OBJECTIVES: As early as the Apollo 11 mission, astronauts experienced ocular, skin, and upper airway irritation after lunar dust (LD) was brought into the return cabin, drawing attention to its potential biological toxicity. However, the biological effects of LD exposure through the digestive system remain poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of digestive exposure to lunar dust simulant (LDS) on gut microbiota and on the intestine, liver, kidney, lung, and bone in mice. METHODS: Eight-week-old female C57BL/6J mice were used. LDS was used as a substitute for lunar dust, and Shaanxi loess was used as Earth dust (ED). Mice were randomly divided into a phosphate buffered saline (PBS) group, an ED group (500 mg/kg), and a LDS group (500 mg/kg), with assessments at days 7, 14, and 28. Mice were gavaged once every 3 days, with body weight recorded before each gavage. At sacrifice, fecal samples were analyzed by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing; inflammatory cytokine expression [interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)] in intestinal, liver, and lung tissues was measured by real-time reverse transcription PCR (real-time RT-PCR); hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was performed on lung, liver, and intestinal tissues; Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining was used to assess the integrity of the intestinal mucus barrier, and immunohistochemical staining was performed to evaluate the expression of mucin-2 (MUC2). Serum biochemical tests assessed hepatic and renal function. Femoral bone mass was analyzed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT); osteoblasts and osteoclasts were assessed by osteocalcin (OCN) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining. Bone marrow immune cell subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: At day 10, weight gain was slowed in ED and LDS groups. At days 22 and 28, body weight in both ED and LDS groups was significantly lower than controls (both P<0.05). LDS exposure increased microbial species richness and diversity at day 7. Compared with the PBS and ED groups, mice in the LDS group showed increased relative abundance of Deferribacterota, Desulfobacterota, and Campylobacterota, and decreased Firmicutes, with increased Helicobacter typhlonius and reduced Lactobacillus johnsonii and Lactobacillusmurinus. HE and PAS staining of the colon showed that mucosal structural disruption and goblet cell loss were more severe in the LDS group. In addition, immunohistochemistry revealed a significant downregulation of MUC2 expression in this group (P<0.05). No obvious pathological alterations were observed in liver HE staining among the 3 groups, and none of the groups exhibited notable hepatic or renal dysfunction. HE staining of the lungs in the ED and LDS groups showed increased perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration (both P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS LDS exposure via the digestive route induces gut dysbiosis, intestinal barrier disruption, pulmonary inflammation, bone loss, and bone marrow immune imbalance. These findings indicate that LD exposure poses potential health risks during future lunar missions. Targeted restoration of beneficial gut microbiota may represent a promising strategy to mitigate LD-related health hazards.
Animals ; Dust ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Dysbiosis/etiology* ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Moon ; Liver/metabolism* ; Digestive System/microbiology* ; Lung/metabolism* ; Kidney

OBJECTIVES: Due to prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation and meteorite impacts, lunar surface dust forms nanoscale angular particles with strong electrostatic adsorption properties. These dust particles pose potential inhalation risks, yet their pulmonary toxicological mechanisms remain unclear. Given the need for dust exposure protection in future lunar base construction and resource development, this study established an acute exposure model using lunar soil simulant (LSS) and used Earth soil (ES; Loess from Shaanxi, China) as a comparison to investigate lung injury mechanisms. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to 3 groups: Phosphate buffered saline (PBS), LSS, and ES, with 5 to 7 mice per group. Mice in the LSS and ES groups received a single intratracheal instillation to induce acute inhalation exposure. Body weight was monitored for 28 days. Mice were euthanized at days 3, 7, 14, and 28 post-exposure, and peripheral blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissues were collected. Immune cell subsets in BALF were analyzed using flow cytometry. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining assessed lung structure and inflammation; periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining evaluated airway mucus secretion; Masson staining examined collagen deposition. Real-time reverse transcription PCR (real-time RT-PCR) was used to measure the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) and epithelial barrier genes (Occludin, Cadherin-1, and Zo-1). Lung tissues at day 7 were subjected to transcriptomic sequencing, followed by immune infiltration and pathway enrichment analyses to determine immunoregulatory mechanisms. RESULTS: Body weight in the ES group progressively declined after day 18 (all P<0.05), while the LSS group showed no significant changes compared with the control group. HE staining showed both LSS and ES induced inflammatory cell infiltration