This paper summarizes Professor LIU Fengbin's clinical experience in treating autoimmune liver disease （AILD） using the method of nourishing yin and removing stasis based on stage differentiation. He believes that the pathogenesis of AILD generally involves both deficiency in essence and excess in manifestation， with essence deficiency often presenting as liver and kidney yin deficiency， which may progress to spleen deficiency and yang deficiency over time. The excess manifestation commonly includes qi stagnation， blood stasis， damp-heat， and phlegm toxicity. Clinically， he advocates for the treatment principle of nourishing yin and removing stasis. On the foundation of nourishing liver and kidney yin， different pathological factors causing stasis are eliminated according to their nature. Treatment is also tailored to different stages of AILD. In the early and asymptomatic stages， liver qi stagnation and spleen deficiency are prominent， warranting a therapeutic approach of soothing the liver， regulating qi and strengthening the spleen. The modified Chaishao Qizhi Decoction （柴芍气滞汤） is used. During the symptomatic stage， pathogenic factors become more pronounced， often accompanied by a significant deficiency of vital qi， with damp-heat， water retention， and phlegm toxicity as key pathological features. The treatment should focus on strengthening the spleen and dispelling dampness， using modified Sijunzi Decoction （四君子汤） combined with Yinchen Wuling Powder （茵陈五苓散）. In the liver function decompensation stage， vital qi is severely deficient while pathogenic factors persist， with damp-heat， phlegm toxicity， and blood stasis obstructing the liver collaterals. Treatment should focus on nourishing blood， softening the liver， strengthening the spleen， and resolving stasis， using the modified Ruangan Yangxue Decoction （软肝养血汤）. Throughout the treatment process， emphasis is placed on tonifying the liver and kidneys while protecting yin fluids.

OBJECTIVES: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infertility rates have been steadily rising worldwide. Identifying risk factors for contrast agent reflux into the myometrium during hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography (HyCoSy) is of clinical significance in reducing this complication and improving infertility treatment. However, there is currently no standardized pre-evaluation method for predicting intra-myometrial contrast reflux, with clinical assessment often relying on physician experience and patient symptoms. This study aims to identify imaging risk factors for contrast agent reflux into the myometrium using four-dimensional (4D) HyCoSy and to construct a nomogram-based predictive model to assist in clinical decision-making. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1 274 infertile women who underwent 4D HyCoSy at the Women and Children's Hospital of Hunan and the the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 1, 2020, to December 15, 2022. Patients were divided into a reflux group (n=234) and a non-reflux group (n=1 040) based on the presence of intra-myometrial contrast reflux. Univariate and multivariable Logistic regression analyses were used to identify significant predictors, which were then used to construct a nomogram model. Internal validation was performed using 500 bootstrap resamples. RESULTS: The age of the reflux group was significantly higher than that of the non-reflux group [(31.82±5.27) years vs (30.66±4.83) years, P=0.001 1]. Primary infertility was more common in the non-reflux group (50.96%), while secondary infertility dominated in the reflux group (76.50%), with 72.65% having a history of gynecological surgery (P<0.001). Abnormal menstrual