BackgroundCognitive function is closely related to an individual's quality of life and social functioning， with approximately 20%~35% of patients with depressive disorder experiencing some degree of cognitive impairment even after clinical symptom remission. Existing evidence suggests that tACS can improve specific cognitive domains， such as memory function， while its effects on other cognitive dimensions， such as executive functioning， attention， and information processing speed， remain unclear. ObjectiveTo explore the effects of tACS on the multidimensional cognitive functions and emotional problems of patients with depressive disorder， thus to provide references for the treatment of depressive disorder. MethodsForty-nine patients with depressive disorder who were hospitalized in the Fourth People's Hospital of Wuhu from November 2022 to October 2024 and met the diagnostic criteria for depressive disorder outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fifth edition （DSM-5）， were selected as study participants. Subjects were randomly divided into study group （n=23） and control group （n=26） based on Microsoft Excel. Both groups received sertraline treatment. The initial dose was 50 mg/day， which gradually titrated upward based on individual variability， drug tolerance， and therapeutic response， with a maintenance dose ranging from 100 to 200 mg/day. In addition， the study group underwent tACS therapy for 4 weeks， with 5 sessions per week， each lasting 20 minutes. The control group received sham stimulation， in which the stimulus was interrupted after the first 30 seconds. At baseline， the 4^th week， and the 12^th week of treatment， patients were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Scale-17 item （HAMD-17）， Hamilton Anxiety Scale （HAMA）， and MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery （MCCB）. ResultsRepeated measures analysis of variance indicated that both the time effect and the time×group interaction effect for HAMD-17 scores were statistically significant between the two groups （F=260.437， 25.309， P<0.01）. At week 12 of treatment， the HAMD-17 score in the study group was lower than that in the control group （t=4.236， P<0.01）. For HAMA scores， the time effect， group effect， and time×group interaction effect were all statistically significant between the two groups （F=248.082， 4.506， 9.500， P<0.05 or 0.01）. At weeks 4 and 12， study group reported lower HAMA scores compared with control group （t=4.580， 2.608， P<0.05 or 0.01）. Regarding the MCCB scores for attention/vigilance， verbal learning， and overall composite， the time effect， group effect， and time×group interaction effect were all statistically significant between the two groups （F=70.331， 27.882， 51.679， 5.560， 10.948， 7.860， 8.490， 3.874， 5.025， P<0.05 or 0.01）. After intervention， the study group showed significantly higher MCCB scores for attention/vigilance， verbal learning， and overall composite at both week 4 （t=-2.149， -3.530， -2.740， P<0.05） and week 12 （t=-3.534， -3.576， -3.838， P<0.01） when compared to the control group. ConclusionThe combined tACS and sertraline therapy may demonstrate superior efficacy to pharmacotherapy alone in the short term for improving attention/vigilance， verbal learning， overall cognitive function， and anxiety symptoms in patients with depressive disorders. Based on the 12-week outcomes， the combined tACS and sertraline therapy not only sustaine its previously observed advantages in improving cognitive domains and anxiety symptoms， but also demonstrate potentially superior efficacy over monotherapy in alleviating depressive symptoms. ［Fund by Clinical Medical Research Transformation Special Project of Anhui Province （number， 202204295107020065）］

Objective To construct intrauterine adhesion (IUA) mouse models induced by two different concentrations of ethanol injury, compare the phenotypes, and optimize a more stable IUA modeling method. Methods Twenty 8-week-old female C57BL/6N mice were randomly divided into two groups: the 95% ethanol injury group and the 50% ethanol injury group. Using a self-control method, the left uterine horn was infused with ethanol to establish the IUA model, while the right uterine horn was infused with saline as the sham operation. Five mice from each group were euthanized on day 7 and 15 after modeling, and uterine tissues were collected. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the endometrial pathology, and Masson staining was used to assess the degree of endometrial fibrosis. Quantitative real-time PCR was employed to detect the expression levels of fibrosis markers and pro-inflammatory factors in the uterine tissues. Results Compared to the sham operation, these two ethanol injury led to a significant reduction in elasticity of the uterus, an increase in inflammatory infiltration, and a marked increase in the degree of fibrosis on day 7 after modeling (P<0.05). The 95% ethanol injury group showed a significant decrease in endometrial thickness (P<0.05), whereas no significant change was observed in the 50% ethanol injury group when compared to the sham operation (P>0.05). The expression levels of fibrotic marker molecules collagen type Ⅳ alpha 1 chain (Col4A1), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and pro-inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were significantly elevated in the 50% ethanol injury group when compared to the sham operation (P<0.05), although there was an increasing trend of the same markers in the 95% ethanol injury group, the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). On day 15 after modeling, the histopathological changes in both ethanol injury groups were not significant when compared to the sham operation, the expression levels of Col4A1, TGF-β, TNF-α and IL-1β remained significantly higher in the 50% ethanol injury group (P<0.05), while only IL-1β was significantly elevated in the 95% ethanol injury group (P<0.05). Conclusion Uterine infusion with 95% ethanol results in more marked histopathological changes in the IUA mouse model compared to the 50% ethanol injury group. The 95% ethanol injury model is suitable for histopathological studies. However, the 50% ethanol injury group shows higher expression levels of fibrosis markers and pro-inflammatory factors compared to the 95% ethanol injury group, suggesting that the 50% ethanol injury model is more suitable for molecular pathological study.

Objective:To explore the effect of humanistic care combined with Morita therapy on anxiety state of hemodialysis patients.Methods:A self-controlled study was conducted on 54 patients with end-stage renal disease and anxiety who received maintenance hemodialysis in China-Japan Friendship Hospital from August 2020 to August 2022. All patients were treated with humanistic care nursing and Morita therapy for one month. The Self Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) scores of the patients before and after the intervention were compaired. The comparison of quantitative data was conducted by paired t-test, and the comparison of qualitative data was conducted by χ2 test. The correlation between different factors and anxiety was analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis. Results:Among the 54 patients, there were 26 males and 28 females, aged (61.8±16.3) years (ranging from 29 to 88 years). The SAS score after the intervention (44.0±11.1) was lower than that before the intervention (51.9±8.5) ( t=5.395, P<0.001). The anxiety of patients was related to their age ( r=0.305), employment status ( r=0.270) and marital status ( r=0.397) (all P<0.05). The satisfaction of patients with care measures and nursing before and after the intervention was 45.6% and 87.7%, respectively ( χ2=5.720, P<0.05). Conclusion:After receiving combined humanistic care nursing and Morita therapy, patients in a state of anxiety could experience significant psychological improvement, which is conducive to the successful completion of hemodialysis treatment and enhances the quality of life for patients.

Objective:To investigate the distribution of pathological types of unilateral primary aldosteronism, and to explore the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with different pathological types.Methods:A total of 241 patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism who underwent adrenal surgery were included in this study. The clinical data and postoperative follow-up data were collected, and the postoperative tissue sections were stained with HE and aldosterone synthase. According to the staining results, pathological types of 241 patients were classified, and the clinical characteristics and surgical prognosis of patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism were compared.Results:According to the international histopathology consensus for unilateral primary aldosteronism, among 241 patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism, 223 were classical(92.5%), 17 were non-classical(7.1%), and 1 was aldosterone producing carcinoma(0.4%). Among classical cases, 189 were aldosterone producing adenoma and 34 were aldosterone producing nodule. In the non-classical cases, 8 cases were multiple aldosterone producing nodule and 9 cases were multiple aldosterone producing nodule. Compared with the classical group, the non-classical group had a longer duration of hypertension(9.0 vs 5.0 years, P=0.062) and a lower baseline plasma aldosterone concentration(273 vs 305 pg/mL, P=0.147), but the difference was not significant. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the proportion of patients who achieved a complete biochemical response after surgery(98% vs 92.3%, P=0.281), but the proportion of patients who achieved a complete clinical response was significantly lower in the non-classical group(23.1% vs 52.9%, P=0.046). Conclusion:The pathological types of unilateral primary aldosteronism are predominantly classical, with aldosterone-producing adenoma being the most common. There were no significant differences in the clinical characteristics and postoperative biochemical remission rates between classical and non-classical patients, but the clinical prognosis of the latter was inferior to the former.

