This study aims to investigate the in vitro mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of puerarin on hepatic insulin resistance(IR) based on the carbohydrate response element-binding protein(ChREBP)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor(PPAR)α/PPARγ axis involved in glucose and lipid metabolism. An IR-HepG2 cell model was established by treating cells with dexamethasone for 48 h, and the cells were then treated with 10, 20, and 40 μmol·L~(-1) puerarin for 24 h. Glucose levels and output in the extracellular fluid were measured by the glucose oxidase method, while cell viability was assessed by the cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay. The adenosine triphosphate(ATP) content and glycogen synthesis were evaluated through chemiluminescence and periodic acid-Schiff staining, respectively. Western blot was employed to quantify the protein levels of forkhead box protein O1(FoxO1), phosphorylated forkhead box protein O1 [p-FoxO1(Ser256)], glucagon, phosphofructokinase, liver type(PFKL), pyruvate kinase L-R(PKLR), pyruvate dehydrogenase complex 1(PDHA1), insulin receptor substrate 2(IRS2), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase p85(PI3KR1), phosphorylated protein kinase B [p-Akt(Thr308)], glycogen synthase(GYS), glycogen phosphorylase, liver type(PYGL), adiponectin(ADPN), ChREBP, PPARα, and PPARγ. Additionally, the protein levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1(ACC1), phosphorylated ATP citrate lyase [p-ACLY(Ser455)], sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c(SREBP-1c), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α(PGC1α), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1α(CPT1α), and glucagon receptor(GCGR) were also determined. Immunofluorescence was employed to visualize the expression and nuclear location of ChREBP/PPARα/PPARγ. Furthermore, quantitative PCR with the antagonists GW6471 and GW9662 was employed to assess Pparα, Pparγ, and Chrebp. The findings indicated that puerarin effectively reduced both the glucose level and glucose output in the extracellular fluid of IR-HepG2 cells without obvious effect on the cell viability, and it increased intracellular glycogen and ATP levels. Puerarin down-regulated the protein levels of FoxO1 and glucagon while up-regulating the protein levels of p-FoxO1(Ser256), PFKL, PKLR, PDHA1, IRS2, PI3KR1, p-Akt(Thr308), GYS, PYGL, ADPN, ACC1, SREBP-1c, p-ACLY(Ser455), PGC1α, CPT1α, and GCGR in IR-HepG2 cells. Furthermore, puerarin up-regulated both the mRNA and protein levels of ChREBP, PPARα, and PPARγ and promoted the translocation into the nucleus. GW6471 was observed to down-regulate the expression of Pparα while up-regulating the expression of Chrebp and Pparγ. GW9662 down-regulated the expression of Pparγ while up-regulating the expression of Pparα, with no significant effect on Chrebp. In summary, puerarin activated the hepatic ChREBP/PPARα/PPARγ axis, thereby coordinating the glucose and lipid metabolism, promoting the conversion of glucose to lipids to exert the blood glucose-lowering effect.
Isoflavones/pharmacology* ; Humans ; PPAR gamma/genetics* ; Hep G2 Cells ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Lipid Metabolism/drug effects* ; PPAR alpha/genetics* ; Liver/drug effects* ; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Insulin Resistance

