BACKGROUND: The available evidence regarding the benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on patients receiving dialysis with coronary artery disease (CAD) is limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the association between PCI and clinical outcomes as compared with medical therapy alone in patients undergoing dialysis with CAD in China. METHODS: This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in 30 tertiary medical centers across 12 provinces in China from January 2015 to June 2021 to include patients on dialysis with CAD. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke. Secondary outcomes included all-cause death, the individual components of MACE, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria types 2, 3, or 5 bleeding. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between PCI and outcomes. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to account for potential between-group differences. RESULTS: Of the 1146 patients on dialysis with significant CAD, 821 (71.6%) underwent PCI. After a median follow-up of 23.0 months, PCI was associated with a 43.0% significantly lower risk for MACE (33.9% [ n  = 278] vs . 43.7% [ n  = 142]; adjusted hazards ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.45-0.71), along with a slightly increased risk for bleeding outcomes that did not reach statistical significance (11.1% vs . 8.3%; adjusted hazards ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval, 0.82-2.11). Furthermore, PCI was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities. Subgroup analysis did not modify the association of PCI with patient outcomes. These primary findings were consistent across IPTW, PSM, and competing risk analyses. CONCLUSION This study indicated that PCI in patients on dialysis with CAD was significantly associated with lower MACE and mortality when comparing with those with medical therapy alone, albeit with a slightly increased risk for bleeding events that did not reach statistical significance.
Humans ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Coronary Artery Disease/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Renal Dialysis/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; China ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Treatment Outcome

At present, the cause of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) in China has entered a new period of high-quality development. How to strengthen the foundation for the TCM industry from the source is an important issue that deserves the attention of the authorities, industry, and academia. This study systematically analyzed the regulatory system of TCM raw materials and preparations. The study took the TCM industry chain and the product life cycle as a clue and focused on the dimensions of TCM resource protection and plant cultivation(farming), production and quality supervision of TCM raw materials and preparations, and their market access and distribution. It analyzed the current situation of the regulation of TCM raw materials and preparations under the regulatory system of drugs, discussed the main problems, and put forward corresponding suggestions. The results can provide an important reference value for the subsequent improvement of the regulatory system of drugs and the construction of a prominent regulatory system of drugs in accordance with TCM characteristics.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/economics* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; China ; Quality Control ; Humans ; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry*

In industrial production,the expression level of drug proteins in Chinese hamster ovary cells(CHO)is influenced by many factors:the regulatory elements on transcription and translation,the ge-nomic integration sites,and the expression system.Transcription,as the first step of gene expression,largely affects protein expression,and the promoter plays a crucial role in the initiation of transcription.Most of the promoters were screened through transient transfection or random integration,but the presence of unclear copy number or random integration sites makes it difficult to accurately evaluate the promoter activity.To some extent,site-specific integration can reduce the impact of positional effects on exogenous genes and may potentially increase the expression level of exogenous genes.In the early stage of our re-search,multiple sites that can stably express exogenous proteins were identified and verified in the CHO cell genome.In this study,one of these sites(2c6)was selected for the evaluation of promoter activity.The CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique was used to site-specifically integrate the reporter gene(EG-FP)regulated by the simian virus early promoter(SV40),mouse elongation factor-1α(mEF-1α),chicken β-actin(cACTB)promoter,and human phosphoglycerate kinase promoter(hPGK)into the 2c6 site,respectively.The mean fluorescence intensity of the cells was analyzed by flow cytometry,and the mRNA level of EGFP was detected by qPCR to comprehensively evaluate the activity of the promoter.The results showed that the activities of the mEF-1α and mACTB promoters were better than those of SV40 and hPGK.The results of the secondary flow cytometry sorting showed that site-specific integration can more accurately evaluate the activity of the promoter in the CHO cell expression system.

