AIM: To compare the clinical efficacy of goniosynechialysis versus trabeculectomy combined with cataract phacoemulsification in treating glaucoma complicated with cataract.METHODS:From January 2019 to January 2024, patients with glaucoma complicated with cataract diagnosed in our hospital were included as the study subjects. They were assigned into trabeculectomy group and goniosynechialysis group based on different surgical methods. The trabeculectomy group was treated with cataract phacoemulsification combined with trabeculectomy, while the goniosynechialysis group was treated with cataract phacoemulsification combined with goniosynechialysis. The improvement of visual acuity, anterior chamber depth, chamber angle width, intraocular pressure, whole en face vessel density within the optic disc head and in the peripapillary region, and complications were compared between two groups.RESULTS: A total of 120 patients(120 eyes)with glaucoma combined with cataract were included in this study, among which 60 eyes were in the trabeculectomy group and 60 eyes in the goniosynechialysis group. The age of the trabeculectomy group was 60.72±6.16 years, including 28 males and 32 females. The age of the goniosynechialysis group was 61.04±6.24 years, including 31 males and 29 females. At 3 mo after surgery, the visual acuity of patients in both groups improved significantly, and the improvement of visual acuity in the goniosynechialysis group was significantly better than that in the trabeculectomy group(all P<0.01). At 3 mo after surgery, the anterior chamber depth and chamber angle width of patients in both groups were higher than those before surgery, and with the goniosynechialysis group being higher than the trabeculectomy group(all P<0.01), while the intraocular pressure was lower than that before surgery, and with the goniosynechialysis group being lower than the trabeculectomy group(all P<0.01). Before surgery, there was no significant difference in the whole en face vessel density within the optic disc head between the two groups(P>0.05), however, the whole en face vessel density within the optic disc head in both groups on 1 d after surgery were significantly lower than before surgery(all P<0.05); and compared with 1 d after surgery, there was a significant increase at 1 wk, 1, and 3 mo after surgery(all P<0.05); the whole en face vessel density within the optic disc head in the goniosynechialysis group was significantly higher than that in the trabeculectomy group at various time points after surgery(all P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the whole en face vessel density in the peripapillary region between the two groups before surgery and various time points after surgery(all P>0.05). Within 3 mo after surgery, the incidence of complications in the goniosynechialysis group(8.3%)was significantly lower than that in the trabeculectomy group(21.7%; P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Goniosynechialysis combined with phacoemulsification is more effective than trabeculectomy combined with phacoemulsification in the treatment of patients with glaucoma complicated with cataract in improving the visual acuity and whole en face vessel density within the optic disc head of patients, increasing the anterior chamber depth and chamber angle width, reducing intraocular pressure and the risk of complications. It has high safety and ideal short-term efficacy.

Objective : To investigate the antidepressant effects and the underlying mechanisms of tetrahydrocurcumin(THC) and its nanoparticle formulation(THCN). Methods : Forty-six male ICR mice were randomly divided into Con group, LPS group, THC group, THCN group and SER group. A mouse depression model was established by intraperitoneal administration of LPS. The anxiety and depression-like behaviors of mice were evaluated by open field test(OFT) and forced swimming test(FST). Myelin staining was applied to assess the extent of demyelination in the prefrontal cortex of the mice. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were further examined for the expression levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP) and Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4) through quantitative immunofluorescence assays. Results : Compared with the Con group, the LPS group showed increased anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors in both the long-term and short-term experiments(P<0.05); the degree of demyelination increased in the LPS group of the long-term experiment(P<0.01); the expression of GFAP was reduced in the LPS group of the short-term experiment(P<0.01), while the expression of TLR4 increased(P<0.05); the expression of TLR4 decreased in the THC group(P<0.01); the expression of GFAP in the prefrontal cortex of the THCN group was reduced(P<0.01), while the expression of TLR4 increased(P<0.05). Compared with the LPS group, the THC group showed reduced depressive-like behaviors in the long-term experiment(P<0.05), while the anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors of the THCN group and the SER group were reduced(P<0.05), and the anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors of the THC group and the THCN group were reduced in the short-term experiment(P<0.05); the degree of demyelination was reduced in the THC group, THCN group and SER group in the long-term experiment(P<0.05); the expression of GFAP increased in the THC group of the short-term experiment(P<0.05), while the expression of TLR4 was reduced(P<0.05), and the expression of GFAP increased in the THCN group(P<0.05). Compared with the THC group, the THCN group and the SER group showed reduced anxiety-like behaviors in the long-term experiment(P<0.05); the expression of GFAP in the prefrontal cortex of the THCN group was reduced in the short-term experiment(P<0.05), while the expression of TLR4 in the hippocampal DG area increased in the short-term experiment(P<0.01). Conclusion Tetrahydrocurcumin and its nanoparticle formulation both exert significant ameliorative effects on depression-like behaviors and demyelination in mice induced by lipopolysaccharide. The antidepressant mechanism of THC appears to be mediated through the down-regulation of TLR4 and the up-regulation of GFAP. The mechanism underlying the antidepressant action of THCN seems predominantly focused on the enhancement of GFAP expression.

