BACKGROUND: The potential impact of pre-existing coronary artery stenosis (CAS) on right ventricular (RV) function during acute pulmonary embolism (PE) episodes remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the association between pre-existing CAS and RV dysfunction in patients with acute PE. METHODS: In this multicenter, case-control study, 89 cases and 176 controls matched for age were enrolled at three study centers (Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Fuwai Hospital, and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University) from January 2016 to December 2020. The cases were patients with acute PE with CAS, and the controls were patients with acute PE without CAS. Coronary artery assessment was performed using coronary computed tomographic angiography. CAS was defined as ≥50% stenosis of the lumen diameter in any coronary vessel >2.0 mm in diameter. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between CAS and RV dysfunction. RESULTS: The percentages of RV dysfunction (19.1% [17/89] vs. 44.6% [78/176], P <0.001) and elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) (19.3% [17/89] vs. 39.5% [68/176], P = 0.001) were significantly lower in the case group than those in the control group. In the multivariable logistic regression model, CAS was independently and negatively associated with RV dysfunction (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 0.367; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.185-0.728; P = 0.004), and elevated sPAP (OR: 0.490; 95% CI: 0.252-0.980; P = 0.035), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Pre-existing CAS was significantly and negatively associated with RV dysfunction and elevated sPAP in patients with acute PE. This finding provides new insights into RV dysfunction in patients with acute PE with pre-existing CAS.
Humans ; Pulmonary Embolism/complications* ; Case-Control Studies ; Male ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Right/physiopathology* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Coronary Stenosis/complications* ; Logistic Models ; Adult

Lumbar disc (LD) herniation and aging are prevalent conditions that can result in substantial morbidity. This study aimed to clarify the mechanisms connecting the LD aging and herniation, particularly focusing on cellular senescence and molecular alterations in the nucleus pulposus (NP). We performed a detailed analysis of NP samples from a diverse cohort, including individuals of varying ages and those with diagnosed LD herniation. Our methodology combined histological assessments with single-nucleus RNA sequencing to identify phenotypic and molecular changes related to NP aging and herniation. We discovered that cellular senescence and a decrease in nucleus pulposus progenitor cells (NPPCs) are central to both processes. Additionally, we found an age-related increase in NFAT1 expression that promotes NPPC senescence and contributes to both aging and herniation of LD. This research offers fresh insights into LD aging and its associated pathologies, potentially guiding the development of new therapeutic strategies to target the root causes of LD herniation and aging.
Intervertebral Disc Displacement/metabolism* ; Humans ; Aging/pathology* ; Nucleus Pulposus/pathology* ; Male ; Female ; Transcriptome ; Middle Aged ; Lumbar Vertebrae/pathology* ; Adult ; Cellular Senescence ; Stem Cells/pathology* ; Aged ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration/metabolism*

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.jpha.2023.08.006.].

Objective To explore the effects of low-dose esketamine on the median effective dose(ED50)of ciprofol for sedation in elderly patients undergoing ultrasound-guided transperineal prostate biopsy.Methods Forty-nine elderly male patients,aged 65-75 years,BMI 18.5-30.0 kg/m2,ASA physical stutas Ⅰ-Ⅲ,who underwent ultrasound-guided transperineal prostate biopsy,were randomly as-signed into the esketamine-ciprofol group(group E,n=23)and the ciprofol group(group C,n=26).After intravenous administration of sufentanil 0.1 μg/kg,patients in group E received esketamine 0.2 mg/kg,while patients in group C received the same volume of normal saline.The up-and-down sequential allocation method was used to calculate the effective dose of ciprofol.The initial dose of ciprofol was 0.2 mg/kg in group E and 0.3 mg/kg in group C,and the dose gradient was 0.05 mg/kg for both groups.If there was no body movement during the first puncture of prostate after the loss of eyelash reflex,the ciprofol dose in the next patient was reduced by 0.05 mg/kg.Otherwise,the ciprofol dose in the next patient was in-creased by 0.05 mg/kg.The study was completed until 7 inflection points alternating between non-body movement and body movement achieved.The total amount of ciprofol,surgical time,recovery time,stay in recovery room,hypotension,bradycardia,respiratory depression,injection pain,nausea and vomiting,and adverse reaction of the mental system were recorded.The Probit method was used to calculate the ED50 and 95%effective dose(ED95)with 95%confidence interval(CI)of ciprofol for inhibition of body movement.Results Compared with group C,the total amount of ciprofol in group E was significantly reduced(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences between the two groups in surgical time,recovery time,stay in recovery room,and adverse events.The ED50 of ciprofol in group E was 0.22 mg/kg(95%CI 0.19-0.26 mg/kg),and the ED50 in group C was 0.38 mg/kg(95%CI 0.31-0.46 mg/kg).Compared with group C,the ED50 in group E was significantly reduced(P＜0.05).The ED95 of ciprofol in group E was 0.28 mg/kg(95%CI 0.25-0.49 mg/kg),and the ED95 in group C was 0.51 mg/kg(95%CI 0.44-1.25 mg/kg).Compared with group C,the ED95 in group E was significantly reduced(P＜0.05).Conclusion The ED50 of ciprofol for inhibition of body movement in elderly patients undergoing ultrasound-guided transperi-neal prostate biopsy was 0.38 mg/kg,which was reduced to 0.22 mg/kg by using lose-dose esketamine 0.2 mg/kg as an adjuvant.

