Objective To observe the effects of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE)combined with atorvastatin on carotid atherosclerosis of the elderly. Methods Consecutivly 122 patient aged( 73.2 ±12.8) years with hypercholesterolemia and diagnosed as asymptomatic carotid artery plaques were randomly assigned to single atorvastatin(20 mg/d) treatment group (n=63) and combination treatment (atorvastatin 10 mg/d plus GSPE 400 mg/d) group (n=59).Serum total cholesterol (TC),triglyceride (TG),low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C),high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were detected before treatment and 3,6,12 months after treatment.Mean maximum carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT),plaque score and stability were also assessed by carotid ultrasound. Results After 3 months of treatment,serum levels of TC,TG and LDL-C in both groups were lower than before treatment (all P＜0.01),but no difference was found between the two groups (P＞0.05).HDL-C levels was enhanced by 20.2％ in combination treatment group after 3 months of treatment (P＜0.05),there was difference after 6 months treatment between two groups (P＜0.05).Serum hs-CRP concentrations were decreased by 1.7 mg/L and 3.6 mg/L,3.8 mg/L and 6.3 mg/L,5.9 mg/L and 8.3 mg/L after 3,6 and 12 months treatment as compared with pretreatment,respectively in the two groups (P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).There was difference in hs-CRP levels between groups after 6 and 1.2months of treatment (P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).There were MMCIMT reduction by 1.3％ and 2.0％ (P＞0.05),3.4％ and 5.3％(P＞0.05 and P＜0.05 ),5.1％ and 8.6％ after 3,6 and 12 months of treatment(P＜0.05 and P＜0.01) in the two groups,with distinct difference after 12 month treatment (P＜ 0.01 ).The plaque scores were declined by 6.8 ％ and 13.1％ ( both P ＞ 0.05 ),14.5 ％ and 28.0％ (P＞0.05 and P＜0.05),19.2％ and 45.0％(P＜0.05 and P＜0.01)after 3,6 and 12 months of treatment while significant difference was found between the two groups after 12 months treatment (P＜0.05).Unstable plaque and the total number of plaque was dropped by 8 and 14 in single group,19 and 28 in combination group,respectively,after 12 months of treatment. Conclusions GSPE combined with atorvastatin may inhibit the development of carotid intima-media thickness,reduce carotid plaque and promote stabilization of carotid plaque.

Objective To make certain about the phase of time from the culminated point of instantaneous accelerating wave intensity (W1) to that of instantaneous decelerating wave intensity (W2) wave intensity(WI) technique. Methods The ejection time of the curve of Doppler rate of flow in aortic opens and W1～W2 of common carotid arteries of both sides were detected in 66 healthy adults by Prosound α10 color Doppler ultrasound and the data were contrasted and analyzed. Results There were no statistical significances in the standardized value difference of ejection time of aorta and of time from starting point of W1 to culminated point of W2 in common carotid arteries of both sides (P>0.05). And there were all statistical significances in the standardized value difference of ejection time of aorta and of time in other groups (P<0. 001). Conclusions The ejection time is the time from starting point of W1 to culminated point of W2. The beginning of cardiac ejection should be the starting point of W1 curve,and the culminated point of W2 is the terminal time of ejection.

Objective To explore the generalization and application of R-W1 through the phase analysis of Wave intensity technique.Methods The phases of R-W1 of 66 healthy adults were detected by Aloka Prosound α10 color Doppler uhrasound.Results There were all statistical significances in the time difference of R-W1 in left and right common carotid arteries and right brachial artery(P＜0.01),in the pressure wave conductive time in left and right common carotid arteries(P＜0.05),in right brachial artery and both sides of common carotid arteries(P＜0.01).There were no statistical significances in the time from the starting point to the culminate point of W1 in left and right common carotid arteries.There were statistical significances in the time from the starting point to the culminate point of W1 in right brachial artery and both sides of common carotid arteries(P＜0.05).Conclusions"R-W1 almost equals to pre-ejection period"as reported by literatures actually involves three phases which respectively are isovolumetric contraction time of left ventricle,pressure wave conductive time and time from the starting point to the culminate point of W1.The factor of pressure wave conductive time should be considered when evaluating diseases in clinic.The pre-ejection time should be the time from the culminate point of R wave in ECG to the starting point of W1 and the time from the starting point to the culminate point of W1 should not be involved in.