This paper aims to investigate the hypoglycemic effect and mechanism of berberine in improving energy metabolism based on the multi-pathway regulation of brain and muscle aromatic hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocal protein 1(BMAL1): cyclin kaput complex of day-night spontaneous output cyclin kaput(CLOCK). The dexamethasone-induced hepatic insulin resistance(IR) HepG2 cell model was used; 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 20 μmol·L~(-1) berberine were administered at 15, 18, 21, 24, 30, 36 h. The time-dose effect of glucose content in extracellular fluid was detected by glucose oxidase method. The optimal dosage and time of berberine were determined for the follow-up study. Glucose oxidase method and chemiluminescence method were respectively performed to detect hepatic glucose output and relative content of ATP in cells; Ca~(2+), reactive oxygen species(ROS), mitochondrial structure and membrane potential were detected by fluorescent probes. Moreover, ultraviolet colorimetry method was used to detect the liver type of pyruvate kinase(L-PK) and phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase(PEPCK). In addition, pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 subunit α1(PDHA1), phosphate fructocrine-liver type(PFKL), forkhead box protein O1(FoxO1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α(PGC1α), glucose-6-phosphatase(G6Pase), glucagon, phosphorylated nuclear factor-red blood cell 2-related factor 2(p-Nrf2)(Ser40), heme oxygenase 1(HO-1), NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1), fibroblast growth factor 21(FGF21), uncoupled protein(UCP) 1 and UCP2 were detected by Western blot. BMAL1:CLOCK complex was detected by immunofluorescence double-staining method, combined with small molecule inhibitor CLK8. Western blot was used to detect PDHA1, PFKL, FoxO1, PGC1α, G6Pase, glucagon, Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, FGF21, UCP1 and UCP2 in the CLK8 group. The results showed that berberine downregulated the glucose content in extracellular fluid in IR-HepG2 cells in a time-and dose-dependent manner. Moreover, berberine inhibited hepatic glucose output and reduced intracellular Ca~(2+) and ROS whereas elevated JC-1 membrane potential and improved mitochondrial structure to enhance ATP production. In addition, berberine upregulated the rate-limiting enzymes such as PFKL, L-PK and PDHA1 to promote glycolysis and aerobic oxidation but also downregulated PGC1α, FoxO1, G6Pase, PEPCK and glucagon to inhibit hepatic gluconeogenesis. Berberine not only upregulated p-Nrf2(Ser40), HO-1 and NQO1 to enhance antioxidant capacity but also upregulated FGF21, UCP1 and UCP2 to promote energy metabolism. Moreover, berberine increased BMAL1, CLOCK and nuclear BMAL1:CLOCK complex whereas CLK8 reduced the nuclear BMAL1:CLOCK complex. Finally, CLK8 decreased PDHA1, PFKL, Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, FGF21, UCP1, UCP2 and increased FoxO1, PGC1α, G6Pase and glucagon compared with the 20 μmol·L~(-1) berberine group. BMAL1:CLOCK complex inhibited gluconeogenesis, promoted glycolysis and glucose aerobic oxidation pathways, improved the reduction status within mitochondria, protected mitochondrial structure and function, increased ATP energy storage and promoted energy consumption in IR-HepG2 cells. These results suggested that berberine mediated BMAL1:CLOCK complex to coordinate the regulation of hepatic IR cells to improve energy metabolism in vitro.
Humans ; Berberine/pharmacology* ; Gluconeogenesis/drug effects* ; Hep G2 Cells ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Liver/drug effects* ; Energy Metabolism/drug effects* ; Hypoglycemic Agents/pharmacology* ; ARNTL Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Glycolysis/drug effects* ; Oxidation-Reduction/drug effects*

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of artificial intelligence models in identifying bleeding events and hemorrhagic points during laparoscopic pancreatic surgery.Methods:This single-center retrospective cohort study collected surgical videos of 25 patients undergoing laparoscopic pancreatic surgery at the Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2022 to December 2024. Videos within 5 seconds before and after representative bleeding events were captured at 30 frames/s, with 11 666 hemorrhagic-related video frames annotated. Two algorithm models were developed: a pigment-based model and a pigment+optical flow-based model for classification and target recognition of bleeding frames. The training and test sets for the pigment-based algorithm contained 4 692 hemorrhagic and 4 309 non-hemorrhagic frames, while those for the pigment+optical flow model included 1 339 hemorrhagic and 1 326 non-hemorrhagic frames. Performance evaluation was conducted using overlap thresholds, with accuracy and recall rates as key metrics.Results:The pigment-based model achieved 93.8% accuracy (134/143) and 43.3% recall (134/310) in hemorrhagic frame classification. At an overlap threshold of 0.3, the pigment-based model showed 84.1% accuracy (433/515) and 85.4% recall (433/507) in target recognition. When the threshold was increased to 0.5, the pigment+optical flow model demonstrated 88.1% accuracy (354/402) and 89.2% recall (354/397) in hemorrhagic target recognition.Conclusions:It is difficult to distinguish active bleeding from old bleeding completely by pigment information alone. The spatio-temporal features can be effectively extracted by combining pigment and optical flow information, and the bleeding can be accurately identified and located, which has potential clinical application value.

