BACKGROUND:Ursolic acid can promote the directed differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts.However,there are few reports on whether ursolic acid has osteogenic effect on human periodontal ligament stem cells. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of ursolic acid on proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells. METHODS:The human periodontal ligament stem cells were isolated and cultured.Passage 3 cells were selected and treated with ordinary medium containing different concentrations(0,1,2,4,6,8 μmol/L)of ursolic acid.After intervention for 1,3,5,7 days,the cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 assay and the appropriate intervention concentration was screened.Passage 3 human periodontal ligament stem cells were treated with osteogenic induction solution containing 0,1,2,4 μmol/L ursolic acid,respectively.After 7 days of intervention,the mRNA expressions of alkaline phosphatase,Runx2,and osteocalcin were detected by qRT-PCR.After 14 days of intervention,the formation of mineralized nodules was observed by alizarin red staining.Passage 3 human periodontal ligament stem cells were taken and the control group was added with osteogenic induction solution;the ursolic acid group and the antagonist group were added with osteogenic induction solution containing ursolic acid(2 μmol/L)and the bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway antagonist Noggin,respectively.The ursolic acid+antagonist group was added with osteogenic induction solution containing ursolic acid(2 μmol/L)and Noggin,the inhibitor of bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway,and cultured for 7 days.qRT-PCR and western blot assay were used to detect the mRNA and protein expressions of bone morphogenetic protein 2,Smad1,osteopontin,and Runx2. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)1,2,4 μmol/L ursolic acid could promote the proliferation of human periodontal ligament stem cells.6,8 μmol/L ursolic acid could inhibit the proliferation of human periodontal ligament stem cells,and 1,2,4 μmol/L ursolic acid was selected to intervene in subsequent experiments.(2)Compared with 0 μmol/L,1,2,4 μmol/L ursolic acid could promote the expression of alkaline phosphatase,Runx2,and osteocalcin mRNA and the formation of mineralized nodules(P<0.05),and the effect of 2 μmol/L ursolic acid was the most significant.(3)Compared with the control group,the mRNA and protein expressions of bone morphogenetic protein 2,Smad1,osteopontin,and Runx2 in the ursolic acid group were increased(P<0.05),while mRNA and protein expressions of the above indexes were decreased in the antagonist group(P<0.05).Compared with the ursolic acid group,mRNA and protein expressions of above indexes were decreased in ursolic acid+antagonist group(P<0.05).(4)The results indicate that ursolic acid promotes osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells through bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway.

Objective:To explore the clinical application pathway of the CT generative adversarial networks (CTGANs) algorithm in mandibular reconstruction surgery, aiming to provide a valuable reference for this procedure.Methods:A clinical exploratory study was conducted, 27 patients who visited the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between January 2022 and January 2024 and required mandibular reconstruction were selected. The cohort included 16 males and 11 females, with the age of (46.6±11.5) years; among them, 7 cases involved mandibular defects crossing the midline. The CTGANs generator produced 100 images, and the mean squared error (MSE) was calculated for differences between any two generated images. Preoperative cone-beam CT data from 5 patients were used to construct a labeled test database, divided into groups: normal maxilla, normal mandible, diseased mandible, and noise (each group containing 70 cross-sectional images). The CTGANs discriminator was used to evaluate the loss values for each group, and one-way ANOVA and intergroup comparisons were performed. Using the self-developed KuYe multioutcome-option-network generation system (KMG) software, the three-dimensional (3D) completion area of the mandible under cone-beam CT was defined for the 27 patients. The CTGANs algorithm was applied to obtain a reference model for the mandible. Virtual surgery was then performed, utilizing the fibular segment to reconstruct the mandible and design the surgical expectation model. The second-generation combined bone-cutting and prebent reconstruction plate positioning method was used to design and 3D print surgical guides, which were subsequently applied in mandibular reconstruction surgery for the 27 patients. Postoperative cone-beam CT was used to compare the morphology of the reconstructed mandible with the surgical expectation model and the mandibular reference model to assess the three-dimensional deviation.Results:The MSE for the CTGANs generator was 2 411.9±833.6 (95% CI: 2 388.7-2 435.1). No significant difference in loss values was found between the normal mandible and diseased mandible groups ( P>0.05), while both groups demonstrated significantly lower loss values than the maxilla and noise groups ( P<0.001). All 27 patients successfully obtained mandibular reference models and surgical expectation models. In total, 14 162 negative deviation points and 15 346 positive deviation points were observed when comparing the reconstructed mandible morphology with the surgical expectation model, with mean deviations of -1.32 mm (95% CI:-1.33- -1.31 mm) and 1.90 mm (95% CI: 1.04-1.06 mm), respectively. Conclusions:The CTGANs algorithm is capable of generating diverse mandibular reference models that reflect the natural anatomical characteristics of the mandible and closely match individual patient morphology, thereby facilitating the design of surgical expectation models. This method shows promise for application in patients with mandibular defects crossing the midline.