In view of the few studies on the influence of Armillaria spp. infection on the content of the chemical components in different parts of Polyporus umbellatus sclerotia, this study determined the biomass of P. umbellatus sclerotia and the contents of ergosterol, polyporusterone A, polyporusterone B and polysaccharide in the separated cavity wall of the sclerotia and the uninfected part of the sclerotia in different harvesting years under the conditions of A. gallica and A. mellea infection respectively. According to the difference of content and dynamic changes of the polysaccharide and the steroid substances, the superior Armillaria sp. was screened to obtain the best harvest years of P. umbellatus. Using HPLC and UV-VIS spectrophotometry methods, the contents of ergosterol, polyporusterone A, polyporusterone B and polysaccharide in P. umbellatus sclerotia infected by the two Armillaria spp. in different years were determined. In addition, the differentially expressed genes related to P. umbellatus polysaccharide synthesis were screened according to the transcriptomic data of different parts of P. umbellatus after A. mellea infection. With the increase of years, the biomass of sclerotia infected by different Armillaria spp. had significant differences, and there were significant differences in the four components of sclerotia. The four components of the separated cavity wall of the sclerotia were significantly higher than those of the uninfected part. The best harvest time was the third year after cultivation. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the infection of Armillaria spp. could significantly promote polysaccharide synthesis, which provided a basis for polysaccharide content determination at the molecular level. The study clarified the influence of different Armillaria spp. infection on the accumulation of chemical components of P. umbellatus sclerotia, laying a foundation for exploring the symbiosis mechanism and provided a scientific clue for screening superior Armillaria sp. and guiding the artificial cultivation of P. umbellatus sclerotia.

Ten ursolic acid derivatives were designed from the lead compound ursolic acid by introducing 1,2,3-triazole at C-3 and C-28. The target compounds were synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR. MTT assay was used to study the antitumor activity of these compounds in human cancer cells with high expression (MCF-7 and SGC-7901). The results showed that the antitumor activity of all compounds on MCF-7 and SGC-7901 tumor cells was significantly higher than that of ursolic acid. The compound II₄ exhibited significant antitumor activity which was equivalent to the positive control drug nilotinib, molecular docking showed that the compound II₄ have high binding ability with c-Kit, which deserves further research.

[Objective] To explore the relationship between neutrophil activation under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and the incidence of cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CS-AKI). [Methods] This prospective cohort study enrolled adult patients who scheduled for cardiac surgery under CPB at West China Hospital between May 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023. The primary outcome was acute kidney injury (AKI). Blood samples (5 mL) were obtained from the central vein before surgery, at rewarming, at the end of CPB, and 24 hours after surgery. Neutrophils were labeled with CD11b, CD54 and other markers. To assess the effect of neutrophils activation on AKI, propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to equilibrate covariates between the groups. [Results] A total of 120 patients included into the study, and 17 (14.2%) developed AKI. Both CD11b⁺ and CD54⁺ neutrophils significantly increased during the rewarming phase and the increases were kept until 24 hours after surgery. During rewarming, the numbers of CD11b⁺ neutrophils were significantly higher in AKI compared to non-AKI (4.71×10⁹/L vs 3.31×10⁹/L, Z=-2.14, P<0.05). Similarly, the CD54⁺ neutrophils counts were also significantly higher in AKI than in non-AKI before surgery (2.75×10⁹/L vs 1.79×10⁹/L, Z=-2.99, P<0.05), during rewarming (3.12×10⁹/L vs 1.62×10⁹/L, Z=-4.34, P<0.05), and at the end of CPB (4.28×10⁹/L vs 2.14×10⁹/L, Z=-3.91, P<0.05). An analysis of 32 matched patients (16 in each group) revealed that CD11b⁺ and CD54⁺ neutrophil levels of AKI were 1.74 folds (4.83×10⁹/L vs 2.77×10⁹/L, Z=-2.72, P<0.05) and 2.34 folds (3.32×10⁹/L vs 1.42×10⁹/L, Z=-4.12, P<0.05), respectively, of non-AKI at rewarming phase. [Conclusion] Neutrophils are activated during CPB, and they can be identified by CD11b/CD54 markers. The activated neutrophils of AKI patients are approximately 2 folds of non-AKI during the rewarming phase, with disparity reached peak between groups during rewarming. These findings suggest the removal of 50% of activated neutrophils during the rewarming phase may be effective to reduce the risk of AKI.