around airways and vasculature, which persisted for 28 days but gradually lessened over time. PAS staining revealed marked mucus hypersecretion in the LSS group at day 3, followed by gradual recovery; no significant mucus changes were observed in the ES group. Masson staining indicated no obvious pulmonary fibrosis in either group within 28 days. Real-time RT-PCR demonstrated significant upregulation of IL-1β and TNF-α in both LSS and ES groups, peaking on day 7, accompanied by downregulation of epithelial barrier genes (Occludin, Cadherin-1, and Zo-1)(all P<0.05). Transcriptomic analysis showed that both LSS and ES activated chemokine-related pathways and enriched leukocyte migration and neutrophil recruitment pathways. Further validation revealed upregulation of CXCL2 and MMP12 in the LSS group, whereas CXCL3 and MMP12 were predominantly elevated in the ES group. CONCLUSIONS Both LSS and ES can induce sustained lung injury and neutrophil infiltration in mice, though the underlying molecular mechanisms differ. Compared with ES, exposure to LSS additionally triggers a transient eosinophilic response, suggesting that lunar dust particles possess stronger immunostimulatory potential and higher biological toxicity.
Animals ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Soil ; Lung Injury/etiology* ; Dust ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Moon ; Lung/pathology* ; Inhalation Exposure/adverse effects* ; Male

Objective:To evaluate the effect of venous excess ultrasound score (VExUS Score) in the acute kidney injury(AKI) in Patients with sepsis, so as to reduce the risk of disease and improve the prognosis of patients.Methods:This experiment was a single-center prospective cohort study. Include septic patients with AKI who were admitted to the Department of Emergency Intensive Care Unit of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from February 2022 to February 2023, Those with inadequate window, inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombus, age<18 years and known case of cirrhosis with portal hypertension were excluded from the study. Patients underwent ultrasound examination with serial determination till AKI resolved or patient is initiated on dialysis.Results:Totally 86 patients were enrolled for the study. The mean age was (60.43±15.48) with 50 (58.1%) males. Mean sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score was (6.23±1.87). 38 patients (44.2%) were in AKI stage 1, while 24 patients (27.9%) were in AKI stage 2 and stage 3 each. 52 patients (60.5%) had VExUS grade Ⅲ. Resolution of AKI injury showed significant correlation with improvement in VExUS grade ( p value 0.003). Similarly, there was significant association between changes in VExUS grade and fluid balance ( p value 0.005). There was no correlation between central venous pressure (CVP), left ventricular function, and right ventricular function with change in VExUS grade. Conclusions:The study shows a significant correlation between the VExUS Score and AKI staging, With improvement in kidney function, there is decline in the VExUS grade as well. Moreover VExUS Score might reliably demonstrate venous congestion and aid in the clinical decision to perform fluid removal.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of flipped classroom combined with problem-based learning (PBL) on the standardized training for perioperative beside echocardiography.Methods:A total of 64 second-year standardized training students from the Department of Anesthesiology at Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, were selected between January 2021 and June 2022 and assigned to control group ( n=32) and test group ( n=32) using a random number table method. Control group employed the traditional teaching model, and test group utilized the flipped classroom combined with PBL. After a 3-month period of teaching standard views and hemodynamic evaluation of bedside echocardiography, the comprehensive theoretical and clinical practice scores (a score of≥80 was considered excellent or good) were compared between the two groups. Additionally, a questionnaire was distributed to assess students′ self-directed learning ability and initiative, interest in learning, efficiency in mastering professional knowledge, satisfaction with teaching, communication and collaboration skills, and clinical thinking ability. Results:Compared with control group, the students in test group showed significant improvements in both comprehensive theoretical ([87 ± 8] vs [80 ± 8]) and clinical practical ([86 ± 8] vs [78 ± 8]) echocardiography scores( P<0.05 or 0.01).The excellent or good rate for comprehensive theoretical scores (88% vs 47%) and clinical practice scores (84% vs 50%) was significantly higher in test group than in control group( P<0.05 or 0.01).A total of 64 questionnaires were distributed, and all of them were returned, yielding a response rate of 100%. The students in test group demonstrated enhanced self-directed learning ability and initiative (94% vs 69%), increased interest in learning (91% vs 66%), improved efficiency in mastering professional knowledge (97% vs 75%), greater satisfaction with teaching (94% vs 62%), enhanced communication and collaboration skills (84% vs 62%), and improved clinical thinking ability (88% vs 59%) compared to control group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The combination of a flipped classroom and PBL produces better effect than traditional teaching methods when used for standardized training for perioperative bedside echocardiography.

