Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which predominantly affects middle-aged and elderly individuals, is associated with a significantly reduced quality of life and often triggers various other pulmonary conditions. Lung cancer, as one of the most prevalent and deadly pulmonary malignancies worldwide, poses a severe threat to global public health. The risk of developing lung cancer is markedly higher in COPD patients compared to the general population, indicating numerous associations between the two conditions that warrant in-depth investigation. Although a substantial body of research has explored the relationship between COPD and lung cancer, studies focusing on the molecular mechanisms underlying their connection remain limited. This article reviews the latest research progress on the mechanisms of COPD complicated by lung cancer from four perspectives: the role of chronic pulmonary inflammation, programmed cell death, genetic and molecular interactions, and dysbiosis of the pulmonary microbiome. The aim of this article is to provide new insights and references for the prevention and therapeutic strategies of COPD complicated with lung cancer.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting both upper and lower motor neurons. ALS patients develop progressive muscle atrophy, muscle weak and paralysis, finally died of respiratory failure. ALS is characterized by fast aggression and high mortality. What' s more, the disease is highly heterogeneous with unclear pathogenesis and lacks effective drugs for therapy. In this review, we summarize the main pathological mechanisms and the current drugs under development for ALS, which may provide a reference for the drug discovery in the future.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) combined with lower cervical fracture is often categorized into unstable fracture, with a high incidence of neurological injury and a high rate of disability and morbidity. As factors such as shoulder occlusion may affect the accuracy of X-ray imaging diagnosis, it is often easily misdiagnosed at the primary diagnosis. Non-operative treatment has complications such as bone nonunion and the possibility of secondary neurological damage, while the timing, access and choice of surgical treatment are still controversial. Currently, there are no clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture with or without dislocation. To this end, the Spinal Trauma Group of Orthopedics Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts to formulate Clinical guidelines for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis combined with lower cervical fracture in adults ( version 2024) in accordance with the principles of evidence-based medicine, scientificity and practicality, in which 11 recommendations were put forward in terms of the diagnosis, imaging evaluation, typing and treatment, etc, to provide guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture.

BACKGROUND:Inflammation is one of the important factors that induce cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.Studies have shown that electroacupuncture can effectively reduce inflammation after ischemic stroke and improve the symptoms of neurological deficits,but the mechanism is not clear. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of electroacupuncture on Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. METHODS:Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham operation group,model group and electroacupuncture group,with 16 rats in each group.The rat model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was prepared by middle cerebral artery occlusion.At 24 hours after modeling,the rats in the electroacupuncture group were treated with electroacupuncture,once a day,20 minutes each time,for a total of 5 days.The sham operation group and the model group did not do any intervention.After 5 days of intervention,Longa method was used to evaluate the degree of neurological injury in rats.Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining and hematoxylin-eosin staining were used to measure the volume of cerebral infarction and the pathological changes of brain tissue in rats.Serum interleukin-6,interleukin-18 and tumor necrosis factor-α were detected by ELISA.Expressions of Toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor-κB in the cerebral cortex at mRNA and protein levels were detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR and western blot,respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the sham operation group,the neurological function scores,serum interleukin-6,interleukin-18,and tumor necrosis factor-α levels,Toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor-κB mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly higher in the model group(P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,electroacupuncture significantly reduced the neurological function scores,serum interleukin-6,interleukin-18,and tumor necrosis factor-α levels,Toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor-κB mRNA and protein expression levels(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Compared with the sham operation group,the volume of cerebral infarction in the model group increased significantly(P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,the volume of cerebral infarction in the electroacupuncture group decreased(P＜0.05).In the model group,the arrangement of neurons was disordered,some nerve cells disappeared,nuclei presented with pyknosis and incomplete structure.After electroacupuncture intervention,the degree of neuronal degeneration and neuronal loss in the cerebral cortex of rats were reduced compared with those in the model group.To conclude,electroacupuncture can significantly improve the neurobehavior of rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury,reduce brain tissue injury,and effectively reduce the level of serum inflammatory factors.The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway.

Objective     To investigate the accuracy of 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) combined with CT three-dimensional reconstruction (CT-3D) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. Methods     The clinical data of patients who underwent pulmonary nodule surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital from July 2020 to August 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT and chest enhanced CT-3D and other imaging data were extracted. The parameters with diagnostic significance were screened by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). Three prediction models, including PET/CT prediction model (MOD PET), CT-3D prediction model (MOD CT-3D), and PET/CT combined CT-3D prediction model (MOD combination), were established through binary logistic regression, and the diagnostic performance of the models were validated by ROC curve. Results     A total of 125 patients were enrolled, including 57 males and 68 females, with an average age of 61.16±8.57 years. There were 46 patients with benign nodules, and 79 patients with malignant nodules. A total of 2 PET/CT parameters and 5 CT-3D parameters were extracted. Two PET/CT parameters, SUVmax≥1.5 (AUC=0.688) and abnormal uptake of hilar/mediastinal lymph node metabolism (AUC=0.671), were included in the regression model. Among the CT-3D parameters, CT value histogram peaks (AUC=0.694) and CT-3D morphology (AUC=0.652) were included in the regression model. Finally, the AUC of the MOD PET was verified to be 0.738 [95%CI (0.651, 0.824)], the sensitivity was 74.7%, and the specificity was 60.9%; the AUC of the MOD CT-3D was 0.762 [95%CI (0.677, 0.848)], the sensitivity was 51.9%, and the specificity was 87.0%; the AUC of the MOD combination was 0.857 [95%CI (0.789, 0.925)], the sensitivity was 77.2%, the specificity was 82.6%, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion     18F-FDG PET/CT combined with CT-3D can improve the diagnostic performance of pulmonary nodules, and its specificity and sensitivity are better than those of single imaging diagnosis method. The combined prediction model is of great significance for the selection of surgical timing and surgical methods for pulmonary nodules, and provides a theoretical basis for the application of artificial intelligence in the pulmonary nodule diagnosis.

