Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognostic risk factors of patients with atrial fibrillation(AF)related to septic shock admitted to the intensive care unit(ICU).Methods This retrospective cohort study included 152 patients with septic shock who were admitted to the ICU between January 2020 and December 2023.Patients were categorized into AF(n=48)and non-AF(n=104)groups based on the occurrence of AF.Clinical parameters were compared between the two groups,and variables with statistically significant differences(P<0.05)were entered into a multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify clinical features associated with AF.Patients were also stratified into survival(n=103)and death(n=49)groups based on 28-day outcomes.Variables showing signifi-cant intergroup differences(P<0.05)were further included in a multivariate model to identify independent risk factors for mortality.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed using AF as a binary variable,and log-rank tests were applied to compare survival curves.Results The incidence of AF was 31.58%among patients with septic shock.Compared with the non-AF group,the AF group was older,received higher cumulative doses of vasoactive agents,and had elevated levels of lactate(Lac),N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide precursor(NT-proBNP),troponin I(cTnI),tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α),and C-reactive protein(CRP).The AF group also had higher E/e'ratios,left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-Ⅱ(APACHEⅡ)scores,Sequen-tial Organ Failure Assessment(SOFA)scores,and 28-day mortality rates(all P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression identified age(odds ratio[OR]=1.060,P=0.015),SOFA score(OR=1.525,P=0.001),TNF-α(OR=1.009,P=0.026),CRP(OR=1.008,P=0.002),and E/e'(OR=1.363,P=0.023)as independent risk factors for AF.The 28-day mortality rate was 32.24%.Compared with survivors,non-survivors had significantly higher Lac,cTnI,E/e',LVEF,and TNF-α levels,higher APACHEⅡand SOFA scores,longer ICU stays,and a higher incidence of AF(all P<0.05).Multivariate analysis identified SOFA score,cTnI,E/e',and AF as independent predictors of 28-day mortality.Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed significantly poorer survival in patients with AF(χ2=6.747,P=0.009).Conclusion AF is common in ICU patients with septic shock.Advanced age,greater organ dysfunction,elevated inflammatory markers,and diastolic dysfunction are associated with AF occurrence.Organ dysfunction,myocardial injury,diastolic dysfunction,and AF are inde-pendent predictors of mortality in this population.Greater clinical attention is warranted in patients with AF and septic shock due to their elevated risk of poor outcomes.

Objective To investigate the effects of icariin on myocardial cell apoptosis and transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)/Smad3 signaling pathway in rats with septic myocardial damage.Methods A septic myocardial damage model was established in SD rats via intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide.The rats with septic myocardial damage were randomly divided into model,low-dose icariin,high-dose icariin,and high-dose icariin+SRI-011381 groups(n=10 per group).An additional 10 rats that received intraperi-toneal injection of an equal volume of normal saline served as the control group.The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),and left ventricular systolic pressure(LVSP)were detected using ultrasound instrument.Hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining was used to detect the morphology of myocardial tissue.Trans-mission electron microscopy was used to measure the ultrastructure of myocardial tissue.The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the serum markers of myocardial damage including cardiac troponin T(cTnT)and creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB(CK-MB)and inflammatory cytokines including interlenkin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α).Western blotting was performed to assess the expression of TGF-β1/Smad3 pathway-related proteins in the myocardial tissue of rats in each group.Results Compared with the control group,LVEDD,LVESD,myocardial pathological score,myocardial cell apoptosis rate,the cTnT,CK-MB,IL-6,and TNF-α levels,TGF-β1 protein expression,and p-Smad3/Smad3 in the model group were higher(P＜0.05),while LVEF and LVSP were lower(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,the pathological indictors of rats in the low-and high-dose icariin groups were improved,and high-dose icariin had a stronger effect.SRI-011381 could weaken the improvement effect of icariin on various pathological indicators in rats with septic myocardial damage.Conclusion Icariin can inhibit the inflammatory response in rats with sepsis by blocking the activation of the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway,thereby reducing myocardial cell apoptosis and myocardial damage.

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics and treatments of children with myocarditis,and to investigate the relation-ship between arrhythmia and prognosis.Methods A total of 244 patients diagnosed with myocarditis from January 2012 to December 2023 were included and retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into three groups:fulminant myocarditis(FMC),myocarditis(MC),and suspected myocarditis(SMC).The data included the clinical characteristics at disease onset,the treatment,and the relationship between different arrhythmias and the prognosis among the three groups.Results Among the 244 children with FMC/MC/SMC,132/244(54.1％)developed arrhythmia,ventricular arrhythmia was observed in 83/132(62.9％),and 86/105(81.9％)showed no persistent arrhythmia.The proportion of children in the FMC group who presented with palpitations,cardio-cerebral syndrome,cardiogenic shock,cardiac insufficiency,and death was significantly higher than that in the MC and SMC groups(P＜0.01).Five children with third-degree(Ⅲ°)atrioventricular block(AVB)recovered after controlling their ventricular rate without a temporary pacemaker.Conclusion Most children with FMC/MC/SMC have different types of arrhythmias,of which ventricular arrhythmias are the most common,and rarely persist.FMC has severe clinical symptoms and the highest mortality rate.Ventricular tachycardia usually occurs during the administration of vaso-active drugs in patients with Ⅲ ° AVB;if the ventricular rate can be controlled promptly,these patients have a good prognosis.