Objective To understand current epidemic trend of coronavirus disease-2019(COVID-19)in Anhui province in the optimization policy stage,and to analyze the pathogenic characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)in different population.Methods Using a cross-sectional survey design,from December 19 to 20,2022,an online questionnaire survey was conducted among residents of Anhui province through the official Wechat public accounts of provincial and municipal institutions with high traffic,to collect infor-mation on the incidence and clinic situation of COVID-19.The chi-square test was used to compare the proportion of COVID-19 suspected symptoms in different regions,ages and occupations.Results A total of 69 014 question-naires were distributed and 68 232 valid questionnaires were recovered with an effective rate of 98.97％.The pro-portion of the participants with COVID-19 suspected symptoms in the past 2 weeks was 51.37％,of which 77.88％self-medicated at home.The top three cities were Bozhou,Fuyang and Bengbu.The age group of 15-59 had the highest proportion of COVID-19 suspected symptoms(51.96％).Among various occupations,service providers had the highest proportion of COVID-19 suspected symptoms(61.07％).70.20％of the respondents felt anxious about the infection of SARS-CoV-2 and thought it was more serious than the flu.Conclusion The relatively high number of the infected cases and the anxiety of the people are all challenges faced by Anhui province in the stage of optimizing policies.Under the new situation of the epidemic,it is necessary to continuously monitor the local preva-lent strains and strengthen the monitoring of clinical symptoms of the infected cases,and effectively control the speed of the virus spread through public health policies and various economic and publicity measures,so as not to cause a run on medical resources and excessive excess deaths.

Objective To explore the current situation and future trends of CAR-T related clinical trials in China and to provide references for CAR-T therapy development.Methods Retrieving all CAR-T related clinical project information registered in the ChiCTR and the Drug Clinical Trial Registration and Information Disclosure Platform of the NMPA.Employing a bibliometric approach to analyze the registered projects,including registration titles,registration dates,registration types,studied diseases,targets,clinical trial information for market application,and status of approved CAR-T therapies.This analysis aims to discern the characteristics and current state of domestic CAR-T clinical trials in China.Results 277 studies were registered in the center,with a significant concentration in Jiangsu,Shanghai,Guangdong,and Hubei provinces.Among these,there were 163 interventional studies and 114 observational studies,with only five studies involving sample sizes of over 100 participants.The primary source of funding is predominantly corporate sponsorship(50.5%);The primary indications are hematological malignancies,constituting 73.3%(203/277);In single-target studies,CD19 accounts for 43%(79/183),while BCMA represents 9%(17/183);There are 27 registered projects on the platform,encompassing 14 distinct varieties.Out of these,only two have achieved market authorization.The sponsoring entities for 26 out of the 27 projects are domestic enterprises;Phase I or II studies comprise a significant majority,accounting for 96%(26/27).China has introduced three approved CAR-T therapies to the market,with two of them originating from domestic enterprises.Conclusions Most CAR-T research in China is primarily concentrated in regions with well-developed medical resources and is predominantly led by domestic enterprises.This concentration is particularly pronounced in the treatment of hematological malignancies.Presently,most studies are still in the clinical trial phase.Given the relatively recent registration timeframe,it will take some time to transition from completing research to seeking market authorization.