volume and discomfort during the procedure were more common in the reflux group, while the non-reflux group tolerated higher contrast agent doses (P<0.001). Imaging differences included endometrial thickness, tubal wall smoothness, and peritoneal contrast dispersion, with the non-reflux group showing thicker endometrium and smoother, more patent tubes. The nomogram model yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.854, indicating good predictive performance. The AUC of the decision curve analysis (DCA) for internal validation of the model was 0.737. When the threshold probability for contrast agent reflux into the myometrium ranged from 0.05 to 0.95, the maximum net benefit reached 0.18. The net benefit of applying the nomogram predictive model exceeded that of either full intervention or no intervention, indicating that the model demonstrates good clinical predictive performance. CONCLUSIONS The nomogram model, based on infertility type, endometrial thickness, contrast agent dose, and discomfort symptoms, effectively predicts intra-myometrial contrast agent reflux after 4D HyCoSy. It provides a valuable tool for clinicians to implement early preventive measures and reduce the risk of contrast leakage and associated complications.
Humans ; Female ; Nomograms ; Contrast Media/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Ultrasonography/methods* ; Hysterosalpingography/methods* ; Infertility, Female/diagnostic imaging* ; Myometrium/diagnostic imaging* ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE To explore the effects of the expression of serum Sirtuin-1 （SIRT1） on therapeutic efficacy of sodium valproate （VPA） in the treatment of epilepsy patients. METHODS Fifty-four epileptic patients were collected from the Affiliated Baiyun Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from Mar. to Oct. 2021 as the research objects， and fifty healthy people were also collected during corresponding period as baseline reference samples. The patients whose relative mRNA expression of SIRT1 was lower than the baseline were selected as SIRT1 low-expression treatment group， and the patients whose that expression was higher than the baseline as SIRT1 high-expression treatment group.All patients were treated with low dose （12 mg/kg or about 600 mg/day） of VPA for 3 months， and the clinical efficacy was evaluated. The dosage of VPA in patients with ineffective gzwkj2021-468） epilepsy control should be increased to 15 mg/kg or about 800 mg/day for another 3 months as SIRT1 high-expression intensive treatment group and SIRT1 low-expression intensive treatment group. Clinical efficacies were evaluated. The blood concentration and liver function indexes of the patients were detected after 3 months of treatment and 3 months of intensive treatment. RESULTS Before treatment， among 54 epileptic patients， 31 epileptic patients had low expression of SIRT1， and 23 had high expression of SIRT1. After 3 months of low-dose VPA treatment， within effective blood concentration of VPA， effective control rate of patients in SIRT1 high-expression treatment group was significantly lower than SIRT1 low-expression treatment group （P＜0.05）. After 3 months of intensive treatment， the effective control rate of patients SIRT1 high-expression intensive treatment group was significantly higher than SIRT1 high expression treatment group （P＜0.05）. No abnormality was found in liver function indexes during VPA treatment. CONCLUSIONS Epilepsy in patients with high expression of serum SIRT1 may be more difficult to control when VPA is within the effective blood concentration range； when the VPA dose is effectively increased， the effective control rate of epilepsy can be improved.

