Therapy Research Articles

Effects of Supervised Exercise Therapy on Muscle Function During Walking in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease

Background: Although supervised exercise therapy (SET) is a primary treatment for peripheral artery disease (PAD), the current literature is limited regarding the mechanisms contributing to increased walking distances, including how lower extremity muscle function is altered after SET. This study aimed to investigate the effects of SET on lower extremity muscle function during walking in patients with PAD. Methods: Twelve patients with PAD participated in a 6-month SET program consisting of three weekly exercise sessions (a total of 72 sessions) and adhered to the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) recommendations. Each session started with a 5 min warm-up of mild walking and static stretching of upper and lower body muscles, followed by 50 min of intermitted exercise on a treadmill, and then finished with 5 min of cool-down activities similar to the warm-up. Each patient walked across a 10 m pathway with reflective markers on their lower limbs twice: before (baseline) and after six months of participation in SET (post-exercise). Marker coordinates and ground reaction forces were recorded and imported to OpenSim software (version 4.0) for gait simulations. Muscle force, muscle power, and metabolic rate were estimated from OpenSim and compared between the baseline and post-exercise. Results: The mean plantar flexor force was not altered after SET. However, individuals’ plantar flexor muscles demonstrated improvements in force production (lateral gastrocnemius: 75–80% of stance, Cohen’s d = 0.20–0.43; medial gastrocnemius: 65–85% of stance, Cohen’s d = 0.20–0.71; soleus: 90–95% of stance, Cohen’s d = 0.20–0.26). Furthermore, plantar flexor power increased (80–95% of stance, Cohen’s d = 0.20–0.39) and this was attributed to increased power in the lateral gastrocnemius (80–85% of stance, Cohen’s d = 0.20–0.47), medial gastrocnemius (80–90% of stance, Cohen’s d = 0.22–0.60), and soleus muscles (85–95% of stance, Cohen’s d = 0.20–0.49). Similarly, other muscle groups (knee extensors, knee flexors, hip abductors, hip adductors, hip extensors, and hip flexors) also exhibited force and power increases after SET. Additionally, force and power variances were significantly decreased in several muscle groups (plantar flexors, knee extensors, hip abductors, hip external rotators, hip extensors, and hip flexors). Total metabolic rate also increased during the stance period where muscle force and power were elevated after SET (early stance: 5–25%, Cohen’s d = 0.20–0.82; mid stance: 35–45%, Cohen’s d = 0.20–0.47; late stance: 75–80%, Cohen’s d = 0.20–0.36). Conclusions: Our results suggest that from a biomechanics perspective, muscle functions during walking are improved in patients with PAD after SET; however, the improvements were generally small and were not reflected by all muscle groups.

Using different zebrafish models to explore liver regeneration

The liver possesses an impressive capability to regenerate following various injuries. Given its profound implications for the treatment of liver diseases, which afflict millions globally, liver regeneration stands as a pivotal area of digestive organ research. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has emerged as an ideal model organism in regenerative medicine, attributed to their remarkable ability to regenerate tissues and organs, including the liver. Many fantastic studies have been performed to explore the process of liver regeneration using zebrafish, especially the extreme hepatocyte injury model. Biliary-mediated liver regeneration was first discovered in the zebrafish model and then validated in mammalian models and human patients. Considering the notable expansion of biliary epithelial cells in many end-stage liver diseases, the promotion of biliary-mediated liver regeneration might be another way to treat these refractory liver diseases. To date, a comprehensive review discussing the current advancements in zebrafish liver regeneration models is lacking. Therefore, this review aims to investigate the utility of different zebrafish models in exploring liver regeneration, highlighting the genetic and cellular insights gained and discussing the potential translational impact on human health.