Objective To observe the value of deep learning(DL)models for automatic classification of echocardiographic views.Methods Totally 100 patients after heart transplantation were retrospectively enrolled and divided into training set,validation set and test set at a ratio of 7∶2∶1.ResNet18,ResNet34,Swin Transformer and Swin Transformer V2 models were established based on 2D apical two chamber view,2D apical three chamber view,2D apical four chamber view,2D subcostal view,parasternal long-axis view of left ventricle,short-axis view of great arteries,short-axis view of apex of left ventricle,short-axis view of papillary muscle of left ventricle,short-axis view of mitral valve of left ventricle,also 3D and CDFI views of echocardiography.The accuracy,precision,recall,F1 score and confusion matrix were used to evaluate the performance of each model for automatically classifying echocardiographic views.The interactive interface was designed based on Qt Designer software and deployed on the desktop.Results The performance of models for automatically classifying echocardiographic views in test set were all good,with relatively poor performance for 2D short-axis view of left ventricle and superior performance for 3D and CDFI views.Swin Transformer V2 was the optimal model for automatically classifying echocardiographic views,with high accuracy,precision,recall and F1 score was 92.56％,89.01％,89.97％and 89.31％,respectively,which also had the highest diagonal value in confusion matrix and showed the best classification effect on various views in t-SNE figure.Conclusion DL model had good performance for automatically classifying echocardiographic views,especially Swin Transformer V2 model had the best performance.Using interactive classification interface could improve the interpretability of prediction results to some extent.

Objective:To investigate short-term safety, efficacy and the learning curve of this self-developed novel transcatheter valve repair system (Neonova?) in patients with mitral regurgitation, and explore the role of perioperative echocardiography.Methods:Ten patients who visited the Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from June 2021 to March 2022 and met the inclusive criteria were prospectively enrolled. All the patients were at high risk of surgery with moderate to severe or severe mitral regurgitation (MR). Clamps of Neonova? were implanted under guidance of transesophageal echocardiography and digital subtraction angiography. Clinical outcomes, echocardiography indexes and learning curves of this technique were evaluated immediately after intervention, 7 d, 1 month and 3 months post-intervention.Results:The technical success rate was 100% with MR relieved in all patients immediately after intervention. The device and procedural success rates were both 90.0% with 1 patient received surgical replacement at 37 days post-intervention while the others′ reduced to mild (8/9) and moderate (1/9) MR. New York Heart Association class and the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire improved significantly (all P<0.001). Mean mitral valve pressure gradient didn′t increase significantly after intervention when compared with that before intervention( P=0.324), and no mitral stenosis was observed. Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter decreased significantly ( P=0.008) during follow up.Procedure duration ranged from 60 to 300 (175.8±75.2)minutes. The simple linear regression model between procedure volume and duration showed that procedure duration decreased significantly with the increase of procedure volume ( F=15.857, P=0.004). Conclusions:Neonova? implantation can improve MR severity and clinical symptoms safely and effectively. Transthoracic echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography are essential for perioperative management of transcatheter mitral valve repair.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infectious diseases. It has the characteristics of high recurrence rate and prolonged course. At present, the problem of antibiotic resistance is becoming more and more serious, the incidence of adverse reactions is high, and the disadvantages of long-term administration appear, which brings severe challenges to the treatment of recurrent urinary tract infection. The prevention and treatment of UTI recurrence has become the focus of research. Recurrent urinary tract infection is related to the immune regulation mechanism of the body. Administration of immune regulation can provide new ideas for prevention and treatment. The vaccine based on immune regulation to prevent rUTI has made some progress. It can not only reduce the frequency of recurrences, but also decrease related symptoms. At the same time, the vaccine has good tolerance, high safety and good application prospect. This paper aims to summarize the progress of immune regulation and immune vaccines in vivo and clinical research.