly derived from bacteria. Recent studies have provided new insights into the association between MASLD and the risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). Furthermore, alterations in microbiota composition and metabolite profiles, notably altered BAs, have been described in studies investigating the association between MASLD and the risk of CKD. This narrative review discusses alterations of specific classes of metabolites, BAs, fructose, vitamin D, and microbiota composition that may be implicated in the link between MASLD and CKD.

Metabolites produced as intermediaries or end-products of microbial metabolism provide crucial signals for health and diseases, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). These metabolites include products of the bacterial metabolism of dietary substrates, modification of host molecules (such as bile acids [BAs], trimethylamine-N-oxide, and short-chain fatty acids), or products directly derived from bacteria. Recent studies have provided new insights into the association between MASLD and the risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). Furthermore, alterations in microbiota composition and metabolite profiles, notably altered BAs, have been described in studies investigating the association between MASLD and the risk of CKD. This narrative review discusses alterations of specific classes of metabolites, BAs, fructose, vitamin D, and microbiota composition that may be implicated in the link between MASLD and CKD.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of femoral component revision surgery in addressing polyethylene sleeve wear in rotating hinge knee joints.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 21 patients who underwent treatment for polyethylene sleeve wear in rotating hinge knee joints at the Department of Orthopaedics, the Fourth Medical Center, PLA General Hospital, spanning from August 2008 to April 2023. There were 8 males and 13 females with a median age of 63(38, 76) years. Among them, 11 cases involved the left side, and 10 cases involved the right side. The average body mass index (BMI) was 25.0(22.5, 31.0) kg/m 2, and all cases underwent unilateral knee joint revision. The time interval from receiving the hinge knee joint prosthesis to revision was 10.5(6.0, 17.0) years, with 18 cases undergoing primary revision and 3 cases undergoing revision for the second time. Revision surgery of the femoral component sleeve was performed in all patients due to polyethylene sleeve wear. Visual analogue scale (VAS), range of motion (ROM) of the knee joint, changes in hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA), and Knee Society score (KSS) were collected and recorded to assess the surgical outcomes. Results:All patients were followed up for a median duration of 12.5(11.7, 13.4) months. Preoperatively, the VAS score was 5(3, 7) points, which significantly decreased to 0(0, 1) points at the last follow-up ( Z=5.721, P<0.001). At the last follow-up, the KSS scores decreased from 41.19±13.65 points preoperatively to 79.81±7.80 points, indicating a statistically significant difference ( t=12.560, P<0.001). HKA increased from 174.65°±5.20° preoperatively to 178.71°±2.79°, with a statistically significant difference ( t=5.533, P<0.001). Knee joint ROM increased from 69.05°±34.37° preoperatively to 110.00°±10.12°, also demonstrating a significant improvement ( t=5.960, P<0.001). Notably, patients exhibited knee joint stability with no passive flexion or extension laxity. Conclusion:Femoral component sleeve revision surgery effectively addresses polyethylene sleeve wear in rotating hinge knee joint prostheses, thereby mitigating the substantial loss of bone and soft tissue associated with overall revision procedures. The early postoperative clinical outcomes are promising and indicative of the efficacy of this surgical intervention.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is currently one of the most widely used plasticizers, widely found in all kinds of items, such as children’s toys and food packaging materials, but also added to wallpaper, cable protective agents and other building decoration materials. DEHP is toxic and absorbed by the human body through respiratory tract, digestive tract and skin contact, which can cause damage to multiple systems, especially the male reproductive system, and testis is an important target organ. Oxidative stress injury is the core mechanism of spermatogenesis disorder caused by DEHP. DEHP exposure can cause oxidative stress or reactive oxygen species (ROS) increase in germ cells, and on this basis, promote cell apoptosis or cause excessive autophagy. The toxicity of DEHP to Leydig cells is mainly to interfere with the synthesis of steroid hormones. For Sertoli cells, ferroptosis and destruction of the blood-testis barrier are common injury mechanisms. In addition, gene methylation caused by DEHP not only affects the spermatogenic process, but also has epigenetic effects on offspring. In this paper, we reviewed the pathological damage, germ cell toxicity and epigenetic effects of DEHP on testis, and focused on the damage and molecular mechanism on testicular spermatogenic cells, Leydig cells and Sertoli cells. Future research is required to elucidate the body’s clearance mechanism and treatment plan after exposure to DEHP and whether DEHP will damage the function of myoid cells. It is hoped that this can provide new ideas for prevention and treatment of male reproductive disorders resulting from long-term exposure to plastic products.

ObjectiveExisting artificial vision devices can be divided into two types: implanted devices and extracorporeal devices, both of which have some disadvantages. The former requires surgical implantation, which may lead to irreversible trauma, while the latter has some defects such as relatively simple instructions, limited application scenarios and relying too much on the judgment of artificial intelligence (AI) to provide enough security. Here we propose a system that has voice interaction and can convert surrounding environment information into tactile commands on head and neck. Compared with existing extracorporeal devices, our device can provide a larger capacity of information and has advantages such as lower cost, lower risk, suitable for a variety of life and work scenarios. MethodsWith the latest remote wireless communication and chip technologies, microelectronic devices, cameras and sensors worn by the user, as well as the huge database and computing power in the cloud, the backend staff can get a full insight into the scenario, environmental parameters and status of the user remotely (for example, across the city) in real time. In the meanwhile, by comparing the cloud database and in-memory database and with the help of AI-assisted recognition and manual analysis, they can quickly develop the most reasonable action plan and send instructions to the user. In addition, the backend staff can provide humanistic care and emotional sustenance through voice dialogs. ResultsThis study originally proposes the concept of “remote virtual companion” and demonstrates the related hardware and software as well as test results. The system can not only achieve basic guide functions, for example, helping a person with visual impairment to shop in supermarkets, find seats at cafes, walk on the streets, construct complex puzzles, and play cards, but also can meet the demand for fast-paced daily tasks such as cycling. ConclusionExperimental results show that this “remote virtual companion” is applicable for various scenarios and demands. It can help blind people with their travels, shopping and entertainment, or accompany the elderlies with their trips, wilderness explorations, and travels.

