The aim of this study was to investigate the trend in testicular volume changes after orchiopexy in children with cryptorchidism. The clinical data of 854 children with cryptorchidism who underwent orchiopexy between January 2013 and December 2016 in Shenzhen Children's Hospital (Shenzhen, China) were retrospectively analyzed. The mean (standard deviation) age of the patients was 2.8 (2.5) years, and the duration of follow-up ranged from 1 year to 5 years. Ultrasonography was conducted preoperatively and postoperatively. The variables analyzed included age at the time of surgery, type of surgical procedure, laterality, preoperative testicular position, preoperative and postoperative testicular volumes, and the testicular volume ratio of them. The average testicular volumes preoperatively and at 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 5 years postoperatively were 0.27 ml, 0.38 ml, 0.53 ml, 0.87 ml, and 1.00 ml, respectively ( P < 0.001). The corresponding testicular volume ratios were 0.67, 0.76, 0.80, 0.83, and 0.84 ( P < 0.001). The mean volume of the undescended testes was significantly smaller than the mean normative value ( P < 0.001, lower than the 10 th percentile). The postoperative testicular volumes in children with cryptorchidism were generally lower than those in healthy boys but were still greater than the 10 th percentile and exhibited an increasing trend. The older the child is at the time of surgery, the larger the gap in volume between the affected and normal testes. Although testicular volume tends to gradually increase after orchiopexy for cryptorchidism, it could not normalizes. Earlier surgery results in affected testicular volumes closer to those of healthy boys.
Humans ; Male ; Cryptorchidism/diagnostic imaging* ; Orchiopexy ; Child, Preschool ; Testis/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Organ Size ; Ultrasonography ; Infant ; Child ; Postoperative Period ; Follow-Up Studies

BACKGROUND: The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) has been shown to be positively correlated with cardiovascular disease in previous studies. However, it is unclear whether elderly people with long-term high AIP levels are more likely to develop coronary heart disease (CHD). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between AIP trajectory and CHD incidence in elderly people. METHODS: 19,194 participants aged ≥ 60 years who had three AIP measurements between 2018 and 2020 were included in this study. AIP was defined as log₁₀ (triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol). The group-based trajectory model was used to identify different trajectory patterns of AIP from 2018 to 2020. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI of CHD events between different trajectory groups from 2020 to 2023. RESULTS: Three different trajectory patterns were identified through group-based trajectory model: the low-level group (n = 7410, mean AIP: -0.25 to -0.17), the medium-level group (n = 9981, mean AIP: 0.02-0.08), and the high-level group (n = 1803, mean AIP: 0.38-0.42). During a mean follow-up of 2.65 years, a total of 1391 participants developed CHD. After adjusting for potential confounders, compared with the participants in the low-level group, the HR with 95% CI of the medium-level group and the high-level group were estimated to be 1.24 (1.10-1.40) and 1.43 (1.19-1.73), respectively. These findings remained consistent in subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS There was a significant correlation between persistent high AIP level and increased CHD risk in the elderly. This suggests that monitoring the long-term changes in AIP is helpful to identify individuals at high CHD risk in elderly people.

Human brain banks use a standardized protocol to collect,process and store post-mortem human brains and related tissues,along with relevant clinical information,and to provide the tissue samples and data as a resource to foster neuroscience research according to a standardized operating protocols(SOP).Human brain bank serves as the foundation for neuroscience research and the diagnosis of neurological disorders,highlighting the crucial rule of ensuring the consistency of standardized quality for brain tissue samples.The first version of SOP in 2017 was published by the China Human Brain Bank Consortium.As members increases from different regions in China,a revised SOP was drafted by experts from the China Human Brain Bank Consortium to meet the growing demands for neuroscience research.The revised SOP places a strong emphasis on ethical standards,incorporates neuropathological evaluation of brain regions,and provides clarity on spinal cord sampling and pathological assessment.Notable enhancements in this updated version of the SOP include reinforced ethical guidelines,inclusion of matching controls in recruitment,and expansion of brain regions to be sampled for neuropathological evaluation.

