BACKGROUND:Previous studies of the research group have found that icariin-containing serum can delay the progression of knee osteoarthritis,promote chondrocyte proliferation and stem cell cartilage differentiation in rats,but there is still a lack of sufficient basis for clinical application.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the repair effect of icariin-containing serum on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory damage of human chondrocytes.METHODS:The effect of icariin-containing serum on chondrocyte viability was detected by cell counting kit-8 method,and the optimal volume fraction and time of icariin-containing serum were screened.The cells were then divided into blank group,lipopolysaccharide group,icariin-containing serum group and lipopolysaccharide+icariin-containing serum group.After grouping,immunofluorescence was used to detect the secretion of type Ⅱ collagen in chondrocytes in each group.Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of related genes.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Icariin-containing serum showed good biosafety characteristics for human chondrocytes,and the cell viability reached the highest level after 48 hours of intervention when the icariin-containing serum volume fraction was 15％,and the follow-up experiments were carried out according to the conditions.(2)Compared with the blank group,lipopolysaccharide significantly inhibited the expression of type Ⅱ collagen in chondrocytes,while icariin-containing serum showed a positive mobilization effect,which could effectively promote the secretion of type Ⅱ collagen in chondrocytes under normal and inflammatory conditions.(3)The mRNA expression of type Ⅱ collagen and Aggrecan in chondrocytes decreased significantly under lipopolysaccharide stimulation,and the mRNA expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase 13 and a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-5 increased significantly.Icariin-containing serum promoted the mRNA expression of type Ⅱ collagen in human chondrocytes under inflammatory conditions and reduced the mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase 13 and a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-5 in chondrocytes after lipopolysaccharide intervention.Therefore,these findings indicate that the icariin-containing serum has good safety for human chondrocytes and plays an important role in maintaining the normal physiological functions of chondrocytes,promoting the synthesis of extracellular matrix,and inhibiting the secretion of inflammatory factors.

BACKGROUND:Previous studies of the research group have found that icariin-containing serum can delay the progression of knee osteoarthritis,promote chondrocyte proliferation and stem cell cartilage differentiation in rats,but there is still a lack of sufficient basis for clinical application.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the repair effect of icariin-containing serum on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory damage of human chondrocytes.METHODS:The effect of icariin-containing serum on chondrocyte viability was detected by cell counting kit-8 method,and the optimal volume fraction and time of icariin-containing serum were screened.The cells were then divided into blank group,lipopolysaccharide group,icariin-containing serum group and lipopolysaccharide+icariin-containing serum group.After grouping,immunofluorescence was used to detect the secretion of type Ⅱ collagen in chondrocytes in each group.Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of related genes.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Icariin-containing serum showed good biosafety characteristics for human chondrocytes,and the cell viability reached the highest level after 48 hours of intervention when the icariin-containing serum volume fraction was 15％,and the follow-up experiments were carried out according to the conditions.(2)Compared with the blank group,lipopolysaccharide significantly inhibited the expression of type Ⅱ collagen in chondrocytes,while icariin-containing serum showed a positive mobilization effect,which could effectively promote the secretion of type Ⅱ collagen in chondrocytes under normal and inflammatory conditions.(3)The mRNA expression of type Ⅱ collagen and Aggrecan in chondrocytes decreased significantly under lipopolysaccharide stimulation,and the mRNA expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase 13 and a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-5 increased significantly.Icariin-containing serum promoted the mRNA expression of type Ⅱ collagen in human chondrocytes under inflammatory conditions and reduced the mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase 13 and a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-5 in chondrocytes after lipopolysaccharide intervention.Therefore,these findings indicate that the icariin-containing serum has good safety for human chondrocytes and plays an important role in maintaining the normal physiological functions of chondrocytes,promoting the synthesis of extracellular matrix,and inhibiting the secretion of inflammatory factors.