Objective:To investigate the influential factors of lung function injury in occupational exposure workers in carbon industry.Methods:In January 2024, a judgment sampling method was employed, with 230 occupational exposure workers in the carbon industry as the study subjects. They were divided into abnormal group and normal group according to whether there was lung function injury in occupational health examination. The basic information of workers in carbon industry was collected by questionnaire, their lung function was measured, urine and blood samples were collected after work, and 1-hydroxypyrene, 1-hydroxynaphthalene and 2-hydroxynaphthalene concentrations and the percentage of DNA in the comet tail and Olive tail distance in peripheral blood lymphocytes were determined. The differences in indicators of lung function, urine and blood samples between the two groups were compared by Mann-Whitney test and t-test. The influencing factors of lung function injury were analyzed by logistic regression. Results:The forced vital capacity (FVC) %[88% (86%, 92%) ], forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1) %[92% (88%, 95%) ] and FEV 1.0/FVC%[96% (91%, 102%) ] of occupational exposure workers in the carbon industry in the normal lung function group ( n=118) were significantly higher than those in the abnormal lung function group [ n=112, 83% (80%, 87%), 84% (80%, 88%), 86% (79%, 91%) ], the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). 1-Hydroxypyrene[9.28 (2.96, 25.94) μg/g], 1-hydroxynaphthalene[2.48 (1.47, 4.37) μg/g], percentage of DNA in the comet tail [11.83% (5.30%, 21.45%) ] and Olive tail distance [2.30 (0.82, 4.77) μm] in the abnormal lung function workers was significantly higher than those in the normal group[2.57 (1.17, 9.34) μg/g, 1.70 (0.94, 2.89) μg/g, 6.75% (2.55%, 12.60%), 1.25 (0.43, 2.34) μm], and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that sex, working age, job type, percentage of comet tail DNA in peripheral blood, Olive tail distance and 1-hydroxypyrene were all factors influencing lung function injury in occupational exposure workers in carbon industry ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:The percentage of DNA in the comet tail, Olive tail distance in peripheral blood lymphocytes and 1-hydroxypyrene may be markers of lung function injury in workers exposed to carbon industry. Working age and job type are occupational factors affecting lung function injury. Occupational protection should be strengthened and a reasonable operating system should be established to ensure the health of occupational workers.

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of artificial intelligence models in identifying bleeding events and hemorrhagic points during laparoscopic pancreatic surgery.Methods:This single-center retrospective cohort study collected surgical videos of 25 patients undergoing laparoscopic pancreatic surgery at the Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2022 to December 2024. Videos within 5 seconds before and after representative bleeding events were captured at 30 frames/s, with 11 666 hemorrhagic-related video frames annotated. Two algorithm models were developed: a pigment-based model and a pigment+optical flow-based model for classification and target recognition of bleeding frames. The training and test sets for the pigment-based algorithm contained 4 692 hemorrhagic and 4 309 non-hemorrhagic frames, while those for the pigment+optical flow model included 1 339 hemorrhagic and 1 326 non-hemorrhagic frames. Performance evaluation was conducted using overlap thresholds, with accuracy and recall rates as key metrics.Results:The pigment-based model achieved 93.8% accuracy (134/143) and 43.3% recall (134/310) in hemorrhagic frame classification. At an overlap threshold of 0.3, the pigment-based model showed 84.1% accuracy (433/515) and 85.4% recall (433/507) in target recognition. When the threshold was increased to 0.5, the pigment+optical flow model demonstrated 88.1% accuracy (354/402) and 89.2% recall (354/397) in hemorrhagic target recognition.Conclusions:It is difficult to distinguish active bleeding from old bleeding completely by pigment information alone. The spatio-temporal features can be effectively extracted by combining pigment and optical flow information, and the bleeding can be accurately identified and located, which has potential clinical application value.

