Objectives: . Endotype-based interventions have shown promise in the treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea, and upper airway surgery is a key therapeutic option. However, responses to surgery vary among patients with obstructive sleep apnea. This study aims to examine changes in endotypic traits following upper airway surgery and to explore their association with surgical outcomes. Methods: . We prospectively recruited 25 patients with obstructive sleep apnea who visited a single sleep center for upper airway surgery. These patients underwent polysomnographic studies both before and after surgical intervention. During non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement sleep, we estimated endotypic traits—including collapsibility (Vpassive), arousal threshold, loop gain, and upper airway compensation—with the phenotyping using polysomnography method. Based on improvements in the apnea-hypopnea index, patients were classified as either responders or non-responders. We compared the preoperative endotypic traits between these groups using Mann-Whitney tests. Additionally, we compared changes in endotypic traits pre- and post-surgery between responders and non-responders using generalized linear mixed models. Results: . We identified 12 responders and 13 non-responders. Compared to non-responders, responders exhibited improved collapsibility during rapid eye movement sleep (22.3 vs. −8.2%eupnea in Vpassive, P=0.01), and their arousal threshold decreased during non-rapid eye movement sleep (−22.4%eupnea, P=0.02). No endotypic trait predicted surgical response; however, the apnea-hypopnea index during rapid eye movement sleep was higher among responders than non-responders (51.8/hr vs. 34.4/hr, P=0.05). Conclusion . Upper airway surgery significantly reduced collapsibility during rapid eye movement sleep in responders. The target pathology for upper airway surgery is a compromised upper airway during rapid eye movement sleep.

Objectives: . Endotype-based interventions have shown promise in the treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea, and upper airway surgery is a key therapeutic option. However, responses to surgery vary among patients with obstructive sleep apnea. This study aims to examine changes in endotypic traits following upper airway surgery and to explore their association with surgical outcomes. Methods: . We prospectively recruited 25 patients with obstructive sleep apnea who visited a single sleep center for upper airway surgery. These patients underwent polysomnographic studies both before and after surgical intervention. During non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement sleep, we estimated endotypic traits—including collapsibility (Vpassive), arousal threshold, loop gain, and upper airway compensation—with the phenotyping using polysomnography method. Based on improvements in the apnea-hypopnea index, patients were classified as either responders or non-responders. We compared the preoperative endotypic traits between these groups using Mann-Whitney tests. Additionally, we compared changes in endotypic traits pre- and post-surgery between responders and non-responders using generalized linear mixed models. Results: . We identified 12 responders and 13 non-responders. Compared to non-responders, responders exhibited improved collapsibility during rapid eye movement sleep (22.3 vs. −8.2%eupnea in Vpassive, P=0.01), and their arousal threshold decreased during non-rapid eye movement sleep (−22.4%eupnea, P=0.02). No endotypic trait predicted surgical response; however, the apnea-hypopnea index during rapid eye movement sleep was higher among responders than non-responders (51.8/hr vs. 34.4/hr, P=0.05). Conclusion . Upper airway surgery significantly reduced collapsibility during rapid eye movement sleep in responders. The target pathology for upper airway surgery is a compromised upper airway during rapid eye movement sleep.

Objectives: . Endotype-based interventions have shown promise in the treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea, and upper airway surgery is a key therapeutic option. However, responses to surgery vary among patients with obstructive sleep apnea. This study aims to examine changes in endotypic traits following upper airway surgery and to explore their association with surgical outcomes. Methods: . We prospectively recruited 25 patients with obstructive sleep apnea who visited a single sleep center for upper airway surgery. These patients underwent polysomnographic studies both before and after surgical intervention. During non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement sleep, we estimated endotypic traits—including collapsibility (Vpassive), arousal threshold, loop gain, and upper airway compensation—with the phenotyping using polysomnography method. Based on improvements in the apnea-hypopnea index, patients were classified as either responders or non-responders. We compared the preoperative endotypic traits between these groups using Mann-Whitney tests. Additionally, we compared changes in endotypic traits pre- and post-surgery between responders and non-responders using generalized linear mixed models. Results: . We identified 12 responders and 13 non-responders. Compared to non-responders, responders exhibited improved collapsibility during rapid eye movement sleep (22.3 vs. −8.2%eupnea in Vpassive, P=0.01), and their arousal threshold decreased during non-rapid eye movement sleep (−22.4%eupnea, P=0.02). No endotypic trait predicted surgical response; however, the apnea-hypopnea index during rapid eye movement sleep was higher among responders than non-responders (51.8/hr vs. 34.4/hr, P=0.05). Conclusion . Upper airway surgery significantly reduced collapsibility during rapid eye movement sleep in responders. The target pathology for upper airway surgery is a compromised upper airway during rapid eye movement sleep.

