This study aimed to investigate the effect of atractylenolide I (Atr-I) on myocardial mitochondrial function in mice with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) by regulating the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)/stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway. Sixty SPF-grade male cTnT R141W transgenic DCM mice were randomly divided into the DCM group, Atr-I low-dose group (60 mg/kg), Atr-I high-dose group (240 mg/kg), captopril group (0.01 g/kg), and Atr-I high-dose+cGAS/STING pathway activator 5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (DMXAA) group, with 12 mice in each group. Additionally, 12 male C57BL/6J mice were used as the control group. All mice were administered via oral gavage once daily for 8 weeks. Cardiac function was assessed using the Vevo 770 ultrasound system; myocardial pathology was examined via HE staining; mitochondrial ultrastructure in cardiomyocytes was observed using transmission electron microscopy; the proportion of cardiomyocytes without reduced mitochondrial membrane potential was detected using JC-1 staining; reactive oxygen species (ROS) content in myocardial tissue was measured using 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining; adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content in myocardial tissue was determined using a commercial kit; and Western blot was performed to detect the protein expression levels of mitofusin-2 (MFN2), dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1), cGAS, STING, interferon-β (IFN-β), CXC chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in myocardial tissue. The aim was to observe the effect of Atr-I on myocardial mitochondrial function in DCM mice. The results showed that low- and high-dose Atr-I (60 mg/kg, 240 mg/kg) intervention improved cardiac function, alleviated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and disordered muscle fiber arrangement, ameliorated mitochondrial ultrastructure in cardiomyocytes, reduced ROS content and the protein expression levels of DRP1, cGAS, STING, IFN-β, CXCL10, and IL-6 in myocardial tissue, and increased the proportion of cardiomyocytes without reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, as well as ATP content and MFN2 protein expression in myocardial tissue. However, DMXAA attenuated the beneficial effects of high-dose Atr-I on myocardial mitochondrial function in DCM mice. In conclusion, Atr-I may improve myocardial mitochondrial function in DCM mice by inhibiting the cGAS/STING pathway.

Objective To study the spatial distribution of the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in Hubei Province and its influencing factors, so as to improve the theoretical basis for scientific development of tuberculosis prevention and control measures in the future. Methods The data of reported incidence of tuberculosis and related influencing factors in various counties and districts of Hubei Province in 2020 were collected. Global Moran's I index, hotspot analysis and geographically weighted regression (GWR) model analysis were used to calculate the spatial autocorrelation of the incidence of tuberculosis, and to analyze the influencing factors affecting the incidence rate of tuberculosis. Results There were obvious regional differences in the space distribution of the incidence rate of tuberculosis. Hot spot analysis showed positive spatial correlation and obvious clustering. The GWR model (AICc=784.251) in this study had higher AICc value compared to the ordinary least squares regression (OLS) model (AICc=804.2585). The GWR model showed that the increase in the proportion of the population aged 65 and above and the proportion of the ethnic minority population had a significant promoting effect on the increase of the incidence rate of tuberculosis, and there was significant spatial heterogeneity. The effect of PM_2.5 concentration on the incidence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis varied in different regions, and the degree of effect was also different. Conclusion The proportion of people aged 65 and above and the proportion of ethnic minorities may significantly influence the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis. The effect of PM_2.5 concentration varies in different regions, so targeted measures should be formulated according to the situation in different regions.

The translocator protein (TSPO) positron emission tomography (PET) can noninvasively detect neuroinflammation associated with epileptogenesis and epilepsy. This study explored the role of the TSPO-targeting radioligand [¹⁸F]F-TFQC, an m-trifluoromethyl ER176 analog, in the PET neuroimaging of epileptic rats. Initially, [¹⁸F]F-TFQC was synthesized with a radiochemical yield of 8%-10% (EOS), a radiochemical purity of over 99%, and a specific activity of 38.21 ± 1.73 MBq/nmol (EOS). After determining that [¹⁸F]F-TFQC exhibited good biochemical properties, [¹⁸F]F-TFQC PET neuroimaging was performed in epileptic rats at multiple time points in various stages of disease progression. PET imaging showed specific [¹⁸F]F-TFQC uptake in the right hippocampus (KA-injected site, i.e., epileptogenic zone), which was most pronounced at 1 week (T/NT 1.63 ± 0.21) and 1 month (T/NT 1.66 ± 0.20). The PET results were further validated using autoradiography and pathological analysis. Thus, [¹⁸F]F-TFQC can reflect the TSPO levels and localize the epileptogenic zone, thereby offering the potential for monitoring neuroinflammation and guiding anti-inflammatory treatment in patients with epilepsy.