Interferon Regulatory Factors (IRF1, IRF4, IRF5, IRF7 and IRF9) in Sichuan taimen (Hucho bleekeri): Identification and Functional Characterization

Background/Objectives: Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) are multifunctional transcription factors that play important roles in the transcriptional regulation of interferons and in the immune response to pathogens. Therefore, studying the interferon system in fish is highly relevant in the prevention and treatment of viral diseases. Methods: In this study, five IRF genes (IRF1, IRF4, IRF5, IRF7 and IRF9) were identified and characterized in Hucho bleekeri, and their expression profiles were determined after LPS and Poly(I:C) treatment. Results: These IRFs have typical DNA-binding domains and IRF-association domains. Amino acid sequence comparison revealed high homology between these IRFs and those of other vertebrates, with the highest homology being with other salmonid fish. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these IRFs are divided into four subfamilies (IRF1, IRF3, IRF4 and IRF5), with both IRF4 and IRF9 belonging to the IRF4 subfamily. IRF genes were widely expressed in all of the tested tissues, with IRF1, IRF4 and IRF9 being highly expressed in the spleen and kidney and IRF5 and IRF7 highly expressed in the gonads. IRF1, IRF4 and IRF5 expression was induced at different time points post-LPS challenge. IRF7 and IRF9 expression in the spleen and head kidney was not significantly altered by LPS induction. Poly(I:C) treatment altered IRF expression more significantly than LPS treatment. Poly(I:C) significantly altered the spleen and head kidney expression of all five IRFs. Conclusions: These findings reveal the potential role of IRFs in the antiviral response of H. bleekeri and provide a reference for examining signal transduction pathways in the interferon system in fish.

Resins Covering Medicinally Activated Plants and Their Significance in Medicinal cum Pharmaceutical Areas: An Overview

Resins are important chemical constituents over other components in medicinal plants. They have maintained the different functions of plants as well as used for treatment of different diseases. Different variations of resins like oleoresins, oleogum-resins, glycoresins, balsams, acid resins, ester resins, alcoholic resins are precursor components among resins. Various plant show the resins as rich sources like Capsicum, Ginger, Jalap, Guggul, Myrrh, Cannabis, Asafoetida, Haridra, Colocynth, Kaladana etc. Those plants are grown and cultivated in all over the World. Those plants are belonging from various families like Umbelliferae, Solanaceae, Zingiberaceae, Cannabinaceae, etc. The resins are basically extracted out from different parts of the plants. Some resins are used for the treatment of ulcer, wounds, rheumatism, cancer, constipation, inflammation, arthritis, motion sickness worms in body. Besides, they are also used as astringent, antiseptic, diuretic, purgative, carminative, expectorant, antipruritic, hypolipidemic, cathartic, stomachic, appetizer, sedative, spice, condiment, flavoring agent, etc. The review article highlighted that definition, importance, various classification systems and distribution of resins among different plants from various families in all over the World.

Therapeutic potential of natural coumarins in autoimmune diseases with underlying mechanisms

Autoimmune diseases encompass a wide range of disorders characterized by disturbed immunoregulation leading to the development of specific autoantibodies, which cause inflammation and multiple organ involvement. However, its pathogenesis remains unelucidated. Furthermore, the cumulative medical and economic burden of autoimmune diseases is on the rise, making these diseases a ubiquitous global phenomenon that is predicted to further increase in the coming decades. Coumarins, a class of aromatic natural products with benzene and alpha-pyrone as their basic structures, has good therapeutic effects on autoimmune diseases. In this review, we systematically highlighted the latest evidence on coumarins and autoimmune diseases data from clinical and animal studies. Coumarin acts on immune cells and cytokines and plays a role in the treatment of autoimmune diseases by regulating NF-κB, Keap1/Nrf2, MAPKs, JAK/STAT, Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/AKT, Notch and TGF-β/Smad signaling pathways. This systematic review will provide insight into the interaction of coumarin and autoimmune diseases, and will lay a groundwork for the development of new drugs for autoimmune diseases.

Osa-miR168a, a Plant miRNA That Survives the Process of In Vivo Food Digestion, Attenuates Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis in Mice by Oral Administration.

Previous studies showed that osa-miR168a, a plant miRNA rich in fruits and vegetables, had cross-kingdom biological effects on immunocytes, silkworms, and rodents. In this study, the effects of miR168a on mouse colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) were investigated. The results showed that miR168a oligomers were resistant during the process of food digestion, ending up with a residual concentration of 67.8 ± 11.2 fM in mouse intestines 4 h after oral gavage. More importantly, direct oral administration of the miRNA to the colitis mice significantly ameliorated the progression of the disease, as evidenced by the reduction in DAI score, histopathological lesions, and proinflammatory cytokines. Repairing intestinal barrier function by promoting the regeneration of TJ proteins and the mucus layer, suppressing oxidative stress and colonic inflammation via modulating Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathways, and restoring the imbalanced gut microbiota caused by DSS are proposed mechanisms behind the anticolitis activity of miR168a. This study provided new evidence of the cross-kingdom regulatory effects of dietary miRNAs, suggesting the potential of the plant miRNA for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.