Objective To explore the factors influencing cognitive dysfunction in patients with vestibular migraines.Methods The clinical data of 298 patients with vestibular migraine admitted to the Second People's Hospital of Guiyang City from January 2020 to Ja-nuary 2024 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into a cognitive impairment group(n=55)and a non-cognitive impairment group(n=243).Baseline data such as sex,age,body mass index,and educational level between the two groups of patients were matched using propensity score matching in a 1∶1 ratio.Factors influencing cognitive dysfunction in patients with vestibular migraine were screened using single-factor and multiple logistic regression analyses.Results Fifty pairs of patients were successfully matched.Single-factor and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that migraine duration≥10 years,sleep disorders,anxiety or depression,threatened migraine,and white matter lesions were risk factors for cognitive impairment in patients with vestibular migraine(P＜0.05).Conclusion Duration of migraine,sleep disorders,anxiety or depression,threatened migraine,and white matter lesions are factors influencing cognitive dysfunction in patients with vestibular migraine.Corresponding intervention strategies can be developed for risk factors to reduce the occurrence of cognitive dysfunction and improve prognosis.

Objective To elucidate the role of let-7 in the pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC)and its underlying molecular mechanism.Methods The expression of let-7 in human oral keratinocyte(HOK),OSCC tissues,and OSCC cells(CAL-27,SCC-25,and SCC-9)was detected by quantitative real-time PCR.Colony formation,scratch,Transwell,and flow cytometry assays were used to examine the effects of let-7 on the proliferation,migration,invasion,and apoptosis of SCC-25 cells.Western blotting was used to detect the expression of Wnt and β-catenin proteins.The correlation between let-7 expression and the clinicopathological cha-racteristics and prognosis of OSCC patients was analyzed.Results let-7 was downregulated in OSCC tissues and cells.let-7 over-expression effectively inhibited the proliferation,migration,and invasion of SCC-25 cells while promoting apoptosis by suppressing acti-vation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.let-7 expression was closely associated with tumor stage,lymph node metastasis,and patient survival status.Patients with low let-7 expression exhibited lower overall survival rate.Conclusion let-7 targets and regulates the Wnt/β-catenin pathway,thereby inhibiting proliferation,migration,and invasion of OSCC cells while promoting apoptosis.

Objective To investigate the effects of the long noncoding RNA(lncRNA),KCNQ1 overlapping transcript 1(KCNQ1OT1),on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells(hPDLSCs)by targeting miR-218.Methods HPDLSCs were cultured in vitro and randomly assigned into hPDLSC,LPS,pcDNA-KCNQ1OT1,pcDN A,miR-218,or miR-NC groups.Cell proliferation and alizarin red staining of the cells were observed.The activity of alkaline phos-phatase,the expression of KCNQ1OT1 and miR-218,the levels of interleukin-1 β(IL-1β),interleukin-6(IL-6),and tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α),and the expression of osteopontin(OPN),osteocalcin(OCN),Runt-related transcription factor 2(RUNX2),and bone morpho-genetic protein 2(BMP2)in cells were detected.A dual luciferase assay was performed to verify the relationship between KCNQ1OT1 and miR-218.Results Compared with the hPDLSC group,the cell proliferation rate,the alkaline phosphatase activity,and the expression of KCNQ1OT1,OPN,OCN,RUNX2,and BMP2 were significantly decreased,while the expression of miR-218 and the levels of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α were significantly increased in the LPS group(P＜0.05).Compared with the pcDNA-KCNQ1OT1 group,all the above indicators had the same trend in the miR-218 group(P＜0.05).Compared with the LPS group,the cell proliferation rate,the alkaline phos-phatase activity,and the expression of KCNQ1OT1,OPN,OCN,RUNX2,and BMP2 were significantly increased,while the expression of miR-218 and the levels of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α were significantly decreased in the pcDNA-KCNQ1OT1 group(P＜0.05).There was a targeting relationship between KCNQ1OT1 and miR-218.The luciferase activity in the KCNQ1OT1-WT+miR-218 group was significantly lower than that in the KCNQ1OT1-WT+miR-NC group(P＜0.05).Conclusion KCNQ1OT1 can downregulate miR-218 and promote LPS-induced proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of hPDLSCs.