Objective To investigate the expression of long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)colon cancer associ-ated transcript 2(CCAT2)and N-myc downstream regulated gene(NDRG)1 in colorectal cancer(CRC)tis-sues and their relationship with clinicopathological features and prognosis.Methods A total of 96 patients with CRC who underwent radical surgery in Nantong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from February 2018 to February 2020 were selected as the research objects.Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of lncRNA CCAT2 and NDRG1 in tissues.The expression of NDRG1 protein was detected by immunohistochemistry.Kaplan-Meier curve was used to analyze the prognosis differences of patients with different lncRNA CCAT2 and NDRG1 mRNA expression groups.Multivariate Cox regression was used to an-alyze the prognostic factors of CRC.Results The expression of lncRNA CCAT2 in cancer tissues was higher than that in adjacent tissues,and the expression of NDRG1 mRNA and protein was lower than that in adjacent tissues(P＜0.05).The expression of lncRNA CCAT2 was higher and the expression of NDRG1 mRNA was lower in TNM stage Ⅲ CRC patients with lymph node metastasis than in TNM stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ CRC patients without lymph node metastasis(P＜0.05).The 3-year cumulative survival rate of lncRNA CCAT2 high ex-pression group was lower than that of lncRNA CCAT2 low expression group,while the 3-year cumulative sur-vival rate of NDRG1 mRNA high expression group was higher than that of NDRG1 mRNA low expression group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).TNM stage,lymph node metastasis,lncRNA CCAT2 and NDRG1 mRNA were the prognostic factors of CRC(P＜0.05).Conclusion The expression of lncRNA CCAT2 is increased and the expression of NDRG1 is decreased in CRC tissues.Both lncrna CCAT2 and NDRG1 are involved in the progression of CRC and can be used as new indicators for evaluating the sur-vival and prognosis of CRC patients.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF MS)in rapid detection of carbapenemase produced by Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Methods A total of 60 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae and 80 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from Pizhou People's Hospital affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University from January 2022 to October 2023 were collected,including 30 strains of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(CRKP),30 strains of carbapenem-sensitive Klebsiella pneumoniae(CSKP),50 strains of carbapenem-resistant Pseudo-monas aeruginosa(CRPA)and 30 strains of carbapenem-sensitive Pseudomonas aeruginosa(CSPA).Three detection methods were applied,i.e.,modified carbapenem inactivation method(mCIM),colloidal gold immunochromatography and Autof MS 1000 mass spectrometry identification system to evaluate the ability of Autof MS 1000 mass spectrometry identification system in detecting carbape-nase production of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Results The results of Autof MS 1000 mass spectrometry iden-tification system were consistent with those of both mCIM and colloidal gold immunochromatography.Carbapenemase was detected in 28 of the 30 CRKP strains,and it was negative in 2 CRKP strains.Carbapenamase was detected in 15 of the 50 CRPA strains and it was negative in 35 CRPA strains.Thirty strains of CSKP and 30 strains of CSPA were all Carbapenemase negative.The coincidence rate of the results of the three methods in the detection for carbapenase was 100％.Conclusion The result of Autof MS 1000 mass spectrome-try identification system has been consistent with those of mCIM and colloidal gold immunochromatography.It not only has the charac-teristics of cost-saving compare with of mCIM method,but also hold the advantages of fast speed and high accuracy of colloidal gold im-munochromatography method.Thus,Autof MS 1000 system can be used for the rapid identification of carbapenemase produced by Kleb-siella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

To investigate the effect of mitochondrial division inhibitor 1(Mdivi-1)on imiquimod(IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation in mice and its mechanism,female 8-week-old C57BU6 mice were recruited and randomly divided into control group,IMQ model group,IMQ+Mdivi-1 experiment group.IMQ was used to induce the psoriasis-like skin inflammation model in mice.The mice in the experiment group were injected intraperitoneally(i.p.)with Mdivi-1,and the mice in the control group and model group were injected with the same volume of solvent.The mice were sacrificed on the 7th day for sampling.Psoriasis area and severity index(PASI)score was used to evaluate the severity of skin lesions in each group;the reactive oxygen species(R0S)content in skin tissue was detected by fluorescence staining of frozen section;HE staining was used to observe the histomorphologic change of skin lesions;immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of dynamin-related protein 1(Drp1)in the skin of mice;Western blot was used to detect the protein levels of Drp1,NLRP3 and IL-1β in the skin tissues of mice in each group;and the expressions of IL-17A and IL-18 in mouse serum were detected by ELISA.Data showed that the model group had typical psoriatic lesions such as erythema,scale and thickening,and the Mdivi-1 group demonstrated obvious reduction of the lesions.The PASI score of the experiment group was significantly lower than that of the model group.HE staining indicated that the epidermal thickness of the back skin in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the model group,and Munro microabscess was significantly reduced.R0S fluorescence staining indicated that ROS content in the experiment group was significantly lower than that in the model group;immunohistochemical results showed that the expression of Drp1 protein in the experiment group was significantly lower than that in the model group;Western blot results showed that the expression levels of Drp1,NLRP3 and IL-1 β in the experiment group were significantly lower than those in the model group;ELISA results indicated that the expressions of IL-17A and IL-18 in serum of mice in the experiment group were lower than those in the model group.Taken together,Mdivi-1 can reduce mitochondrial damage and ROS production by inhibiting the expression of Drp1,thereby reducing the production of NLRP3 inflammasome,down-regulating IL-1 β,IL-18 and IL-17A,and alleviating the IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation in mice.