Objective To systematically analyze the trend of incidence, mortality and disease burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China from 1994 to 2023, reveal the influence of age-period-cohort factors on COPD in China and the attribution characteristics of risk factors, and provide empirical basis for formulating precise prevention and control strategies. Methods The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 database was used to extract the data of the whole population, gender and age groups of COPD in China from 1994 to 2023. The Joinpoint regression model was used to calculate the annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC) of the standardized rate. The age-period-cohort model was adopted to quantify its impacts on the incidence and mortality of COPD. It also analyzed the attributable effects as well as temporal trend characteristics of seven GBD level-3 risk factors (including smoking, ambient particulate matter pollution, occupational exposure, etc.) in Chinese population in 1994 and 2023 on the standardized mortality rate and standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rate of COPD. Results From 1994 to 2023, the incidence and mortality of COPD in China showed an upward trend, but the standardized incidence [AAPC=−1.16%, 95%CI (−1.18, −1.14), P<0.001] and standardized mortality [AAPC=−2.87%, 95%CI (−3.02, −2.73), P<0.001] decreased significantly, and the decline rate of standardized incidence in females (AAPC=−1.29%) was slightly higher than that in males (AAPC=−1.04%). The decline rate of standardized mortality in males (AAPC=−3.65%) was higher than that in females (AAPC=−1.94%). The age-period-cohort model revealed a nonlinear increase in the age effect, a graded decline in the cohort effect, and a significant period effect on mortality and male morbidity (P<0.001). In terms of attribution of risk factors, the top three attribution risks of the whole population in 2023 were still smoking, particulate matter pollution and second-hand smoke. Compared with 1994, the attribution of environmental ozone pollution, second-hand smoke, high temperature, smoking and occupational particulate matter/gas/smoke exposure increased, and the attribution of particulate matter pollution decreased. Conclusion From 1994 to 2023, the overall disease burden of COPD in China shows a downward trend. Age and cohort are the core driving factors of the disease, and period factors have a more significant impact on death. The changes in the attribution structure suggest that while consolidating the effectiveness of particulate matter pollution control, it is necessary to strengthen the comprehensive prevention and control strategies of tobacco control, coordinated emission reduction of ozone and multiple pollutants, extreme temperature protection and protection of key occupational groups, so as to continuously reduce the disease burden of COPD.

Objective: To investigate the regional differences in the incidence of urothelial carcinoma among kidney transplant recipients between northern and southern China，so as to provide reference for early diagnosis of this disease. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases，including CNKI，Wanfang，CBM，and PubMed，using the keywords “kidney transplantation” and “tumor” to collect clinical data from qualified kidney transplant centers.The latest and most complete literature data published by 17 transplant centers in northern China and 14 in southern China were included.Statistical analyses were performed to compare the incidence of post-transplant urothelial carcinoma and non-urothelial malignancies. Results: A total of 37 475 kidney transplant recipients were included，among whom 837 (2.23%) developed post-transplant malignancies，including urothelial carcinoma (366/837，43.73%)，non-urothelial carcinoma (444/837，53.05%)，and malignancies with unspecified pathology (27/837，3.23%).The incidence of malignancies was significantly higher in northern China than in southern China [(2.82±1.39)% vs. (1.67±0.83)%，P=0.011]，with a particularly pronounced difference in the incidence of urothelial carcinoma [(1.68±1.12)% vs. (0.32±0.32)%，P<0.001].No significant difference was observed in the incidence of non-urothelial carcinoma between the two regions [(1.11±0.56)% vs. (1.35±0.65)%，P=0.279].Additionally，female transplant recipients exhibited a higher incidence of malignancies than males in both regions (southern China：2.38% vs. 1.80%; northern China：8.93% vs. 2.52%). Conclusion: The incidence of urothelial carcinoma following kidney transplantation is significantly higher in northern China than in southern China，underscoring the importance of implementing regular tumor screening for kidney transplant recipients，particularly for female patients in northern China，to facilitate early diagnosis and timely intervention.

Objective:To investigate the clinical application value of a novel filter's retraction hook capture technique of pull-assisted method for the endovascular retrieval of conical inferior vena cava (IVC) filters whose hook attached to the wall.Methods:From January 2020 to December 2024, patients with conical filters whose hook attached to the wall admitted at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital were enrolled consecutively.Results:A total of 46 patients underwent filter retrieval using filter's retraction hook capture technique of pull-assisted method. Among these patients, 39 cases (84.8%) were successful in filter retrieval, with the penetration distance of cranial anchor vertex of 3.3(2.5, 4.4) mm, and 13 (33.3%) filters were deformed. The other 7 cases were unsuccessful, with a penetration distance of cranial anchor vertex of 5.0 (4.3, 5.0) mm, and 6 (85.7%) filters were deformed. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups ( P<0.05). One case (2.2%) had IVC injury, one case (2.2%) experienced filter fracture, and no symptomatic pulmonary embolism occurred. Logistic regression analysis showed that filter deformation was an independent dangerous factor for filter's retraction. Conclusions:Filter's retraction hook capture technique of pull-assisted method is effective in removing conical filters whose hook attached to the wall, with no symptomatic PE occurring. This method can be considered as a new adjuvant technique for filter retrieval.