The septate uterus is the most common structural uterine anomalies and it is associated with the poor reproductive outcome. It is believed to be the result of the failure in resorption of the tissue connecting the 2 paramesonephric ducts prior to the 20th embryonic week. The true prevalence of uterine septum is difficult to ascertain, as many uterine septal defects are asymptomatic. The septate uterus is usually diagnosed during an infertility evaluation and affects reproductive health by impairing fertility and increasing adverse pregnancy outcomes. The variations in uterine and cervical/vaginal anomalies collectively referred to as Müllerian anomalies. No consistent gold standard for the diagnosis of Müllerian anomalies exists. The preferred diagnostic method for Müllerian anomalies is two-dimensional ultrasound, other methods such as three-dimensional ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, hysterosalpingo contrast sonography, hysterosalpingography, hysteroscopy, and laparoscopy are also used to improve accuracy.
Female ; Humans ; Septate Uterus

OBJECTIVES: The incidence of infertility is increasing, more than 30% of them having related abnormal tubal patency. Four-dimensional (4D) hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography (HyCoSy) overcomes the shortcomings of 3D HyCoSy in the diagnosis of tubal patency, showing high specificity and accuracy. In addition, 4D HyCoSy discards iodine allergy and X-ray radiation and possesses easy-operating, contributing to good acceptance in clinical practice. However, there is no research to explore the imaging standards related to the possibility of natural pregnancy after 4D HyCoSy. If a predictive model of postoperative natural pregnancy was established using the analysis of clinical data combined with imaging characteristics of 4D HyCoSy of patients with tubal factor infertility, clinical decision-making can be wisely guided in the future. This study aims to establish a predictive model of natural pregnancy after 4D HyCoSy based on clinical data and imaging characteristics of patients with tubal factor in fertility. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted for patients who were diagnosed with tubal factor infertility in Hunan Guangxiu Hospital from February 2017 to May 2018. The patients ought to possess complete 4D HyCoSy imaging data and at least one-side-unobstructed fallopian tube. General clinical data and imaging data were collected. Pregnancy outcome was followed up till 3 months after 4D HyCoSy. According to pregnancy outcome, patients were divided into a pregnancy group and a non-pregnancy group. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between various variables and natural pregnancy after 4D HyCoSy. The variables with significant difference (P<0.05) in single-factor logistic regression were included in the natural pregnancy probability prediction model. The classification accuracy was further verified with 10-fold cross-validation. RESULTS: A total of 1 085 patients with clinically suspected tubal factor infertility who met the requirements and followed the doctors' prescription were collected. Clinical characteristics (age and duration of infertility) and 4D HyCoSy imaging characteristics (thickness of endometrium from the 3rd to the 7th day after the end of menstruation, visualization of the left fallopian tube, the diffusion of contrast agent around the left ovary, and the diffusion of contrast agent around the right ovary) were independent predictors for natural pregnancy 3 months after 4D HyCoSy. A natural pregnancy probability prediction model was established with the area under the curve (AUC) verified by the 10-fold cross-validation all greater than 0.75, and the best AUC was 0.868. The Q value obtained by the prediction model was the probability of natural pregnancy, and the cutoff value was 0.5. When the Q value was greater than 0.5, it was recommended to attempt natural pregnancy for 3 months, and when the Q value was less than 0.5, in vitro fertilization was adviced. CONCLUSIONS A predictive model for the evaluating probability of natural pregnancy in women with tubal factor infertility after 4D HyCoSy is successfully established based on the analysis for clinical data and imaging characteristics. This model shows a great potential in assisting clinical decision making.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Contrast Media ; Retrospective Studies

One major strategy to generate genetically modified mouse models is gene targeting in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, which is used to produce gene-targeted mice for wide applications in biomedicine. However, a major bottleneck in this approach is that the robustness of germline transmission of gene-targeted ES cells can be significantly reduced by their genetic and epigenetic instability after long-term culturing, which impairs the efficiency and robustness of mouse model generation. Recently, we have established a new type of pluripotent cells termed extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells, which have superior developmental potency and robust germline competence compared to conventional mouse ES cells. In this study, we demonstrate that mouse EPS cells well maintain developmental potency and genetic stability after long-term passage. Based on gene targeting in mouse EPS cells, we established a new approach to directly and rapidly generate gene-targeted mouse models through tetraploid complementation, which could be accomplished in approximately 2 months. Importantly, using this approach, we successfully constructed mouse models in which the human interleukin 3 (IL3) or interleukin 6 (IL6) gene was knocked into its corresponding locus in the mouse genome. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using mouse EPS cells to rapidly generate mouse models by gene targeting, which have great application potential in biomedical research.

Objective To investigate the differences in the gene expression profiles between SW480 and SW620 cell lines.Methods A dataset of GDS756 containing the gene expression profiles of SW480 and SW620 was downloaded from the GEO database in NCBI.The differential expression genes between SW480 and SW620 were analyzed with gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and leading edge subset analysis.The genes in leading edge subset were re-annotated by FunRich software.The core genes of leading edge subset closely relating to SW480 or SW620 were analyzed with the STRING on-line analytical system.The functional core genes closely relating to SW480 or SW620 were obtained by the combined analysis of the core genes and high frequency genes from leading edge subset.Results GSEA identified 12 significantly enriched gene sets,491 leading edge genes and 7 highly overlapping genes from SW480 and 80 significantly enriched gene sets,870 leading edge genes and 6 highly overlapping genes from SW620.The STRING system identified 5 core genes from SW480 and 8 from SW620.The combined analysis of GSEA and bionetwork obtained 2 functional core genes,TOP2A and CDK1,from SW620.Conclusion The SW480 and SW620 cells with identical genetic background have different functional gene expression profiles,and the functional core genes TOP2A and CDK1 in SW620 cells may be related to the signal pathways of colon cancer metastasis.