AIM To investigate the protective effects and the mechanism of the Liuwei Dihuang Pills on mouse brain microvascular endothelial(bEnd.3)cells damaged by β-Amyloid protein1-40(Aβ1-40).METHODS CCK8 method was used to detect the effects of Aβ1-40 and medicated serum of Liuwei Dihuang Pills(MSLDP)on cell activity,and to screen the appropriate concentration.bEnd.3 cells of the control group,the Aβ1-40 group,the MSLDP+Aβ1-40 group and the MSLDP group had their low density lipoprotein-associated protein 1(LRP1),receptor for advanced glycation end products(RAGE),matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2),MMP-9,scaffold protein zonule protein-1(ZO-1)detected by Western blot.bEnd.3 cells assigned into the control group,the Aβ1-40 group,the FPS-ZM1(RAGE inhibitor)+Aβ1-40 group and the FPS-ZM1+Aβ1-40+MSLDP group had their expressions of RAGE,MMP-9,MMP-2 and ZO-1 detected by Western blot as well.RESULTS The cell activity of bEnd.3,was dose-dependently decreased by Aβ1-40(P<0.01),but was protected by MSLDP(P<0.05,P<0.01).And 10 μmol/L Aβ1-40 and 10%MSLDP were selected for subsequent experiments.Compared with the control group,the Aβ1-40 group displayed increased protein expressions of RAGE,MMP-2 and MMP-9(P<0.01),decreased protein expressions of LRP1,ZO-1 and BDNF(P<0.05,P<0.01),and decreased fluorescence intensities of LRP1 and ZO-1(P<0.01).Compared with the Aβ1-40 group,the MSLDP group shared decreased expressions of RAGE,MMP-2,MMP-9 proteins and RAGE fluorescence intensity(P<0.05,P<0.01),and increased expressions of LRP1,ZO-1 and BDNF proteins,and the fluorescence intensity of LRP1 and ZO-1(P<0.05,P<0.01);the Aβ1-40+FPS-ZM1 group displayed decreased protein expressions of MMP-2,MMP9 and RAGE(P<0.05,P<0.01),and increased ZO-1 protein expression(P<0.05);and the Aβ1-40+FPS-ZM1+ MSLDP group displayed an even more decreased protein expressions of MMP-2,MMP9 and RAGE(P<0.01),increased ZO-1 protein expression(P<0.01)due to the the combination use of FPS-ZM1 and MSLDP.CONCLUSION Liuwei Dihuang Pills can protect the tight junction of bEnd.3 injured by Aβ1-40 and neurovascular units from Alzheimer's disease by alleviating the dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier via RAGE-mediated MMP-2/MMP-9 pathway inhibition.

Background/Aims: Cholestatic liver diseases including primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) are associated with active hepatic fibrogenesis, which ultimately progresses to cirrhosis. Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the main fibrogenic effectors in response to cholangiocyte damage. JCAD regulates cell proliferation and malignant transformation in nonalcoholic steatoheaptitis-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (NASH-HCC). However, its participation in cholestatic fibrosis has not been explored yet. Methods: Serial sections of liver tissue of PBC patients were stained with immunofluorescence. Hepatic fibrosis was induced by bile duct ligation (BDL) in wild-type (WT), global JCAD knockout mice (JCAD-KO) and HSC-specific JCAD knockout mice (HSC-JCAD-KO), and evaluated by histopathology and biochemical tests. In situ-activated HSCs isolated from BDL mice were used to determine effects of JCAD on HSC activation. Results: In consistence with staining of liver sections from PBC patients, immunofluorescent staining revealed that JCAD expression was identified in smooth muscle α-actin (α-SMA)-positive fibroblast-like cells and was significantly up-regulated in WT mice with BDL. JCAD deficiency remarkably ameliorated BDL-induced hepatic injury and fibrosis, as documented by liver hydroxyproline content, when compared to WT mice with BDL. Histopathologically, collagen deposition was dramatically reduced in both JCAD-KO and HSC-JCAD-KO mice compared to WT mice, as visualized by Trichrome staining and semi-quantitative scores. Moreover, JCAD deprivation significantly attenuated in situ HSC activation and reduced expression of fibrotic genes after BDL. Conclusions JCAD deficiency effectively suppressed hepatic fibrosis induced by BDL in mice, and the underlying mechanisms are largely through suppressed Hippo-YAP signaling activity in HSCs.

Objective:To explore the current status of surgery for portal hypertension to grasp current status and future development of surgery in China.Methods:This study is jointly sponsored by China Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Specialist Alliance & Portal Hypertension Alliance in China (CHESS).Comprehensive surveying is conducted for basic domestic situations of surgery for portal hypertension, including case load, surgical approaches, management of postoperative complications, primary effects, existing confusion and obstacles, liver transplantation(LT), laparoscopic procedures and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt(TIPS), etc.Results:A total of 8 512 cases of portal hypertension surgery are performed at 378 hospitals nationwide in 2021.Splenectomy plus devascularization predominated(53.0%)and laparoscopy accounted for 76.1%.Primary goal is preventing rebleeding(67.0%) and 72.8% of hospitals used preventive anticoagulants after conventional surgery.And 80.7% of teams believe that the formation of postoperative portal vein thrombosis is a surgical dilemma and 65.3% of hospitals practiced both laparoscopy and TIPS.The major reasons for patients with portal hypertension not receiving LT are due to a lack of qualifications for LT(69.3%)and economic factors(69.0%).Conclusions:Surgery is an integral part of management of portal hypertension in China.However, it is imperative to further standardize the grasp of surgical indications, the handling of surgical operation and the management of postoperative complications.Moreover, prospective, multi-center randomized controlled clinical studies should be performed.

