Objective To review the CT appearance of various anomalous mediastinal veins left to aortic arch and provide guideline for differentiating between them. Methods All 41 patients (26 men, 15 women; mean age 50.6) underwent CT scan and no one associated with congenital heart disease. 36 of which had the injection of IV contrast material. Others had chest MRI or ultrasound examination. Three-dimension (3D) and MIP reconstruction of the major mediastinal vascular structures were performed in 6 patients. All the CT scans were reviewed in order to observe the CT findings in each anomaly. Results Of the all cases, 24 cases had persistent left superior vena cava, of them, 23 cases with duplication of SVC, and 1 case with absent right SVC. Eleven cases had anomalous left brachiocephalic vein, and 6 of 11 cases were associated with various anomalous aortic arches. Four patients had partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage of the left upper lobe. Two cases had left brachiocephalic vein continuation of the azygos vein. There were different CT findings among various types of venous anomalies, especially their courses below the aortic arch. Conclusion Contrast enhancement CT scan was valuable in the diagnoses of these anomalous veins. Careful analysis of the CT scans allowed the radiologist to avoid making wrong diagnosis.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of pretreatment regimen containing idarubicin (IDA) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for high-risk refractory leukemia. Methods A total of 116 patients with high-risk refractory leukemia who received allo-HSCT treated with 7 types of IDA-containing pretreatment regimes were enrolled in this study. The implantation rate of 116 recipients was summed up. The 2-year overall survival (OS), 2-year disease free survival (DFS), cumulative recurrence rate, recurrent mortality, transplantation related mortality (TRM), cumulative incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) and chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) were statistically analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curve. Results All 116 recipients successfully implanted. The median follow-up time was 28 (7-70) months. Among them, 64 recipients survived, the 2-year OS was 55.2%, 2-year DFS was 51.7%, 2-year recurrent mortality was 23.3% and 2-year TRM was 18.1%. Among 116 recipients, 72 cases suffered from aGVHD. The 2-year cumulative incidence rate of aGVHD was 62.1% including 20 cases of grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ aGVHD, the 2-year cumulative incidence rate was 17.2%. Among 116 recipients, 59 cases presented with cGVHD. The 2-year cumulative incidence rate was 55.4%, of which the 2-year cumulative incidence rate of extensive cGVHD was 14.7%. Among 116 recipients, 30 cases recurred with a 2-year cumulative recurrence rate of 25.9%. Conclusions IDA-containingpretreatment regime has high safety and effectiveness, and can be used as an effective pretreatment regime for transplantation preprocessing in patients with high-risk refractory leukemia.

BACKGROUND:Gut microbiota is closely related to host energy balance and metabolism.The metabolites of intestinal flora can regulate the occurrence and development of obesity and can be a new target for the prevention and treatment of obesity. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the interaction between the intestinal flora and obesity,as well as the specific mechanism underlying regulation of obesity by metabolites of intestinal flora,thereby providing a new reference and basis for the prevention and treatment of obesity. METHODS:"Intestinal microbiota,intestinal bacteria,intestinal microbiota metabolites,short-chain fatty acids,bile acids,ipopolysaccharide,trimethylamine N-oxide,medium-chain fatty acids,tryptophan derivatives,obesity"were used as search terms in Chinese and English.Literature related to obesity from 1990 to 2022 was retrieved in PubMed and CNKI databases.According to inclusion and exclusion criteria,88 articles were finally selected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Intestinal flora is closely related to the occurrence and development of obesity.For example,changes in the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio can be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of obesity,and the occurrence of obesity can be delayed by the colonization of probiotics such as Bifidobacterium breve,Lactobacillus and Akkermansia.Intestinal flora is mainly mediated by the metabolites of intestinal flora to participate in the regulation of obesity.For example,short-chain fatty acid can regulate adipogenesis by regulating signaling pathways such as G protein-coupled receptors 41,43 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ,thus delaying the occurrence and development of obesity.Bile acids can increase insulin sensitivity and body energy expenditure by promoting the activation of G protein-coupled receptor 5 and farnesol X receptor.In addition,lipopolysaccharide,trimethylamine oxide,medium-chain fatty acids and tryptophan derivatives are also widely involved in the occurrence and development of obesity through various signaling pathways.Further studies have found that metabolites of the same bacterial community exert heterogeneous effects in the specific process of regulating obesity via different signaling pathways.For example,under the influence of high-fat diet,acetic acids can activate the parasympathetic nervous system,leading to hyperphagia and liver insulin resistance and thus accelerating the physiological course of obesity.