Objective: To examine the root position of the maxillary central incisors and to provide clinical reference before the immediate implant placement. Methods: Cone-beam CT (CBCT) data of the maxillary central incisors of 934 patients (934 incisors) was selected and the root position classsified. The sagittal root position in the alveolar bone was classified as buccal, middle, or palatal. The buccally positoined type was further classified into three subtypes of Ⅰ,Ⅱ, and Ⅲ. Results: Most of the maxillary incisor root (95.4% [891/934]) was positioned buccally. Among the buccal-type incisors, the subtypes Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ accounted for 47.5% (423/891), 44.2% (394/891), and 8.3% (74/891). In the 4 mm apical to the cemento-enamel junction and the middle of the root, the thickest buccal bone wall was 0.86 and 0.95 mm, the thickest palatal bone wall was 1.65 and 2.37 mm. In the apical location, the thickest buccal bone wall was 1.89 mm, the thickest palatal bone wall was 7.83 mm. Conclusions Most of the maxillary central incisors studied are positioned buccally, and half of these patients have adequate buccal bone and are suitable for immediate implant placement.

Objective:To establish a method for the determination of bergeni in Herba Ardisiae Japonicae. Methods: Herba Ardisiae Japonicae was ultrasonic extracted by methanol after crushed and sieved. An untreated fused-silica capillary (75 μm × 48. 5 cm, 40 cm effective length) was used, the running buffer was 25 mmol·L-1 borax in water, the voltage was 15 kV, the temperature was 25℃, the internal standard was cinnamic acid, the ultraviolet wavelength was set at 240nm, and the running time was 10 minute. Results:Bergeni, the internal standard and the impurities were separated by baseline under the above conditions. Bergeni was linear within the range of 3. 356-167. 800μg·ml-1 with the linear equation of Y =0. 034 9X+0. 060 6(r =0. 997 9), the limit of determination was 0. 839 μg·ml-1(S/N = 3), the limit of quantitation was 3. 356 μg·ml-1(S/N = 10), the average recovery was 99. 6%(RSD = 3. 1%, n = 6), and RSDs of intra and inter-day were lower than 5% (n = 3). Conclusion: The method has the advantages of convenience, fastness, accuracy, and low sample and reagent consumption, which can be used to determine bergeni in Herba Ardisiae Japonicae.

Objective To investigate the distribution characteristics of pathogens isolated fromcerebrospinal fluid of neurosurgical patients with intracranial infection following open craniotomy and thetherapeutic effect influenced by these pathogens,in order to give a reference to the clinical treatmentmeasures.Methods A retrospective analysis was made on the pathogen distribution and therapeuticeffect of 43 patients with intracranial infection and positive cerebrospinal fluid cultures after open cranioto-my from May 2007 to May 2013.Cerebrospinal fluid was cleared using the intraventricular catheter orlumbar catheter combined with intraventricular (ventricular irrigation) or intraspinal (intrathecalirrigation) injection of antibacterial agents.Results To test bacteria in cerebrospinal fluid pathogencultures,34 cases were infected with single strain (26 Gram-positive bacteria and 8 Gram-negativebacteria) and 9 cases had mixed infection with multiple strains.Fifty-two pathogen strains were isolated,including 32 (62％) Gram-positive bacteria,18 (35％) Gram-negative bacteria,2 (4％) fungi.A totalof 29 cases were cured (67％),7 improved (16％),and 7 ineffective (16％).Conclusions Cere-brospinal fluid pathogen infection is primarily Gram-positive bacterial infection,usually staphylococcusepidermidis and staphylococcus aureus.Gram-negative pathogens are acinetobacter,klebsiella,andpseudomonas aeruginosa.Ventriculoperitoneal shunting surgery and craniocerebral surgery are often asso-ciated with mixed infection of pathogens.Ventricular irrigation allows better results than intrathecal irriga-tion.Indications of intrathecal irrigation treatment used to control intracranial infection after ventriculoper-itoneal shunting surgery and craniocerebral surgery should be strictly performed.