Objective To explore the improve mechanism of ultra-filtration extract from Angelica Sinensis Radix and Hedysari Radix on kidney injury in diabetic kidney disease(DKD)rats.Methods The diabetes model was prepared by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin,and then fed with high sugar and high fat diet.The rats with successful DKD were randomly divided into model group,positive control group and experimental-L,-M,-H groups with 8 cases per group.Additionally,selected 8 Wistar rats as the blank group.The experimental-L,-M,-H groups were given 1.5,3.0 and 6.0 g·kg-1 ultra-filtration extract from Angelica Sinensis Radix and Hedysari Radix by gavage,respectively.The positive control group was given 1.75 × 10-3 g·kg-1irbesartan suspension by gavage.The blank and model groups were given equal volume of pure water by gavage.Six groups were administrated once a day for 12 consecutive weeks.The 24 h-urinary total protein were detected by coomassie brilliant blue method.The protein expression levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2),heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)and andacyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 4(ACSL4)in kidney tissue were detected by Western blot.Results The 24 h-UTP in the experimental-M,-H groups,positive control group,model group and blank group were(47.70±3.85),(43.57±6.38),(36.80±6.52),(64.34±13.38)and(7.58±3.71)mg;the relative expression levels of Nrf2 protein were 0.86±0.08,0.75±0.06,0.64±0.08,1.09±0.06 and 0.60±0.07;the relative expression levels of HO-1 protein were 0.77±0.04,0.63±0.07,0.47±0.05,1.04±0.06 and 0.34±0.07;the relative expression levels of ACSL4 protein were 0.62±0.07,0.55±0.07,0.46±0.06,1.08±0.07 and 0.30±0.01,respectively.Compared with the model group,the above indexes in the experimental-M,-H groups and positive control group were significantly different(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusion Ultra-filtration extract from Angelica Sinensis Radix and Hedysari Radix can improve the damage of kidney tissue in DKD rats,and the mechanism may be related to ferroptosis caused by excessive activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Aim To investigate the effects of hedysar-um polybotrys polysacchcaide(HPS)on gastric muco-sal inflammation of diabetic gastroparesis(DGP)rats and its possible mechanism.Methods A total of 62 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the control group(12)and the modeling group(50).Except for the control group,the remaining rats were given multi-ple intraperitoneal injections of streptozotocin(25 mg ·kg-1 for three consecutive days)and irregular feed-ing of high-sugar and high-fat diet to replicate DGP model.The model rats were randomly divided into the model group(intragastatically purified water),low,medium and high dose HPS groups(50,100,200 mg ·kg-1·d-1)and the metformin group(90 mg· kg-1·d-1),respectively,and the control group was intragastrically treated with equal volume of purified water once a day for eight weeks.The pathological morphology of gastric mucosa was observed by HE stai-ning;the contents of TNF-α,IL-6,GAS and MTL in gastric mucosa were detected by ELISA.The expres-sion of JAK2 and STAT3mRNA in gastric mucosa was detected by RT-PCR.The levels of JAK2 and STAT3 proteins and their phosphorylation in gastric mucosa were detected by Western blot.Results Compared with the control group,the gastric mucosa of the model group showed a large number of inflammatory cells in-filtrated by HE staining.The contents of TNF-α and IL-6 significantly increased(P＜0.01),while the contents of GAS and MTL significantly decreased(P＜0.01).The mRNA expressions of JAK2 and STAT3 significantly increased(P＜0.05).p-JAK2and p-STAT3 significantly increased(P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,gastric mucosal inflammation was improved in each administration group.The con-tents of TNF-α and IL-6 decreased significantly,while the contents of GAS and MTL increased significantly.The mRNA expressions of JAK2 and STAT3 were sig-nificantly reduced.The expressions of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 significantly decreased(P＜0.05).Conclu-sions HPS can improve gastric mucosal inflammation and repair gastric mucosal damage in rats,and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Objective: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is a diagnostic tool that provides precise and reproducible information about cardiac structure, function, and tissue characterization, aiding in the monitoring of chemotherapy response in patients with lightchain cardiac amyloidosis (AL-CA). This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of CMR in monitoring responses to chemotherapy in patients with AL-CA. Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, we enrolled 111 patients with AL-CA (50.5% male; median age, 54 [interquartile range, 49–63] years). Patients underwent longitudinal monitoring using biomarkers and CMR imaging. At followup after chemotherapy, patients were categorized into superior and inferior response groups based on their hematological and cardiac laboratory responses to chemotherapy. Changes in CMR findings across therapies and differences between response groups were analyzed. Results: Following chemotherapy (before vs. after), there were significant increases in myocardial T2 (43.6 ± 3.5 ms vs. 44.6 ± 4.1 ms; P = 0.008), recovery in right ventricular (RV) longitudinal strain (median of -9.6% vs. -11.7%; P = 0.031), and decrease in RV extracellular volume fraction (ECV) (median of 53.9% vs. 51.6%; P = 0.048). These changes were more pronounced in the superior-response group. Patients with superior cardiac laboratory response showed significantly greater reductions in RV ECV (-2.9% [interquartile range, -8.7%–1.1%] vs. 1.7% [-5.5%–7.1%]; P = 0.017) and left ventricular ECV (-2.0% [-6.0%–1.3%] vs. 2.0% [-3.0%–5.0%]; P = 0.01) compared with those with inferior response. Conclusion Cardiac amyloid deposition can regress following chemotherapy in patients with AL-CA, particularly showing more prominent regression, possibly earlier, in the RV. CMR emerges as an effective tool for monitoring associated tissue characteristics and ventricular functional recovery in patients with AL-CA undergoing chemotherapy, thereby supporting its utility in treatment response assessment.