Objective:To explore the prognostic value of assessing plasma thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) and D-dimer (D-D) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Methods:This prospective cohort study enrolled 538 AIS patients admitted to the General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from July 2021 to May 2024, including 306 males and 232 females, with an average age of (69.5±11.5) years. Among them, there were 147 cases of lacunar infarction, 166 cases of large artery atherosclerosis type, 122 cases of cardioembolic type, and 103 cases of cancer-related type. Follow-up observations were conducted on enrolled patients, data within 30 days after the initiation of acute phase treatment for one week were collected, thrombus-related cerebral ischemic events recurrence served as the endpoint event, starting from August 5, 2021, to June 19, 2024. During the follow-up period, 68 patients experienced endpoint events, including 14 cases of large artery atherosclerosis type, 23 cases of cardioembolic type, and 31 cases of cancer-related type. The plasma levels of TAT and D-D were determined by chemiluminescence method and enzyme-linked immunofluorescence assay respectively. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the prediction performance of TAT and D-dimer for recurrent ischemic events in AIS patients during the 30-day follow-up period, and the Kaplan-Meier curve was used for survival analysis.Results:Statistically differences were observed in the plasma TAT and D-D levels among patients with different types of AIS ( P<0.05), with cancer-related type had higher levels than cardioembolic type ( P<0.05), and cardioembolic type had higher levels than large artery atherosclerosis type ( P<0.05). In the non-recurrent ischemic event group, the plasma TAT and D-D levels of patients with large artery atherosclerosis type, cardioembolic type and cancer-related type were lower in post-treatment than pre-treatment ( P<0.05). In the recurrent ischemic event group, the plasma D-D levels were higher in post-treatment than pre-treatment in the patients with large artery atherosclerosis type ( P<0.05); there was no statistically difference between the post-treatment and pre-treatment in plasma TAT and D-D levels in patients with cardioembolic type ( P>0.05); in patients with cancer-related type, the TAT and D-D levels were lower in post-treatment than pre-treatment ( P<0.05), but higher than those in the non-recurrence group ( P<0.05). The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve for predicting the risk of ischemic event recurrence within 30 days in AIS patients by plasma TAT combined with D-D on day 7 after treatment was all >0.9 (0.950 for large artery atherosclerosis type, 0.965 for cardioembolic type, and 0.907 for cancer-related types). Survival analysis indicated that various patients with both indicators above the critical value had an increased cumulative risk probability of adverse events (log-rank χ 2=93.667, 109.266, and 58.433, respectively, with all P<0.001). Conclusion:The changes of plasma TAT and D-D levels in AIS patients are associated with stroke type and coagulation activation, and dynamic monitoring of these two indicators could help evaluate the treatment effect and predict the risk of recurrent ischemic events.

In the progression process of liver diseases, pathological changes occur in the vascular endothelium, platelets, coagulation, anticoagulation, fibrinolysis systems of patients, and "rebalancd haemostasis" is formed. The coexistence of hypocoagulation and hypercoagulation tendency in the peripheral blood of patients made the laboratory testing data complex and difficult to interpret, especially prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time could not truly reflect the net effect of haemostasis disorder in patients with liver diseases, which often led to misjudgment and overtreatment by doctors and led to adverse clinical consequences. In recent years, thromboelastography, rotational thromboelastometry and thrombin generation assay had been used to assess bleeding risk in patients with liver diseases and had made progress in transfusion management. On the other hand, von Willebrand factor and thrombospondin type 1 motif member 13 has been shown to be closely related to the progression of liver diseases and could warn the adverse clinical outcomes effectively.

Objective:To investigate the application value of combined detection of urine genes Twist1,Onecut2,VIM methyl-ation and folate metabolism related genes MTHFR(C677T/A1298C),MTRR(A66G)polymorphisms in the screening and diagnosis of bladder cancer.Methods:A total of 134 patients with primary bladder cancer admitted to the Department of Urology of Qingyang Peo-ple's Hospital and the Second Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2023 to January 2024 were selected(bladder cancer group),and a total of 130 patients with common benign urinary system diseases and other malignant tumors of urinary system treated with cystoscopy were admitted during the same period(control group).Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was used to de-tect the methylation of Twist1,Onecut2 and VIM genes in urine shed cells.PCR fluorescence probe fusion was used to detect the poly-morphism of folate metabolism-related genes in peripheral blood of patients,and collected the clinical data and immunological indica-tors,and to all the data for statistical analysis.Results:The methylation rates of hematuria,bladder irritation,Twist1,Onecut2 and VIM genes were significantly different between two groups(P<0.05).The area under ROC curve(AUC)of Twist1,Onecut2 and VIM genes methylation and their combined detection were 0.721,0.675,0.674 and 0.772,respectively.Sensitivity and specificity were 73.20%and 71.00%,56.10%and 79.00%,48.80%and 86.00%,80.50%and 69.00%,respectively.The AUC of hematuria and blad-der irritation were 0.661 and 0.652.The sensitivity and specificity were 60.20%and 72.00%,41.50%and 89.00%,respectively.The combined AUC of all indicators were the largest(0.858),and the sensitivity and specificity were higher.The frequencies of CC,CT,TT,and T alleles of MTHFR C677T in bladder cancer group were 21.64%,41.79%,36.56%and 57.46%,respectively.Compared with the control group,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The T allele frequency was significantly different between methylated and unmethylated Twist1 groups(P<0.05).Others differences were not statistically significant,and there was no signifi-cant association with gene methylation(P>0.05).Conclusion:The methylation of Twist1,Onecut2 and VIM genes are highly ex-pressed in the urine cells of patients with bladder cancer,and the combination of hematuria and bladder irritation has a high predictive value for the diagnosis of bladder cancer.The MTHFR(C677T)T allele is associated with the methylation of Twist1 gene and may be one of the risk factors for bladder cancer.