Objective This study aimed to explore the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNP)in the matrix metalloproteinase 2(MMP-2)signaling pathway and the risk of vascular senescence(VS). Methods In this cross-sectional study,between May and November 2022,peripheral venous blood of 151 VS patients(case group)and 233 volunteers(control group)were collected.Fourteen SNPs were identified in five genes encoding the components of the MMP-2 signaling pathway,assessed through carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity(cfPWV),and analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.The multigene influence on the risk of VS was assessed using multifactor dimensionality reduction(MDR)and generalized multifactor dimensionality regression(GMDR)modeling. Results Within the multivariate logistic regression models,four SNPs were screened to have significant associations with VS:chemokine(C-C motif)ligand 2(CCL2)rs4586,MMP2 rs14070,MMP2 rs7201,and MMP2 rs1053605.Carriers of the T/C genotype of MMP2 rs14070 had a 2.17-fold increased risk of developing VS compared with those of the C/C genotype,and those of the T/T genotype had a 19.375-fold increased risk.CCL2 rs4586 and MMP-2 rs14070 exhibited the most significant interactions. Conclusion CCL2 rs4586,MMP-2 rs14070,MMP-2 rs7201,and MMP-2 rs1053605 polymorphisms were significantly associated with the risk of VS.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion(ACDF)in the treatment of cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type(CSA).Methods The clinical data of 42 patients with CSA from January 2020 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.There were 25 males and 17 females,aged from 30 to 74 years old with an average of(53.9±11.0)years old.There were 18 cases with single-segment lesions,17 cases with two-segment lesions,and 7 cases with three-segment lesions.The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery's Hearing and Balance Committee score(CHE),the Neck Disability Index(NDI)and the cervical curvature Cobb angle were recorded before surgery and after surgery at 6 months.Results All 42 ACDF patients were followed up for 6 to 30 months with an average of(14.0±5.2)months.The operative time ranged from 95 to 220 min with an average of(160.38±36.77)min,the intraoperative blood loss ranged from 30 to 85 ml with an average of(53.60±18.98)ml.Tow patients had mild postoperative dysphagia,which improved with symptomatic treatment such as nebulized inhalation.CHE score decreased from(4.05±0.96)preoperatively to(2.40±0.70)at 6 months postoperatively(t=12.97,P＜0.05).The number of improved vertigo at 6 months postoperatively was 38,with an im-provement rate of 90.5％.NDI score was reduced from(34.43±8.04)preoperatively to(20.76±3.91)at 6 months postopera-tively(t=1 1.83,P＜0.05).The cervical curvature Cobb angle improved from(8.04±6.70)° preoperatively to(12.42±5.23)° at 6 months postoperatively(t=-15.96,P＜0.05).Conclusion The ACDF procedure has outstanding clinical efficacy in treating CSA.The operation can rapidly relieve patients'episodic vertigo symptoms by relieving bony compression and reconstructing cervical curvature.However,it is necessary to strictly grasp the indications for surgery and clarify the causes of vertigo in pa-tients,and ACDF surgery is recommended for CSA patients for whom conservative treatment is ineffective.

Recurrent spontaneous abortion(RSA)is a complex clinical issue affecting the fertility health of many women.The treatment of RSA through the integration of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)and western medicine had attracted attention due to the complementary advantages of both approaches.This article aimed to introduce professor Wang Wen-jun's unique diagnostic and therapeutic philosophy and methods in the prevention and treatment of RSA using an integrated approach of TCM and western medicine.Professor Wang Wen-jun excelled at combining disease identification with syndrome differentiation and treatment,and the precise application of both Chinese and western pharmaceuticals,and she emphasized pre-pregnancy conditioning and post-pregnancy fetal security,providing an efficient and safe therapeutic approach for the prevention and treatment of RSA,which had significantly improved the pregnancy outcomes for RSA patients.

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

Cardiac cephalalgia is a rare disease caused by underlying coronary artery disease that presents as headache with or without chest symptoms.Headache symptoms are often caused by referred pain,increased intracranial pressure and release of large amounts of pain-causing neurochemicals due to myocardial ischemia,and cortical hypoperfusion.Due to the low overall prevalence of the disease,the lack of chest pain typical of coronary heart disease,and the fact that it may be difficult to distinguish from headaches caused by neurological diseases,accurate diagnosis and treatment of the disease are often delayed.We report a case of acute coronary syndrome with headache only.Revascularization was achieved through percutaneous coronary intervention therapy,followed by standard secondary prevention pharmacotherapy.Follow-up six months postoperatively showed a significant improvement in exercise tolerance,with no further headache episodes.The purpose is to improve the understanding of patients with cardiac cephalalgia,with a view to early identification and timely intervention,and ultimately improve the symptoms and prognosis.