AIM: To investigate the effect of silymarin on homocysteine-induced cell viability and apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). METHODS: Cell viability was analyzed by using MTT and LDH assay. Apoptotic cells were detected by using DNA fragmentation and flow cytometric analysis. The level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the potential of mitochondrial membrane were determined by flow cytometric assay. The activity of caspase-3, -6 and -9 were measured with microplate spectrofluorometer. Protein levels were examined by Western blotting. RESULTS: Treatment of cultured HUVECs with HCY for 48 h induced a significant decrease in cell viability, and the percentage of apoptosis increased to 76.8%. The level of intracellular ROS and activity of caspase-3, -6 and -9 enhanced, and the red/green ratios of mitochondrial membrane decreased. However, simultaneous treatment with silymarin exhibited cytoprotective effects, reduced formation of the DNA ladder, prevented the levels of Bax and Bcl-2 proteins and the accumulation of ROS as well as caspase-3, -6 and -9 activation, reconverted the potential of mitochondrial membrane, and the percentage of apoptosis/necrosis was significantly decreased to 12.7% in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that silymarin has the protective capacity to antagonize HCY-induced apoptosis in HUVECs. The antiapoptotic action of silymarin may be partially dependent on an anti-oxidative stress effects, inhibition of caspases activity, and maintenance of mitochondria function.

Objective To analyze flaws in diagnosis and coding of diseases on the first pages of inpatient medical records and explore solutions to improve the accuracy of record-filling in tertiary hospitals.Methods A retrospective analysis was con-ducted to assess the quality control and logical verification data from the first pages of inpatient records at a tertiary hospital,col-lected from January to December 2023.Results A total of 463 flaws were identified,including 99 flaws in primary diagnostic selection,accounting for 21.37％,148 flaws in primary surgical selection accounting for 32.00％,33 omissions in secondary di-agnoses,accounting for 7.12％,and 121 omissions in surgical procedures accounting for 26.12％.Primary diagnostic errors were primarily attributed to failure to specify etiology,with the highest number of 24 cases(24.24％),followed by overgeneral-ized diagnostic descriptions,with 15 cases(15.15％).Totally,169 coding errors were identified,including 61 logic errors(36.09％),58 coding omissions(34.33％),and 30 uncombined coding cases(17.75％).Conclusion There are significant flaws in the coding on the first pages of medical records.It is imperative to strengthen the training for clinicians and coders and enhance quality control through intelligent automation.These measures are crucial for improving the quality control of the first pa-ges of medical records.

Objective To validate the analytical performance of a cardiac troponin I(cTnI)assay AccuTnI+3 on chemiluminescnet analyzer DXI800 and Access2;and to establish the 99th percentile of cTnI in an apparently healthy Chinese population.Methods The subjects are composed of 1 369 apparently healthy people and 20 acute myocardial infarction(AMI)patients from Wuhan Asian Heart Hospital and Fuwai Hospital from October 2014 to June 2015.The healthy people include 680 males and 689 females;with 340 subjects aged 18-30,674 subjects aged 31-64, and 355 subjects aged ≥65.The detection limits and imprecision of AccuTnI +3 assays were validated according to CLSI EP 15-A2 and EP17-A2 documents;the same samples were analyzed on DXI800 and Access2 to assess the consistency between the two analyzers using Bland Altman plot and Passing-Bablok regression.The correlation between different sample types (lithium heparin plasma, EDTA plasma & serum)were assessed using linear regression analysis.The lithium heparin plasmasamples from 1 369 apparently healthy people were analyzed to calculate the 99th percentile of cTnI.The cTnI concentrations were compared among age and sex groups.The 99th percentile of cTnI were also calculated for each group.The detection rate of cTnI in apparently healthy people was calculated using SPSS23.0.Results The limit of blank(LoB), limit of detection(LoD), and limit of quantification(LoQ)where CV%=10% were 0.007 ng/ml,0.010 ng/ml and 0.016 ng/ml on DXI800;0.008 ng/ml,0.012 ng/ml and 0.026 ng/ml on Access2,respectively.The cTnI measurements on DXI800 and Access2 were consistent and comparable.The cTnI concentrations of lithium heparin plasma, EDTA plasma and serum samples were linearly correlated pairwise: EDTA plasma measuremen t =0.76 heparin plasma measurement, R2=0.999(n=40, P<0.001); serum measuremen t =1.05 heparin plasma measurement,R2=0.996(n=40,P<0.001); serum measuremen t=1.38 EDTA plasma measurement, R2=0.993(n=40,P<0.001).The 99th percentiles were 0.030 ng/ml and 0.035 ng/ml on DXI800 and Access2,respectively,from 1 369 apparently healthy Chinese people.cTnI is significantly higher in elder group than in younger group.The 99th percentiles in 18-30 years old group,31-64 years old group,and≥65 years old group are:0.011 ng/ml,0.029 ng/ml,and 0.035 ng/ml respectively for DXI800;0.023 ng/ml,0.034 ng/ml, and 0.045 ng/ml respectively for Access2.cTnI is significantly higher in men than in women.The 99th percentiles in men and women are: 0.034 ng/ml and 0.032 ng/ml respectively for DXI800;0.043 ng/ml and 0.031 ng/ml respectively for Access2.cTnI was measurable in 62%and 87%of healthy subjects on DXI800 and Access2 systems,respectively.Conclusions The analytical performance of AccuTnI+3 assay fulfills the need of clinical use and the criteria of high-sensitive cardiac troponin assay.