Objective:To investigate the relationship between carotid atherosclerosis(CAS)and subclinical left ventricular(LV)dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with preserved LV ejection fraction(LVEF).Methods:A total of 120 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who had LVEF≥50% were selected in the Department of Endocrinology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from June 2021 to October 2021. The global longitudinal strain(GLS)was obtained by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography(STE)to assess subclinical LV systolic function. The mitral ratio of peak early to late diastolic filling velocity(E/A), and mitral velocity to early diastolic velocity of the mitral annulus(E/E′)ratio were obtained by pulsed tissue Doppler echocardiography to assess LV diastolic function. Acrroding to bilateral carotid ultrasound examination, the subjects were divided into normal carotid arteries group( n=46) and CAS group( n=74). Demographics and biochemical parameters were compared between two groups. Binary logistic regression and Pearson correlation analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between CAS and subclinical LV dysfunction. Results:The CAS group had a higher proportion of men, older age, and a longer duration of diabetes than the normal carotid arteries group(all P<0.05). There was no difference in LVEF and GLS between the two groups [normal carotid arteries group vs CAS group, LVEF: (60.72±4.73)% vs(60.07±4.28)%; GLS: (18.24±3.72)% vs(17.81±3.47)%, respectively; both P>0.05]. However, compared with normal carotid arteries group, E/A ratio was decreased and E/E′ ratio was significantly increased in CAS group(both P<0.01). Pearson correlation analysis showed that GLS was not correlated with carotid plaque thickness and carotid intima-media thickness(CIMT; both P>0.05). By contrast, E/E′ ratio was positively correlated with carotid plaque thickness and CIMT(both P<0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that GLS and E/E′ ratio were not associated with CAS( both P>0.05). However, decreased E/A ratio was significantly associated with the existence of CAS( OR=0.09, 95% CI 0.01-0.67, P=0.018). Conclusions:In type 2 diabetes mellitus patients without overt heart failure and with preserved LVEF, the occurrence of CAS is not associated with subclinical LV systolic impairment assessed by GLS, but is significantly associated with LV diastolic dysfunction, and is independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

OBJECTIVE To study the absorption characteristics of phenylpropanoids of Mongolian medicine Tabson-2 decoction(TBD) in Caco-2 cells and to preliminarily clarify the oral absorption mechanism of TBD. METHODS Caco-2 cell monolayer model was used to analyze the uptake components of TBD in Caco-2 cells by UPLC-MS/MS, and UPLC-MS/MS analysis method was established to determine the nine best absorbed components of TBD, protocatechuic acid, neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, cryptogenic acid, 1,5-dicaffeinate quinic acid, isochlorogenic acid C, caffeic acid, dihydrocaffeic acid, chlorogenic acid. The effects of time, concentration and P-glycoprotein inhibitor on the absorption of each component were investigated. RESULTS The overall intake of caffeic acid and dihydrocaffeic acid showed an upward trend in 0-180 min, and did not show saturation. The absorption of 3-hydroxycinnamic acid was constant at about 90 min and tended to saturation. The intakes of cryptochlorogenic acid, 1,5-dicaffeinate, quinic acid, isochlorogenic acid C, neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid and protocatechuic acid first decreased and then increased with time from about 90 min. The addition of P-glycoprotein inhibitor verapamil and cyclosporin A had an effect on the absorption of dihydrocaffeic acid compared with the phenylpropanoid components, indicated that dihydrocaffeic acid was the substrate of P-glycoprotein. CONCLUSION The main phenylpropanoids of TBD enter Caco-2 mainly by passive diffusion, supplemented by active transport, and the absorption process of the other eight components is not affected by the efflux of P-glycoprotein except dihydrocaffeic acid.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinicopathological features， diagnosis and treatment methods， and prognosis of gallbladder sarcomatoid carcinoma （GBSC）. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 16 patients with GBSC who were admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2015 to April 2023， including general information， clinical manifestations， imaging features， pathological features， and treatment modality， and follow-up was performed for all patients. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to perform the survival analysis and plot the survival curve， and the Log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. ResultsAmong the 16 patients， there were 6 male patients and 10 female patients， with a mean age of 62.9±8.4 years. The main clinical manifestations were right upper abdominal pain in 13 patients （81.3%）， nausea in 5 patients （31.3%）， abdominal distension in 4 patients （25.0%）， poor appetite in 3 patients （18.8%）， weakness in 2 patients （12.5%）， fever in 2 patients （12.5%）， and jaundice in 1 patient （6.3%）， and 3 patients were asymptomatic and were found to have this disease by physical examination. Of all patients， 81.3% （13/16） were in the advanced stage （stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ） at the time of initial diagnosis. Histopathological examination showed that some cancer cells were spindle-shaped under the microscope， with marked nuclear division and noticeable heteromorphism. Immunohistochemistry showed a positive expression rate of 100% （16/16） for Vimentin， AE1/AE3， and CK8/18， and Ki-67 proliferation index was highly expressed in 81.3% （13/16） of the patients （≥50%）， with a median of 70% （range 20%‍ ‍—‍ ‍90%）. All 16 patients underwent surgical treatment， with radical surgery in 11 patients and palliative surgery in 5 patients， among whom 9 received R0 resection， 2 received R1 resection， and 5 received R2 resection， and 7 patients received adjuvant therapy after surgery. Effective follow-up was achieved for all 16 patients， with a follow-up time of 0.5‍ ‍—‍ ‍26.0 months and a median follow-up time of 11.0 months. By the end of follow-up， 2 patients survived and 14 patients died due to tumor recurrence or metastasis， with a median survival time of 10.0 months， and the 1- and 2-year cumulative survival rates after surgery were 31.3% and 8.3%， respectively. The prognostic analysis showed that TNM stage （χ²=6.727， P=0.009）， surgical approach （χ²=7.508， P=0.006）， margin condition （χ²=7.934， P=0.005）， and adjuvant therapy （χ²=4.608， P=0.032） were associated with the prognosis of patients. ConclusionThe clinical manifestations of GBSC lack specificity， and a confirmed diagnosis relies on immunohistochemical analysis. Most patients are in the advanced disease at the time of initial diagnosis and tend to have a poor prognosis. There are currently no targeted therapies for this disease， and radical surgery with negative margins and adjuvant therapy can improve the survival rate of patients.