AIM: To investigate the binding characteristics of cholecystokinin receptors in rat pulmonary interstitial macrophages (PIMs). METHODS: The PIMs were isolated from rat lung tissues, purified using the collagenase digestion method combined with alveolar lavage and pulmonary vessel perfusion. The PIM membrane was obtained by supercentrifuge. Receptors for CCK in PIMs were examined using [~3H] labeled CCK-8S as ligand. The specificity of [~3H]-CCK-8S binding to PIMs membrane and the subtypes of CCK receptors were determined by competitive inhibition experiments with CCK-8S, CCK-A and CCK-B receptors selective antagonists (CR1409 and CR2945). The effects of time and incubation temperature on the specific binding were also observed. RESULTS: The specific binding of [~3H]-CCK-8S was not detected in normal rat PIMs, but was detected in the rat administrated with LPS for 48 h. The capacity of ligand-receptor binding was dependent on the incubation temperature and time. Scatchard analysis of the saturation curves suggested that the presence of CCK receptors with high affinity [Kd=(0.68?0.28)mmol/L] and low binding capacity [Bmax=(32.50?2.70) pmol?g~(-1) protein] in PIMs. By means of competitive inhibition studies, the specific binding of [~3H]-CCK-8S to rat PIMs was inhibited by unlabelled CCK-8S [IC_(50)=(3.20?1.13) nmol/L], CCK-AR specific antagonist CR 1 409 [IC_(50)=(0.19?0.06)?mol/L] and CCK-BR specific antagonist CR 2945[IC_(50)=(2.30?0.80)nmol/L]. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the presence of two subtypes of CCK-AR and CCK-BR and provide a structural basis for CCK to play a pivotal role in PIMs.

Objective To evalute the clinical application of the new technique of instantaneous wave intensity(WI) through the correlative analysis of instantaneous acceleration wave intensity(W1) and Tei index. Methods The correlation of the intensity of W1 (the apogee of W1) and Tei index of 66 healthy adults were analyzed by Prosound a10 color Doppler ultrasonograph. Results There were positive correlations in pressure and caliber between the common carotid arteries of both sides in 66 cases of healthy adults (P <0.01). There were negative correlations respectively between the pressure of W1 of left and right common carotid arteries and Tei index (P <0.05),and there were the same in caliber (P <0.01), mean pressure (P <0.05) and mean caliber (P <0.01). Conclusions W1 is negatively correlated with Tei index and can be an index in judging the systolic function.

Objective:To investigate the incidence of social isolationin community elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis and analyze its influencing factors.Methods:From January to April 2021, 240 community elderly with knee osteoarthritis in three community health service centers in Taiyuan (Yingbin community, Dawang community and Pingyang second community) were selected as research objects by convenient sampling method. They were investigated by general data questionnaire, Lubben Social Network Scale-6(Lubben-6), Geriatric Depression Scale-15, Perceived Social Support Scale, Numerical Rating Scale. Single factor analysis and binary Logistic regression analysis were used to explore the influencing factors of social isolation in elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis.Results:The prevalence of social isolation among community elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis was 43.33% (104/240) . The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that age ( OR = 2.228, 95% CI 1.436-3.457), complicated diseases ( OR = 1.733, 95% CI 1.028-2.919), exercise ( OR = 0.560, 95% CI 0.360-0.869), depression ( OR = 3.603, 95% CI 1.768-7.339), comprehension of social support ( OR = 0.424, 95% CI 0.253-0.710) and pain ( OR = 1.792, 95% CI 1.147-2.799) were the influencing factors of social isolation in elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The degree of social isolation in community elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis is relatively high, and is affected by many factors. Community medical staff should formulate targeted nursing intervention plans based on their influencing factors to reduce the occurrence of social isolation.