Objective:To evaluate postoperative biochemical and clinical remission rates in patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism and analyze related influencing factors.Methods:A total of 406 patients of primary aldosteronism with confirmed subtyping, who underwent adrenalectomy and completed follow-up in the Department of Endocrinology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from November 2013 to March 2022 were retrospectively enrolled. Clinical and biochemical data were recorded. Postoperative clinical and biochemical outcomes were assessed according to Primary Aldosteronism Surgery Outcome(PASO) consensus.Results:Complete biochemical success was achieved in 391(96.31%) of 406 primary aldosteronism patients, while partial and absent biochemical success in only 4(0.99%) and 11(2.71%) primary aldosteronism patients; Complete clinical success was seen in 217(53.45%) patients, and partial clinical success in 189(46.55%) patients. Compared to the partial clinical success group, the complete clinical success group was younger, had a greater proportion of women, a smaller body mass index, a shorter duration of hypertension, a smaller daily defined dose value for antihypertensive medication, a higher estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR), and a lower proportion of family history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis further showed that gender( OR=2.49, 95% CI 1.42-4.35, P=0.001), body mass index( OR=1.16, 95% CI 1.05-1.28, P=0.003), antihypertensive drug daily defined dose( OR=1.83, 95% CI 1.37-2.44, P<0.001), family history of hypertension( OR=2.16, 95% CI 1.22-3.83, P=0.008), history of diabetes( OR=2.47, 95% CI 1.15-5.29, P=0.021), and eGFR( OR=0.98, 95% CI 0.97-0.99, P=0.001) were independent factors influencing clinical prognosis of primary aldosteronism. Conclusion:The postoperative complete biochemical success is higher in patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism, but only about half of all patients achieve complete clinical success.

Objective:To investigate the appropriate cut-off for diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA) by seated saline suppression test (SSST) based on liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).Methods:In this cross-sectional study, patients who underwent SSST for suspected PA in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2018 to March 2022 were evaluated. Briefly, 300 patients with PA and 119 with essential hypertension (EH) were included. Plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) after SSST was determined by LC-MS/MS. Primary aldosteronism confirmatory testing (PACT) score was used as the reference standard for diagnosis of PA, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to explore the cut-off value.Results:The average age of the PA group was (50.8±10.5) years, and males accounted for 53.00% ( n=159); the average age of the EH group was (49.4±11.2) years, and males accounted for 26.89% ( n=32). The area under the ROC curve of PAC post-SSST was 0.819 (95% CI 0.775-0.862). When 40 pg/ml (110.8 pmol/L) was selected as the appropriate cut-off for diagnosis of PA, the sensitivity was 83.67% (95% CI 78.88%-87.56%) and specificity was 60.50% (95% CI 51.10%-69.21%). Thus, 95.09% (155/163) of patients with unilateral PA could be identified. Conclusion:PAC after SSST determined by LC-MS/MS has high efficacy for diagnosis of PA, and 40 pg/ml is recommended as the appropriate cut-off value.

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration(nARMD)is a prevalent age-related retinal disease that significantly impairs vision. Numerous studies have shown that lipid metabolism disorders contribute to the progression of nARMD. The relationship is complex and involved factors such as fatty acids, cholesterol, variations in lipid metabolism genes, and other influencing factors. Lipid metabolism disorders lead to retinal vascular abnormalities and inflammatory responses by triggering oxidative stress and inhibiting autophagy. This, in turn, accelerates the formation of new blood vessels and causes damage to macular cells and tissues. In animal experiments, drugs designed for lipid metabolism disorders have shown that regulating lipid metabolism could be a potentially effective strategy for treating nARMD. This article reviews the role of lipid metabolism in the progression and treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration, aiming to offer new insights for nARMD treatment.