Objective To observe the alteration of thoracic and lumbar physiological curvature in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis(AIS)and the difference of physiological curvature between different types of scoliosis.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 305 adolescent patients taken full spine X-ray in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2021.The patients were divided into normal group and scoliosis group.The normal group was composed of 179 patients,79 males and 100 females,aged 10 to 18 years old with an average of(12.84±2.10)years old,with cobb agle less than 10 degrees.The scol-iosis group was composed of 126 patients,33 males and 93 females,aged 10 to 18 years old with an average of(13.92±2.20)years old.The gender,age,Risser sign,thoracic kyphosis(TK)and lumbar lordosis(LL)in 2 groups were compared,and the TK and LL were also compared between different genders,different degrees of scoliosis and different segments of scoliosis.Re-sults The female ratio(P=0.001)and age(P＜0.001)in scoliosis group were higher than them in normal group;the ratio of low-grade ossification was higher in normal group than in scoliosis group(P=0.038).TK was significantly smaller in scoliosis group than in normal group(P＜0.001),but there was no significant difference in LL between the 2 groups(P=0.147).There were no significant difference in TK and LL between male and female.The TK was significantly bigger in mild AIS patients than in moderate AIS patients(P＜0.05),but there was no significant difference in LL between mild and moderate patients(P＞0.05).The TK and LL in different segments scoliosis were not found significant difference.Conclusion The physiological curvature of thoracic and lumbar spine is independent of gender.The thoracic physiological curvature becomes smaller in AIS patients,but lumbar curvature remains unchanged.The thoracic physiological curvature in mild AIS patients is greater than that in moderate AIS patients,but the lumbar curvature is almost unchanged between mild and moderate scoliosis and is similar with that in normal adolescent.The alteration of thoracic and lumbar physiological curvature in AIS patients may be related to relative an-terior spinal overgrowth,and the specific detailed mechanism needs to be further studied.

Objective:To explore the impact of treatment duration with human urinary kallidinogenase (HUK) on the efficacy and safety of acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Methods:In this subgroup analysis of RESK study, a total of 990 AIS patients recruited from 65 centers in China between August 2015 and June 2020 were included and divided into short medication group (HUK for 8 days, n=185) or long medication group (HUK for 15 days or 21 days, n=805). The proportions of patients with modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0, 0-1, 0-2 at 90 days, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score change from baseline to 22 days, the proportions of patients with Barthel index (BI)≥95 at 90 days, and the incidences of adverse events were analyzed. Comparisons between groups were conducted using chi-square test, single factor and multivariate Logistic regression analysis, etc. Results:Multivariate regression analysis showed that the proportions of patients with 90-day mRS score of 0-2 [74.1% (137/185) vs 75.0% (604/805); OR=1.047, 95% CI 0.676-1.620, P=0.838] and 22-day NIHSS score change from baseline (4.60±2.00 vs 4.26±2.80; OR=-0.390, 95% CI -1.125-0.344, P=0.297) showed no statistically significant difference between the short medication and long medication groups; the proportions of patients with 90-day mRS score of 0-1 [48.1% (89/185) vs 59.1% (476/805); OR=0.674, 95%CI 0.463-0.983, P=0.041] and 90-day BI≥95 [43.6% (79/181) vs 55.1% (442/802); OR=0.614, 95%CI 0.420-0.897, P=0.012] were significantly lower in the short medication group than in the long medication group. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidences of adverse events between these 2 groups. Conclusions:In AIS patients, consecutive 8-day dosing of HUK improved immediate (22-day NIHSS score) and long-term outcome (90-day mRS score 0-2) and was safely tolerated. When applicable, extended duration of HUK could improve long-term disability-free rate (90-day mRS score 0-1) and quality of life (90-day BI) without increasing the risk of adverse events.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between serum miR-501 and miR-195 levels and sensitivity to concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC).Methods:Clinical data of 96 patients with LACC admitted to Nanyang Central Hospital from January 2020 to June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed and compared with those of 96 healthy subjects during physical examination in our hospital during the same period to compare the differences of serum miR-501 and miR-195 levels. Tumor status was reviewed at 6 months after concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Patients were divided into the sensitive and resistant groups according to the evaluation criteria of solid tumor efficacy. The relationship between serum miR-501 and miR-195 levels and the sensitivity to concurrent chemoradiotherapy in LACC patients was analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was also drawn to predict differential efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy sensitivity in LACC patients. Multivariate analysis was conducted by binary logistic regression analysis. P<0.05 indicated statistically significant differences. Results:In LACC patients, serum miR-501 level was significantly higher, whereas serum miR-195 level was significantly lower than those in physical examination subjects (both P<0.05). Univariate analysis showed that serum miR-501 level at admission in the resistant group was significantly higher, whereas serum miR-195 level was significantly lower than those in the sensitive group (both P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that serum miR-501 and miR-195 levels were significantly correlated with the sensitivity to concurrent chemoradiotherapy in LACC patients. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.736 and 0.913, respectively. Conclusions:The higher the serum miR-501 level and the lower the serum miR-195 level before treatment, the higher the probability of resistance to concurrent chemoradiotherapy in LACC patients. Serum miR-501 and miR-195 levels of LACC patients before treatment have certain predictive value for the sensitivity to concurrent chemoradiotherapy.