Objective: To explore the mechanism of Buzhong Yiqi Decoction in modulating macrophage polarization and intervening in autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) mice. Methods: Using the random number table method, 48 SPF-grade NOD.H-2h4 mice were assigned to the normal, model, low-dose (4.10 g/kg), medium-dose (8.19 g/kg), high-dose group (16.38 g/kg) of Buzhong Yiqi Decoction, and selenium yeast tablet (0.026 mg/kg) groups, with eight mice in each group. All groups, except the normal group, were free to drink high iodine water (0.05% sodium iodide) to prepare AIT mouse models for 8 consecutive weeks. After the modeling was complete, each treatment group was orally administered with the corresponding medication, while the normal and model groups were orally administered with an equal volume of distilled water once a day for 8 consecutive weeks. High-performance liquid chromatography with an oscillometric refractive detector was used to analyze the content of Astragaloside Ⅳ in Buzhong Yiqi Decoction. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe the pathological morphology of mouse thyroid tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of serum thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab), thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). An immunofluorescence assay was used to detect the positive area percentage of M1 and M2 macrophages in mouse thyroid tissue. Flow cytometry assay was used to detect macrophage polarization in mouse spleen tissue. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing receptor 3 (NLRP3), nuclear factor kappa B inhibitory protein α (IκBα), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 in mouse spleen tissue. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of the phosphorylated IκBα (p-IκBα), phosphorylated NF-κB p65 (p-NF-κB p65), and NLRP3 protein in mouse spleen tissue. Results: The content of Astragaloside Ⅳ in Buzhong Yiqi Decoction was (7.09±0.06) g/L. Compared to the normal group, significant lymphocyte infiltration was observed in the thyroid tissue of mice in the model group. The levels of serum TPO-Ab, TgAb, IL-6, and TNF-α increased (P<0.05). The positive area percentage of M1 macrophages in thyroid tissue increased (P<0.05). The proportion of M1 macrophages and M1/M2 in spleen tissue increased (P<0.05). The relative expression levels of NF-κB p65 and NLRP3 mRNA in spleen tissue increased (P<0.05). The relative expression of p-IκBα, p-NF-κB p65, and NLRP3 proteins increased (P<0.05). Compared to the model group, the inflammation infiltration degree in the thyroid tissue of mice in each dose group of Buzhong Yiqi Decoction and selenium yeast tablet group was reduced, the serum TPO-Ab, TgAb, IL-6, TNF-α content was decreased, the spleen tissue M1/M2 was reduced, the expression of NF-κB p65 mRNA was reduced, and the relative expression levels of p-IκBα, p-NF-κB p65 protein were reduced (P<0.05). The Buzhong Yiqi Decoction high-dose and selenium yeast tablets groups showed an increase in IL-10 content, an increase in positive area percentage of M2 macrophages in thyroid tissue, an increase in M2 macrophages proportion in spleen tissue, and a decrease in NLRP3 mRNA and protein relative expression levels (P<0.05). Conclusion Buzhong Yiqi Decoction may regulate macrophage polarization by inhibiting the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway, thus improving the inflammatory damage in mice with AIT.