Objective:To investigate the value of three-dimensional (3D) T 1WI structural images using different acceleration methods including parallel acquisition technique, joint compressed sensing (uCS) technique, and artificial intelligence-assisted compressed sensing (ACS) technique for brain region segmentation. Methods:In this cross-sectional study, fifty patients (female: n=25, age range: 13 to 87 years old) at Corning Hospital of Ningbo University from July to September 2023 were prospectively and consecutively collected. All the subjects underwent brain MRI. Six groups of 3D T 1WI structural images were obtained using different acceleration technique and parameters, including 3D T 1WI without acceleration factor (3D-T 1WI group), 3D T 1WI with parallel acquisition technique with acceleration factor 3 (3D-T 1WI-PI-3 group), 3D T 1WI with uCS technique with acceleration factor 4.5 and 6.9 (3D-T 1WI-uCS-4.5 group, 3D-T 1WI-uCS-6.9 group), 3D T 1WI by ACS technique with acceleration factors of 3 and 5 (3D-T 1WI-ACS-3 group, 3D-T 1WI-ACS-5 group). T 2WI fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images were also acquired. Subjective scores (cerebral grey matter and white matter clarity scores, clarity scores of cerebral white matter degeneration lesions in relation to the surrounding white matter, and Gibbs artifact scores) and objective metrics [signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), cerebrospinal fluid signal homogeneity, peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index (SSIM), and natural image quality evaluator (NIQE)] were used to evaluate image quality in different groups. Totally 109 brain regions were segmented and volumes were measured using the uAI Research Portal image analysis tool. Kappa or intraclass correlation coefficient ( ICC) was used to evaluate the agreement of subjective and objective evaluation indexes between the 3D-T 1WI-PI-3 group, 3D-T 1WI-uCS-4.5 group, 3D-T 1WI-uCS-6.9 group, 3D-T 1WI-ACS-3 group, 3D-T 1WI-ACS-5 group, and 3D-T 1WI group. Kappa or ICC value>0.70 was considered as good agreement. Results:The acquisition time for the 3D-T 1WI group, 3D-T 1WI-PI-3 group, 3D-T 1WI-uCS-4.5 group, 3D-T 1WI-uCS-6.9 group, 3D-T 1WI-ACS-3 group, and 3D-T 1WI-ACS-5 group were 527, 204, 169, 95, 133, 90 s, respectively. Subjective evaluation showed that the 3D-T 1WI-uCS-4.5, 3D-T 1WI-ACS-3, and 3D-T 1WI-ACS-5 groups had excellent agreement with the 3D-T 1WI group in terms of the distribution of cases of cerebral grey matter and white matter clarity scores, respectively (all Kappa value=1.000); The distribution of cases of clarity score of cerebral white matter lesions and surrounding white matter in the 3D-T 1WI-PI-3 group, 3D-T 1WI-uCS-4.5 group, and 3D-T 1WI-ACS-3 group were in good agreement with that of the 3D-T 1WI group ( Kappa values of 0.775, 0.701, and 0.777, respectively); the distribution of the number of cases of the Gibbs artifact score of the 3D-T 1WI-uCS-4.5, 3D-T 1WI-ACS-3, and 3D-T 1WI-ACS-5 groups was in good agreement with the 3D-T 1WI group (all Kappa value=1.000). Objective evaluation showed the CNR of the images in the 3D-T 1WI-PI-3, 3D-T 1WI-uCS-4.5, and 3D-T 1WI-uCS-6.9 groups were in good agreement with those of the 3D-T 1WI group ( ICC of 0.720, 0.759, and 0.752, respectively); PSNR and SSIM were in good