Objective To investigate the drug-drug interaction between donepezil hydrochloride and moxifloxacin hydrochloride during combined administration through in vitro liver microsomal metabolism and changes in pharmacokinetic characteristics in rats.Methods A rat liver microsomal incubation system was constructed and optimized.Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)analysis of donepezil hydrochloride and high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)analysis of moxifloxacin hydro-chloride were performed.The pharmacokinetic and metabolic characteristics of the two drugs,alone and in combination,were compared in vitro using rat liver microsomes and in vivo using rats.Results In the liver microsomal system,the half-life(T1/2)of donepezil hydro-chloride in the combined administration 1 group was prolonged by 29.892％(P＜0.01)and the intrinsic clearance(CLint)was reduced by 23.194％(P＜0.01)compared with the donepezil hydrochloride group.Conversely,the metabolic parameters of moxifloxacin hydrochlo-ride in the combined administration 2 group did not differ significantly from that of the moxifloxacin hydrochloride group(P＞0.05).In the in vivo study,the AUC0～t and AUC0～∞ of donepezil hydrochloride in the combined administration 1 group increased by 44.259％and 44.496％,respectively,maximum plasma concentration(Cmax)increased by 117.723％,T1/2 was prolonged by 98.063％,and CLint was reduced by 35.293％,compared with that in the donepezil hydrochloride group.Moreover,the differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05).The in vivo study findings were consistent with the results of the in vitro study.Conclusion A drug-drug interaction occurs when moxifloxacin hydrochloride is used in combination with donepezil hydrochloride.Moxifloxacin hydrochloride promotes the absorption of donepezil hydrochloride,inhibits its metabolism,slows its CLint,and increases donepezil exposure in the body.

Objective To construct an acute cerebral infarction risk nomogram prediction model to evaluate the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in patients after percutaneous intracranial artery thrombolysis.Methods A total of 272 patients with acute cere-bral infarction who underwent percutaneous intracranial artery thrombolysis in our hospital from January 2021 to February 2024 were selected as the study participants and divided into the training set(n=190)and validation set(n=82)at a ratio of 7∶3.The training set was divided into a bleeding group(n=61)and non-bleeding group(n=129)based on the presence or absence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage during the postoperative period,and the general data of the patients in the two groups were compared.Binary logistic regres-sion was used to analyze the factors influencing symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage.The R Language 4.3.3 toolkit was used to construct a predictive model for the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage.The predictive efficacy,calibration,and clinical applicability of the model were assessed using subject operating characteristic(ROC),calibration,and decision curves.Results Atrial fibrillation,fasting blood glucose level,and preoperative NIHSS scores were identified as factors influencing symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage after percutaneous intracranial artery thrombolysis in patients with acute cerebral infarction.The AUC of the training and validation sets for predicting symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was 0.986(95％CI:0.974-0.999)and 0.986(95％CI:0.967-1.000),with a sensitivity of 95.08％and 99.98％,and a specificity of 95.35％and 92.98％.Conclusion The risk nomogram prediction model constructed in this study provides an effective tool of clinical value for assessing the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage after percutaneous intracra-nial artery thrombolysis in patients with acute cerebral infarction.

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effects of ticagrelor combined with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in patients with microvascular angina.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 356 patients diagnosed with microvascular angina who were hospitalized in the Department of Cardiology at the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University between January 1,2022,and January 1,2024.Patients were assigned to a conventional treatment group or a combined TCM-Western medicine treatment group.The conven-tional treatment group received standard Western medicine therapy,whereas the combined treatment group received ticagrelor and TCM based on syndrome differentiation.After four weeks of treatment,coronary flow reserve(CFR),Canadian Cardiovascular Society(CCS)angina classification,and incidence of adverse drug reactions were compared between the two groups.Results The combined TCM-Western medicine treatment group had significantly better outcomes in CFR and CCS angina classification than the conventional treat-ment group(P＜0.05).Conclusion The combination of ticagrelor and TCM is safe and effective for treating patients with microvascular angina.

Objective To explore the expression of macrophage colony-stimulating factor(MCSF)in oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC)and its effects on the proliferation,apoptosis,and migration of OSCC cells.Methods Normal gingival and OSCC tissues were collected,and MCSF protein expression was detected using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.HSC-4 cells were divided into control(no transfection),shNC(transfection with sequence-free plasmid vector lentivirus),and shMCSF(transfection with silent MCSF plasmid vector lentivirus)groups.The expression of MCSF mRNA and protein in HSC-4 cells was detected using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting,respectively.Scratch and Transwell assays were used to detect the migration ability of HSC-4 cells.The TUNEL assay determined the apoptosis ability of HSC-4 cells,while a colony formation assay detected the proliferation ability of HSC-4 cells.Results MCSF was highly expressed in OSCC tissues and HSC-4 cells but weakly expressed in normal gingival tissues and Hacat cells.The migration and proliferation ability of HSC-4 cells in the shMCSF group was lower than that in the shNC group(P＜0.05).The apoptosis ability of HSC-4 cells in the shMCSF group was higher than that in the shNC group(P＜0.05).Conclusion MCSF is upregu-lated in OSCC tissues,promoting cell migration and proliferation,while also reducing the apoptosis of OSCC cells.