Objective: This study aimed to systematically evaluate potential causal relationships between nine cathepsins and female infertility using Mendelian randomization (MR) methods. Methods: A bidirectional MR analysis was conducted utilizing single nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables to investigate the potential causal effects between nine cathepsins and female infertility. Genetic data on female infertility were sourced from the FinnGen study, and cathepsin-related data were obtained from genome-wide association studies datasets of European ancestry. Results: Elevated levels of cathepsin E were significantly and inversely associated with the risk of female infertility, suggesting a potential protective role. This finding was further supported by multivariable MR analysis. However, no significant associations were observed between the other eight cathepsins and female infertility. Conclusion This study represents the first systematic MR analysis to identify a potential protective effect of cathepsin E on female infertility.

Objective: This study aimed to systematically evaluate potential causal relationships between nine cathepsins and female infertility using Mendelian randomization (MR) methods. Methods: A bidirectional MR analysis was conducted utilizing single nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables to investigate the potential causal effects between nine cathepsins and female infertility. Genetic data on female infertility were sourced from the FinnGen study, and cathepsin-related data were obtained from genome-wide association studies datasets of European ancestry. Results: Elevated levels of cathepsin E were significantly and inversely associated with the risk of female infertility, suggesting a potential protective role. This finding was further supported by multivariable MR analysis. However, no significant associations were observed between the other eight cathepsins and female infertility. Conclusion This study represents the first systematic MR analysis to identify a potential protective effect of cathepsin E on female infertility.

Objective: This study aimed to systematically evaluate potential causal relationships between nine cathepsins and female infertility using Mendelian randomization (MR) methods. Methods: A bidirectional MR analysis was conducted utilizing single nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables to investigate the potential causal effects between nine cathepsins and female infertility. Genetic data on female infertility were sourced from the FinnGen study, and cathepsin-related data were obtained from genome-wide association studies datasets of European ancestry. Results: Elevated levels of cathepsin E were significantly and inversely associated with the risk of female infertility, suggesting a potential protective role. This finding was further supported by multivariable MR analysis. However, no significant associations were observed between the other eight cathepsins and female infertility. Conclusion This study represents the first systematic MR analysis to identify a potential protective effect of cathepsin E on female infertility.

Objective: This study aimed to systematically evaluate potential causal relationships between nine cathepsins and female infertility using Mendelian randomization (MR) methods. Methods: A bidirectional MR analysis was conducted utilizing single nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables to investigate the potential causal effects between nine cathepsins and female infertility. Genetic data on female infertility were sourced from the FinnGen study, and cathepsin-related data were obtained from genome-wide association studies datasets of European ancestry. Results: Elevated levels of cathepsin E were significantly and inversely associated with the risk of female infertility, suggesting a potential protective role. This finding was further supported by multivariable MR analysis. However, no significant associations were observed between the other eight cathepsins and female infertility. Conclusion This study represents the first systematic MR analysis to identify a potential protective effect of cathepsin E on female infertility.

Objective: This study aimed to systematically evaluate potential causal relationships between nine cathepsins and female infertility using Mendelian randomization (MR) methods. Methods: A bidirectional MR analysis was conducted utilizing single nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables to investigate the potential causal effects between nine cathepsins and female infertility. Genetic data on female infertility were sourced from the FinnGen study, and cathepsin-related data were obtained from genome-wide association studies datasets of European ancestry. Results: Elevated levels of cathepsin E were significantly and inversely associated with the risk of female infertility, suggesting a potential protective role. This finding was further supported by multivariable MR analysis. However, no significant associations were observed between the other eight cathepsins and female infertility. Conclusion This study represents the first systematic MR analysis to identify a potential protective effect of cathepsin E on female infertility.

Pyroptosis is a programmed death of inflammatory cells triggered by pathogen invasion,dependent on caspase activation,through both classical and non-classical pyroptosis pathways.Cell pyroptosis is related to the occurrence and development of a variety of animal infectious diseases caused by microbial infection.After microorganisms invading,cells are stimulated by pathology-re-lated molecular patterns,causing strong immune response,stimulating inflammatory signaling pathways,and then activating inflammasome,leading to pyroptosis.The immune system has e-volved multiple mechanisms to fight microbial infections and regulate inflammatory responses.The innate immune system,by recognizing microbial molecules in pathogens and responding quickly by producing inflammasome and activating pyroptosis,helps clear pathogens to prevent infection and maintain the normal functioning of the body.A thorough study of the pathogenesis and immune es-cape mechanism of cell pyroptosis in animal infectious diseases will provide a new direction for the treatment of animal infectious diseases.

Objectives:To identify the two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI)-derived longitudinal strain indices that reflect the myocardial functional characteristics of patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (AHCM). Methods:This retrospective study included 30 patients with typical AHCM diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from January 2015 to May 2019 (AHCM group),35 patients with essential hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy (HTLVH group),and 45 healthy volunteers (normal control group) were also included.Two-dimensional echocardiography was used to measure the cardiac chamber size and wall thickness,and 2D-STI was used to analyze the longitudinal strain during the left ventricular systolic phase,the global longitudinal strain (GLS) and the longitudinal strain of the apical,mid,and basal segments (LSA,LSM,LSB) were assessed.The ratios of the apical to the overall and other segmental longitudinal strains were used as the apical relative longitudinal strain indices,including the apical to basal longitudinal strain ratio (ABLR,LSA/LSB),the apical to global longitudinal strain ratio (AGLR,LSA/GLS),and the apical to basal-mid segment longitudinal strain ratio (ABMLR,LSA/[LSB+LSM]). Results:GLS was significantly lower in the AHCM group and HTLVH group than in the normal control group (both P<0.05),and was similar between the AHCM group and HTLVH group (P>0.05).The LSA,LSM,and LSB were also significantly lower in the AHCM group and HTLVH group than in the normal control group,LSA decrease was more significant in the AHCM group as compared to the HTLVH group,while the HTLVH group was mainly characterized by a decrease in LSB,which was significantly lower as compared to the AHCM group (all P<0.05).Compared with the normal control group,the ABLR,AGLR,and ABMLR were significantly reduced in the AHCM group,while significantly increased in the HTLVH group (all P<0.05).The ROC curve showed that the AUC of ABLR,AGLR,ABMLR,and LSA was 0.873 to 0.916,using<1.28 as the cutoff value of ABLR,the sensitivity was 90.0％ and specificity was 88.7％ for diagnosing AHCM. Conclusions:The apical relative longitudinal strain indices can reflect the myocardial functional characteristics of AHCM patients,which are better than single apical longitudinal strain value.As the most representative indice,ABLR may be useful in distinguishing AHCM from left ventricular hypertrophy caused by other diseases,and can be used as a parameter for the evaluation of myocardial function damage in AHCM.

