Objective To understand the current status of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) control in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods Clinical data of patients who underwent isolated CABG in Beijing Anzhen Hospital in 2023 were collected. All patients returned to our hospital approximately one year after surgery (10-13 months) for a lipid level recheck. We analyzed their LDL-C attainment status and influencing factors. Patients were categorized into two groups based on whether their LDL-C met the target: a LDL-C attainment group and a LDL-C non-attainment group. Results This study included 1456 patients who underwent CABG, including 320 females and 1136 males, with an average age of (61.41±9.12) years. One year post-surgery, 234 patients achieved the LDL-C target, with an attainment rate of 16.07%. The proportion of patients in the LDL-C attainment group who were ultra-high risk (77.35% vs. 92.06%, P＜0.001), female (16.24% vs. 23.08%, P=0.021), and those with comorbid hypertension (55.98% vs. 63.18%, P=0.038) was significantly lower than those in the LDL-C non-attainment group. Additionally, the baseline body mass index (BMI) [(25.37±3.24) kg/m2 vs. (26.03±3.56) kg/m2, P=0.017], total cholesterol levels [(3.30±0.84) mmol/L vs. (4.01±1.03) mmol/L, P＜0.001], LDL-C [(1.62±0.63) mmol/L vs. (2.25±0.85) mmol/L, P＜0.001], and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [(0.98±0.26) mmol/L vs. (1.02±0.24) mmol/L, P=0.049] upon admission in the attainment group were all lower than those in the non-attainment group. Moreover, the lipid-lowering drug usage rate in the attainment group (100.00% vs. 96.24%, P=0.003) and the proportion using two types of drugs together (25.21% vs. 10.72%, P＜0.001) were both higher than those in the non-attainment group, while the statin monotherapy rate was lower than that in the non-attainment group (74.79% vs. 85.19%, P＜0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that baseline BMI (OR=0.928, P=0.012) and baseline LDL-C levels (OR=0.207, P<0.001), patient cardiovascular risk stratification (OR=0.155, P<0.001) and lipid-lowering drug treatment regimen (OR=3.758, P<0.001) are significant factors affecting the LDL-C control status. Conclusion The LDL-C compliance rate of patients undergoing CABG is at a relatively low level 1 year after surgery. Patients with very high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, high baseline LDL-C levels, and overweight or obesity should be strengthened lipid management. For these patients, the intensity of lipid-lowering drug use or combination medication should be increased upon discharge.

Objective To investigate the risk factors associated with mortality in patients undergoing surgical treatment for myocardial infarction complicated by ventricular septal rupture, and to establish a prediction model. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of patients who underwent surgical treatment of myocardial infarction with ventricular septal rupture at Beijing Anzhen Hospital from 2008 to 2022. Patients were followed up and divided into a survival group and a death group based on perioperative and follow-up outcomes. Univariate analysis was performed for all variables, followed by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression to screen risk factors affecting postoperative mortality. A Cox regression model was constructed and a Nomogram was developed. Results A total of 83 surgical patients were included, comprising 49 males and 34 females, with a mean age of (64.4±7.7) years. There were 13 perioperative deaths, and among the 70 surviving patients, 6 additional deaths occurred during follow-up. Consequently, 64 patients were assigned to the survival group and 19 to the death group. Univariate analysis revealed statistically significant differences between groups in age, culprit vessel patency status, intra-aortic balloon pump use, Killip classification, time from myocardial infarction to surgery, and time from perforation to surgery (all P<0.05). LASSO regression identified three independent predictors: age [HR=1.092, 95%CI (1.005, 1.187), P=0.039], Killip classification [HR=2.024, 95%CI (1.009, 4.059), P=0.047], and culprit vessel patency [HR=0.110, 95%CI (0.014, 0.869), P=0.036]. The Nomogram based on these variables demonstrated good discriminative ability, with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.907 at 1 month and 0.876 at 1 year postoperatively. Follow-up revealed cumulative survival rates of 78.2%, 78.2%, 74.6%, and 74.6% at 2, 5, 8, and 10 years postoperatively for all patients, and 92.7%, 92.7%, 88.5%, and 88.5% for perioperative survivors. Conclusion Patients with myocardial infarction complicated by ventricular septal rupture demonstrate favorable mid-to-long-term prognosis after surgical repair. Age, Killip classification, and culprit vessel patency are independent predictors of postoperative mortality, and the established prediction model shows satisfactory prognostic performance.