The effect of a new coronavirus infection on hemogram parameters in the early convalescence period of patients with coronary heart disease

Laboratory data, especially a general blood test, play an important role in the treatment of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. However, in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and COVID-19, a general blood test is rarely analyzed and is insufficient to fully assess an impact of the new coronavirus infection on patients with cardiac diseases. The aim of the study was to analyze a COVID-19 effect on hemogram parameters in the early recovery period of patients with coronary heart disease. The study was performed at the Kursk City Clinical Hospital for Emergency Medical Care in the years 2021–2022, which involved 58 mature-aged patients (45–59 years old) suffering from coronary heart disease who had a new coronavirus infection and 62 elderly patients suffering from coronary heart disease alone. Morning blood sampling was carried out from the forearm superficial veins into Vacutainer test tubes added with a coagulation activator. In elderly patients, 3–4 weeks after recovery, significant changes in red blood parameters persisted — a decline in the level of peripheral blood erythrocytes, hemoglobin and hematocrit. Elderly patients with coronary heart disease comorbid with a moderate new coronavirus infection, 3–4 weeks later had also higher count of leukocytes, neutrophils, segmented neutrophils and ESR level relative to comparison group. It should be noted that in the early convalescence period elderly patients with coronary heart disease and COVID-19 had significantly elevated ESR, which confirms ongoing sustained inflammatory process. After evaluating the information content according to the calculated Kullback informativeness assessment for analyzed general blood test parameters, it was found to peak for platelet and leukocyte counts as well as ESR level. Thus, among the analyzed indicators in the general blood test, it turned out that platelet and leukocyte count along with ESR level were most informative and of prognostic significance during early convalescent period of elderly patients with coronary heart disease comorbid with a new coronavirus infection, which are proposed to be used as biomarkers of early convalescent period.

Role of Dual GIP and GLP-1 Receptor Agonist, Tirzepatide in the Management of Weight Loss; A Systematic Review.

The eventuality of tirzepatide, a binary GIP and GLP- 1 receptor agonist, as a treatment for rotundity and metabolic diseases is addressed in this comprehensive review. A definition of tirzepatide is that it is an implicit intervention for rotundity, given its effectualness per the cure-dependent effect. Beyond the beneficial effects on body weight loss, tirzepatide also brings about an improvement in lipid biographies and insulin perceptivity, in harmony with binary receptor activation. Assaying data from seven phases 3 trials, it's constantly shown that tirizepatide reduces body weight in a significant and clinically meaningful way for a variety of party biographies and lengths of time. The drug's effect was supported by its favorable safety profile, which shows low prevalence rates of common adverse goods. Its efficacy in the management of type 2 diabetes is supported by relative evaluations, underscoring the inevitability of its breakthrough as a therapeutic volition. Treatment individualization is key, as evidenced by the tailor-made response proposed by group analysis based on birth BMI. The efficacy, safety, and demand for personalized treatment plans of tirzepatide are each supported in recommendations for clinical practice. Tirzepatide's eventuality as a long-term strategy for habitual rotundity is corroborated by long-term follow-up studies that show sustained weight loss. Indeed with these encouraging results, further study and clinical experience are demanded to completely comprehend the safety, optimal integration, and long-term effectiveness of tirzepatide in a multiplicity of patient populations.