ObjectiveObesity has been identified as one of the most important risk factors for cognitive dysfunction. Physical exercise can ameliorate learning and memory deficits by reversing synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus and cortex in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, we aimed to determine whether 8 weeks of treadmill exercise could alleviate hippocampus-dependent memory impairment in high-fat diet-induced obese mice and investigate the potential mechanisms involved. MethodsA total of sixty 6-week-old male C57BL/6 mice, weighing between 20-30 g, were randomly assigned to 3 distinct groups, each consisting of 20 mice. The groups were designated as follows: control (CON), high-fat diet (HFD), and high-fat diet with exercise (HFD-Ex). Prior to the initiation of the treadmill exercise protocol, the HFD and HFD-Ex groups were fed a high-fat diet (60% fat by kcal) for 20 weeks. The mice in the HFD-Ex group underwent treadmill exercise at a speed of 8 m/min for the first 10 min, followed by 12 m/min for the subsequent 50 min, totally 60 min of exercise at a 0° slope, 5 d per week, for 8 weeks. We employed Y-maze and novel object recognition tests to assess hippocampus-dependent memory and utilized immunofluorescence, Western blot, Golgi staining, and ELISA to analyze axon length, dendritic complexity, number of spines, the expression of c-fos, doublecortin (DCX), postsynaptic density-95 (PSD95), synaptophysin (Syn), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and the number of major histocompatibility complex II (MHC-II) positive cells. ResultsMice with HFD-induced obesity exhibit hippocampus-dependent memory impairment, and treadmill exercise can prevent memory decline in these mice. The expression of DCX was significantly decreased in the HFD-induced obese mice compared to the control group (P<0.001). Treadmill exercise increased the expression of c-fos (P<0.001) and DCX (P=0.001) in the hippocampus of the HFD-induced obese mice. The axon length (P<0.001), dendritic complexity (P<0.001), the number of spines (P<0.001) and the expression of PSD95 (P<0.001) in the hippocampus were significantly decreased in the HFD-induced obese mice compared to the control group. Treadmill exercise increased the axon length (P=0.002), dendritic complexity(P<0.001), the number of spines (P<0.001) and the expression of PSD95 (P=0.001) of the hippocampus in the HFD-induced obese mice. Our study found a significant increase in MHC-II positive cells (P<0.001) and the concentration of IL-1β (P<0.001) in the hippocampus of HFD-induced obese mice compared to the control group. Treadmill exercise was found to reduce the number of MHC-II positive cells (P<0.001) and the concentration of IL-1β (P<0.001) in the hippocampus of obese mice induced by a HFD. ConclusionTreadmill exercise led to enhanced neurogenesis and neuroplasticity by increasing the axon length, dendritic complexity, dendritic spine numbers, and the expression of PSD95 and DCX, decreasing the number of MHC-II positive cells and neuroinflammation in HFD-induced obese mice. Therefore, we speculate that exercise may serve as a non-pharmacologic method that protects against HFD-induced hippocampus-dependent memory dysfunction by enhancing neuroplasticity and neurogenesis in the hippocampus of obese mice.

ObjectiveNon-invasive magnetic stimulation technology has been widely used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but there is a lack of convenient and timely methods for evaluating and providing feedback on the effectiveness of the stimulation, which can be used to guide the adjustment of the stimulation protocol. This study aims to explore the possibility of heart rate variability (HRV) in diagnosing AD and guiding AD magnetic stimulation intervention techniques. MethodsIn this study, we used a 40 Hz, 10 mT pulsed magnetic field to expose AD mouse models to whole-body exposure for 18 d, and detected the behavioral and electroencephalographic signals before and after exposure, as well as the instant electrocardiographic signals after exposure every day. ResultsUsing one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient analysis, we found that some HRV indicators could identify AD mouse models as accurately as behavioral and electroencephalogram(EEG) changes (P<0.05) and significantly distinguish the severity of the disease (P<0.05), including rMSSD, pNN6, LF/HF, SD1/SD2, and entropy arrangement. These HRV indicators showed good correlation and statistical significance with behavioral and EEG changes (r>0.3, P<0.05); HRV indicators were significantly modulated by the magnetic field exposure before and after the exposure, both of which were observed in the continuous changes of electrocardiogram (ECG) (P<0.05), and the trend of the stimulation effect was more accurately observed in the continuous changes of ECG. ConclusionHRV can accurately reflect the pathophysiological changes and disease degree, quickly evaluate the effect of magnetic stimulation, and has the potential to guide the pattern of magnetic exposure, providing a new idea for the study of personalized electromagnetic neuroregulation technology for brain diseases.