Objective:To compare the phylotypes of Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE) in skin lesions of acne vulgaris patients versus hair follicles of healthy people, and to analyze their roles in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris. Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2022 to August 2023. Patients with moderate acne vulgaris, as well as healthy volunteers, were enrolled from the Department of Dermatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University. SE strains were isolated from the pustules of acne vulgaris patients and hair follicles of healthy volunteers. Housekeeping genes were amplified by PCR. Sequencing and multilocus sequence typing were performed to compare the phylotypes and genetic relationships of strains from different sources.Results:The acne group consisted of 28 patients (10 males and 18 females) with the age being 22.6 ± 2.6 years, while the healthy group consisted of 19 volunteers (7 males and 12 females) with the age being 22.4 ± 0.96 years. There were no significant differences in age or gender ratio between the two groups (both P > 0.05). The positive rates of SE in the samples of the acne group and the healthy group were 60.71% (17/28) and 73.68% (14/19), respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups ( P = 0.53). The 144 SE strains from the healthy group could be divided into 10 sequence types (STs), and the most common ST was ST35 (8 cases), followed by ST73 (4 cases), ST193 (2 cases), ST59 (2 cases) and ST540 (2 cases) ; 190 SE strains from the acne group could be divided into 16 STs, and the most common STs were ST59 (6 cases) and ST73 (6 cases), followed by ST802 (3 cases), ST130 (3 cases) and ST35 (2 cases). The positive rate of ST35 was significantly lower in the acne group than in the healthy group ( P = 0.018), while there were no significant differences in the positive rates of other STs between the two groups (all P > 0.05). The evolutionary tree analysis showed that the SE strains were mainly distributed in 3 branches. Most of the SE strains from the healthy group belonged to clade A. The proportion of SE strains in clade A ( M[ Q]) was significantly lower in the acne group (25% [85%]) than in the healthy group (100% [33.33%], P = 0.025), while the proportion of SE strains in clade B was significantly higher in the acne group (14.29% [89.17%]) than in the healthy group (0[0], U = 62, P = 0.010), and there was no significant difference in the proportion of SE strains in clade D between the acne group (0 [57.14%]) and healthy group (0[4.17%], P = 0.420) . Conclusion:The phylotypes of SE strains differed between acne vulgaris patients and healthy controls, possibly associated with the occurrence and development of acne vulgaris.

Objective:To introduce the application of highly selective arterial indocyanine green angiography (hereinafter referred to as highly selective arterial angiography) in the design of anterolateral thigh free flap.Methods:This study was a retrospective observational study. From November 2023 to April 2024, 29 patients with wounds in extremities which were repaired by anterolateral thigh free flaps designed under the assistance of highly selective arterial angiography and met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Department of Hand Surgery and Department of Wound Repair Surgery of Suzhou Ruihua Orthopedic Hospital, including 26 males and 3 females, aged 16 to 71 years. The wound area after debridement ranged from 8.0 cm×4.5 cm to 27.0 cm×16.0 cm. During the surgery, highly selective arterial angiography was used to assist in flap design. The fluorescence development range of the source arteries or perforators of flaps was observed. The blood supply range of the source arteries or perforators of flaps was determined based on the fluorescence development of the skin, and the excision position of the flap was adjusted. The flap incision area ranged from 9.0 cm×6.0 cm to 29.0 cm×16.0 cm. During the surgery, the number of highly selective arterial angiography, the type of source artery of perforators for puncture, and changes in the excision position of flaps were observed and recorded. After surgery, the blood supply and survival of flaps, the healing of wounds and the survival of skin grafts in the flap donor sites, and the angiography-related complications were observed.Results:All the 32 flaps of 29 patients were successfully excised. The highly selective arterial angiography was performed 37 times, including 13 cases of puncture of the oblique branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery, 6 cases of puncture of the descending branch, 8 cases of double puncture of the oblique and descending branches, and 2 cases of puncture of arteries from other branches. During the surgery, the excision position of 28 flaps did not change, the excision position of 3 flaps moved towards proximal extremity of the thigh, and the excision position of 1 flap moved towards distal extremity of the thigh. All the flaps survived successfully after the surgery, and there was no partial necrosis of the flaps at the proximal or distal ends. The wounds in the flap donor sites healed, and all skin grafts survived. No angiography-related complications occurred.Conclusions:Highly selective arterial angiography can be used to determine the blood supply range of the source artery and perforators of the anterolateral thigh free flaps during the surgery. It can evaluate the blood supply of flaps more intuitively and objectively. Its application in assisting flap design can avoid partial flap necrosis caused by unreasonable preoperative design to a certain extent, and it is safe and reliable.