agreement among the 3D-T 1WI-PI-3 group, 3D-T 1WI-uCS-4.5 group, 3D-T 1WI-uCS-6.9 group, 3D-T 1WI-ACS-3 group, and 3D-T 1WI-ACS-5 group (PSNR: ICC=0.854; SSIM: ICC=0.851). NIQE of 3D-T 1WI-PI-3 group, 3D-T 1WI-uCS-4.5 group, and 3D-T 1WI-ACS-3 group images were in good agreement with the 3D-T 1WI group ( ICC value of 0.866, 0.727, 0.753, respectively). The ICC values of the volume of each segmented brain region among the 3D-T 1WI-PI-3, 3D-T 1WI-uCS-4.5, 3D-T 1WI-uCS-6.9, 3D-T 1WI-ACS-3, 3D-T 1WI-ACS-5 group and the 3D-T 1WI group images showed decreased in order (all ICC≥0.62). Conclusions:The uCS and ACS techniques used in 3D-T 1WI show high agreement with 3D-T 1WI in terms of brain segmentation. The application of these accelerating techniques can significantly shorten the acquisition time with obtaining images with good image quality, displaying great value.

Objective:To analyze clinical efficacy of intensity-modulated chemoradiotherapy for patients with anal squamous cell carcinoma and identify prognostic factors.Methods:Clinical data of patients with anal squamous cell carcinoma who received intensity-modulated chemoradiotherapy in the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 1, 2010 to January 1, 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Regular follow-up was carried out. The main indexes included disease-free survival (DFS), locoregional failure-free survival (LRFFS) and overall survival (OS), and adverse reactions were recorded. The survival curve was delineated by Kaplan-Meier method and the influencing factors of survival were analyzed by Cox regression models.Results:A total of 65 patients were enrolled with 19 (29%) males and 46 (71%) females. According to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 7 th edition staging, there were 7 (11%), 28 (43%), 10 (15%), and 20 (31%) patients with stage I, II, IIIa, and IIIb, respectively. Before the chemoradiotherapy, 2 (3%) patients received chemotherapy and 12 (18%) patients received local resection. The median dose of radiotherapy was 54 Gy (range: 45-64 Gy) and the main concurrent chemotherapy regimen was capecitabine combined with cisplatin ( n=34, 52%). The completion rate of radiotherapy during concurrent chemoradiotherapy was 100%, and the chemotherapy completion rate was 88%. During the therapy, 5 patients (8%) were interrupted but completed concurrent chemoradiotherapy in full dose, and 8 patients (12%) reduced the dose of concurrent chemotherapy due to the toxicities. During the chemoradiotherapy, 15 cases (23%) experienced grade 3-4 leukopenia, and 17 cases (26%) experienced grade 3-4 radiation dermatitis. No treatment-related death occurred during the treatment. The median follow-up time was 50.4 months (range: 4.4-142.2 months), local recurrence occurred in 7 cases (11%), distant metastasis occurred in 3 cases (5%), and the 5-year DFS, LRFFS and OS rates were 78.8%, 86.5% and 85.1%, respectively. Cox univariate analysis indicated that T stage was significantly associated with DFS ( P=0.006), and tended to be associated with OS ( P=0.054). Conclusions:Intensity-modulated radiotherapy combined with concurrent chemotherapy is an effective treatment for anal squamous cell carcinoma, with tolerable acute toxicities. T stage is an influencing factor of DFS in anal squamous cell carcinoma patients.

