Purpose: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of endovascular treatment for ruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms (VADAs), with a focus on endovascular protocols tailored to different anatomical subtypes. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 44 consecutive patients with ruptured VADAs treated from December 2014 to October 2024. Treatment strategies were guided by aneurysm location: parent artery occlusion (PAO) was used for lesions in non-dominant VAs, while stent-assisted coiling (SAC) reconstruction was used for aneurysms in dominant VAs. Patients were stratified by modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at 3-month follow-up (favorable: mRS 0–2; unfavorable: mRS 3–6). Results: All procedures were technically successful, including 12 single SAC, 13 overlapping SAC, and 19 with PAO (2 involving posterior inferior cerebellar artery preservation). Immediate complete occlusion was achieved in 50.0% of single SAC cases, 76.9% overlapping SAC, and 100% in the PAO group. Six (13.6%) procedure-related complications occurred, including 2 hemorrhagic and 4 ischemic events. Thirty patients (68.2%) had favorable outcomes, and the unfavorable outcomes group showed a higher incidence of ischemic events (P=0.012). An initial poor Hunt–Hess grade (≥IV) was an independent risk factor for unfavorable outcomes (odds ratio 6.35, 95% confidence interval 1.24–32.59; P=0.027). Angiographic follow-up was performed for 34 aneurysms, with complete occlusion achieved in 32 (94.1%); the remaining 2 patients were retreated. Conclusion Endovascular management is safe and effective for ruptured VADAs. Anatomical stratification—PAO for non-dominant VA lesions and SAC for dominant VA aneurysms—may help achieve favorable outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: The application of photodynamic therapy in solid tumors has attracted increasing attention in recent years, and the efficiency of photosensitizers is a crucial determinant of therapeutic efficacy. This study aims to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of a novel photosensitizer, PEG-MTPABZ-PyC, in photodynamic therapy against gastric cancer cells. METHODS: Gastric cancer MKN45 cells were treated with PEG-MTPABZ-PyC. A high-content live-cell imaging system was used to assess the cellular uptake kinetics and subcellular localization of the photosensitizer. The cytotoxic effects of PEG-MTPABZ-PyC-mediated photodynamic therapy were examined using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry, while the intrinsic cytotoxicity of the photosensitizer alone was verified by the CCK-8 assay. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation after photodynamic therapy was detected using 2'-7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA). RESULTS: PEG-MTPABZ-PyC alone exhibited no cytotoxicity toward MKN45 cells, indicating excellent cytocompatibility. The compound efficiently entered cells within 6 hours and localized predominantly in lysosomes. Upon light irradiation, PEG-MTPABZ-PyC-mediated photodynamic therapy induced significant cytotoxicity compared with the control group (P<0.05) and generated abundant intracellular ROS. CONCLUSIONS The novel photosensitizer PEG-MTPABZ-PyC demonstrates potent photodynamic cytotoxicity against gastric cancer cells, showing promising potential for further development in gastric cancer photodynamic therapy.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Photochemotherapy/methods* ; Photosensitizing Agents/pharmacology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Polyethylene Glycols/chemistry* ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Mesoporphyrins/pharmacology*

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder among the elderly, and BuChE has emerged as a potential therapeutic target. In this study, we reported the development of compound 8e, a selective reversible BuChE inhibitor (eqBuChE IC₅₀ = 0.049 μmol/L, huBuChE IC₅₀ = 0.066 μmol/L), identified through extensive virtual screening and lead optimization. Compound 8e demonstrated favorable blood-brain barrier permeability, good drug-likeness property and pronounced neuroprotective efficacy. Additionally, 8e exhibited significant therapeutic effects in zebrafish AD models and scopolamine-induced cognitive impairments in mice. Further, 8e significantly improved cognitive function in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Proteomics analysis demonstrated that 8e markedly elevated the expression levels of very low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR), offering valuable insights into its potential modulation of the Reelin-mediated signaling pathway. Thus, compound 8e emerges as a novel and potent BuChE inhibitor for the treatment of AD, with significant implications for further exploration into its mechanisms of action and therapeutic applications.

Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies are rapidly expanding the exploration of chemical space, facilitating innovative drug discovery. However, the transformation of novel compounds into safe and effective drugs remains a lengthy, high-risk, and costly process. Comprehensive early-stage evaluation is essential for reducing costs and improving the success rate of drug development. Despite this need, no comprehensive tool currently supports systematic evaluation and efficient screening. Here, we present druglikeFilter, a deep learning-based framework designed to assess drug-likeness across four critical dimensions: 1) physicochemical rule evaluated by systematic determination, 2) toxicity alert investigated from multiple perspectives, 3) binding affinity measured by dual-path analysis, and 4) compound synthesizability assessed by retro-route prediction. By enabling automated, multidimensional filtering of compound libraries, druglikeFilter not only streamlines the drug development process but also plays a crucial role in advancing research efforts towards viable drug candidates, which can be freely accessed at https://idrblab.org/drugfilter/.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between thoracic aortic calcification (TAC) and autonomic nervous system (ANS) function in patients receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD).Methods:It was a cross-sectional study. The CAPD patients with dialysis duration >6 months between January and December 2022 were retrospectively enrolled. The baseline clinical data, heart rate variability (HRV) data such as standard deviation of all normal to normal intervals (SDNN), root mean square of successive differences between adjacent normal-to-normal intervals (RMSSD), high frequency (HF), very low frequency (VLF), low frequency (LF), LF/HF, acceleration capacity (AC) and deceleration capacity (DC), and skin sympathetic nerve activity (SKNA) were collected. TAC was defined as TAC score (TACS) >100 AU. The patients were divided into TACS >100 AU group and TACS≤100 AU group based on whether the thoracic aorta was calcified. The differences of those data between the two groups were compared. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors of TAC. Spearman correlation analysis method was used to analyze the correlation between peripheral blood neuropeptide Y, ANS parameters, average amplitude SKNA (aSKNA) and TACS.　Cox regression model was used to analyze the risk factors of all-cause mortality in patients with CAPD.Results:The study included 106 CAPD patients with 50 males (47.2%), age of (46.04±11.10) years and dialysis duration of (41.55±30.52) months. TACS>100 AU group exhibited significantly lower heart rate ( t=2.015, P=0.046), DC ( t=2.131, P=0.035), LF/HF ( Z=3.332, P<0.001) and ln(LF/HF) ( t=3.326, P=0.001), and higher AC ( t=-2.392, P=0.019) than TACS≤100 AU group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that after adjusting for age and eosinophil count, lnVLF ( OR=0.66, 95% CI 0.45-0.98, P=0.038), lnLF ( OR=0.69, 95% CI 0.49-0.97, P=0.032), DC ( OR=0.79, 95% CI 0.64-0.99, P=0.039) and AC ( OR=1.32, 95% CI 1.04-1.68, P=0.021) were independently correlated with the risk of TAC. Spearman correlation analysis showed that neuropeptide Y level in peripheral blood was correlated with aSKNA ( r=0.23, P=0.017), lnSDNN ( r=-0.20, P=0.036) and TACS ( r=0.19, P=0.048). During the follow-up period of (25.8±4.2) months, 5 patients (4.72%) died, including 1 patient in the TACS≤100 AU group and 4 patients in the TACS>100 AU group. Compared with the survival group, the death group had higher TACS ( Z=-2.262, P=0.024) and lower LF/HF ( Z=-2.750, P=0.006). Cox regression analysis results showed that increased ln(LF/HF) was an independent influencing factor for all-cause mortality in CAPD patients ( HR=0.22, 95% CI 0.05-0.83, P=0.026). Conclusions:HRV parameters (lnVLF, lnLF, AC and DC) of CAPD patients are independently associated with TAC. The dysfunction of ANS in CAPD patients (especially the decreased vagus nerve activity) may promote TAC.

Advancements in artificial intelligence(AI)and emerging technologies are rapidly expanding the exploration of chemical space,facilitating innovative drug discovery.However,the transformation of novel compounds into safe and effective drugs remains a lengthy,high-risk,and costly process.Comprehensive early-stage evaluation is essential for reducing costs and improving the success rate of drug development.Despite this need,no comprehensive tool currently supports systematic evaluation and efficient screening.Here,we present druglikeFilter,a deep learning-based framework designed to assess drug-likeness across four critical dimensions:1)physicochemical rule evaluated by systematic determination,2)toxicity alert investigated from multiple perspectives,3)binding affinity measured by dual-path analysis,and 4)compound synthesizability assessed by retro-route prediction.By enabling automated,multidimensional filtering of compound libraries,druglikeFilter not only streamlines the drug development process but also plays a crucial role in advancing research efforts towards viable drug candidates,which can be freely accessed at https://idrblab.org/drugfilter/.