Objective: To develop and validate a deep learning model based on fundus photos for the identification of coronary heart disease (CHD) and associated risk factors. Methods: Subjects aged>18 years with complete clinical examination data from 149 hospitals and medical examination centers in China were included in this retrospective study. Two radiologists, who were not aware of the study design, independently evaluated the coronary angiography images of each subject to make CHD diagnosis. A deep learning model using convolutional neural networks (CNN) was used to label the fundus images according to the presence or absence of CHD, and the model was proportionally divided into training and test sets for model training. The prediction performance of the model was evaluated in the test set using monocular and binocular fundus images respectively. Prediction efficacy of the algorithm for cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., age, systolic blood pressure, gender) and coronary events were evaluated by regression analysis using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and R² correlation coefficient. Results: The study retrospectively collected 51 765 fundus images from 25 222 subjects, including 10 255 patients with CHD, and there were 14 419 male subjects in this cohort. Of these, 46 603 fundus images from 22 701 subjects were included in the training set and 5 162 fundus images from 2 521 subjects were included in the test set. In the test set, the deep learning model could accurately predict patients' age with an R² value of 0.931 (95%CI 0.929-0.933) for monocular photos and 0.938 (95%CI 0.936-0.940) for binocular photos. The AUC values for sex identification from single eye and binocular retinal fundus images were 0.983 (95%CI 0.982-0.984) and 0.988 (95%CI 0.987-0.989), respectively. The AUC value of the model was 0.876 (95%CI 0.874-0.877) with either monocular fundus photographs and AUC value was 0.885 (95%CI 0.884-0.888) with binocular fundus photographs to predict CHD, the sensitivity of the model was 0.894 and specificity was 0.755 with accuracy of 0.714 using binocular fundus photographs for the prediction of CHD. Conclusion: The deep learning model based on fundus photographs performs well in identifying coronary heart disease and assessing related risk factors such as age and sex.
Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Deep Learning ; Fundus Oculi ; ROC Curve ; Algorithms ; Risk Factors ; Coronary Disease/diagnostic imaging*

Hypoxemia is a common complication of pneumonia, asthma, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in children.Rapid identification of hypoxemia is of great significance for the disposal and management of critical children.Pulse oximetry is recognized by the World Health Organization as the best way to monitor hypoxemia in children, and it can monitor pulse oxygen saturation noninvasively and continuously.Based on the related literature at home and abroad, combined with the clinical needs of pediatrics, the " Expert consensus on clinical application of pulse oximetry in children" is formulated to improve the understanding of pediatricians and nurses on the application in pediatric clinical practice, principle, operation techniques, and limitations of pulse oximetry.

Objective:To investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of pulse oximetry among pediatric healthcare providers in China and analyze the factor influencing the KAP.Methods:A self-developed questionnaire was used for an online research on the KAP of 11 849 pediatric healthcare providers from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities of China from March 11 to 14, 2022.The factors influencing the KAP of pulse oximetry among pediatric healthcare providers were examined by Logistic regression. Results:The scores of KAP, of pulse oximetry were 5.57±0.96, 11.24±1.25 and 11.19±4.54, respectively.The corresponding scoring rates were 69.61%, 74.95%, and 55.99%, respectively. Logistic regression results showed that the gender and working years of pediatric healthcare providers, the region they were located, and whether their medical institution was equipped with pulse oximeters were the main factors affecting the knowledge score (all P<0.05). Main factors influencing the attitude score of pediatric healthcare providers included their knowledge score, gender, educational background, working years, region, medical institution level, and whether the medical institution was equipped with pulse oximeters (all P<0.05). For the practice score, the main influencing factors were the knowledge score, gender, age, and whether the medi-cal institution was equipped with pulse oximeters (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Chinese pediatric healthcare providers need to further improve their knowledge about and attitudes towards pulse oximetry.Pulse oximeters are evidently under-used.It is urgent to formulate policies or guidelines, strengthen education and training, improve knowledge and attitudes, equip more institutions with pulse oximeters, and popularize their application in medical institutions.

Objective:The investigation and research on the application status of Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient (HVPG) is very important to understand the real situation and future development of this technology in China.Methods:This study comprehensively investigated the basic situation of HVPG technology in China, including hospital distribution, hospital level, annual number of cases, catheters used, average cost, indications and existing problems.Results:According to the survey, there were 70 hospitals in China carrying out HVPG technology in 2021, distributed in 28 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central Government). A total of 4 398 cases of HVPG were performed in all the surveyed hospitals in 2021, of which 2 291 cases (52.1%) were tested by HVPG alone. The average cost of HVPG detection was (5 617.2±2 079.4) yuan. 96.3% of the teams completed HVPG detection with balloon method, and most of the teams used thrombectomy balloon catheter (80.3%).Conclusion:Through this investigation, the status of domestic clinical application of HVPG has been clarified, and it has been confirmed that many domestic medical institutions have mastered this technology, but it still needs to continue to promote and popularize HVPG technology in the future.