Emerging evidence suggests that dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is associated with the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. The microbiota-gut-brain axis plays a crucial role in the development and progression of PD, and numerous studies have demonstrated the potential therapeutic benefits of modulations in the intestinal microbiota. This review provides insights into the characterization of the gut microbiota in patients with PD and highlights associations with clinical symptoms and underlying mechanisms. The discussion underscores the increased influence of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of PD. While the relationship is not fully elucidated, existing research demonstrates a strong correlation between changes in the composition of gut microbiota and disease development, and further investigation is warranted to explain the specific underlying mechanisms.
Humans ; Parkinson Disease/microbiology* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/physiology* ; Dysbiosis/microbiology*

BACKGROUND: Gait impairment is closely related to quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to explore alterations in brain microstructure in PD patients and healthy controls (HCs) and to identify the correlation of gait impairment in the ON and OFF states of patients with PD, respectively. METHODS: We enrolled 24 PD patients and 29 HCs from the Movement Disorders Program at Beijing Friendship Hospital Capital Medical University between 2019 and 2020. We acquired magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and processed the diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) images. Preprocessing of diffusion-weighted data was performed with Mrtrix3 software, using a directional distribution function to track participants' main white matter fiber bundles. Demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded. Quantitative gait and clinical scales were used to assess the status of medication ON and OFF in PD patients. RESULTS: The axial kurtosis (AK), mean kurtosis (MK), and radial kurtosis (RK) of five specific white matter fiber tracts, the bilateral corticospinal tract, left superior longitudinal fasciculus, left anterior thalamic radiation, forceps minor, and forceps major were significantly higher in PD patients compared to HCs. Additionally, the MK values were negatively correlated with Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) scores in both the ON and OFF in PD patients. Within the PD group, higher AK, MK, and RK values, whether the patients were ON or OFF, were associated with better gait performance (i.e., higher velocity and stride length). CONCLUSIONS PD exhibits characteristic regional patterns of white matter microstructural degradation. Correlations between objective gait parameters and DKI values suggest that dopamine-responsive gait function depends on preserved white matter microstructure. DKI-based Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) analysis may serve as a tool for evaluating PD-related motor impairments (e.g., gait impairment) and could yield potential neuroimaging biomarkers.
Humans ; Parkinson Disease/diagnostic imaging* ; White Matter/physiopathology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Gait/physiology* ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging/methods*

Objective To investigate the association of triglyceride-glucose index(TyG)with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and its diagnostic value for NAFLD in non-obese individuals.Methods We retrospectively collected the data of non-obese individuals(BMI<25 kg/m2)undergoing routine health examination at Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between May,2020 and December,2023,who all received abdominal ultrasound examination for NAFLD screening.The nonlinear relationship between TyG and non-obese NAFLD was explored using restricted cubic splines(RCS),and LASSO regression was used for variable screening;the correlation between TyG and NAFLD risk was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.The diagnostic value of TyG for non-obese NAFLD was assessed using receiver-operating characteristic(ROC)curves and sensitivity analysis.Results A total of 3723 non-obese subjects were enrolled in this study,including 432(11.6%)patients with NAFLD.Compared with the healthy individuals,the patients with NAFLD had significant elevations of systolic and diastolic blood pressures,total cholesterol,triglycerides,LDL-C,blood uric acid,fasting blood glucose,and TyG index and a decreased HDL-C level(P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression revealed that for each one-unit increase of TyG,the risk of non-obese NAFLD increased by 2.2 folds(OR=3.22,95%CI:2.53-4.12,P<0.001).Compared with a TyG index in the lowest quartile Q1,a TyG index in the Q2,Q3 and Q4 quartiles was associated with an increased risk of NAFLD by 1.52 folds(OR=2.52,95%CI:1.20-5.95),3.56 folds(OR=4.56,95%CI:2.28-10.46),and 8.66-folds(OR=9.66,95%CI:4.83-22.18),respectively.The RCS curve demonstrated a significant linear correlation between TyG index and non-obese NALFD risk(P for nonlinear=0.019).For diagnosing non-obese NALFD,TyG index had an area under ROC curve of 0.819 with a sensitivity of 78.0%and a specificity of 71.2%.Conclusion An increase of TyG index is correlated with increased risks of NAFLD in non-obese individuals and can serve as an indicator for screening early NAFLD in healthy individuals.