Anti neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a systemic disease characterized by small vessel wall inflammation and cellulose necrosis mediated by ANCA. Renal injury caused by AAV is called ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis (AAGN). The paper reported a case of AAV with renal damage combined with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The patient was an elderly male with clinical manifestations of hematuria and uremia. Renal pathological examination showed AAV and renal injury. This case is the first report in China while reviewing the relevant literature, and it is still inconclusive whether this is an overlap of the two diseases or a specific pathological type of HIV-associated nephritis. We believe that AAV has the potential to occur in HIV-infected patients, so clinicians should not ignore the phenomenon of ANCA positivity in HIV-infected patients, and the follow-up of such patients needs to be enhanced. Clinical and renal pathological examinations are the main methods to diagnose HIV infection with AAV. At the same time, there are no clear guideline guidelines on how to administer immunosuppressive therapy for such patients who have immunodeficiency and are at higher risk of opportunistic infections, and in whom to make the best possible outcomes.

0bjective To analyze the clinical characteristics, pathological types, treatment and prognosis in children with steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) in Northwest China, in order to provide reference for the treatment of SRNS. Methods:The clinical data, renal pathological results, treatment plan and efficacy of 102 children diagnosed with SRNS in the Department of Nephrology, Xi'an Children's Hospital of Shaanxi Province from January 1st, 2018 to December thirty-first, 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. All children were divided into groups according to age, clinical classification, pathological type, treatment scheme and treatment outcome, and the risk factors affecting the prognosis of children with SRNS were discussed. The measurement datas conforming to normal distribution were expressed as xˉ± s, and t test was used for comparison between groups. Measurement datas that did not conform to normal distribution were represented by M ( Q1, Q3), and Kruskall-Wallis test was used for comparison between groups.Enumeration datas were compared by χ 2 test. Risk factors were analyzed by multiple factor Logistic regression analysis. Results:The median age of onset of 102 children with SRNS was 3.0 years. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) accounted for 36.3% (37/102), minimal lesions accounted for 33.3% (34/102), and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis accounted for 23.5% (24/102). The prevalence rates of hypertension (35.1% (13/37)), 24-h urine protein quantification (130.5 (91.5, 159.6) mg/(kg·24 h) and renal insufficiency (21.6% (8/37)) in FSGS group were higher than those in non-FSGS group (13.8% (9/65), 65.8 (51.2,85.5) mg/(kg·24 h), 4.6% (3/65)). The differences between the two groups were statistically significant (statistical values were χ 2=6.32, Z=5.90, χ 2=7.09; P values were 0.012, <0.001, 0.008). Logistic multivariate regression analysis showed that the hypertension ( OR=4.055, 95% CI 1.178-3.962) and 24 hour urinary protein ( OR=1.036, 95% CI 1.020-1.053) were associated with the increased risk of FSGS ( P values were 0.026 and <0.001). ROC curve ananlysis showed that the optimal critical value of 24 hour urinary protein was 85.65 mg/(kg·24 h) in FSGS. After treatment, complete remission was 61.8%(63/102), partial remission was 14.7%(15/102), and no remission was 23.5%(24/102). By the end of follow-up the treatment effective rate in the small lesion group (94.1%(32/34)) was higher than that in the FSGS Group (51.3%(19/37)), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ 2=16.02, P<0.001). In the initial immunosuppressive treatment, the complete remission rate of hormone combined with calcineurin inhibitor group (77.1%(37/48)) was higher than that of hormone combined with cyclophosphamide Group (11.1%(3/27)). There was significant difference between the two groups ( Z=32.28, P<0.001). Conclusion:The most common pathological type in children with SRNS was FSGS, and the age of onset was generally small. The prognosis of patients with pathological type FSGS was the worst, and the prognosis of small lesions was better. Hypertension and 24-hour urinary protein quantification were the risk factors of FSGS. Calcineurin inhibitors were the first choice for the second-line immunosuppressants of SRNS in children.

This paper reviews the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnosis and treatments for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the theories of different experts in TCM. The pathogenesis of COVID-19 involves dampness, toxin, heat, cold, blood stasis and deficiency. Dampness and poison were the core pathological factors. The treatment is based on the situation of patients in different regions and different stages of the disease, and focuses on dampness and toxin, with the purpose of eliminating evil and consolidating the foundation. Oral TCM prescriptions such as Qingfei-Paidu Decoction, Qingfei-Touxie-Fuzheng Decoction, Lianhua-Qingwen capsule (granule) show good curative effect. TCM non drug therapies, such as acupuncture, moxibustion, acupoint application, ear acupuncture, traditional exercises, etc., are mostly aimed at light, ordinary and convalescent patients, which can improve symptoms. However, high-quality TCM research is still needed.