Objective Analyze the implementation effects of the specialized disease management policy(hereinafter re-ferred to as the policy)to provide reference for strengthening operational management and enhancing the integration of business and finance in public hospitals.Methods Patient information of inpatients from a large comprehensive tertiary hospital from Jan-uary 2022 to June 2023 was collected.Four out of ten single diseases focused on by the national tertiary public hospital perform-ance assessment were included in the study group for specialized disease management,while the remaining six were used as the control group.A difference-in-differences model was adopted to analyze the changes in relevant indicators such as per capita inpa-tient expenses,average length of stay,per capita drug expenses,per capita consumable expenses,and per capita examination and treatment expenses before and after the policy implementation.Additionally,the effects of policy implementation were further analyzed based on different medical insurance types.Results A total of 22 457 patients were included,with 5 879 patients in the study group(3 164 cases before policy implementation and 2 715 cases after policy implementation),and 19 741 patients in the control group.The difference-in-differences model analysis showed that after the policy implementation,per capita inpatient expenses for specialized disease management patients decreased by 32.7％,average length of stay decreased by 31.4％,drug ex-penses decreased by 49.5％,consumable expenses decreased by 24.2％,and examination and treatment expenses decreased by 29.2％.Moreover,compared to patients under non-Wuhan medical insurance,patients under Wuhan medical insurance experi-enced a greater reduction in related indicators.Conclusion The implementation of the policy effectively reduces the burden on patients seeking medical care,improves medical treatment efficiency,contributes to hospital refined management methods,deep-ens the integration of business and finance,and facilitates the transition towards leaner operations.

Objective To evaluate the long-term safety of related kidney donors after unilateral nephrectomy.Methods A total of 91 related donors who received nephrectomy in our hospital from 2006 to 2011 were followed up for at least 10 years by outpatient,telephone,or WeChat.During the follow-up period,the serum creatinine,serum uric acid,blood urea nitrogen,estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR),hematuria,urinary protein,blood pressure,blood glucose and blood lipids of the donors were detected,and the changes before and after nephrectomy were analyzed.Results At 1 month after operation,the levels of serum creatinine,blood urea nitrogen and serum uric acid of the donor were significantly higher than those before operation(all P＜0.05),but still within the normal range.The patients were followed up for 1,3,5 and 10 years after operation.Compared with 1 month after operation,the serum creatinine,blood urea nitrogen and serum uric acid were relatively stable(all P＞0.05).The eGFR of donors of different ages remained relatively stable for a long time after operation.There were 3 cases of endoscopic hematuria and 4 cases of proteinuria after surgery,and these symptoms were relieved after rest and symptomatic treatment.Ten(11.0%)donors developed hypertension 5(5.5%)developed hyperlipidemia,and 5(5.5%)developed diabetes mellitus.No patient died.Conclusion Nephrectomy is safe and feasible for healthy related donors.To ensure the safety of the donors,comprehensive evaluation before nephrectomy and regular follow-up after nephrectomy are essential.