Objective:To investigate the influential factors of lung function injury in occupational exposure workers in carbon industry.Methods:In January 2024, a judgment sampling method was employed, with 230 occupational exposure workers in the carbon industry as the study subjects. They were divided into abnormal group and normal group according to whether there was lung function injury in occupational health examination. The basic information of workers in carbon industry was collected by questionnaire, their lung function was measured, urine and blood samples were collected after work, and 1-hydroxypyrene, 1-hydroxynaphthalene and 2-hydroxynaphthalene concentrations and the percentage of DNA in the comet tail and Olive tail distance in peripheral blood lymphocytes were determined. The differences in indicators of lung function, urine and blood samples between the two groups were compared by Mann-Whitney test and t-test. The influencing factors of lung function injury were analyzed by logistic regression. Results:The forced vital capacity (FVC) %[88% (86%, 92%) ], forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1) %[92% (88%, 95%) ] and FEV 1.0/FVC%[96% (91%, 102%) ] of occupational exposure workers in the carbon industry in the normal lung function group ( n=118) were significantly higher than those in the abnormal lung function group [ n=112, 83% (80%, 87%), 84% (80%, 88%), 86% (79%, 91%) ], the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). 1-Hydroxypyrene[9.28 (2.96, 25.94) μg/g], 1-hydroxynaphthalene[2.48 (1.47, 4.37) μg/g], percentage of DNA in the comet tail [11.83% (5.30%, 21.45%) ] and Olive tail distance [2.30 (0.82, 4.77) μm] in the abnormal lung function workers was significantly higher than those in the normal group[2.57 (1.17, 9.34) μg/g, 1.70 (0.94, 2.89) μg/g, 6.75% (2.55%, 12.60%), 1.25 (0.43, 2.34) μm], and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that sex, working age, job type, percentage of comet tail DNA in peripheral blood, Olive tail distance and 1-hydroxypyrene were all factors influencing lung function injury in occupational exposure workers in carbon industry ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:The percentage of DNA in the comet tail, Olive tail distance in peripheral blood lymphocytes and 1-hydroxypyrene may be markers of lung function injury in workers exposed to carbon industry. Working age and job type are occupational factors affecting lung function injury. Occupational protection should be strengthened and a reasonable operating system should be established to ensure the health of occupational workers.

This study aims to investigate the mechanism of berberine in regulating the metabolism network via clock-controlled genes represented by brain and muscle arnt-like 1(BMAL1) to ameliorate insulin resistance(IR) of hepatocytes in vitro. The HepG2 cell model of dexamethasone-induced IR(IR-HepG2) was established and treated with 5, 10, and 20 μmol·L~(-1) berberine, respectively, for 24 h. The glucose oxidase method and cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay were employed to measure extracellular glucose concentration and cell viability, respectively. Periodic acid-Schiff(PAS) staining and lipid fluorescence method were used to detect glycogen and lipids. The immunofluorescence(IF) assay was employed to detect the nuclear localization of BMAL1 and circadian locomotor output cycles kaput(CLOCK) in IR-HepG2 cells. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of BMAL1, CLOCK, period circadian clock 2(PER2), cryptochrome circadian regulator 1(CRY1), Rev-Erbα, carbohydrate response element-binding protein(ChREBP), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors alpha and gamma(PPARα/γ), sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1C(SREBP-1C), mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR), protein kinase B(Akt), glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK3β), acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase 1(ACC1), fatty acid synthase(FASN), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1α(CPT1α), nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase(NAMPT), silent information regulator 1(SIRT1), adiponectin(ADPN), insulin receptor substrate 2(IRS2), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit p85(PI3Kp85). In addition, the levels of phosphorylated adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase alpha(AMPKα), Akt, GSK3β, BMAL1, and mTOR were determined. Furthermore, 20 μmol·L~(-1) CLK8 was added to measure the glucose consumption as well as the protein levels of ChREBP, PPARα, and mTOR in IR-HepG2 cells. The results showed that berberine increased the glucose consumption, lowered the lipid levels, increased the expression and nuclear localization of BMAL1 and CLOCK, and up-regulated the level of BMAL1 in IR-HepG2 cells. Furthermore, berberine up-regulated the levels of ADPN, IRS2, PI3Kp85, p-Akt(Ser473)/Akt, p-mTOR(Ser2448)/mTOR, PPARα, and CPT1α, and down-regulated the levels of p-GSK3β(Ser9)/GSK3β, ChREBP, SREBP-1C, ACC1, and FASN. The addition of CLK8 reduced glucose consumption in IR-HepG2 cells, up-regulated the ChREBP level, and down-regulated PPARα and mTOR levels by inhibiting the BMAL1 and CLOCK interaction. In summary, berberine regulated glucose and lipid metabolism via clock-controlled genes with BMAL1 at the core to ameliorate IR of hepatocytes.
Humans ; Hepatocytes/drug effects* ; Lipid Metabolism/drug effects* ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Berberine/pharmacology* ; Insulin Resistance ; Hep G2 Cells ; CLOCK Proteins/genetics* ; ARNTL Transcription Factors/genetics*

