Learning environment as a predictor for medical students' empathy: a multicenter cross-sectional study from 12 medical schools in China.

Background: Empathy of medical students is crucial, yet it tends to decline as students enter later academic years. Empathy appeared to be affected by the learning environment (LE), which could be a potential contributor. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the association between LE and empathy.

[Literature research and discussion on properties of a new oversea-introduced traditional Chinese medicine Malaysian ginseng(Tongkat Ali)].

Tongkat Ali(Eurycoma longifolia Jack.) is a medicinal plant of Simaroubaceae in Southeast Asia, with centuries of medicinal history. Rich clinical and pharmacological research results have been attained for this plant, which demonstrates diverse and definite effects and high safety, showcasing advantages and broad market prospects to be introduced as a new medicinal plant.

Evaluation of the Breed Composition of Pork via Population Structure Analysis in Pigs.

The quality of pork meat directly influences the price and consumption. The genetic improvement of pigs has mainly focused on high productive efficiency, which has resulted in poor meat quality. Crossbreeds containing commercial and indigenous breeds could improve the meat quality, but identifying breed composition was difficult because of the lack of an ancestry reference panel.

Effect of pH on antitumor activity of Chinese cobra (Naja atra) cytotoxin-XII.

Unlabelled: Cytotoxins (CTXs), proteins found in cobra venom, selectively inhibit tumor cell proliferation. Herein, we selected CTX-XII because of its potent antitumor activity to investigate the effect of solution pH on its response. MTT assay results showed significantly higher inhibition rates for CTX-XII at pH 5.

Human birth tissue products as a non-opioid medicine to inhibit post-surgical pain.

Pain after surgery causes significant suffering. Opioid analgesics cause severe side effects and accidental death. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop non-opioid therapies for managing post-surgical pain.

Analysis of the effect of the quantity of inflow into Ebinur Lake on its ecological security.

The ecological security of lakes in arid areas is crucial for the sustainable development of regional society and the economy. The threat of dry lake-bottom dust and degradation of vegetation around lakes has become increasingly significant. This study proposes the maintenance of an optimal water surface area to ensure the ecological safety goals of Ebinur Lake.

Construction of a risk prediction model for axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer based on gray-scale ultrasound and clinical pathological features.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a model to predict the risk of axillary lymph node (ALN) metastasis in breast cancer patients, using gray-scale ultrasound and clinical pathological features.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 212 breast cancer patients who met the inclusion criteria from January 2011 to December 2021 was carried out. Clinical and pathological characteristics, including age, tumor size, pathological type, molecular subtype, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and proliferation cell nuclear antigen (Ki-67), were examined.

Validation of Peripheral Neuromodulation Mechanisms of Icariin in Knee Osteoarthritis-Related Chronic Pain.

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic degenerative joint disease-causing chronic pain and disability. Neuromodulation of subchondral bone affects KOA-related pain and involves dorsal root ganglion (DRG). Our previous studies have demonstrated efficacy of icariin (ICA) in treating KOA, but neuromodulation mechanisms in peripheral nerves associated with the treatment of chronic pain in KOA remain unclear.

Comparisons of efficacy and safety of 400 or 800 ml bacterial count fecal microbiota transplantation in the treatment of recurrent hepatic encephalopathy: a multicenter prospective randomized controlled trial in China.

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) represents a critical complications of end-stage liver disease, serving as an independent predictor of mortality among patients with cirrhosis. Despite effective treatment with rifaximin, some patients with HE still progress to recurrent episodes, posing a significant therapeutic challenge. Recurrent HE is defined as experiencing two or more episodes within a 6-month period.

HC-HA/PTX3 from Human Amniotic Membrane Induced Differential Gene Expressions in DRG Neurons: Insights into the Modulation of Pain.

The biologics derived from human amniotic membranes (AMs) demonstrate potential pain-inhibitory effects in clinical settings. However, the molecular basis underlying this therapeutic effect remains elusive. HC-HA/PTX3 is a unique water-soluble regenerative matrix that is purified from human AMs.

Correlation of enlarged perivascular spaces in basal ganglion and cancer-associated stroke: a case-control study in China.

Introduction: The incidence of cancer-associated ischaemic stroke (IS) is increasingly prevalent. This study aimed to assess the levels of enlarged perivascular spaces in basal ganglion (BG-EPVS) in cancer-associated patients who had a stroke compared with the control group, and to investigate the diagnostic utility of BG-EPVS in the context of cancer-associated stroke.

Method: A matched case-control study was conducted in Xiamen, China.

BIC/FTC/TAF Benefits People Living With HIV After Omicron Breakthrough Infection in Shortening Duration of Symptoms, Enhancing Specific Immune Response and Increasing Total CD4 Cells.