Objective To analyze the infection status and epidemic trends of soil-borne nematode infections in Yubei, Chongqing City, in 2010,2021, and 2022. Methods The local populations from four survey sites of four towns in 2010 and five sites of five towns in 2021 and 2022 were surveyed regarding their basic information using a unified form. Fecal samples of the participants were collected and tested for soil-borne nematode infections using the modified Kato-Katz thick smear method. Results In 2010, 2 049 participants were surveyed, followed by 1 000 participants in 2021 and 2022. The overall prevalence of parasitic infections declined significantly from 3.86% to 0.20%. In 2010, soil-transmitted nematode included hookworms(3.81%) and roundworms(0.29%). In 2021, the infection rates of roundworms and hookworms were 1.70% and 0.10% respectively. Notably, only Ascaris was identified in 2022(0.20%). The≥60 age group consistently exhibited the highest infection rates across all surveys, followed by the 40-59 age group. The infection rates of males in the three surveys were 3.31%,1.92%, and 0.20% respectively, and those of females were 4.37%, 1.46%, and 0.20% respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the infection rates between males and females. Educational attainment was inversely associated with infection; in 2010, the highest prevalence was observed among those with primary education or below, whereas in 2021, illiterate or semi-literate individuals showed the highest susceptibility. The occupational distribution of infections in 2010 indicated that retirees (8.33%), farmers(4.86%), and homemakers or unemployed individuals(3.45%)were the most affected. However, in 2021 and 2022, farmers emerged as the predominant occupational group with soil-transmitted nematode infections. Conclusions The infection rate of soil-borne nematodes showed a decreasing trend in Yubei, and the infection species changed from hookworms in 2010 to Ascaris in 2022. Farmers, the elderly, and people with low education levels should continue to be the focus of preventive and control efforts.

Ferroptosis has received great attention as an iron-dependent programmed cell death for efficient cancer therapy. However, with the accumulation of iron in tumor cells, the antioxidant system is activated by reducing glutathione (GSH) with glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), which critically limits the ferroptosis therapeutic effect. Herein, an iron and GPX4 silencing siRNA (siGPX4) co-encapsulated ferritin nanocage (HFn@Fe/siGPX4) was developed to enhance ferroptosis by disruption of redox homeostasis and inhibition of antioxidant enzyme synergistically. The siGPX4 were loaded into the nanocages by pre-incubated with iron, which could significantly improve the loading efficiency of the gene drugs when compared with the reported gene drug loading strategy by ferritin nanocages. And more iron was overloaded into the ferritin through the diffusion method. When HFn@Fe/siGPX4 was taken up by human breast cancer cell MCF-7 in a TfR1-mediated pathway, the excess iron ions in the drug delivery system could for one thing induce ferroptosis by the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), for another promote siGPX4 escaping from the lysosome to exert gene silencing effect more effectively. Both the in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that HFn@Fe/siGPX4 could significantly inhibit tumor growth by synergistical ferroptosis. Thus, the developed HFn@Fe/siGPX4 afforded a combined ferroptosis strategy for ferroptosis-based antitumor as well as a novel and efficient gene drug delivery system.

Extensive epigenetic reprogramming involves in memory CD8+ T-cell differentiation. The elaborate epigenetic rewiring underlying the heterogeneous functional states of CD8+ T cells remains hidden. Here, we profile single-cell chromatin accessibility and map enhancer-promoter interactomes to characterize the differentiation trajectory of memory CD8+ T cells. We reveal that under distinct epigenetic regulations, the early activated CD8+ T cells divergently originated for short-lived effector and memory precursor effector cells. We also uncover a defined epigenetic rewiring leading to the conversion from effector memory to central memory cells during memory formation. Additionally, we illustrate chromatin regulatory mechanisms underlying long-lasting versus transient transcription regulation during memory differentiation. Finally, we confirm the essential roles of Sox4 and Nrf2 in developing memory precursor effector and effector memory cells, respectively, and validate cell state-specific enhancers in regulating Il7r using CRISPR-Cas9. Our data pave the way for understanding the mechanism underlying epigenetic memory formation in CD8+ T-cell differentiation.
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation ; Chromatin/immunology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Immunologic Memory ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; SOXC Transcription Factors/immunology* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/immunology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Enhancer Elements, Genetic