Sonogenetics is an emerging synthetic biology technique that uses sound waves to activate mechanosensitive ion channel proteins on the cell surface to regulate cell behavior and function.Due to the widespread presence of mechanically sensitive ion channel systems in cells and the advantages of non-invasion,strong penetrability,high safety and high accuracy of sonogenetics technology,it has great development potential in basic biomedical research and clinical applications,especially in neuronal regulation,tumor mechanism research,sonodynamic therapy and hearing impairment.This review discusses the basic principles of sonogenetics,the development status of sonogenetics and its application in the prevention and treatment of noise-induced hearing loss,summarizes and analyzes the current challenges and future development direction,thus providing a reference for further research and development of sonogenetics in the field of military medicine.

Objective To investigate the association of triglyceride-glucose index(TyG)with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and its diagnostic value for NAFLD in non-obese individuals.Methods We retrospectively collected the data of non-obese individuals(BMI<25 kg/m2)undergoing routine health examination at Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between May,2020 and December,2023,who all received abdominal ultrasound examination for NAFLD screening.The nonlinear relationship between TyG and non-obese NAFLD was explored using restricted cubic splines(RCS),and LASSO regression was used for variable screening;the correlation between TyG and NAFLD risk was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.The diagnostic value of TyG for non-obese NAFLD was assessed using receiver-operating characteristic(ROC)curves and sensitivity analysis.Results A total of 3723 non-obese subjects were enrolled in this study,including 432(11.6%)patients with NAFLD.Compared with the healthy individuals,the patients with NAFLD had significant elevations of systolic and diastolic blood pressures,total cholesterol,triglycerides,LDL-C,blood uric acid,fasting blood glucose,and TyG index and a decreased HDL-C level(P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression revealed that for each one-unit increase of TyG,the risk of non-obese NAFLD increased by 2.2 folds(OR=3.22,95%CI:2.53-4.12,P<0.001).Compared with a TyG index in the lowest quartile Q1,a TyG index in the Q2,Q3 and Q4 quartiles was associated with an increased risk of NAFLD by 1.52 folds(OR=2.52,95%CI:1.20-5.95),3.56 folds(OR=4.56,95%CI:2.28-10.46),and 8.66-folds(OR=9.66,95%CI:4.83-22.18),respectively.The RCS curve demonstrated a significant linear correlation between TyG index and non-obese NALFD risk(P for nonlinear=0.019).For diagnosing non-obese NALFD,TyG index had an area under ROC curve of 0.819 with a sensitivity of 78.0%and a specificity of 71.2%.Conclusion An increase of TyG index is correlated with increased risks of NAFLD in non-obese individuals and can serve as an indicator for screening early NAFLD in healthy individuals.

【Objective】 To investigate the role and mechanism of dapagliflozin (Dapa), a sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, in acute liver injury. 【Methods】 Eight-week-old C57BL6/J mice were given a single intraperitoneal injection of CCl4 to induce acute liver injury. The mice were preventively given 5 mg/kg Dapa by gavage 24 h and 2 h before CCl4 injection, while those in the control group were given an equal volume of solvent gavage. After 24 h, the mice were anesthetized and sacrificed. H&E staining, plasma biochemistry, RT-qPCR, and Western blotting were used to detect the severity of liver injury and the expressions of macrophage-related genes. 【Results】 In the CCl4 group, hepatic infiltration of inflammatory cells increased, and liver and renal functions significantly deteriorated, which was further aggravated by Dapa. CCl4 could promote the expressions of M1 macrophages and fibrosis-related genes in the liver, but reduce those of M2 and antioxidant-related genes, and the latter was further inhibited by Dapa. In addition, the protein expression of arginase 1 decreased and that of SGLT2 increased after Dapa intervention, while NF-κB pathway did not change significantly, suggesting that Dapa might directly affect the energy metabolism homeostasis in the liver and aggravate acute liver injury induced by CCl4. 【Conclusion】 Dapa can exacerbate hepatic and renal damage in acute stage of liver injury, inhibit macrophages M2 polarization, and aggravate oxidative stress and inflammatory injury induced by CCl4.

