ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism by which Feixin decoction treats hypoxic pulmonary hypertension （HPH） by regulating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma （PPARγ）/nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB）/NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 （NLRP3） signaling pathway. MethodsForty-eight male SD rats were randomly allocated into normal， hypoxia， and low-， medium- and high-dose （5.85， 11.7， 23.4 g·kg^-1， respectively） Feixin decoction groups， with 8 rats in each group. Except the normal group， the remaining five groups were placed in a hypoxia chamber with an oxygen concentration of （10.0±0.5）% for 8 h per day， 28 days， and administrated with corresponding drugs during the modeling process. After 4 weeks of treatment， echocardiographic parameters ［pulmonary artery acceleration time （PAT）， pulmonary artery ejection time （PET）， right ventricular anterior wall thickness （RVAWd）， and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion （TAPSE）］ were measured for each group. The right ventricular systolic pressure （RVSP） was measured by the right heart catheterization method， and the right ventricular hypertrophy index （RVHI） was calculated by weighing the heart. The pathological changes in pulmonary arterioles were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The co-localization of α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） with NLRP3， N-terminal gasdermin D （N-GSDMD）， and cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-1 （Caspase-1） in pulmonary arteries was detected by immunofluorescence. The protein levels of PPARγ， NF-κB， NLRP3， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD （ASC）， N-GSDMD， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-18（IL-18）， and cleaved Caspase-1 in the lung tissue was determined by Western blot. The ultrastructural changes in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells （PASMCs） were observed by transmission electron microscopy. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the hypoxia group showed increased RVSP and RVHI （P<0.01）， decreased right heart function （P<0.01）， increased pulmonary vascular remodeling （P<0.01）， increased co-localization of α-SMA with NLRP3， N-GSDMD， and Caspase-1 in pulmonary arterioles （P<0.01）， up-regulated protein levels of NF-κB， NLRP3， ASC， N-GSDMD， IL-1β， IL-18， and cleaved Caspase-1 in the lung tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）， a down-regulated protein level of PPARγ （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and pyroptosis in PASMCs. Compared with the hypoxia group， Feixin decoction reduced RVSP and RVHI， improved the right heart function and ameliorated pulmonary vascular remodeling （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased the co-localization of α-SMA with NLRP3， N-GSDMD， and Caspase-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， down-regulated the protein levels of NF-κB， NLRP3， ASC， N-GSDMD， IL-1β， IL-18， and cleaved Caspase-1 in the lung tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）， up-regulated the protein level of PPARγ （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and alleviated pyroptosis in PASMCs. ConclusionFeixin decoction can ameliorate pulmonary vascular remodeling and right heart dysfunction in chronically induced HPH rats by regulating pyroptosis in PASMCs through the PPARγ/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway.

AIM:This study aims to investigate the effects of Feixin decoction(FXD)on pyroptosis of pulmo-nary artery smooth muscle cells(PASMCs)by modulating nuclear factor κB(NF-κB)/nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)pathway,and to explore how FXD attenuates hypoxic pulmonary hypertension(HPH)in mice.METHODS:A mouse model of HPH was established using the Sugen 5416 combined hypoxia(SuHx)method.Sixty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 6 groups:control group,SuHx group,sildenafil group,and low-,medium-and high-dose FXD groups,with 10 mice in each group.Five weeks after treatment,echocardiographic pa-rameters,including pulmonary artery acceleration time(PAT),pulmonary artery ejection time(PET),right ventricular anterior wall thickness at diastole(RVAWd)and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion(TAPSE),were measured.Right ventricular systolic pressure(RVSP)was assessed via right heart catheterization.Right ventricular hypertrophy in-dex(RVHI)was determined by weighing the hearts.Histological examination using HE staining was conducted to observe pathological changes in small pulmonary arteries and the right ventricle,while Masson staining was used to assess fibrosis in the right ventricular wall.Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect co-localized expression of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)with NLRP3,N-terminal fragment of gasdermin D(N-GSDMD)and caspase-1 in the pulmonary arteries.Western blot analysis was conducted to measure the protein levels of NF-κB,p-NF-κB,NLRP3,apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain(ASC),N-GSDMD,interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-18 and cleaved caspase-1 in lung tissues.Transmission electron microscopy was employed to observe the ultrastructure of PASMCs.RE-SULTS:Compared with control group,the mice in SuHx group exhibited elevated RVSP and RVHI(P＜0.01),de-creased right heart function(P＜0.01),increased right ventricular wall fibrosis,and pulmonary vascular remodeling(P＜0.01).There was also increased co-localized expression of α-SMA with NLRP3,N-GSDMD and caspase-1 in small pul-monary arteries(P＜0.01),as well as elevated levels of p-NF-κB,NLRP3,ASC,N-GSDMD,IL-1β,IL-18 and cleaved caspase-1 in lung tissues(P＜0.01),indicating induced pyroptosis of PASMCs.Compared with SuHx group,FXD treat-ment significantly reduced RVSP and RVHI,improved right ventricular function,and attenuated right ventricular wall fi-brosis and pulmonary vascular remodeling(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Treatment with FXD also decreased the co-localized ex-pression of α-SMA with NLRP3,N-GSDMD and caspase-1 in small pulmonary arteries(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),and down-regulated the protein expression of p-NF-κB,NLRP3,ASC,N-GSDMD,IL-1β,IL-18 and cleaved caspase-1 in lung tis-sues(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),thereby attenuating the pyroptosis of PASMCs.CONCLUSION:FXD attenuates pulmonary vascular remodeling and right ventricular dysfunction in a mouse model of HPH.This effect may be attributed to its inhibi-tion of NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway,which subsequently reduces the pyroptosis of PASMCs.