Objective To investigate the status quo of fear of disease progression(FoP)in patients after pituitary neuroendocrine tumour surgery and analyse the medication effects of positive coping style on disease perception and FoP.Methods Convenient sampling method was used to select 345 patients with pituitary neuroendocrine tumours who underwent surgical operations in the neurosurgery department of a Grade IIIA hospital in Shanxi Province from January 2022 to January 2023 as the research objects.A general data questionnaire,disease perception questionnaire,medical coping style questionnaire and fear of progression questionnaire-short form(FoP-Q-SF)were used in the investigation.Pearson correlation was employed to analyse the correlations of the disease perception,active coping style and FoP among the patients.Structural equation models were used to analyse the mediating effects of positive coping styles on disease perception and FoP.Results The FoP score of patients after pituitary neuroendocrine tumour surgery was found at(35.02±4.92).FoP was positively correlated with the disease perception(r=0.672,P<0.01),and negatively with the active coping style(r=-0.679,P<0.01).Positive coping styles were positively correlated with disease perception(r=-0.610,P<0.01).Disease perception not only had a direct effect on FoP,but also had an indirect effect on FoP via active coping style,with an intermediate effect value of 0.202(P<0.001),accounting for 25.5%of total effect.Conclusion Postoperative positive coping style in patients with pituitary neuroendocrine tumour is a mediating variable between the disease perception and FoP.Medical staff should dynamically assess and early identify coping styles of patients and adopt personalised guidance programs,therefore to guide the patients to actively cope with the disease,so as to reduce the negative disease perception and alleviate the fear of disease progression of the patients.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of human CCR1 (hCCR1) gene overexpression on the migration of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) towards hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to examine the application prospects of MSCs as gene delivery vectors in the treatment of HCC. Methods: The hCCR1 gene was subcloned into a lentiviral vector to generate the recombinant plasmid pLV-hCCR1. The pLV-hCCR1 plasmid and two other packaging plasmids were co-transfected into 293T cells using calcium phosphate, and the virus-containing supernatant was collected. hMSCs were then infected with the recombinant lentivirus, and the expression of hCCR1 mRNA and protein was analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. The effect of CCR1 gene overexpression on the in vitro migration of hMSCs was examined using the Transwell migration assay. Orthotopic nude mice models of HCC were established using the MHCC-97H-GFP cell line, and the mice were divided into two groups (n = 8 per group). hMSCs were then intravenously injected via the tail vein into the tumor-bearing nude mice to examine the effect of hCCR1 overexpression on the in vivo migration of hMSCs towards HCC. Unpaired Student’s t-test was used for two-group comparisons, and one-way ANOVA was used for multi-group comparisons. Results: Restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing demonstrated that the recombinant plasmid pLV-hCCR1 was constructed successfully. The LV-hCCR1 lentivirus packaged by 293T cells has high infection efficiency in hMSCs, and hCCR1 was overexpressed in hMSCs after LV-hCCR1 infection. Transwell migration assay showed that hCCR1-transfected hMSCs had significantly enhanced migration towards HCC cell line-derived condition medium (CM) compared with the control RFP-hMSCs [(134.8±15.7)/LPF vs (83.5±10.9)/LPF, t = 10.40, P < 0.01]. In vivo migration experiment also demonstrated that there was significantly higher number of hCCR1-hMSCs localized within the MHCC-97H-GFP xenografts than hMSCs-RFP on day 14 following intravenous injection of hMSCs in mice [(86.7±14.1)/HPF vs (54.5±9.6)/HPF, t = -7.32, P < 0.01]. Conclusion Overexpression of CCR1 gene can significantly enhance the migration capacity of hMSCs towards HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. This study provides evidence for potential clinical application of MSCs as more effective delivery vehicles in cancer gene therapy.