Objective To investigate the effect of Shenqi Dihuang decoction combined with recombinant erythropoietin and L-carnitine on renal function in patients with end-stage renal disease and the regulation of Janus activated kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcriptions(JAK/STAT)pathway.Methods A total of 144 patients with end-stage renal disease who were treated in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xingtai Medical College from October 2019 to October 2021 were selected as the study objects.Patients were divided into Shenqi Dihuang decoction treatment group and conventional treatment group according to random number table method,72 cases in each group.Maintenance hemodialysis was performed in both groups.The conventional treatment group received recombinant erythropoietin and L-carnitine,while the Shenqi Dihuang decoction treatment group had Shenqi Dihuang decoction(prescription composition:30 g each of raw Astragalus,Parasitic loranthus,Eclipta,Polyporus,Poria bark,Raw coix seed,Salvia miltiorrhiza,and Pyrrosia,15 g each of Codonopsis pilosula,Dogwood,Herba lycopi,and Common yam rhizome,10 g each of raw Rehmannia glutinosa,Litchi core,Silkworm sand and Curcuma zedoary,6 g Cassia seed),once a day for 3 months.The clinical efficacy,renal function,microinflammatory status and serum JAK/STAT pathway related protein levels were observed after treatment in two groups of patients with different treatment modalities,and the occurrence of adverse reactions was recorded.Results The total effective rate of Shenqi Dihuang decoction was higher than that of conventional treatment group[90.28%(64/72)vs.77.78%(55/72),P<0.05].After treatment,the residual renal function(RRF),24-hour urine protein,blood urea nitrogen(BUN),blood creatinine(SCr)and inflammatory factors[hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP),interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)]were lower than before treatment,the post-treatment RRF of the Shenqi Dihuang decoction treatment group was higher than that of the conventional treatment group(mL/min:4.82±1.18 vs.3.96±1.05),while 24 hours urine protein(mg:62.26±12.16 vs.97.71±16.28),BUN(mmol/L:16.25±3.64 vs.20.65±4.13),SCr(μmol/L:242.25±25.62 vs.280.62±26.63),hs-CRP(mg/L:5.86±1.15 vs.7.78±1.32),IL-6(ng/L:3.26±0.64 vs.4.62±1.13)and TNF-α(μg/L:29.23±5.64 vs.32.66±6.13)were significantly lower than those in the conventional treatment group(all P<0.05).After treatment,JAK and STAT in Shenqi Dihuang decoction group were increased compared with before treatment,phosphorylated JAK(p-JAK)and phosphorylated STAT(p-STAT)were decreased compared with before treatment(both P<0.05),while the serum JAK/STAT pathway related protein levels in conventional treatment group were not significantly changed(all P>0.05).Therefore,JAK and STAT in the Shenqi Dihuang decoction treatment group after treatment were significantly higher than those in the conventional treatment group[JAK(μg/L):1.46±0.28 vs.1.26±0.26,STAT(μg/L):1.37±0.25 vs.0.99±0.24,both P<0.05],p-JAK and p-STAT were significantly lower than those in the conventional treatment group[p-JAK(μg/L):0.45±0.08 vs.0.65±0.13,p-STAT(μg/L):0.66±0.13 vs.0.82±0.28,both P<0.05].There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups[13.88%(10/72)vs.9.72%(7/72),P>0.05].Conclusion Taking Shenqi Dihuang decoction based on recombinant erythropoietin and L-carnitine treatment can effectively inhibit the JAK/STAT signaling pathway,and improve renal function and micro-inflammatory status in patients with end-stage renal disease,thereby improving the therapeutic effect.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and adverse reactions of whole-lung low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT) in patients with severe/critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods:Eight patients with severe/critical COVID-19 treated in the Jiangyin Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University from January to June 2023 who were treated with whole-lung LDRT after deteriorating or failing to improve post-medical treatment were enrolled in this single-arm phase I clinical trial. They received anterior-posterior penetrating radiation in a supine or prone position, with a total dose range from 0.5 to 1.5 Gy and a dose weight ratio of 1∶1. The oxygenation status, inflammatory markers, and imaging changes before and after radiotherapy were analyzed, and patients were followed up for acute radiation-induced adverse reactions.Results:One week after LDRT, the SaO 2/FiO 2 or PaO 2/FiO 2 indices increased in seven patients (87.5%), inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) decreased in seven patients (87.5%), and chest CT/chest radiographs revealed a significant reduction in the extent of pneumonia involvement in 5 patients (62.5%). No evident acute radiation-related adverse reactions were observed. Conclusions:Whole-lung LDRT with a dose range from 0.5 to 1.5 Gy can reduce inflammatory markers, improve clinical symptoms, and promote inflammatory absorption in patients with severe/critical COVID-19 who responded poorly to medical treatment while not inducing acute adverse reactions.