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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the predictive value of early lactate/albumin ratio (LAR) combined with quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) for the 28-day prognosis of patients with sepsis caused by emergency community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). METHODS: The clinical data of patients with sepsis caused by CAP admitted to the department of emergency of Beijing Haidian Hospital from June 2021 to August 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including gender, age, comorbidities, lactic acid (Lac), serum albumin (Alb), LAR, procalcitonin (PCT) within 1 hour, and 28-day prognosis. Patients were divided into two groups based on 28-day prognosis, and risk factors affecting patients' prognosis were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression methods. Patients were divided into two groups according to the best cut-off value of LAR, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to analyze the 28-day cumulative survival of patients in each group. Time-dependent receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) were plotted to analyze the predictive value of sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II), and qSOFA+LAR score on the prognosis of patients with sepsis caused by CAP at 28 days. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated and compared. RESULTS: A total of 116 patients with sepsis caused by CAP were included, of whom 80 survived at 28 days and 36 died, 28-day mortality of 31.0%. There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, comorbidities, pH, platelet count, and fibrinogen between the survival and death groups, and there were significantly differences in blood urea nitrogen (BUN), white blood cell count (WBC), hemoglobin, Lac, Alb, PCT, D-dimer, LAR, as well as qSOFA score, SOFA score, and APACHE II score. Univariate Cox regression analyses showed that BUN, WBC, pH, Lac, Alb, PCT, LAR, qSOFA score, SOFA score, and APACHE II score were associated with mortality outcome. Multifactorial Cox regression analysis of the above variables showed that BUN, WBC, PCT, and APACHE II score were independent risk factors for 28-day death in the emergency department in patients with sepsis caused by CAP [hazard ratio (HR) were 1.081, 0.892, 1.034, and 1.135, respectively, all P < 0.05]. The best cut-off value of early LAR for predicting the 28-day prognosis of sepsis patients was 0.088, the Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the 28-day cumulative survival rate of sepsis patients in the LAR ≤ 0.088 group was significantly higher than that in the LAR > 0.088 group [82.9% (63/76) vs. 42.5% (17/40), Log-Rank test: χ² = 22.51, P < 0.001]. The qSOFA+LAR score was calculated based on the LAR cut-off value and qSOFA score, and ROC curve analysis showed that the AUCs of SOFA score, APACHE II score, and qSOFA+LAR score for predicting 28-day death of patients with sepsis caued by CAP were 0.741, 0.774, and 0.709, respectively, with the AUC of qSOFA+LAR score slightly lower than those of SOFA score and APACHE II score, but there were no significantly differences. When the best cut-off value of qSOFA+LAR score was 1, the sensitivity was 63.9% and the specificity was 80.0%. CONCLUSION The qSOFA+LAR score has predictive value for the 28-day prognosis of patients with sepsis caused by CAP in the emergency department, its predictive value is comparable to the SOFA score and the APACHE II score, and it is more convenient for early use in the emergency department.
Emergency Service, Hospital/statistics & numerical data* ; Sepsis/etiology* ; Prognosis ; Community-Acquired Pneumonia/mortality* ; Organ Dysfunction Scores ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Lactic Acid/blood* ; Serum Albumin, Human/analysis* ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Retrospective Studies ; Hospital Mortality ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; APACHE ; Procalcitonin/blood* ; ROC Curve ; Area Under Curve ; Humans

PURPOSE: Assessing fluid responsiveness relying on central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO₂) yields varied outcomes across several studies. This study aimed to determine the ability of the change in ScvO₂ (ΔScvO₂) to detect fluid responsiveness in ventilated septic shock patients and potential influencing factors. METHODS: In this prospective, single-center study, all patients conducted from February 2023 to January 2024 received fluid challenge. Oxygen consumption was measured by indirect calorimetry, and fluid responsiveness was defined as an increase in cardiac index (CI) ≥ 10% measured by transthoracic echocardiography. Multivariate linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of oxygen consumption, arterial oxygen saturation, CI, and hemoglobin on ScvO₂ and its change before and after fluid challenge. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used for the normality of continuous data. Data comparison between fluid responders and non-responders was conducted using a two-tailed Student t-test, Mann Whitney U test, and Chi-square test. Paired t-tests were used for normally distributed data, while the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for skewed data, to compare data before and after fluid challenge. RESULTS: Among 49 patients (31 men, aged (59 ± 18) years), 27 were responders. The patients had an acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score of 24 ± 8, a sequential organ failure assessment score of 11 ± 4, and a blood lactate level of (3.2 ± 3.1) mmol/L at enrollment. After the fluid challenge, the ΔScvO₂ (mmHg) in the responders was greater than that in the non-responders (4 ± 6 vs. 1 ± 3, p = 0.019). Multivariate linear regression analysis suggested that CI was the only independent influencing factor of ScvO₂, with R² = 0.063, p = 0.008. After the fluid challenge, the change in CI became the only contributing factor to ΔScvO₂ (R² = 0.245, p < 0.001). ΔScvO₂ had a good discriminatory ability for the responders and non-responders with a threshold of 4.4% (area under the curve = 0.732, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION ΔScvO₂ served as a reliable surrogate marker for ΔCI and could be utilized to assess fluid responsiveness, given that the change in CI was the sole contributing factor to the ΔScvO₂. In stable hemoglobin conditions, the absolute value of ScvO₂ could serve as a monitoring indicator for adequate oxygen delivery independent of oxygen consumption.
Humans ; Shock, Septic/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Oxygen Saturation ; Aged ; Fluid Therapy ; Oxygen/blood* ; Oxygen Consumption ; Adult