A 58-year-old female patient with anti-synthetase syndrome received compound sulfamethoxazole [containing trimethoprim (TMP) 80 mg and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) 0.4 g, SMZ-TMP] 3 tablets thrice daily orally for the treatment of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. Before medication, the patient′s blood potassium was 3.3 mmol/L and blood chlorine was 116 mmol/L. Three days after SMZ-TMP treatment, the patient′s blood potassium was 5.7 mmol/L, blood chlorine was 114 mmol/L, blood pH was 7.3, urine pH was <5.5, blood chlorine was 114 mmol/L, and bicarbonate was 15 mmol/L. Hyperkalemia type renal tubular acidosis due to SMZ-TMP was considered. The dosage of SMZ-TMP was reduced to 2 tablets once daily orally. After 1 day of diuretic and potassium excretion treatments, the patient′s blood potassium levels returned to normal; after 2 days of the treatments, her blood chlorine was 109 mmol/L and bicarbonate was 17 mmol/L; after 3 days of the treatments, her chest CT showed emphysema in the neck and mediastinum. The dose of SMZ-TMP was changed to 3 tablets thrice daily orally, and at the same time intravenous infusion of ganciclovir 0.3 g twice daily was given. And again, her blood potassium increased and blood pH decreased. Sodium bicarbonate 1 g thrice daily orally was given to correct the acidosis. After adding SMZ-TMP for 2 days, SMZ-TMP dosage was reduced to 2 tablets once daily orally again. Seven days later, the patient′s vital signs were stable, her mediastinal emphysema was significantly improved, her blood potassium was 4.7 mmol/L, and blood pH was 7.4.

Objective To investigate the application value of systemic inflammatory response index(SIRI)in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF)and co-infection.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 579 ACLF patients with co-infection who were diagnosed and treated in The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2014 to March 2016,including demographic features,laboratory markers,and complications,and SIRI,Model for End-Stage Liver Disease(MELD)score,MELD combined with serum sodium concentration(MELD-Na)score,and Child-Pugh score were calculated.According to the results of follow-up on day 90,the patients were divided into survival group with 210 patients and death group with 369 patients.The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups;the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups;the chi-square test were used for comparison of categorical data between two groups.The binary logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the independent risk factors for 90-day death.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and the area under the ROC curve(AUC)were used to assess the performance of SIRI,MELD-Na score,and Child-Pugh score in predicting the prognosis of ACLF patients with co-infection.The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed based on the optimal cut-off value of SIRI.Results Among the 597 ACLF patients with co-infection,384(66.32%)had HBV-related ACLF and 114(19.69%)had alcohol-related ACLF;as for the main infection sites,316(54.58%)had abdominal infection and 133(22.97%)had pulmonary infection;the 90-day mortality rate was 63.73%.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that SIRI(odds ratio[OR]=1.177,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.117-1.239,P<0.05),blood ammonia(OR=1.009,95%CI:1.001-1.018,P<0.05),MELD-Na score(OR=1.047,95%CI:1.016-1.080,P<0.05),Child-Pugh score(OR=1.351,95%CI:1.054-1.730,P<0.05),age(OR=1.045,95%CI:1.021-1.070,P<0.05),comorbidity with hepatic encephalopathy(OR=2.269,95%CI:1.305-3.946,P<0.05),and comorbidity with acute kidney injury(OR=1.730,95%CI:0.990-3.023,P<0.05)were independent risk factors for 90-day death in ACLF patients with co-infection.The Pearson correlation analysis showed that SIRI was positively correlated with MELD-Na score(r=0.282,P<0.001)and Child-Pugh score(r=0.168,P<0.001).SIRI,MELD-Na score,and Child-Pugh score had an AUC of 0.855,0.734,and 0.690,respectively,in predicting 90-day death,and SIRI had a higher predictive efficiency than MELD-Na score and Child-Pugh score(Z=4.922 and 6.289,both P<0.001),with a sensitivity of 76.7%and a specificity of 82.9%.In addition,SIRI combined with MELD-Na score or Child-Pugh score improved the predictive efficiency of MELD-Na score(0.854 vs 0.734,Z=6.899,P<0.001)and Child-Pugh score(0.858 vs 0.690,Z=8.725,P<0.001).The patients with high SIRI(≥4.08)had a 90-day survival rate of 11.29%(36/319),which was significantly lower than that in the patients with low SIRI(<4.08)(χ2=225.24,P<0.001).Conclusion SIRI is an independent risk factor for death in ACLF patients with co-infection and has a good clinical value in predicting prognosis,with the advantages of convenience and low costs.