Objective To analyze the metabolomics characteristics of chronic atrophic gastritis(CAG)patients with liver-stomach qi stagnation and spleen-stomach weakness syndromes based on non-targeted metabolomics technology,and to identify the serum differentiated metabolites related to traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome of CAG patients,so as to provide a reference for the objectification of syndrome differentiation.Methods Sixty patients with CAG were included,including 30 cases of liver-stomach qi stagnation syndrome and 30 cases of spleen-stomach weakness syndrome.Fasting blood of 5 mL was collected from the cubital vein of patients in the two groups,and the serum levels of metabolites were detected by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS)methods.The principal component analysis(PCA),orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA),and cluster analysis were used to screen the differentiated metabolites of CAG patients with liver-stomach qi stagnation syndrome and spleen-stomach weakness syndrome.Finally,metabolite pathway analysis was performed for the obtained differentiated metabolites using the KEGG database.Results The results for the screening of differentiated metabolites showed that significant differences of amino acid derivatives and small peptide metabolites were presented between CAG patients with liver-stomach qi stagnation syndrome and CAG patients with spleen-stomach weakness syndrome.The amino acid derivatives consisted of N-acetylglycine,histamine,O-phosphoserine,selenomethylselenocysteine,and methyl-tyrosine.And the small peptide metabolites consisted of tyrosine-leucine-phenylalanine,histidine-alanine-glutamate-lysine,L-asparagine-L-proline-L-serine,and L-isoleucine-L-isoleucine.Conclusion Differences in amino acid metabolism exist between CAG patients with liver-stomach qi stagnation syndrome and those with spleen-stomach weakness syndrome,and metabolites such as N-acetylglycine,intermethyltyrosine,and O-phosphoserine may be the potential biomarkers for distinguishing liver-stomach qi stagnation syndrome from spleen-stomach weakness syndrome in CAG patients.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C),ratio of triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C), and triglyceride glucose index (TyG) on metabolic syndrome (MS) in adult women.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 24 410 adult women who received health examination in health management center of the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University were selected from January 2019 to December 2021 as subjects. The subjects′ basic information, physical examination results, and laboratory examination data were collected retrospectively. The relationship between non-HDL-C, TG/HDL-C, TyG, and MS in adult women were examined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed and the area under the curve (AUC) were calculated to evaluate the diagnostic value of each indicator for MS in adult women.Results:Among 24 410 adult females, 800 (3.3%) were found to have MS. After adjusting for age, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, blood uric acid, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, fatty liver, non HDL-C ( OR=1.608), TG/HDL-C ( OR=1.311), TyG ( OR=13.288) were all risk factors for MS in adult women. non-HDL-C, TG/HDL-C, and TyG, as well as their combined AUC of ROC, were 0.795 (95% CI: 0.742-0.776), 0.909 (95% CI: 0.902-0.917), 0.942 (95% CI: 0.937-0.948), and 0.944 (95% CI: 0.937-0.950), respectively. TyG had the highest diagnostic value for MS in adult women among the three indicators, the optimal cutoff value for TyG was 8.237, with a sensitivity of 93.5% and a specificity of 85.5%. Conclusion:non-HDL-C, TG/HDL-C, TyG, as well as their combination, all demonstrate good diagnostic value for MS in adult women.