Schizophrenia (SZ) stands as a severe psychiatric disorder. This study applied diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data in conjunction with graph neural networks to distinguish SZ patients from normal controls (NCs) and showcases the superior performance of a graph neural network integrating combined fractional anisotropy and fiber number brain network features, achieving an accuracy of 73.79% in distinguishing SZ patients from NCs. Beyond mere discrimination, our study delved deeper into the advantages of utilizing white matter brain network features for identifying SZ patients through interpretable model analysis and gene expression analysis. These analyses uncovered intricate interrelationships between brain imaging markers and genetic biomarkers, providing novel insights into the neuropathological basis of SZ. In summary, our findings underscore the potential of graph neural networks applied to multimodal DTI data for enhancing SZ detection through an integrated analysis of neuroimaging and genetic features.
Humans ; Schizophrenia/pathology* ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Brain/metabolism* ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; White Matter/pathology* ; Gene Expression ; Nerve Net/diagnostic imaging* ; Graph Neural Networks

Objective To construct a home cardiac rehabilitation program based on mobile healthcare for patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)and validate its application effectiveness.Methods Based on the best evidence summary,using the Behavior Change Wheel as a framework,15 experts from relevant fields were invited for the Delphi expert consultation to construct a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program and devel-op an intervention system.Using convenience sampling method,72 patients from a tertiary hospital in Zhejiang Province from January to March 2024 were selected as research subjects,and the intervention was implemented from June to August 2024.They were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group using a random number table method,with 36 cases in each group.The experimental group received a home rehabilitation program based on mobile healthcare on the basis of routine care,while the control group received routine care.The differences in outcome indicators were compared between 2 groups of patients after 12 weeks of intervention.Re-sults The expert authority coefficients for the 2 rounds of Delphi expert inquiry were 0.95,and Kendall's W were 0.591 and 0.414,respectively(P＜0.001).The final draft of the intervention plan includes 6 primary indicators,14 secondary indicators,and 25 tertiary indicators.A total of 70 patients completed the intervention,with 35 in the ex-perimental group and 35 in the control group.Before intervention,there was no statistically significant difference in home cardiac rehabilitation exercise compliance,frailty,and activities of daily living ability between the 2 groups(P＞0.05).After 12 weeks of intervention,the scores of the home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence scale in the experimental group improved compared to the control group(Z=-7.203,P＜0.001).Conclusion The home reha-bilitation program for TAVR patients based on mobile healthcare is scientific and feasible,and can effectively im-prove patients' exercise compliance with home cardiac rehabilitation.In the future,the rehabilitation program and the system can be continuously optimized in the clinical application to improve patient prognosis.