Based on whole genome data, the identification and expression pattern analysis of the Atropa belladonna WRKY transcription factor family were conducted to provide a theoretical foundation for studying the biological functions and mechanisms of these transcription factors. In this study, bioinformatics methods were employed to identify members of the A. belladonna WRKY gene family and to predict their physicochemical properties, conserved motifs, promoter cis-acting elements, and chromosomal localization. Additionally, the expression patterns of the A. belladonna WRKY gene family under the regulation of environmental factors such as light quality and temperature were analyzed. The results revealed a total of 28 AbWRKY transcription factors, randomly distributed across 16 chromosomes, encoding 324-707 amino acids. Most AbWRKY proteins were acidic, unstable, and hydrophilic. Based on multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, the WRKY gene family members were classified into two subfamilies. Conserved motif and domain analysis indicated that WRKY transcription factors in the same subfamily possessed conserved structural features. Promoter analysis predicted that the A. belladonna WRKY family contained light-responsive elements, hormone-responsive elements, and stress-responsive elements. Collinearity analysis showed that AbWRKY24 plays a crucial role in the expansion of the AbWRKY gene family. Then qRT-PCR results indicated that AbWRKY6, AbWRKY8, AbWRKY14, and AbWRKY24 responded to red light stress, while AbWRKY8, AbWRKY14, and AbWRKY24 responded to yellow light/low-temperature combined stress. AbWRKY6 and AbWRKY8 were significantly expressed in leaves and stems, AbWRKY27 and AbWRKY28 were significantly expressed in fibrous roots, and AbWRKY25 was significantly expressed in flowers. This study is the first to identify and analyze the WRKY gene family in A. belladonna and to examine its expression patterns under light and temperature regulation, laying a foundation for in-depth analysis and functional validation of the molecular mechanisms of A. belladonna WRKY transcription factors in responding to light quality and temperature environmental factors.
Transcription Factors/chemistry* ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Phylogeny ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Light ; Temperature ; Atropa belladonna/metabolism* ; Multigene Family/genetics* ; Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics* ; Sequence Alignment ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Genome, Plant/genetics*