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of the domestic D-Shant device for the treatment of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) using echocardiography.Methods:Twenty-four CHF patients who were treated with domestic D-Shant device in Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from September 2020 to December 2021 were enrolled in the study. Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP)/ left atrial pressure (LAP), right atrial pressure (RAP), pulmonary artery pressure, interatrial septal gradient pressure, cardiac index and pulmonary/systemic blood flow ratio (Qp/Qs) were measured before and after implantation using right heart catheterization.Left atrial end-diastolic area index (LAEDAI), left atrial end-diastolic volume index (LAEDVI), left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), left ventricular end-systolic volume index (LVESVI), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), right atrial end-diastolic diameter, right ventricular end-diastolic diameter, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), right ventricular tractional area change (RVFAC), device shunt aperture, velocity and pressure, together with mitral and tricuspid regurgitation severity were measured using echocardiography before, and 1 month as well as 3 months after D-Shant device implantation. Clinical data were collected and analyzed including 6-minute walking test (6MWT), New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification and the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ). Spearman correlation analysis was used to determine the relation between the changes in PCWP/LAP as well as echocardiographic parameters before and 3 months after implantation and NYHA classification. Binary Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the predictive factors of NYHA classification improvement at 3-month follow-up after D-Shant device implantation.Results:①D-Shant devices were successfully implanted in all patients. ②Compared with preoperative values, invasive PCWP/LAP systolic, diastolic and mean pressures, transatrial septal gradient, and pulmonary systolic, diastolic and mean pressures decreased significantly after implantation(all P<0.001); Qp/Qs increased significantly after implantation( P<0.001). ③Compared with preoperative values, TAPSE, RVFAC and pulmonary artery flow velocity increased at 1 month after implantation(all P<0.05), whereas a significant reduction in mitral regurgitation grade, and an increase in LVEF and pulmonary artery flow velocity at 3 months after implantation(all P<0.05). Right atrial end-diastolic diameter, right ventricular end-diastolic diameter, LAEDAI, LAEDVI, LVEDVI, LVESVI, ratio of early to late diastolic peak velocities of mitral inflow(E/A), systolic peak velocity of mitral annulus at septal site(S′), ratio of early diastolic peak velocity of mitral inflow to diastolic peak velocity of mitral annulus(E/e′), pulmonary artery diameter, inferior vena cava diameter and degree of tricuspid regurgitation did not change among before, and 1 month as well as 3 months after implantation. There were no significant changes in the device shunt aperture, velocity and pressure between 1 month and 3 months after implantation(all P>0.05). ④The significant improvements in NYHA classification, KCCQ scores and 6MWT were observed at 1 and 3 months after implantation compared with preoperative values (all P<0.01). ⑤NYHA classification at 3 months after implantation was correlated with LVEF pre-post, PCWP/LAP pre-post, TAPSE pre-post and RVFAC pre-post ( rs=0.738, -0.730, 0.738, 0.723; all P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that LVEF pre-post was an independent predictor for NYHA classification improvement at 3 months after implantation ( OR=0.687, 95% CI=0.475-0.992, P=0.045) . Conclusions:Domestic D-Shant device can effectively improve the cardiac function and clinical symptoms in patients with CHF. Echocardiography is a feasible and effective method to evaluate the benefits of domestic D-Shant device for the treatment of CHF.