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.

Cancer is a major public health problem worldwide, causing an more serious burden of disease. Inflammation is considered a predisposing factor for cancer with close relationship with its incidence. In recent years, the public and epidemiologists has paid more attention to the association between nutrition and cancer and other chronic diseases in the perspective of inflammation. This paper summarizes the development and application of the diet-related inflammatory index in cancer epidemiological studies based on the literature retrieval of common diet-related inflammatory index. Firstly, we highlight the common diet-related inflammatory indices and their construction methods, such as the Dietary Inflammatory Index, a literature-derived diet-related inflammatory index, and the Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index, an empirically derived diet-related inflammatory index, and so on. Secondly, the epidemiological research progress on the commonly used diet-related inflammatory indices is briefly introduced. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of the two types of this inflammatory indices are also briefly described for the purpose of providing reference for nutrition epidemiological studies of cancer and other chronic diseases in China.
Humans ; Diet ; Inflammation ; Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Chronic Disease

Objective:To investigate the risk factors for textbook outcomes (TO) of intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) after hepatectomy.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 155 ICC patients who underwent hepatectomy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from September 2014 to August 2019 were collected. There were 90 males and 65 females, aged 60(range, 26?82)years. Observation indicators: (1) treatment situations; (2) TO situations; (3) analysis of risk factors for postoperative TO. Follow-up was conducted using outpatient examination and telephone interview to detect postoperative sur-vival of patients up to October 2020. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the independent samples t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test, Yates' calibration chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival rates and draw survival curves. The Log-rank test was used for survival analysis. The univariate analysis was conducted using the corresponding statistical methods based on data type. The Logistic regression model was used for multivariate analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used for evaluating the diagnostic value of indicators (the optimal cut-off value). Results:(1) Treatment situations. Of the 155 patients, 46 cases underwent minor hepatectomy and 109 cases underwent major hepatectomy. Twenty-one of the 155 patients underwent combined bile duct reconstruction. Ninety-five of the 155 patients underwent lymph node dissection, including 41 cases with positive lymph node by postoperative histopathological examinations. The operation time and volume of intraoperative blood loss of the 155 patients were 250.0(range, 95.0?720.0)minutes and 300.0(range, 50.0?15 000.0)mL, respectively. The optimal cut-off values of the operation time and volume of intraoperative blood loss for TO calculated by ROC curve were 247.5 minutes and 325.0 mL, respectively. Of the 155 patients, 44 cases received intraoperative blood transfusion and 10 cases received postoperative blood transfusion (5 cases with intraoperative and postoperative blood transfusion). Seventy-four of the 155 patients had postoperative complications, including 39 cases with mild complications and 35 cases with serious complications. The total duration of hospital stay of the 155 patients was 19 (range, 8?77)days. (2) TO situations. Of the 155 patients, 150 cases achieved R 0 resection, 120 cases had no major postoperative complications, 106 cases had no perioperative blood transfusion, 79 cases had no prolonged duration of hospital stay, 152 cases had no death within postoperative 30 days and 150 cases had no readmission within 30 days after discharge. Of the 155 patients, 56 cases achieved postoperative TO, while 99 patients did not achieve TO. (3) Analysis of risk factors for postoperative TO. Results of univariate analysis showed that preoperative biliary drainage, preoperative Child-Pugh grading of liver function, preoperative asymp-tomatic leukocytosis, preoperative total bilirubin, preoperative alkaline phosphatase, preoperative CA19-9, preoperative CA125, operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, tumor diameter, pathological T staging and pathological N staging were related factors for preoperative TO of ICC patients undergoing hepatectomy ( χ2=4.31, 4.31, 4.38, 4.80, Z=?4.15, χ2=10.74, 15.44, 16.59, 27.53, 6.53, 6.77, 9.26, P<0.05). Bile duct reconstruction was also a related factor for postoperative TO of ICC patients ( P<0.05). Results of multivariate analysis showed that preoperative biliary drainage, preoperative asymptomatic leukocytosis, preoperative CA19-9 >35 U/mL, preoperative CA125 >35 U/mL and volume of intraoperative blood loss >325.0 mL were independent risk factors for postoperative TO of ICC patients undergoing hepatectomy ( odds ratio=74.77, 11.73, 2.40,4.86, 6.42, 95% confidence intervals as 1.80?113.39, 1.19?115.54, 1.04?5.53, 1.78?13.26, 2.41?17.11, P<0.05). Conclusions:Preoperative biliary drainage, preoperative asymptomatic leukocytosis, preoperative CA19-9 >35 U/mL, preoperative CA125 >35 U/mL and volume of intraoperative blood loss >325.0 mL are independent risk factors for postoperative TO of ICC patients undergoing hepatectomy.