Safety and efficacy of combined acetabular reconstruction and microwave ablation in the treatment of periacetabular metastatic disease: a retrospective clinical evaluation

IntroductionThe periacetabular bone defects caused by metastatic disease often necessitate acetabular reconstruction and various techniques have been employed with varying degrees of success. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acetabular reconstruction in conjunction with adjuvant microwave ablation as a surgical intervention for patients with periacetabular metastases.MethodsBetween January 2019 and September 2023, 17 consecutive patients with different tumor subtypes required surgical intervention for periacetabular metastases. The acetabular reconstruction was performed by utilizing an acetabular reconstructive cage and cement total hip arthroplasty with microwave ablation. A retrospective review was performed to assess pain relief, intraoperative details and postoperative complications. Functional status following procedures was determined by the 1993 Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score and the overall survival of patients was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysisResultsIn total, 8 males and 9 females were included with an average age of 48.6 years (range 34-66). Patients reported a significant improvement in the level of pain and the mean VAS score declined from 7.7 preoperatively to 2.2 postoperatively. Of the 17 patients, 16 could ambulate either independently (6 patients) or using a walking aid (10 patients) with a mean MSTS score of 18.9. The median follow‐up was 9.0 months. Nine patients were alive at the most recent follow-up with overall survival of 40.9% at 12 months and 30.7% at 36 months, respectively.ConclusionIn selected patients with periacetabular metastasis, the utilization of an acetabular cage and cement total hip arthroplasty presents a less invasive reconstruction technique. The incorporation of adjuvant microwave ablation has shown promise in providing long-lasting pain relief, reducing intraoperative bleeding, and improving local tumor control. However, further research and extended follow-up are necessary to establish the effectiveness of this procedure.

Understanding the Risk Factors, Burden, and Interventions for Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

ObjectiveThis scoping review aims to identify risk factors for COPD and asthma, examine the burden and intervention measures, and clarify the findings in the context of climate change, with a particular focus on LMICs.MethodsFollowing the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we conducted a scoping review using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus, focusing on studies published from 2011 to 2024.ResultsOur review included 52 studies that encompassed 244,004 participants. Predominantly conducted in SSA (n = 43, 83%) and Asia (n = 16, 31%), they address indoor and ambient air pollution, occupational hazards, and environmental conditions. Climate change exacerbates risks, varying regionally. SSA faces severe household and occupational exposures, while other LMICs deal with industrial and urban pollution. Stigma, social exclusion and economic burden underscore the necessity for intervention strategies (e.g., educational programs, pulmonary rehabilitation, low-emission cookstoves).ConclusionOur research shows a strong link between air pollution, occupational and environmental exposures, and the prevalence of COPD and asthma in LMICs. It suggests that targeted interventions are effective ways to mitigate these diseases and also highlights the significant impact of climate change on respiratory health.

Interpreting epidemiologic distribution of total and specific IgE levels for food allergy in Southern China from 2004 to 2023: understanding the mechanisms and focusing on prevention

BackgroundThe burgeoning prevalence of food allergy-related diseases is closely associated with geographical allergen distribution and societal lifestyle paradigms. This study aims to shed light on the distribution patterns of specific IgE (sIgE) and total IgE (tIgE) reactivity to common food allergens in the Southern Chinese populace.MethodsEmploying an analytical technique spanning two decades, we conducted specific IgE and total IgE on serum samples harvested from patients with food allergy-related pathologies at First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from 2004 to 2023. This comprehensive examination of eight prototypical food allergens: egg white, milk, wheat, sesame, peanut, soybean, shrimp, and crab.ResultsOur analysis showed a 100% positivity rate for sIgE and an 86.54% positivity rate for tIgE. Milk had the highest positive response rate, followed by egg white and shrimp. Age-stratified data indicated that milk sensitization peaked in children aged 2 years or younger, while egg white sensitization peaked between 3 and 5 years of age. Sensitization rates for the remaining six allergens increased with age. Additionally, co-sensitization was observed between milk, egg white, crab, and shrimp with other allergens.ConclusionIn common allergens of Southern China, egg white, milk, and shrimp ascend as the dominant subjects, underlining their imperative role in food allergy pathogenesis. This landscape-wide allergenic profiling, segregated across age clusters and enhanced by co-sensitization data, augments our power for early diagnosis and strategic intervention in food allergy diseases.

The Effectiveness of Applying Artificial Intelligence in Sick Children’s Communication

Pediatric nursing students are required to be taught how to overcome their own psychological stress during their internship in order to understand sick children’s emotional reactions, as well as to be able to interact and communicate with such children. This quasi-experimental study proves that the application of AI image health education e-books by the nursing teacher is more effective than traditional paper handout teaching materials in improving nursing students’ self-efficacy when using therapeutic games to deal with and reduce sick children’s fears of medical examinations and treatments (p < 0.05). AI-driven tools can enable the development of personalized e-learning materials that target specific areas for cognitive improvement. This targeted approach can enhance knowledge retention and skill development, resulting in better-prepared healthcare professionals.