Objective To assess the risk of human Spirometra mansoni infections and investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) towards sparganosis mansoni among residents in Henan Province, so as to provide insights into formulation of the sparganosis mansoni control measures. Methods Qinling Village in Fugou County of Zhoukou City, Bali Village in Yancheng District of Luohe City, Duzhai Village in Puyang County of Puyang City and Doushan Village in Luoshan County of Xinyang City were sampled as survey sites in Henan Province from July to August 2023, and more than 40 frogs were sampled from ponds or streams in each survey site for detection of Sparganum mansoni infections. At least 150 residents were sampled using a cluster sampling method from each survey site, and the sero-prevalence of anti-S. mansoni IgG antibody was estimated. In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted on the KAP towards sparganosis mansoni among participants, and the proportion of eligible KAP, rate of correct KAP and KAP scores were calculated. Results A total 229 frogs were collected from 4 survey sites in 2023, and the overall prevalence of S. mansoni infection was 4.37% (10/229) in frogs, with 7.75% (10/129) prevalence in wild frogs and 0 in farm-bred frogs. A questionnaire survey was performed among 649 residents sampled from 4 survey sites, and 649 serum samples were collected. The seroprevalence of anti-S.mansoni IgG antibody was 0.15% (1/649) and the overall proportion of eligible KAP was 23.73% (154/649) among participants. There were age- (χ² = 30.905, P = 0.000), educational level- (χ² = 41.011, P = 0.000), and occupation-specific proportions of eligible KAP among participants (χ² = 10.721, P = 0.005), and the proportion of eligible KAP decreased with age (χ² _trend = 22.717, P = 0.000) and increased with education levels (χ² _trend = 40.025, P = 0.000). The rates of correct KAP towards sparganosis mansoni were 40.81% (2 119/5 192), 96.66% (1 882/1 947) and 63.81% (3 727/5 841) (χ² = 1 913.731, P = 0.000) among residents, respectively. The rates of correct KAP towards sparganosis mansoni varied significantly among survey sites (χ² = 136.872, 42.347 and 255.157; all P values= 0.000, with the highest rate of correct knowledge (51.94%, 748/1 440) and practices (75.86%, 1 229/1 620) in Yancheng District of Luohe City and the highest rate of correct attitudes in Puyang County of Puyang City (99.11%, 446/450) (all P values< 0.05). Conclusions There is still a high transmission risk of sparganosis mansoni in Henan Province, and the KAP towards sparganosis mansoni is required to be improved among residents.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

ObjectiveEarly blight is a common destructive disease in the growth process of Solanaceae crops, which can lead to crop failure and serious losses. Traditional crop disease detection methods are difficult to detect disease characteristics in a timely manner during the incubation period of disease, and thus take scientific and effective prevention and control measures. This study obtained hyperspectral images of early blight of peppers at different infection stages through continuous monitoring with a hyperspectral imager. The earliest identifiable time during the incubation period of early blight in peppers (the earliest identifiable time during the incubation period in this experiment was 24 h after inoculation) was determined using the spectral angle cosine-correlation coefficient and Chebyshev distance. MethodsTaking the symptoms of the latent period of early blight in peppers as the research object, 13 characteristic wavelengths were selected using a genetic algorithm. An identification model of crop disease latent period symptoms based on spectral features was established through optimized combinations of characteristic wavelengths combined with a logistic regression model. Simultaneously, a recognition model of the latent period of early blight in peppers based on image texture features was established using local binary patterns. ResultsThe experiment was tested with 120 samples. The accuracy of the identification model of crop disease latent period symptoms based on spectral features reached over 93% in both the training set and the test set. The accuracy of the identification model of crop disease latent period symptoms based on texture features reached 98.96% and 100% in the training set and test set, respectively. ConclusionBoth spectral features and texture features can be used to detect and identify crop disease latent period symptoms. Texture features more significantly revealed the characteristics of the latent period of the disease compared to spectral features, effectively improving the detection performance of the model. The research results in this article can provide theoretical references for monitoring and identifying other crop disease latent period symptoms.