Objective:To investigate the influencing factors for postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) of inguinal hernia.Methods:The retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinical data of 350 patients undergoing surgical treatment of inguinal hernia who were admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from January to December 2017 were collected. There were 287 males and 63 females, aged from 15 to 89 years, with a median age of 57 years. Observation indicators: (1) surgical and postoperative situations; (2) follow-up; (3) analysis of influencing factors for postoperative VTE of inguinal hernia. Follow-up using outpatient examination and telephone interview was performed to detect recurrence and complications of inguinal hernia after patients being discharged from hospital. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the t test.Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M (range), and comparison between groups was analyzed using the nonparametric rank sum test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Multivariate analysis was conducted using the binary Logistic regression model. Results:(1) Surgical and postoperative situations: of the 350 patients, 173 underwent open inguinal hernia surgery including 66 cases with plain patch repair, 54 cases with Lichtenstein repair, 30 cases with mesh plug plain patch repair, 23 cases with Bassini repair, and 177 underwent laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery including 134 cases with laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal prothetic repair, 43 cases with laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal prothetic repair. There were 335 of the 350 patients negative for postoperative VTE while 15 patients positive for postoperative VTE. Of the 15 patients who were diagnosed with postoperative VTE, 13 cases underwent open surgery while 2 cases underwent laparoscopic surgery including 1 died; 12 cases were diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and 3 cases were diagnosed with pulmonary thromboembolism including 1 died. (2) Follow-up: 349 of the 350 patients were followed up for one year after operation. Of the 349 patients, 2 had recurrence of inguinal hernia and 18 had seroma in the operation area within one year. None of the 349 patients had postoperative patch-related infection or incision infection in the operation area. Of the 14 patients who were diagnosed with postoperative VTE, recurrence of inguinal hernia was not observed within one year. (3) Analysis of influencing factors for VTE of inguinal hernia. Results of univariate showed that age, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, type of operation, the compression time of operative area, time to first out-of-bed activities, duration of hospital stay, postoperative Caprini score were influencing factors for postoperative VTE of inguinal hernia ( χ2=13.217, 9.183, 4.388, 8.694, Z=-4.690, -5.265, -4.281, -4.883, P<0.05), and age, cases with chronic bronchitis, the stable stage of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were influencing factors for postoperative VTE of inguinal hernia ( P<0.05). Results of multivariate analysis showed that age≥65 years, BMI≥25.0 kg/m 2, chronic bronchitis, the stable stage of COPD, open surgery, the compression time of operative area≥42 hours, time to first out-of-bed activities≥60 hours, postoperative Caprini score>5 were independent risk factors for postoperative VTE of inguinal hernia ( odds ratio=1.085, 1.320, 0.256, 0.013, 7.874, 1.112, 1.027, 6.909, 95% confidence interval: 1.031-1.141, 1.024-1.702, 0.071-0.929, 0.016-0.800, 1.489-41.630, 1.061-1.165, 1.008-1.047, 3.045-15.678, P<0.05). Conclusions:Age≥65 years, BMI≥25.0 kg/m 2, cases with chronic bronchitis preoperatively, the stable stage of COPD, open surgery, the compression time of operative area≥42 hours, time to first out-of-bed activities≥60 hours, postoperative Caprini score>5 are independent risk factors for postoperative VTE of inguinal hernia.

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of fatty liver complicating gallbladder diseases among the people undergoing healthy physical examination and to investigate its onset risk factors.Methods A total of 7 364 subjects undergoing abdominal color Doppler ultrasonography in the physical examination center of this hospital from June 2011 to June 2015 were selected as the study subjects and divided into 4 groups according to the examination results,fatty liver complicating gallbladder disease group,simple fatty liver group,simple gallbladder diseases group and non-fatty liver and non-gallbladder disease group.The Logistic regression model was used to analyze the influence of related factors on the patients with fatty liver complicating gallbladder diseases.Results The prevalence rate of gallbladder diseases in the patients with fatty liver ia significantly higher than that in the patients without fatty liver(P＜0.05).The multivariate Logistic regression model statistical analysis results showed that often skip breakfast,greasy food,eating more meat,eating much sweet food,dirking more tea,gender(female),age and LDL-C were the independent risk factors for fatty liver complicating gallbladder diseases(P＜0.05).Conclusion The unhealthy living habits were the independent risk factors for fatty liver complicating gallbladder diseases.