Objective:To systematically appraise and summarize existing evidence on enteral nutrition in patients receiving radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.Methods:Based on the 6S Pyramid of Evidence-based Resources, a systematic search was conducted to identify guidelines, expert consensuses, and evidence summaries related to enteral nutrition for radiotherapy patients with head and neck cancer published from January 2018 to September 2023. The search covered relevant websites of guidelines, websites of academic societies, and databases (in Chinese and English). Literature screening, quality assessment, and data extraction were performed independently by the researchers.Results:A total of 19 studies were included, consisting of 10 guidelines, 7 expert consensuses, and 2 evidence summaries. Four aspects and 67 items of best evidence on organizational management, nutritional screening and assessment, enteral nutritional intervention programs, and monitoring and follow-up were summarized.Conclusion:This study summarized the best evidence for enteral nutrition in patients receiving radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, which can inform the standardized nutritional management and promote the translation of evidence-based knowledge into practice.

Electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring owns important clinical value in diagnosis, prevention and rehabilitation of cardiovascular disease (CVD). With the rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT), big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies, wearable ECG is playing an increasingly important role. With the aging process of the population, it is more and more urgent to upgrade the diagnostic mode of CVD. Using AI technology to assist the clinical analysis of long-term ECGs, and thus to improve the ability of early detection and prediction of CVD has become an important direction. Intelligent wearable ECG monitoring needs the collaboration between edge and cloud computing. Meanwhile, the clarity of medical scene is conducive for the precise implementation of wearable ECG monitoring. This paper first summarized the progress of AI-related ECG studies and the current technical orientation. Then three cases were depicted to illustrate how the AI in wearable ECG cooperate with the clinic. Finally, we demonstrated the two core issues-the reliability and worth of AI-related ECG technology and prospected the future opportunities and challenges.
Humans ; Artificial Intelligence ; Reproducibility of Results ; Electrocardiography ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Wearable Electronic Devices

OBJECTIVE Alzheimer disease(AD)is a neurodegenerative disease with clinical hallmarks of pro-gressive cognitive impairment.Synergistic effects of Aβ-tau cascade reaction are tightly implicated in AD patholo-gy,and microglial NLRP3 inflammasome activation drives neuronal tauopathy through microglia and neurons cross-talk.However,the underlying mechanism of how Aβ medi-ates NLRP3 inflammasome remains unclear.Shab related potassium channel member 1(Kv2.1)as a voltage gated po-tassium channel widely distributed in the central nervous system and plays an important role in regulating the out-ward potassium flow in neurons and glial cells.In current work,we aimed to explore the underlying mechanism of Kv2.1 in regulating Aβ/NLRP3 inflammasome/tau axis by using a determined Kv2.1 inhibitor drofenine(Dfe).METHODS Cell-based assays including Western blot-ting and immunofluorescence staining against primary microglia or neurons were carried out to expound the role of Kv2.1 channel in NLRP3 inflammasome activa-tion and subsequent neuronal tau hyperphosphorylation.For animal studies,new object recognition,Y-maze and Morris water maze were performed to evaluate the ame-lioration of Kv2.1 inhibition through either Kv2.1 inhibitor Dfe treatment or adeno-associated virus AAV-ePHP-si-Kv2.1injectionon5×FADADmodel mice.Assays of histol-ogy and immunostaining of tissue sections and Western blotting of brain tissues were performed to verify the con-clusion of cellular assays.RESULTS We reported that oligomeric Aβ(o-Aβ)bound to microglial Kv2.1 and pro-moted Kv2.1-dependent potassium leakage to activate NLRP3 inflammasome through JNK/NF-κB pathway sub-sequently resulting in neuronal tauopathy.Treatment of either Kv2.1 inhibitor Dfe or AAV-ePHP-si-Kv2.1 for brain-specific Kv2.1 knockdown deprived o-A β of its capability in inducing microglial NLRP3 inflammasome activation and neuronal tau hyperphosphorylation,while improved the cognitive impairment of 5×FAD AD model mice.CONCLUSION Our results have highly addressed that Kv2.1 channel is required for o-Aβ driving NLRP3 inflammasome activation and neuronal tauopathy in AD model mice and highlighted that Kv2.1 inhibition is a prom-ising therapeutical strategy for AD and Dfe as a Kv2.1 inhibitor shows potential in the treatment of this disease.