Objective:To investigate the effects of fluoride exposure on kidney injury in rats and the sirtuin 3 (SIRT3)-fork head protein O3a (FOXO3a)-tensin homolog induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1)/E3 ubiquitin ligase (PARKIN) pathway.Methods:Twenty-four 4-week-old SD rats (clean grade, body mass 100 - 150 g) were selected and divided into three groups according to the randomized numeric table: control group, low fluoride group, and high fluoride group, with eight rats in each group (half male and half female). The control group was given free access to tap water (fluoride ion concentration < 0.5 mg/L), while the low fluoride and high fluoride groups were given free access to tap water and sodium fluoride solutions with fluoride ion concentrations of 5.0 and 50.0 mg/L, respectively, for a period of 180 days. The formation of dental fluorosis in rats was observed and recorded, and the femur, urine and blood samples of rats were collected to measure bone fluoride, urinary fluoride, and blood fluoride levels, and to detect kidney function related indicators (serum uric acid, creatinine, and urea nitrogen contents). Morphological changes of renal tissues stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) were observed under a light microscope. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of renal SIRT3, FOXO3a, PINK1, PARKIN, microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3), autophagy receptor protein (P62), respectively.Results:Seven and one rats in the low and high fluoride groups were found to haveⅠdegree dental fluorosis, while zero and seven rats were found to haveⅡdegree dental fluorosis. Compared with the control group, rats in the low and high fluoride groups had higher levels of bone fluoride (μg/g: 1.18 ± 0.06, 2.16 ± 0.07 vs 0.52 ± 0.05), urinary fluoride (mg/L: 4.43 ± 0.11, 7.46 ± 0.09 vs 2.58 ± 0.14), blood fluoride (μg/ml: 0.77 ± 0.06, 1.68 ± 0.10 vs 0.52 ± 0.08), serum uric acid (μg/ml: 61.01 ± 4.17, 103.92 ± 5.43 vs 28.68 ± 2.91), creatinine (μg/ml: 74.82 ± 9.61, 132.05 ± 5.35 vs 22.38 ± 4.11), and urea nitrogen (μg/ml: 13.36 ± 1.27, 14.55 ± 0.34 vs 0.29 ± 0.07, P < 0.05). Under the light microscope, the kidneys of the control group showed tight and orderly arrangement of renal tubules and glomerular cells, with complete and clear cell contours. The low fluoride group was similar to the control group and no significant abnormalities were observed. The high fluoride group showed abnormal glomerular structure and atrophy, with some areas of renal tubules showing epithelial cell edema and unclear intercellular boundaries. The results of qRT-PCR assay showed that compared with the control group, the low and high fluoride groups had lower mRNA expression levels of SIRT3 (0.82 ± 0.03, 0.58 ± 0.02 vs 1.00 ± 0.08), P62 (0.75 ± 0.07, 0.28 ± 0.09 vs 1.00 ± 0.07, P < 0.05), and higher mRNA expression levels of FOXO3a (1.35 ± 0.04, 3.01 ± 0.23 vs 1.00 ± 0.08), PINK1 (1.58 ± 0.09, 3.28 ± 0.09 vs 1.00 ± 0.07), PARKIN (1.51 ± 0.04, 1.67 ± 0.10 vs 1.00 ± 0.05), LC3 (1.74 ± 0.07, 2.38 ± 0.18 vs 1.00 ± 0.08, P < 0.05). The results of Western blotting showed that compared with the control group, the low and high fluoride groups had lower protein expression levels of SIRT3 (0.91 ± 0.01, 0.55 ± 0.03 vs 1.00 ± 0.01), P62 (0.94 ± 0.27, 0.66 ± 0.38 vs 1.00 ± 0.19, P < 0.05), and higher protein expression levels of FOXO3a (1.14 ± 0.03, 1.22 ± 0.05 vs 1.00 ± 0.02), PINK1 (1.46 ± 0.03, 1.56 ± 0.03 vs 1.00 ± 0.05), PARKIN (1.98 ± 0.02, 2.33 ± 0.11 vs 1.00 ± 0.06), LC3 (4.10 ± 0.58, 4.93 ± 0.33 vs 1.00 ± 0.13, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Exposure to fluoride can cause renal tissue injury in rats, with downregulation of SIRT3 and P62 expression levels, and upregulation of FOXO3a, PINK1, PARKIN, and LC3 expression levels.