Objective To preliminarily evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a novel non-implantable atrial shunt device based on radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of chronic heart failure(CHF).Methods This was a prospective single-arm study.From January 2023 to December 2023,five eligible CHF patients were consecutively enrolled at Beijing Anzhen Hospital,Capital Medical University,and underwent inter-atrial shunt using Shenzhen Betterway atrial shunt device.Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure(PCWP),right atrial pressure(RAP),pulmonary artery pressure(PAP),total pulmonary resistance(TPR),pulmonary vascular resistance(PVR),and pulmonary/systemic blood flow ratio(Qp/Qs)were measured using right heart catheterization before and immediately after procedure.Patients were followed up for 90 days,and echocardiography,right heart catheterization,and cardiac functional indicators were evaluated.The primary endpoint was procedural success.Secondary endpoints included clinical success,echocardiographic changes,6-minute walk distance(6MWD)changes,New York Heart Association(NYHA)class changes,Kansas city cardiomyopathy questionnaire(KCCQ)score changes,and amino-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP)level changes at 90 days.The safety endpoint was major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular adverse events and device-related adverse events.Results All five patients successfully achieved left-to-right atrial shunt.Compared with baseline,PCWP decreased significantly immediately after procedure in all five patients,with a procedural success rate of 100％.There were no significant changes in RAP,PAP,TPR,and PVR before and immediately after procedure.After 90 days follow-up,four patients had persistent left-to-right atrial shunt,and PCWP was significantly lower than baseline,with a clinical success rate of 80％.Compared with baseline,LVEF increased,left ventricular end-diastolic diameter decreased,and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and right ventricular fractional area change were not impaired in all five patients at 90 days.KCCQ scores and 6MWT improved,NT-proBNP decreased,and NYHA class did not change significantly.There were no deaths,rehospitalizations for heart failure,stroke-related adverse events,or device-related adverse events during the follow-up.Conclusions The novel non-implantable atrial shunt catheter can safely and effectively improve hemodynamic,echocardiographic,and cardiac functional indicators in patients with heart failure.However,larger-scale clinical studies are still needed to validate its long-term clinical effectiveness.

Objective To compare the therapeutic efficacy of whey protein powder in peritoneal dialysis hypoproteinemia patients.Methods From August 2019 to August 2020,100 patients with peritoneal dialysis hypoproteinemia from the Peritoneal Dialysis Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University were investigated.The patients were separated into 2 groups randomly;the study group were administered whey protein powder and the control group with high protein food.After 32 weeks of treatment,biochemical and biometric indices including hemoglobin(Hb),albumin(ALB),prealbumin(PA),triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),phosphorus(P),low density lipoprotein(LDL),high density lipoprotein(HDL),serum creatinine(Scr),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),estimated glo-merular filtration rate(eGFR),total spKt/Vurea(TKt/V),total creatinine clearance rate(TCcr),hand grip strength(HG),triceps skinfold(TSF),arm circumference(AMC),mid-arm muscle circumference(MAMC)were compared between groups.Results Compared with 0 week,at 16 and 32 weeks,ALB,PA,and HG were significantly increased in the study group(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,ALB,PA,and HG increased significantly at 16 and 32 weeks in the study group(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in TG,TC,HDL,LDL,eGFR,TKt/V,and TCcr at 0,8,16,and 32 weeks between the control and study groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion For patients with peritoneal dialysis hypoproteinemia caused by insufficient protein intake or excessive protein loss,the addition of whey protein during peritoneal dialysis can significantly improve the nutritional status of patients,with greater efficacy than a high protein diet alone.

Objective To explore the automated identification and diameter measurement methods for inferior vena cava (IVC) based on clinical ultrasound images of IVC. Methods An automated identification and localization method based on topology and automatic tracking algorithm was proposed. Tracking algorithm was used for identifying and continuously locating to improve the efficiency and accuracy of measurement. Tests were conducted on 18 sets of ultrasound data collected from 18 patients in intensive care unit (ICU),with clinicians' measurements as the gold standard. Results The recognition accuracy of the automated method was 94.44％ (17/18),and the measurement error of IVC diameter was within the range of±1.96s (s was the standard deviation). The automated method could replace the manual method. Conclusion The proposed IVC automated identification and localization algorithm based on topology and automatic tracking algorithm has high recognition success rate and IVC diameter measurement accuracy. It can assist clinicians in identifying and locating IVC,so as to improve the accuracy of IVC measurement.