Objective:This study investigates the conditional combination paths of different types of patient demands in Internet hospitals,aiming to optimize service utilization.Methods:The Andersen's model research framework and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis(fsQCA)are used to construct a causal chain including predisposing characteristics,enabling resources and demand factors.Results:The study proposes six condition combination paths for the three service stages of pre-diagnosis,consultation and follow-up from the user's perspective.Factors such as economy,professionalism and guidance were examined comprehensively to analyze the demands of different age and disease groups.The study found that there are significant differences across the factors in the user demands of Internet hospitals at different service stages and under different condition combination paths.Conclusions and Suggestions:Internet hospitals should provide differentiated services to meet diversified user demands according to representative user groups in different paths,such as"lower age groups+pre-diagnosis","lower age groups+consultation experience"and"higher age groups+follow-up".At the same time,it is recommended to establish Internet diagnosis and treatment services covering the whole service chain,and improve the related regulatory and policy framework to enhance the utilization of Internet hospital services.

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

Objective: To explore the clinical and imaging features of acute encephalopathy with biphasic seizures and late reduced diffusion(AESD) in children. Methods: For the case series study, 21 children with AESD from Peking University First Hospital, Provincial Children's Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, and Shanxi Children's Hospital who were diagnosed and treated from October 2021 to July 2023 were selected. Clinical data were collected to summarize their clinical information, imaging, and laboratory tests, as well as treatment and prognostic characteristics. Descriptive statistical analysis was applicated. Results: Of the 21 cases with AESD, 11 were males and 10 were females, with the age of onset of 2 years and 6 months (1 year and 7 months, 3 years and 6 months). Of the 21 cases, 18 were typical cases with biphasic seizures. All typical cases had early seizures within 24 hours before or after fever onset. Among them, 16 cases had generalized seizures, 2 cases had focal seizures, and 7 cases reached the status epilepticus. Of the 21 cases, 3 atypical cases had late seizures in biphasic only. The late seizures in the 21 cases occurred on days 3 to 9. The types of late seizures included focal seizures in 12 cases, generalized seizures in 6 cases, and both focal and generalized seizures in 3 cases. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) test on days 3 to 11 showed reduced diffusion of subcortical white matter which was named "bright tree sign" in all cases. The diffuse cerebral atrophy predominantly presented in the front-parietal-temporal lobes was found in 19 cases between day 12 and 3 months after the onset of the disease. Among 21 cases, 20 had been misdiagnosed as autoimmune encephalitis, central nervous system infection, febrile convulsions, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and hemiconvulsion-hemiplegia-epilepsy syndrome. All the cases received high-dose gammaglobulin and methylprednisolone pulse therapy with poor therapeutic effect. By July 2023, 18 cases were under follow-up. Among them, 17 cases were left with varying degrees of neurologic sequelae, including 11 cases with post-encephalopathic epilepsy; 1 recovered completely. Conclusions: AESD is characterized by biphasic seizures clinically and "bright tree sign" on DWI images. Symptomatic and supportive treatments are recommended. The immunotherapy is ineffective. The prognosis of AESD is poor, with a high incidence of neurological sequelae and a low mortality.
Male ; Female ; Child ; Humans ; Infant ; Child, Preschool ; Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome/complications* ; Seizures/etiology* ; Brain Diseases/diagnostic imaging* ; Status Epilepticus ; Seizures, Febrile/diagnostic imaging*