Objective:To investigate the values of two-dimensional and three-dimensional echocardiographic parameters in predicting pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) in chronic pulmonary thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).Methods:A total of 141 patients diagnosed with CTEPH in China-Japan Friendship Hospital from November 2015 to December 2022 were included. Two-dimensional echocardiographic indicators reflecting PVR were constructed according to the calculation formula of PVR: echocardiographic estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP Echo)/left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVIDd), echocardiographic estimated mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP Echo)/LVIDd. sPAP Echo/left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), sPAP Echo/left ventricular cardiac output (LVCO) were measured by three-dimensional echocardiography. The correlations between two-dimensional and three-dimensional echocardiographic ratios and invasive PVR were then analyzed using the Spearman correlation method. Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, cut-off values for the ratios were generated to identify patients with PVR>1 000 dyn·s -1·cm -5. Pre- and postoperative hemodynamics and echocardiographic data were analyzed, as well as the correlation between the reduction rate of the echocardiographic index and PVR in 54 patients who underwent pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). Results:sPAP Echo/LVIDd, sPAP Echo/LVEDV and sPAP Echo/LVCO were moderately correlated with PVR( rs=0.62, 0.52, 0.63, both P<0.001). The ratio of sPAP Echo to LVEDV, when greater than or equal to 1.41, had a sensitivity of 0.800 and a specificity of 0.930 for determining PVR >1 000 dyn·s -1·cm -5 (AUC=0.860, P<0.001). Similarly, the ratio of sPAP Echo to LVIDd, when greater than or equal to 2.14, had a sensitivity of 0.647 and a specificity of 0.861 for determining PVR >1000 dyn·s -1·cm -5 (AUC=0.830, P<0.001). The sPAP Echo/LVIDd and mPAP Echo/LVIDd significantly decreased after PEA (both P<0.001). The sPAP Echo/LVIDd and mPAP Echo/LVIDd reduction rate (ΔsPAP Echo/LVIDd and ΔmPAP Echo/LVIDd) were significantly correlated with PVR reduction rate (ΔPVR), respectively ( rs=0.61, 0.63, both P<0.05). Conclusions:Two-dimensional ratio sPAP Echo/LVIDd and three-dimensional ratio sPAP Echo/LVEDV can be used to noninvasively estimate PVR in CTEPH patients. The conventional ratio sPAP Echo/LVIDd is convenient and reproducibly suitable for monitoring the improvement of PVR before and after treatment, and its ratio of 2.14 can predict the significant increase of PVR in CTEPH patients (>1 000 dyn·s -1·cm -5).

Objective:To retrieve, evaluate and summarize the best evidence of exercise reversal intervention in the elderly with cognitive frailty, and to provide evidence for guiding exercise in elderly patients.Methods:This study was a summary of evidence-based nursing evidence. Based on the PIPOST (P: Population; I: Intervention; P: Professional; O: Outcome; S: Setting; T: Type of evidence) mode, the evidence of exercise reversal intervention in the elderly with cognitive frailty in 25 relevant guideline network and association websites, Chinese and foreign language comprehensive databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Embase, Chinese Biomedical Database, China National Knowledge Internet and others were searched, extracted and integrated. The retrieval time was from January 1, 2013 to February 14, 2022.Results:A total of 22 articles were included, including 3 guidelines, 2 expert consensuses, 1 clinical decision-making, 1 evidence summary, 9 Meta analysis, and 6 randomized controlled trials. Finally, 28 pieces of the best evidence including 7 dimensions were namely formulate principles,overall assessment, exercise mode, exercise intensity, exercise time and frequency, exercise management, health guidance.Conclusions:This study summarized the best evidence of exercise intervention in the elderly with cognitive frailty, which are systematic, comprehensive, rigorous, and reliable. It can provide references for healthcare administrators to dynamically evaluate patients′cognitive frailty status, formulate personalized exercise programs, and standardize exercise guidance for patients, so as to delay or even reverse cognitive frailty.