Objective:To study the different effects of pre-pregnancy obesity (PO), excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG), pre-pregnancy obesity combined with excessive gestational weight gain (PO+EGWG) of maternal rats on glucose and lipid metabolism in neonatal offspring, and to explore the possible mechanisms.Methods:Animal models of PO, EGWG and PO+EGWG were established by feeding SD rats with high-fat diets at different periods. Thirty-six SD rats were randomly divided into four groups, with nine rats in each group. The control group had a normal diet before and during pregnancy. The PO group had a high-fat diet before pregnancy and a normal diet during pregnancy. The EGWG group had a normal diet before pregnancy and a high-fat diet during pregnancy. And the PO+EGWG group had a high-fat diet before and during pregnancy. The body weight of maternal rats before and during pregnancy and the birth weight of neonatal rats were recorded. Nine male neonatal rats in each group were selected, fasting blood glucose levels were detected by glucometer, fasting insulin levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol levels were detected by glycerol phosphate oxidase-peroxidase method, hepatic lipid deposition were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and oil red O staining. The mRNA levels of hepatic key genes in glucose metabolism pathway IR, IRS, AKT and lipid metabolism FASN, SREBP1c, PPARα were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses.Results:The pre-pregnancy weight of maternal rats in high-fat diet group before pregnancy (PO group and PO+EGWG group) was significantly higher than those in normal diet group (control group and EGWG group). The percentage of weight gain of maternal rats in high-fat diet group during pregnancy (EGWG group and PO+EGWG group) was significantly higher than those in normal diet group (control group and PO group) ( P<0.05). The birth weight of neonatal rats in PO group, EGWG group and PO+EGWG group were significantly higher than that in control group ( P<0.05), and the birth weight of neonatal rats in PO+EGWG group was the largest. The fasting glucose, insulin level and insulin resistance index of newborn rats in PO, EGWG and PO+EGWG groups were higher than those in the control group, and the mRNA levels of IR, IRS and AKT were lower than those in the control group, but the differences were not statistically significant ( P>0.05). The hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol contents and mRNA levels of FASN and SREBP1c were higher in the EGWG and PO+EGWG groups than those in the control group, and the mRNA level of PPARα was higher in the PO+EGWG group than in the control and PO groups, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Animal models of PO, EGWG and PO+EGWG were successfully constructed by feeding SD rats with high-fat diets before pregnancy, during pregnancy, before and during pregnancy. PO+EGWG had the most significant effects on the birth weight and glucose and lipid metabolism in neonatal offspring. Compared with EGWG, PO had a relatively significant effect on glucose metabolism in neonatal offspring. And compared with PO, EGWG had a relatively significant effect on lipid metabolism in neonatal offspring. The effects of maternal obesity on glucose and lipid metabolism in neonatal offspring were considered to be related to the expression changes of genes in glucose and lipid metabolism.