Objective:To observe the effect of enhanced external counter pulsation on motor function in patients with isch-emic stroke.Method:Sixty patients with ischemic stroke were selected and divided into experimental group(EECP group)and control group(sham EECP group)with a ratio of 1:1.The experimental group was treated with conven-tional hemiplegia rehabilitation training and enhanced external counterpulsation.The control group was treated with the same conventional hemiplegia rehabilitation training program and sham EECP.The following outcomes were observed before and after treatment in the two groups:simplified Fugl-Meyer assessment(FMA),Berg Balance Scale(BBS),Barthel Index(BI).Motor evoked potential(MEP),central conduction time(CMCT),and integral electromyographic(iEMG)of tibialis anterior muscle during isometric contraction during maximum dorsiflexion of the affected ankle were also examined.Result:After treatment,the FMA difference,MEP latency difference,CMCT difference,unit time iEMG and its difference of lower limb anterior tibial muscle in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Enhanced external counter pulsation therapy combined with conventional rehabilitation therapy can significantly improve the motor function of the affected side of the lower limb of patients with ischemic stroke in the recovery period,and there is no obvious adverse reaction.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of using the cell-free DNA(cfDNA)carrying tissue-specific mutations as biomarkers for assessing the severity of exercise-induced tissue injury.Methods Based on a public gene expression database,ten tissue-specific and highly-expressed genes were selected for each of ten different human tissues.A total of 34 young healthy volunteers were recruited,and their peripheral blood samples were collected after running 5 km per day for one week.Genomic DNA from leukocytes,plasma exosomal RNA,and plasma cfDNA were extracted and subjected to high-throughput sequencing respectively.Tissue-specific somatic mutations in plasma exosomal RNA were identified,and the relationship between cfDNA carrying these mutations and traditional protein biomarkers was analyzed.Results Tissue-specific cfDNA mutations related to five tissues(myocardium,skeletal muscle,intestine,stomach,and kidney)were detected in more than five volunteers.The correlation coefficients between total plasma cfDNA levels and the levels of tissue-specific protein biomarkers associated with these five tissues were less than 0.3(n=34,r=-0.51-0.28,P=0.0022-0.65).Notably,for each specific tissue,the levels of tissue-specific cfDNA mutations were positively correlated with the corresponding protein biomarker levels,and correlation coefficients were over 0.8(n=7-13,r=0.81-0.92,P=9.0×10-4-0.020).Conclusion Tissue-specific cfDNA mutations may serve as novel potential biomarkers for non-invasive evaluation of exercise-related tissue injury.

Objective To explore the influencing factors of early neurological deterioration(END)in patients with acute anterior circulation large-vessel occlusive mild stroke who were treated with medications alone within 72 h after onset.Methods Retrospective consecutive data were collected of patients with acute large-vessel occlusive mild stroke who presented to the Advanced Stroke Center of Linyi People's Hospital within 24 h of onset from January 2021 to December 2022.END was defined as an increase of ≥ 4 points in the National Institutes of Health stroke scale(N1HSS)score within 72 h after onset compared to the admission score.Patients were divided into the neurological deterioration group and the stable condition group(NIHSS score did not increase or increased by 1-3 points within 72 h after onset compared to the admission score).Baseline and clinical data of all patients were collected,including sex,age,cerebrovascular disease risk factors(hypertension,diabetes mellitus,hyperlipidemia,coronary heart disease,atrial fibrillation,smoking,alcohol consumption,stroke history),NIHSS score at admission,time from onset to admission,systolic blood pressure at admission,diastolic blood pressure at admission,laboratory test indicators at admission(blood glucose,glycosylated hemoglobin,homocysteine,total cholesterol,triglyceride,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,high-density lipoprotein cholesterol,neutrophils,lymphocytes and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio),responsible occlusion artery(internal carotid artery,middle cerebral artery,anterior cerebral artery),affected cerebral hemisphere,collateral circulation score,and medications used within 72 h after admission(intravenous thrombolysis+dual antiplatelet therapy,tirofiban+dual antiplatelet therapy,argatroban+dual antiplatelet therapy,argatroban alone,dual antiplatelet therapy alone).Variables with statistically significant differences in univariate analysis were included in multivariate Logistic regression analysis to explore the independent influencing factors for END in patients with acute anterior circulation large-vessel occlusive mild stroke treated with medications alone.Results A total of 208 patients with acute anterior circulation large-vessel occlusive mild stroke were included,with 143 males and 65 females,aged 38-85 years,with an average age of(64±9)years.Among them,86 patients were in the neurological deterioration group and 122 in the stable condition group.(1)There were statistically significant differences between the neurological deterioration group and the stable condition group in terms of history of diabetes mellitus(39.5％[34/86]vs.17.2％[21/122]),smoking history(43.0％[37/86]vs.29.5％[36/122]),left cerebral hemisphere lesion(57.0％[49/86]vs.41.0％[50/122]),collateral circulation score(4[3,5]vs.5[4,5]),time from onset to admission(7.0[3.0,17.0]hvs.4.3[2.0,11.0]h),blood glucose at admission(7.4[5.8,10.0]mmol/L vs.6.7[5.8,7.7]mmol/L),neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(3.8[2.4,5.1]vs.3.0[2.1,4.3]),dual antiplatelet therapy alone(19.8％[17/86]vs.6.6％[8/122]),and argatroban+dual antiplatelet therapy(8.1％[7/86]vs.29.5％[36/122];all P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in the results of the remaining univariate analyses(all P＞0.05).(2)Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that diabetes mellitus(OR,2.674,95％CI 1.121-6.377,P=0.027)and left cerebral hemisphere vessel occlusion(OR,2.030,95％CI I.083-3.806,P=0.027)were independent risk factors for END in acute anterior circulation large-vessel occlusive mild stroke.Argatroban+dual antiplatelet therapy(OR,0.267,95％CI 0.116-0.613,P=0.002)and high collateral circulation score(OR,0.551,95％CI 0.368-0.824,P=0.004)were independent protective factors for END in acute anterior circulation large-vessel occlusive mild stroke.Conclusions Acute anterior circulation large-vessel occlusive mild stroke patients with diabetes mellitus or left cerebral hemisphere lesions are prone to END.The combination of argatroban and dual antiplatelet therapy and good collateral circulation can reduce the risk of END.