OBJECTIVE: Varied acupoint selections represent a potential cause of the uncertainty surrounding the efficacy of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis (OA). Skin temperature, a guiding factor for acupoint selection, may help to address this issue. This study explored thermal sensitization of acupoints used for the treatment of knee OA. METHODS: This cross-sectional case-control study enrolled cases aged 45-75 years with symptomatic knee OA and age- and gender-matched non-knee OA controls in a 1:1 ratio. All participants underwent infrared thermographic imaging. The primary outcome was the relative skin temperature of acupoint (STA), and the secondary outcome was the absolute STA of 11 acupoints. The Z test was used to compare the relative and absolute STAs between the groups. Principal component analysis was used to extract the common factors (CFs, acupoint cluster) in the STAs. A general linear model was used to identify factors affecting the STA in the knee OA cases. For the group comparisons of relative STA, P < 0.0045 (adjusted for 11 acupoints through Bonferroni correction) was considered to indicate statistical significance. For other analyses, P < 0.05 was used as the threshold for statistical significance. RESULTS: The analysis included 308 participants, consisting of 151 cases (mean age: [64.58 ± 6.67] years; male: 25.83%; mean body mass index: [25.70 ± 3.16] kg/m²) and 157 controls (mean age: [63.37 ± 5.96] years; male: 26.11%; mean body mass index: [24.47 ± 2.84] kg/m²). The relative STAs of ST34 (P = 0.0001), EX-LE2 (P < 0.0001), EX-LE5 (P = 0.0006), SP10 (P < 0.0001), BL40 (P = 0.0012) and GB39 (P = 0.0037) were higher in the knee OA group. No difference was found in the STAs of ST35, ST36, SP9, GB33 and GB34. Four CFs were identified for relative STA in both groups. The acupoints within each CF were consistent between the groups. The mean values of the relative STAs across each CF were higher in the knee OA group. In the knee OA cases, no factors were observed to affect the relative STA, while age and gender were found to affect the absolute STA. CONCLUSION Among patients with knee OA, thermal sensitization occurs in the acupoints of the lower extremity, exhibiting localized and regional thermal consistencies. The thermally sensitized acupoints that we identified in this study, ST34, SP10, EX-LE2, EX-LE5, GB39 and BL40, may be good choices for the acupuncture treatment of knee OA. Please cite this article as: Tu JF, Wang XZ, Yan SY, Wang YR, Yang JW, Shi GX, Zhang WZ, Jing LN, Yang LS, Liu DH, Wang LQ, Mi BH. Thermal sensitization of acupoints in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A cross-sectional case-control study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(3): 289-296.
Humans ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/physiopathology* ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Acupuncture Points ; Case-Control Studies ; Aged ; Skin Temperature ; Acupuncture Therapy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between long-term glycemic control and cerebral infarction risk in patients with diabetes through a large-scale cohort study. METHODS: This prospective, community-based cohort study included 12,054 patients with diabetes. From 2006 to 2012, 38,272 fasting blood glucose (FBG) measurements were obtained from these participants. FBG trajectory patterns were generated using latent mixture modelling. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to assess the subsequent risk of cerebral infarction associated with different FBG trajectory patterns. RESULTS: At baseline, the mean age of the participants was 55.2 years. Four distinct FBG trajectories were identified based on FBG concentrations and their changes over the 6-year follow-up period. After a median follow-up of 6.9 years, 786 cerebral infarction events were recorded. Different trajectory patterns were associated with significantly varied outcome risks (Log-Rank P < 0.001). Compared with the low-stability group, Hazard Ratio ( HR) adjusted for potential confounders were 1.37 for the moderate-increasing group, 1.23 for the elevated-decreasing group, and 2.08 for the elevated-stable group. CONCLUSION Sustained high FBG levels were found to play a critical role in the development of ischemic stroke among patients with diabetes. Controlling FBG levels may reduce the risk of cerebral infarction.
Humans ; Cerebral Infarction/blood* ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Female ; Blood Glucose/analysis* ; Fasting/blood* ; Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Diabetes Mellitus/blood* ; Adult ; Proportional Hazards Models