The clinical manifestations of variability in PLWH with SARS-CoV-2 acquired may be attributed to the use of ART drugs. Omicron breakthrough infection and reinfection in 27 PLWH treated with BIC/FTC/TAF and 51 PLWH treated with TDF/3TC/EFV were investigated, and humoral and cellular immunity after Omicron breakthrough infection were also compared. The results showed that Omicron breakthrough infection symptoms in BIC/FTC/TAF-treated had a shorter duration, and BIC/FTC/TAF could further reduce the duration of symptoms when re-infected.

Evaluation of genotype characteristics and drug resistance mutations in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B is one of the public health priorities worldwide, especially in the Southwest China. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between genotypes and drug resistance mutations among HBV patients in Southwest China, with the objective of providing guidance for clinical antiviral treatment. A total of 4266 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated in the Qianjiang Hospital of Chongqing University were included in our study from 2014 to 2020.

Protective mechanism of Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin in the treatment of osteoarthritis: Based on lncRNA XIST regulation of Nav1.7.

LncRNA XIST and Nav1.7 have been identified to be significantly associated with the onset of osteoarthritis. Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin (POG) has antiinflammatory and analgesic effects in treating osteoarthritis (OA).

Extracts of Drynariae Rhizoma Promote Bone Formation in OVX Rats through Modulating the Gut Microbiota.

Drynariae Rhizoma (DR) has been commonly used as a preventive and therapeutic agent for bone diseases. However, its pharmacological mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Here, we aimed to investigate the effects of DR in a bilateral ovariectomized (OVX) rat model and explore the correlation with the gut microbiome.

A randomized trial of early cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients receiving postoperative IMRT with or without serial cardiac dose constraints.

Optimal cardiac dose constraints in breast cancer (BC) patients undergoing postoperative intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) are unclear, although as low as possible is recommended. This trial proposes serial cardiac dose constraint to optimize cardiac safety. Postoperative BC patients eligible for anthracycline/taxanes-based chemotherapy or HER2-targeted therapy were randomized to cardiac safety arm with prespecified mean heart dose (MHD) (≤6 Gy), V30 (≤20%), and V10 (≤50%) constraints, or to a control arm with in-house protocol (mainly MHD ≤8 Gy).

Breast cancer-derived CAV1 promotes lung metastasis by regulating integrin α6β4 and the recruitment and polarization of tumor-associated neutrophils.

Lung metastasis in breast cancer (BC) patients is one of the main reasons for their high mortality rate. The most prevalent BC small extracellular vesicles (sEVs receptor, integrin α6β4, has been found to interact with surfactant-associated protein (SFTPC) in lung epithelial cells, making BC more likely to metastasize to the lung. Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) play an essential role in BC lung metastasis as a component of the lung pre-metastatic niche (PMN) with two sides.

Enhancing tumor immunotherapy via photodynamic therapy with a cascade reaction of reactive oxygen species and sustaining nutrient supply.

Photo-immunotherapy is a promising strategy for the treatment of malignancies; however, its efficacy is often limited by the low tumor immunogenicity and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). TME is typically deficient in L-arginine (L-Arg), which negatively impacts T cell survival and function. To address this issue, we developed a novel drug delivery system based on the multi-vesicular liposomes (MVLs) loaded with photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) and L-Arg (R), named R-ICG@MVLs.

Ventricular Arrhythmia Classification Using Similarity Maps and Hierarchical Multi-Stream Deep Learning.

Objective: Ventricular arrhythmias are the primary arrhythmias that cause sudden cardiac death. We address the problem of classification between ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF) and non-ventricular rhythms (NVR).

Methods: To address the challenging problem of the discrimination between VT and VF, we develop similarity maps - a novel set of features designed to capture regularity within an ECG trace.

Circular RNA-encoded oncogenic PIAS1 variant blocks immunogenic ferroptosis by modulating the balance between SUMOylation and phosphorylation of STAT1.

Background: The clinical response rate to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy in melanoma remains low, despite its widespread use. Circular non-coding RNAs (circRNAs) are known to play a crucial role in cancer progression and may be a key factor limiting the effectiveness of ICB treatment.

Methods: The circRNAs that were downregulated after coadministration compared with single administration of PD-1 inhibitor administration were identified through RNA-seq and Ribo-seq, and thus the circPIAS1 (mmu_circ_0015773 in mouse, has_circ_0008378 in human) with high protein coding potential was revealed.

Correction: An Experimental Analysis of the Molecular Effects of Trastuzumab (Herceptin) and Fulvestrant (Falsodex), as Single Agents or in Combination, on Human HR+/HER2+ Breast Cancer Cell Lines and Mouse Tumor Xenografts.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.