Objective:To establish the UPLC fingerprint evaluation system of Viticis Fructus; To comprehensively evaluate the quality of Viticis Fructus and its processed products combining with multivariate statistical methods and compositional variance analysis.Methods:19 batches of Viticis Fructus from different regions were collected and processed by frying process into decoction pieces. The separation was operated on Waters CORTECS T3 C18 chromatographic column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.6 μm). Acetonitrile and 0.1% phosphoric acid water were used as mobile phases for gradient elution, to establish the UPLC fingerprints of Viticis Fructus. The UPLC fingerprints of Viticis Fructus were analyzed using similarity evaluation, principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The contents of seven active components in the samples of Viticis Fructus and fried Viticis Fructus were determined.Results:A total of 26 common peaks were identified in the fingerprints of 38 batches of samples, and 7 components were identified. Similarity evaluation results demonstrated that the chemical components of Viticis Fructus from Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province, were significantly different from those of other regions. The results of PCA and PLS-DA analysis showed that the chemical components of Viticis Fructus and fried Viticis Fructus could be clearly distinguished, and the processing process had an impact on the components. The results of content determination showed that the contents of some components increased or decreased after frying. The analysis results of grey correlation method and TOPSIS method show that the medicinal materials in Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province have a high score ranking and stable quality.Conclusion:This study successfully establishes the fingerprints of Viticis Fructus and its processed products, grey correlation method and TOPSIS method analysis revealed the quality differences of samples from different origins, which providing a scientific basis for the quality control and evaluation of Viticis Fructus and its processed products.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Fuyuan Capsules combined with Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture in the treatment of vascular dementia(VD),and to explore its possible mechanism of action.Methods A total of 204 cases of patients with a definitive diagnosis of VD admitted to the wards and outpatient clinics of Hengshui Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from October 2019 to October 2022 were selected for the study.The patients were randomly divided into observation group and control group according to the random number table method,with 102 cases in each group.The patients in both groups were treated with symptomatic treatments such as blood pressure-controlling,glucose-lowering,blood lipids-regulating,along with cognitive function training.The control group was treated with Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture,and the observation group was given oral administration of Fuxing Capsules on the basis of the treatment in the control group.One week constituted a course of treatmen,and eight consecutive courses of treatment were carried out.After two months of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated.The changes in the scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE),Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA),Revised Hasegama's Dementia Scale(HDS-R),and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale(CDR)were observed in the patients of the two groups before and after treatment.The changes in the scores of the Activity of Daily Living Scale(ADL),Hachinski Ischemic Scale(HIS),and the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores before and after treatment were compared in patients of the two groups.The changes in the expression level of neuregulin 1(NRG1)before and after treatment in patients of the two groups were detected.Results(1)During the study,two cases fell off from both groups,respectively.Finally,100 cases in the observation group and 100 cases in the control group were included in the efficacy statistics.(2)After treatment,the MMSE and MoCA scores of the patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the HDS-R and CDR scores of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the ADL and HIS scores of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P＜0.05).(5)After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P＜0.05).(6)The total effective rate was 84.00％(84/100)in the observation group and 67.00％(67/100)in the control group.The efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P＜0.05).(7)After treatment,the NRG1 levels of patients in the two groups were improved significantly(P＜0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Fuyuan Capsules combined with Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture in the treatment of VD can significantly improve the clinical symptoms of patients,enhance the cognitive function,and effectively increase the serum NRG 1 level,so as to improve their quality of life.