BACKGROUND:Intestinal flora and its metabolites can participate in the pathological process of osteoporosis and play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.In addition,exercise can regulate the intestinal flora and thus affect the occurrence and development of osteoporosis. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the effects and mechanism of intestinal flora on osteoblasts,osteoclasts,and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,and the potential role of exercise-mediated intestinal flora in regulating osteoporosis. METHODS:"Intestinal flora,intestinal bacteria,metabolites of intestinal flora,bone metabolism,osteoporosis,exercise"were selected as keywords.Literatures from 1990 to 2023 were retrieved from PubMed and CNKI databases. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Changes in the abundance and diversity of intestinal flora and changes in the levels of intestinal flora metabolites such as trimethylamine oxide and bile acid can be used as biomarkers for the diagnosis of osteoporosis.The imbalance of intestinal flora can lead to intestinal barrier dysfunction and excessive production of lipopolysaccharides and trimethylamine oxide,induce the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α and other inflammatory cytokines,activate the nuclear factor κB signaling pathway and aggravate oxidative stress,thus promoting osteoclast differentiation,inducing osteoblast apoptosis and affecting bone marrow mesenchymal cell migration.Remodeling intestinal flora homeostasis can inhibit inflammatory response,downregulate oxidative stress,inhibit osteoclast differentiation,promote osteoblast differentiation,and regulate the osteogenic migration of bone marrow mesenchymal cells to prevent and treat osteoporosis.Exercise can regulate intestinal flora homeostasis,improve intestinal barrier function,promote the secretion of short-chain fatty acids and bile acids,down-regulate serum lipopolysaccharide level,reduce oxidative stress,and then inhibit osteocyte apoptosis,inhibit osteoclast differentiation,promote osteoblast differentiation,and regulate osteocyte nutrient metabolism to exert the potential of preventing and treating osteoporosis.

Objective:To explore the risk factors involved in gastritis, gastric intraepithelial neoplasia (GIN) and gastric cancer in Shihezi area.Methods:A total of 7 110 Han nationality patients who underwent gastroscopy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University School of Medicine from January 2012 to December 2016 were selected as the research subjects. The data of patients were obtained through medical records and questionnaires. After excluding diseases related to esophagus and duodenum, a total of 4 429 cases were included in the retrospective analysis. Of which, 4 249 were gastritis, 93 were GIN, and 87 were gastric cancer. χ2 test, rank-sum test or Fisher exact probability method were used to analyze the differences of various factors in gastritis, GIN and gastric cancer. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to screen the risk factors for gastritis progression to GIN and gastric cancer. Results:χ2 test and rank sum test showed that there were statistically significant differences in gender, age, history of digestive diseases and distribution of Helicobacter pylori ( HP) infection among the groups of gastritis, GIN and gastric cancer ( P<0.05). The proportion of HP infection decreased gradually with the disease severity. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that male ( P<0.001, OR=2.251, 95% CI: 1.461-3.470), elderly ( P<0.001, OR=4.829, 95% CI: 2.241-10.409), a family history of gastric cancer ( P=0.002, OR=3.227, 95% CI: 1.537-6.774) and a history of digestive diseases ( P=0.034, OR=1.644, 95% CI: 1.037-2.607) were independent risk factors for gastritis progression to GIN. Male ( P<0.001, OR=3.254, 95% CI: 2.026-5.225), middle-aged ( P=0.022, OR=2.688, 95% CI: 1.153-6.265) and elderly ( P=0.002, OR=4.734, 95% CI: 1.750-12.807) were independent risk factors for gastritis progression to gastric cancer. In stratified analysis to exclude age and gender, smoking ( P=0.028, OR=4.060, 95% CI: 1.160-14.202) was found to be a risk factor for gastritis progression to GIN in young adults, and obesity ( P=0.032, OR=3.869, 95% CI: 1.121-13.356) was found to be a risk factor for gastritis progression to gastric cancer in women. Conclusion:The degree of HP infection in gastric tissues is negatively correlated with the severity of gastric diseases, suggesting that HP infection may be an early event inducing gastric cancer. Male, the elderly, people with a family history of gastric cancer and a history of digestive diseases, and young smokers in Shihezi are more likely to develop GIN, and male, middle-aged, elderly, and obese women are at increased risk of gastric cancer.

Hyperhomocysteinemia (Hhcy) is an independent risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Visual dysfunction is commonly found and is positively correlated with the severity of cognitive defects in AD patients. Our previous study demonstrated that Hhcy induces memory deficits with AD-like tau and amyloid-β (Aβ) pathologies in the hippocampus, and supplementation with folate and vitamin B12 (FB) prevents the Hhcy-induced AD-like pathologies in the hippocampus. Here, we investigated whether Hhcy also induces AD-like pathologies in the retina and the effects of FB. An Hhcy rat model was produced by vena caudalis injection of homocysteine for 14 days, and the effects of FB were assessed by simultaneous supplementation with FB in drinking water. We found that Hhcy induced vessel damage with Aβ and tau pathologies in the retina, while simultaneous supplementation with FB remarkably attenuated the Hhcy-induced tau hyperphosphorylation at multiple AD-related sites and Aβ accumulation in the retina. The mechanisms involved downregulation of amyloid precursor protein (APP), presenilin-1, beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1, and protein phosphatase-2A. Our data suggest that the retina may serve as a window for evaluating the effects of FB on hyperhomocysteinemia-induced Alzheimer-like pathologies.
Alzheimer Disease ; etiology ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; Amyloid beta-Peptides ; metabolism ; Animals ; Dietary Supplements ; Disease Models, Animal ; Folic Acid ; therapeutic use ; Homocysteine ; Hyperhomocysteinemia ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Retina ; metabolism ; pathology ; Retinal Vessels ; metabolism ; pathology ; Vitamin B 12 ; therapeutic use ; tau Proteins ; metabolism