Carotid artery stenosis: diagnosis and guidelines for management

In carotid artery stenosis, the carotid arteries become blocked by fatty cholesterol deposits. Older individuals with high cardiovascular risk are disproportionately susceptible to this condition, for which risk factors include smoking, high cholesterol, male sex, and older age. When the vascular endothelium is damaged by the above-mentioned causes, low-density lipoproteins invade the inside of the endothelium and undergo an oxidation process. Monocytes infiltrate the endothelium in response to oxidized low-density lipoproteins and transform into lipid-laden macrophages, thereby activating inflammatory responses. As this inflammatory reaction progresses further, various decomposing enzymes are secreted, causing the atherosclerotic plaque to rupture and various thrombogenic materials to be secreted into the blood, resulting in the formation of blood clots and vascular stenosis or occlusion. This can cause symptoms ranging from mild, such as blurred-vision, to severe, such as life-threatening stroke. Carotid artery stenosis accounts for approximately 10% of all strokes. Therefore, early diagnosis and appropriate management are very important. When choosing between medical and surgical treatment, it is necessary to consider various factors, such as patient characteristics, symptoms, risk factors, and imaging results. In this review, we discuss the pathophysiology of carotid artery stenosis, risk factors, and the importance of prompt diagnosis and treatment. In particular, we focus on how to determine the need for treatment and select management methods for each individual patient.

A Comprehensive Case Report: Managing Severe Hemolytic Anemia with Collaborative Medical and Nursing Interventions

Assessment: A 30-year-old woman with severe hemolytic anemia arrived at the ER with a critically low hemoglobin level of 2.1 g/dL, leading to an immediate packed red blood cell transfusion. After stabilization, she was moved to the ICU due to her deteriorating condition. The assessment covered respiratory health, cardiovascular markers, fluid/nutrition balance, physical exam, and X-ray results. Importantly, her Glasgow Coma Scale score showed altered consciousness.

Biportal Endoscopic Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion: The Double-Cage Technique

Biportal endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (BETLIF) is a novel spinal fusion procedure using the unilateral biportal endoscopic technique. The hydrostatic pressure of saline irrigation suppresses bleeding, enabling us to perform delicate surgery in a crystal-clear and magnified surgical field with almost no bleeding. Adequate neural decompression, disc space preparation, and bony endplate preservation can be achieved safely. The sturdy endplate reduces the incidence of cage subsidence and provides good initial stability. We use 2 interbody fusion cages and a large amount of bone graft to promote fusion. Reduction of the spondylolisthesis can also be achieved using a modern pedicle screw system. This article presents a step-by-step demonstration of the BETLIF technique in a 68-year-old patient with degenerative scoliosis and spondylolisthesis at L4-5, including his clinical presentation and treatment results. BETLIF is a safe, effective, and revolutionary minimally invasive solution for spinal fusion. Its advantages include a magnificent surgical field, direct decompression, minimum blood loss, radical discectomy, meticulous endplate preparation, cage insertion under direct visual control, and excellent treatment results with a high fusion rate and few complications.

Unveiling the nexus: pyroptosis and its crucial implications in liver diseases.

Pyroptosis, a distinctive form of programmed cell death orchestrated by gasdermin proteins, manifests as cellular rupture, accompanied by the release of inflammatory factors. While pyroptosis is integral to anti-infection immunity, its aberrant activation has been implicated in tumorigenesis. The liver, as the body's largest metabolic organ, is rich in various enzymes and governs metabolism. It is also the primary site for protein synthesis. Recent years have witnessed the emergence of pyroptosis as a significant player in the pathogenesis of specific liver diseases, exerting a pivotal role in both physiological and pathological processes. A comprehensive exploration of pyroptosis can unveil its contributions to the development and regression of conditions such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, offering innovative perspectives for clinical prevention and treatment. This review consolidates current knowledge on key molecules involved in cellular pyroptosis and delineates their roles in liver diseases. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of leveraging pyroptosis as a novel or existing anti-cancer strategy.