Objective:To investigate the impact of the size of the liver tumor diameter on the prognosis of patients with hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-inducing acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-HCC/ACLF).Method:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Clinical data of patients with hepatitis B-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) diagnosed according to the Asia-Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASLT) guidelines who were admitted to the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital between January 2016 and January 2021 were collected. The patients were enrolled in the HBV-HCC/ACLF group (116 cases) and the HBV-ACLF group (348 cases). General information, medical history, biochemical parameters, complications, and liver cancer status were collected. Clinical data and prognoses at 28 days and 12 months of follow-up were compared between the two groups. Factors influencing mortality in the HBV-HCC/ACLF group were analyzed to determine the prognostic significance of tumor diameter. The t test, χ 2 test, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze factors influencing mortality. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the sensitivity and specificity of tumor diameter for 28-day prognosis, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used for survival analysis. Result:There were statistically significant differences in the 28-day mortality rate [(55.17%, 64/116) vs. (38.51%, 134/348)] and 12-month mortality rate [(78.45%, 91/116) vs. (55.75%, 194/348)] between the HBV-HCC/ACLF group and the HBV-ACLF group ( P<0.05). The area under the ROC curve analysis for HBV-HCC/ACLF patients indicated that the tumor diameter was 0.707 (95% CI: 0.615-0.788). The survival group (52 cases) and the mortality group (64 cases) were divided into the HBV-HCC/ACLF group based on 28-day mortality. Univariate analysis showed that the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, alpha-fetoprotein, white blood cell count, international normalized ratio, model for end-stage liver disease score, acute kidney injury (AKI), the occurrence of infections and complications, and others were all significantly higher in the mortality group compared to the survival group ( P<0.05).The mortality group had a larger tumor diameter than the survival group ( P<0.01). The incidence of portal vein tumor thrombosis and distant liver cancer metastasis was also higher in the survival group ( P<0.01). The mortality group had a higher rate of HCC-related minimally invasive treatment within three months before ACLF diagnosis than the survival group ( P<0.01). AST levels, infection, size of tumor diameter, and minimally invasive treatment within three months before onset were independent risk factors for 28-day mortality in the HBV-HCC/ACLF group. The optimal significant value for tumor diameter affecting prognosis was 3.3 cm, with a sensitivity of 67.19% and a specificity of 73.08%. Patients with liver tumor diameters >3.3 cm had significantly lower 28-day survival rates than those with a tumor diameter ≤3.3 cm [(24.56%, 14/57) vs. (64.41%, 38/59)]. Eighty case analyses had the same findings in patients who had not previously received any therapy. Conclusion:Patients with HBV-HCC/ACLF had a high 28-day mortality rate, and the size of the tumor diameter is important in determining the 28-day prognosis.

Objective To investigate the influencing factors for the short-term prognosis of patients with alcohol-related liver diseases-acute-on-chronic liver failure(ALD-ACLF)comorbid with infection.Methods A total of 89 ALD-ACLF patients with infection who were admitted to the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 were enrolled as subjects,and related clinical data were collected at baseline(time of patient enrollment).According to the 28-day survival status of patients,they were divided into survival group with 53 patients and death group with 36 patients,and baseline clinical data were compared between the two groups.The t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups,and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups;the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.A non-conditional Logistic regression analysis was used to perform the multivariate analysis.The Z-test was used for comparison of the area under the ROC curve(AUC),and the diagnostic value of the model was assessed.Results Compared with the survival group,the death group had significantly higher hemoglobin(t=-2.397,P=0.019),alanine aminotransferase(Z=-3.437,P=0.001),gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase(Z=-2.617,P=0.009),creatinine(Z=-3.938,P<0.001),blood urea nitrogen(Z=-3.423,P=0.001),NH3(Z=-4.406,P<0.001),international normalized ratio(Z=-3.428,P=0.001),C-reactive protein(Z=-2.128,P=0.033),procalcitonin(Z=-2.441,P=0.015),Model for End-Stage Liver Disease(MELD)score(t=-4.817,P<0.001),incidence rate of acute kidney injury(χ2=21.602,P<0.001),incidence rate of pulmonary infection(χ2=4.866,P=0.027),and incidence rate of shock(χ2=16.285,P<0.001),as well as significantly lower albumin(Z=-2.473,P=0.013)and incidence rate of abdominal infection(χ2=5.897,P=0.015).The multivariate analysis showed that NH3(odds ratio[OR]=1.027,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.006-1.049,P=0.012),MELD score(OR=1.103,95%CI:1.011-1.203,P=0.027],and the incidence rate of shock(OR=6.326,95%CI:1.533-26.101,P=0.011)were independent risk factors for 28-day mortality in ALD-ACLF patients comorbid with infection.Based on these factors,a predictive model was established as Y=0.027×NH3+0.098×MELD score+1.845×shock-4.111.The ROC curve analysis showed that the new model had an AUC of 0.861,a sensitivity of 77.78%,and a specificity of 88.68%,while MELD score had an AUC of 0.776,a sensitivity of 77.78%,and a specificity of 67.92%,suggesting that the new model had a significantly higher diagnostic value than MELD score(Z=2.136,P=0.032 6).Conclusion ALD-ACLF patients with infection tend to have a poor short-term prognosis,and MELD score,NH3,and shock are influencing factors for the short-term prognosis of such patients.The combination of these three factors has a high value in predicting short-term prognosis.