Objective To standardize the selection of clinical research outcome indicators,which can objectively evaluate the clinical efficacy or effect of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of myasthenia gravis.This study aims to standardize the construction of the core outcome set of clinical research of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of myasthenia gravis.Methods We followed the core outcome set development specification(COS-STAD)to carry out research,established a research working group,which set up a Delphi-method advisory group.Two graduate students of working group conducted a document research and meetings of patients to establishe an outcome set item pool of myasthenia gravis in clinical trials of Chinese medicine under the instruction of other members.With the questionnaire based on the content of item pool,we then carried out Delphi-method expert consultations and a consensus meeting.Results The core outcome set of clinical research on myasthenia gravis treated with traditional Chinese medicine included five outcome domains:endpoint outcome,myasthenia gravis symptom evaluation,medication evaluation,quality of life evaluation and safety outcome;Nine outcome measures:recurrence rate,incidence of hormone complications,incidence of crisis,QMGS scale(MGFA quantitative myasthenia gravis score),daily activity scale of MG patients(ADL),analysis of immunosuppressant dosage,analysis of glucocorticoid dosage,analysis of cholinesterase inhibitor dosage,and incidence of adverse events.Conclusion The five outcome domains and nine outcome measures included in the core outcome set can be used as outcome options for the efficacy evaluation of myasthenia gravis clinical research.

Rhein is an anthraquinone compound extracted from rhubarb, aloe vera, Polygonum multiflorum. In this study, we screened the potential targets of rhein through protein chip technology and investigated the underlying mechanism of its inhibition of colorectal cancer. Colony formation assay and scratch assay were used to examine the effect of rhein on the proliferation and migration abilities of HCT116 cell; KEGG and protein interaction analyses of rhein specific binding proteins by screening rhein binding proteins using protein chip; qRT-PCR and Western blot assays were used to determine the effect of rhein on the expression levels of BCL-2-associated X protein (BAX), B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) and argininosuccinate synthetase 1 (ASS1) in HCT116 cell. The antitumor effect of rhein was verified by azoxymethane combined with dextran sodium sulfate (AOM/DSS) induced colorectal cancer model. Experimental animal procedures were performed in accordance with animal welfare and the standards of the Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of South China Agricultural University, with approval from the ethics committee. In vivo and in vitro results indicate that rhein specific binding proteins are mainly involved in amino acid anabolism, especially the arginine anabolic signaling pathway. Rhein inhibited the proliferation and migration of HCT116 cell in a concentration-dependent manner. Treated with rhein for 24 h significantly enhanced the expression of BAX and ASS1 in HCT116 cells, as well as the level of nitric oxide (NO) metabolism. In a mouse model of colorectal cancer, rhein significantly alleviated AOM/DSS induced weight loss and reduced fecal occult blood score. Meanwhile, rhein enhanced BAX and ASS1 expression in colon tumor tissue, as well as increased arginine and NO in serum. IHC and HE stain indicated that rhein alleviated Ki67 expression and macrophage infiltration in the colonic tissue of mice with AOM/DSS and delayed tumor formation. In conclusion, rhein can exert antitumor activity by regulating arginine and NO metabolism through ASS1.

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of established genital and extragenital lichen sclerosus(LS)and compare the differences between them. Method The clinicopathological data of 55 patients with established genital and extragenital LS diagnosed by pathological examination in the Department of Dermatology of Beijing Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Results The 55 patients included 11 males and 44 females.Among them,38,15,and 2 patients had genital lesions,extragenital lesions,and both genital and extragenital lesions,respectively.Extragenital LS mainly involved the back(14.55%)and extremities(7.27%).Among the patients,28.30% were asymptomatic,and 73.58% and 24.53% felt itchy and painful,respectively.The asymptomatic patients had a higher proportion in extragenital cases(
Darier Disease ; Extremities ; Female ; Genitalia ; Humans ; Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus/epidemiology* ; Male ; Retrospective Studies