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α), a core transcription factor responding to changes in cellular oxygen levels, is closely associated with a wide range of physiological and pathological conditions. However, its differential impacts on vascular cell types and molecular programs modulating human vascular homeostasis and regeneration remain largely elusive. Here, we applied CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing of human embryonic stem cells and directed differentiation to generate HIF-1α-deficient human vascular cells including vascular endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), as a platform for discovering cell type-specific hypoxia-induced response mechanisms. Through comparative molecular profiling across cell types under normoxic and hypoxic conditions, we provide insight into the indispensable role of HIF-1α in the promotion of ischemic vascular regeneration. We found human MSCs to be the vascular cell type most susceptible to HIF-1α deficiency, and that transcriptional inactivation of ANKZF1, an effector of HIF-1α, impaired pro-angiogenic processes. Altogether, our findings deepen the understanding of HIF-1α in human angiogenesis and support further explorations of novel therapeutic strategies of vascular regeneration against ischemic damage.
Humans ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism* ; Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Hypoxia/metabolism* ; Cell Hypoxia/physiology*

Objective To establish a scientific training program that takes into account both anaerobic and aerobic training for pilots,and to explore the appropriate ratio of aerobic and anaerobic training.Methods According to the physical examination standards for pilots,a total of 16 healthy subjects aged 18-24 were selected from two batches.The two batches of subjects were trained with different aerobic and anaerobic ratios.Training period was 3 months.The changes in cardiopulmonary function of the subjects before and after training were evaluated using the cardiopulmonary function exercise testing system(CPET),and the changes in anaerobic capacity were evaluated using changes in strength as an indicator.Results After training,the weight load of the subjects in the two training programs,including barbell squats,leg flexion and hard pull,and barbell under 10RM and 3RM,was significantly increased(P<0.001),and there was no statistically significant difference in anaerobic strength growth between the two groups.The results of CPET showed that the maximum load,maximum heart rate,and respiratory quotient in the two groups were significantly increased after than before the training(P<0.01).The maximum load(Experiment group 1:29.12±19.69,Experiment group 2:72.00±46.24)and respiratory quotient(Experiment grouop 1:0.11±0.09,Experiment group 2:0.28±0.16)of the subjects in experiment group 2 before and after training were greater than those in experiment group 1.The difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion The anaerobic and aerobic capacities of the subjects in the experiment group 2 are effectively improved,indicating that ratio of aerobic and anaerobic of the training scheme is better.

【Objective】 To investigate the reasonable serological detection method by analyzing the characteristics of anti-K and anti-Wr^a from a patient who received treatment with daratumumab. 【Methods】 Unexpected antibody screening and identification were performed by saline method, polybrene, cardioagglutinin, dithiothreitol (DTT) treatment, trypsin treatment and papain treatment in the patient's plasma and acid elution solution. Heat elution test was detected after absorbing patient serum with K antigen negative red blood cells. The characteristics of antibodies were analyzed and their titer was continuously detected. Cross matching was performed after excluding interference of daratumumab. 【Results】 Anti-K and anti-Wr^a were detected in saline and polybrene in the patient's plasma. The patient's elution solution contained daratumumab. DTT or trypsin treatment excluded interference of daratumumab but papain treatment did not. DTT treatment destroyed K antigen and missed the detection of IgG antibodies in the Kell system. Trypsin treatment did not affect K antigen and can detect IgG antibodies of Kell system(anti-k)in the serum of the patient treated with daratumumab. Anti K was IgM and the titer was 4 by saline method and it decreased to no agglutination in room temperature after 39 days. Anti-Wr^a was IgG and the titer by polybrene method was 4, and it decreased to 1 after 39 days. After 76 days, neither anti-K nor anti-Wr^a could be detected. Transfusions of K and Wr^a antigen negative red blood cells were safe and effective. 【Conclusion】 DTT treatment can exclude interference of daratumumab, but attention should be paid to missed detection of anti-K. To avoid interference of daratumumab and identify unexpected antibody, multiple methods such as DTT treatment, polybrene and trypsin treatment in combination are recommended.

A major impedance to neuronal regeneration after peripheral nerve injury(PNI)is the activation of various programmed cell death mechanisms in the dorsal root ganglion.Ferroptosis is a form of pro-grammed cell death distinguished by imbalance in iron and thiol metabolism,leading to lethal lipid peroxidation.However,the molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis in the context of PNI and nerve regeneration remain unclear.Ferroportin(Fpn),the only known mammalian nonheme iron export protein,plays a pivotal part in inhibiting ferroptosis by maintaining intracellular iron homeostasis.Here,we explored in vitro and in vivo the involvement of Fpn in neuronal ferroptosis.We first delineated that reactive oxygen species at the injury site induces neuronal ferroptosis by increasing intracellular iron via accelerated UBA52-driven ubiquitination and degradation of Fpn,and stimulation of lipid peroxidation.Early administration of the potent arterial vasodilator,hydralazine(HYD),decreases the ubiquitination of Fpn after PNI by binding to UBA52,leading to suppression of neuronal cell death and significant ac-celeration of axon regeneration and motor function recovery.HYD targeting of ferroptosis is a promising strategy for clinical management of PNI.