Objective: To summarize the clinical characteristics of heart failure patients with recovered ejection fraction (HFrecEF) and identify variables capable of predicting left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) recovery. Methods: This case control study included patients with heart failure, who admitted to Department of Cardiology of Beijing Hospital from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2017. The patients were divided into 3 groups based on the baseline LVEF and changes of LVEF: heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF, baseline LVEF≤40%, follow-up LVEF≤40% or follow-up LVEF>40% but LVEF increase<10% from baseline), HFrecEF(baseline LVEF≤40%, follow-up LVEF>40% and increase≥10% from baseline), and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF, baseline LVEF>40%). Clinical data were collected and endpoint events (all-cause death, cardiovascular death and sudden death) were recorded. The Log-rank test was used to evaluate the differences of terminal events in different groups, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed. Logistic regression equation was used to identify prognostic factors of HFrecEF. Results: A total of 310 patients with heart failure were included. There were 91(29.4%) HFrEF patients, 38(12.3%) HFrecEF patients and 181(58.4%) HFpEF patients. Compared with HFrEF patients and HFpEF patients, HFrecEF patients were featured by younger age, more likely to be female, higher systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and resting heart rate (all P<0.05). Dilated cardiomyopathies were more common, while old myocardial infarctions were less common in HFrecEF (both P<0.05). During a median follow-up of 36.7(18.0, 63.9) months, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis found that HFrecEF patients had the lowest all-cause mortality (Log-rank P=0.047, HFrecEF vs. HFpEF P=0.017, HFrecEF vs. HFrEF P=0.016, and HFpEF vs. HFrEF P=0.782).The cardiovascular mortality ranged from low to high was in HFrecEF patients, HFpEF patients, and HFrEF patients (Log-rank P<0.001, HFrecEF vs. HFpEF P=0.029, HFrecEF vs. HFrEF P<0.001, HFrEF vs. HFpEF P=0.005). Sudden death rate was similar among the three groups (Log-rank P=0.520). Logistic regression analysis showed that left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD)≤55 mm (OR=5.922, 95%CI 1.685-20.812, P=0.006), higher diastolic blood pressure (OR=1.058, 95%CI 1.017-1.100, P=0.005), faster resting heart rate (OR=1.042, 95%CI 1.006-1.080, P=0.024), absence of old myocardial infarction (OR=5.343, 95%CI 1.731-16.488, P=0.004) were independent prognostic factors of LVEF recovery after clinical treatment. Conclusions: Patients with HFrecEF are associated with a better prognosis as compared to patients with HFrEF and HFpEF. LVEDD≤55 mm, higher diastolic blood pressure, faster heart rate,and absence of old myocardial infarction are independent prognostic factors of LVEF recovery after clinical treatment.
Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Male ; Prognosis ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left ; Ventricular Function, Left

COVID-19 ; Female ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/drug therapy* ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Premature Birth ; Retrospective Studies ; SARS-CoV-2

OBJECTIVE: To study the use of Chinese medicine (CM) in cancer patients in southern China. METHODS: A total of 1,950 cancer patients finished questionnaires in four provinces in southern China. The survey included socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of participants, dosage forms, efficacy, and side effects. RESULTS: The study results showed that cancer patients with higher education (>12 years) were more likely to accept the treatment of Chinese herbs. There were 54.61% (1,065 cases) of patients chose Chinese herbs for the initial treatment and 14.46% (282 cases) chose Chinese herbs as monotherapy. Most patients (54.51%, 1,063 cases) continuously used CM for more than 6 months, and a few of them (212 cases) used CM for up to 3 years. All kinds of dosage forms of CM had been used, including CM decoction, CM patent prescription and CM injection. Concerning the efficacy in the view of patients, 40.31% (786 cases) believed that it would be effective to take Chinese herbs before they starting the anti-cancer treatment, and the percentage increased to 81.08% after 1-month CM treatment. The effect of Chinese herbs was mainly demonstrated by symptom relief and improvement of quality of life, and 8.31% (162 cases) of patients experienced control of tumor growth and decreased tumor markers. Furthermore, only 14.31% (279 cases) participants reported that they experienced side effects during CM treatment. CONCLUSION This large scale investigation reflects the current situation of domestic CM usage objectively and comprehensively, which might provide new ways for cancer treatment.