The aim of this study was to determine whether the anti-fibrotic effects of pirfenidone (Pirf) and nintedanib (Nint) associated with the regulation of the alveolar epithelial type 2 cell (AEC II)-mediated lung alveolar regeneration in single- and multiple-dosage animal models of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. All procedures involving animal treatment were approved according to the Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. We found that the Pirf and Nint treatment of mice decreased the lung weight index, inflammation level, and the content of hydroxyproline compared with nontreated fibrotic mice in the single dosage model. Also, Pirf and Nint increased the oxygen saturation level and improved the lung functions in fibrotic mice, indicating that both drugs have anti-fibrotic effects in this model. However, the anti-fibrotic effects of Pirf and Nint were not observed in the multiple-dosage model. Further studies showed that Pirf and Nint decreased the expression of β-catenin, Axin2, c-Myc, Cyclin D1, and inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, suggesting that Pirf and Nint did not produce anti-fibrotic effects in the multiple-dosage model due to their inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and suppressing the stemness of AEC II, namely, suppressing AEC II-mediated lung alveolar regeneration.

This study was to determine the expression of the cell cycle inhibitor p21 in alveolar macrophages (AMs) and the role of p21 in activation of AMs in bleomycin (BLM) injury-induced lung fibrosis. The expression of CD206 in AMs was measured by immunofluorescence staining. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was used to detect the expression of macrophage activation markers. The coculture assay for macrophage and fibroblast was employed to explore the effect of macrophage on fibroblast activation. Immunofluorescence staining and western blotting assay were adopted to detect the expression of p21 in fibrotic tissues. AMs were treated with p21 knockdown or overexpression virus, RT-PCR and the co-culture system were used to explore the effect of p21 expression on macrophage activation. The Experimental Animal Welfare Ethics Committee of the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College approved all of the protocols for this research. Our results showed that the expression of CD206 and macrophage activation markers was increased in AMs from fibrotic mice, indicating that AMs from fibrotic mice were associated with a profibrotic phenotype. Moreover, the expression of p21 was upregulated in AMs after BLM treatment. Depletion of p21 suppressed macrophage activation, while overexpression of p21 promoted the profibrotic phenotype of AMs from healthy mice. In summary, BLM injury causes the progressive accumulation of p21 in AMs, which induces the production of a number of profibrotic factors promoting the development of pulmonary fibrosis.

In this study, the effect of benzo[α]pyrene (BaP) on chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) in a simulated hypoxia environment was observed and the relationship to heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) was clarified. With HSP90 inhibitor geldanamycin (GA) and HSP90α silenced, the mRNA and protein expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), HSP90, heat shock cognate protein 70 (HSC70), and lysosomal associated protein 2A (LAMP-2A) of A549 cells on hypoxic environment by BaP were tested. Alkaline comet experiment, immunofluorescence γ-H2AX focus experiment, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and Western blot analyses were used to clarify the relationship between the DNA damage of different concentrations of BaP in A549 cells and the mRNA and protein expression of CMA-related factors. The results show that hypoxia can promote the expression of mRNA and protein of CMA-related factors in A549 cells. This study found that BaP has an inhibitory effect on CMA under the hypoxic environment. The inhibition or silencing of HSP90 will enhance the inhibitory effect of BaP on CMA. In a normoxic environment, BaP causes DNA damage and promotes CMA.

Objective:To analyze the status quo and development of the Hope Houses for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) in Shanghai. Methods:In June, 2018, the organizers and managers of Hope Houses from 16 districts in Shanghai were investigated with the self-designed questionnaires, which covered the personal characteristics, knowledge of related policy, development of projects and obstacles, and rehabilitation recognition. The descriptive analysis and correlational analyses were conducted. Results:Totally, eleven organizers and 16 managers were investigated. The knowledge of related policy for organizers was not good enough. Eight Hope Houses in 16 districts in Shanghai were operated by social organizations. The average implementation rate of projects in Hope Houses was 60.6%, and the highest was rehabilitation knowledge education (96.3%). There was insufficient provision in legal services, job skills training, rehabilitation nursing guidance, job referral, medical referral and education referral, etc. The main related factors limiting the development of the Hope Houses were lacks of budgets, social consensus and professionals. The rehabilitation cognition of organizers and managers was generally good, but the cognition of rehabilitation principles and rehabilitation value needed to be strengthened. Conclusion:The Hope Houses for individuals with SCI in Shanghai work well, and the rehabilitation cognition of organizers and managers is satisfactory. It should be strenghened in resource input, comprehensive rehabilitation and standard of management, to expand the service timely.