CYP2C19 Genetic Variants and Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review

Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects over 300 million people globally and has a multifactorial etiology. The CYP2C19 enzyme, involved in metabolizing certain antidepressants, can influence treatment response. Following the PRISMA protocol and PECOS strategy, this systematic review assessed the variation in common CYP2C19 gene variants’ frequencies across populations with MDD, evaluating their impact on clinical characteristics and treatment response. We comprehensively searched five databases, identifying 240 articles, of which only nine within the last decade met our inclusion criteria. Except for one study that achieved 74.28% of STROPS items, the rest met at least 75% of GRIPS and STROPS guidelines for quality and bias risk assessment. The CYP2C19’s *1 allele, the *1/*1 genotype, and the NM phenotype, considered as references, were generally more frequent. Other CYP2C19 polymorphism frequencies exhibit significant variability across different populations. Some studies associated variants with MDD development, a more extended history of depression, prolonged depressive episodes, and symptom severity, while others reported no such association. Some studies confirmed variants’ effects on escitalopram and citalopram metabolism but not that of other drugs, such as sertraline, venlafaxine, and bupropion. Treatment tolerability and symptom improvement also varied between studies. Despite some common findings, inconsistencies highlight the need for further research to clarify the role of these polymorphisms in MDD and optimize treatment strategies.

LF-SynthSeg: Label-Free Brain Tissue-Assisted Tumor Synthesis and Segmentation.

Unsupervised brain tumor segmentation is pivotal in realms of disease diagnosis, surgical planning, and treatment response monitoring, with the distinct advantage of obviating the need for labeled data. Traditional methodologies in this domain, however, often fall short in fully capitalizing on the extensive prior knowledge of brain tissue, typically approaching the task merely as an anomaly detection challenge. In our research, we present an innovative strategy that effectively integrates brain tissues' prior knowledge into both the synthesis and segmentation of brain tumor from T2-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans. Central to our method is the tumor synthesis mechanism, employing randomly generated ellipsoids in conjunction with the intensity profiles of brain tissues. This methodology not only fosters a significant degree of variation in the tumor presentations within the synthesized images but also facilitates the creation of an essentially unlimited pool of abnormal T2-weighted images. These synthetic images closely replicate the characteristics of real tumor-bearing scans. Our training protocol extends beyond mere tumor segmentation; it also encompasses the segmentation of brain tissues, thereby directing the networkâs attention to the boundary relationship between brain tumor and brain tissue, thus improving the robustness of our method. We evaluate our approach across five widely recognized public datasets (BRATS 2019, BRATS 2020, BRATS 2021, PED and SSA), and the results show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art unsupervised tumor segmentation methods by large margins. Moreover, the proposed method achieves more than 92 % of the fully supervised performance on the same testing datasets.

Unveiling Artificial Intelligence’s Power: Precision, Personalization, and Progress in Rheumatology

This review examines the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in rheumatology, focusing on its potential impact in key areas. AI, including machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), is revolutionizing diagnosis, treatment personalization, and prognosis prediction in rheumatologic diseases. Specifically, AI models based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) demonstrate significant efficacy in analyzing medical images for disease classification and severity assessment. Predictive AI models also have the ability to forecast disease trajectories and treatment responses, enabling more informed clinical decisions. The role of wearable devices and mobile applications in continuous disease monitoring is discussed, although their effectiveness varies across studies. Despite existing challenges, such as data privacy concerns and issues of model generalizability, the compelling results highlight the transformative potential of AI in rheumatologic disease management. As AI technologies continue to evolve, further research will be essential to address these challenges and fully harness the potential of AI to improve patient outcomes in rheumatology.

Crotonylation modification and its role in diseases

Protein lysine crotonylation is a novel acylation modification discovered in 2011, which plays a key role in the regulation of various biological processes. Thousands of crotonylation sites have been identified in histone and non-histone proteins over the past decades. Crotonylation is conserved and is regulated by a series of enzymes including “writer”, “eraser”, and “reader”. In recent years, crotonylation has received extensive attention due to its breakthrough progress in reproduction, development and pathogenesis of diseases. Here we brief the crotonylation-related enzyme systems, biological functions, and diseases caused by abnormal crotonylation, which provide new ideas for developing disease intervention and treatment regimens.