Objectives:To summarize the characteristics of Fabry′s disease with cardiac involvement.Methods:This was a single-center, cross-sectional, retrospective study. Patients with Fabry disease who were admitted to Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University from January 2022 to March 2023 were included. Clinical data, laboratory results, electrocardiogram, echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance findings of enrolled patients were collected. Clinical presentations and imaging features of patients with Fabry′s disease with cardiac involvement were summarized and analyzed.Results:A total of 17 patients from 8 families were included, with 9 males and diagnosis age of (44.35±13.72) years. Cardiac involvement and other organ involvement were presented in all patients and the heart was the most vulnerable organ (17/17). 24 h electrocardiogram showed frequent sinus arrhythmia in 3 patients. Echocardiography showed reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in 1 patient, myocardial hypertrophy in 13 patients, and left ventricular wall thickness ≥13 mm in 10 patients. Mitral regurgitation was observed in 11 patients and tricuspid regurgitation in 12 patients. Two patients underwent two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography, both revealing reduced regional longitudinal strain of the left ventricle, primarily in the basal segments. Cardiac magnetic resonance showed reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in 2 patients, myocardial hypertrophy in 16 patients, and left ventricular wall thickness≥13 mm in 14 patients. T1 value was reduced in 16 patients, with late gadolinium enhancement observed in 9 patients and “pseudo-normalization” of T1 values in 1 patient. The most susceptible target organ besides the heart was the kidneys (14/17), followed by the central nervous system (9/17). Additional findings inclucling cutaneous angiokeratoma in 4 patients, peripheral neuropathy with burning pain and hypohidrosis or hyperhidrosis in 6 patients, and corneal vortex opacities in 2 patients.Conclusion:The main manifestations of cardiac involvement in Fabry′s disease are decreased cardiac function, left ventricular hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis. Advanced imaging techniques such as two-dimensional speckle tracking, T1 Mapping, and late gadolinium enhancement are useful in detecting myocardial pathological changes of Fabry′s disease.

Objective:To summarize the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of a family with hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN) caused by the SPTLC1 gene variation and to review the literature. Methods:Case summary.The clinical manifestations, neuroelectrophysiology, genetic examination, treatment and follow-up of a family with autosomal dominant HSAN diagnosed at the Department of Neurology, Beijing Children′s Hospital in March 2024 were summarized.At the same time, related English and Chinese literatures were searched from CNKI, Wanfang and PubMed databases from their establishment to July 2024, with " serine palmitoyltransferase long-chain base subunits 1", " hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy", " SPTLC1" and " HSAN1" taken as key words.Results:The proband was a 11-year-and-2-month-old boy, who developed limited bending at the age of 7.The patient had ankle pain and knee bending during walking, and limited movement.He could neither jump on one foot nor bend down to pick up things from the ground, but there was no obvious sensory and autonomic nervous function abnormalities.His parents had no abnormal clinical manifestations.Neuroelectrophysiology showed peripheral nerve damage, and family whole exon sequencing revealed a maternal heterozygous missense variation of the SPTLC1 gene c.1015G>A, p.A339T(maternal origin, reported).Further maternal neuroelectrophysiology examination and sphingomyelin analysis confirmed the diagnosis of HSAN1A.The proband wore orthopedic insoles, and the proband and his mother took L-serine orally for 8 months.During the follow up, the proband reported slight improvement in muscle strength, and no adverse reactions were found.Two Chinese and thirteen English case reports on autosomal dominant HSAN caused by the SPTLC1 gene variation were retrieved.Twenty cases had complete clinical data.Therefore, a total of 22 cases, including the above-mentioned two patients, were analyzed.Except for patients whose age at diagnosis is unknown and who are deceased, the age at diagnosis ranged from 7 to 93 years.The 66.7%(14/21) cases were childhood-onset.The first clinical symptoms were mainly gait abnormalities, easy falls, sensory disorders and ulcers.Foot deformity, and autonomic neuropathy were detected in 53.3% (8/15), and 31.6% (6/19) cases, respectively, 15.8% (3/19) of the cases had amputation.Only 1 case was treated with L-serine, who showed partial relief of clinical symptoms, but electromyography was not significantly improved.Fifteen cases received neuroelectrophysiological testing, and 78.6%(11/14) of the patients showed sensory and motor neurogenic injuries.All the gene variations reported previously were missense mutations, and the high frequency variation was p. C133T/W. Conclusions:This study is helpful to improve the understanding of the clinical characteristics of HSAN1A caused by the SPTLC1 gene.Oral L-serine supplementation may benefit patients and gene detection promotes diagnosis confirmation and early treatment.

AIM:This study aims to investigate the effects of Feixin decoction(FXD)on pyroptosis of pulmo-nary artery smooth muscle cells(PASMCs)by modulating nuclear factor κB(NF-κB)/nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)pathway,and to explore how FXD attenuates hypoxic pulmonary hypertension(HPH)in mice.METHODS:A mouse model of HPH was established using the Sugen 5416 combined hypoxia(SuHx)method.Sixty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 6 groups:control group,SuHx group,sildenafil group,and low-,medium-and high-dose FXD groups,with 10 mice in each group.Five weeks after treatment,echocardiographic pa-rameters,including pulmonary artery acceleration time(PAT),pulmonary artery ejection time(PET),right ventricular anterior wall thickness at diastole(RVAWd)and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion(TAPSE),were measured.Right ventricular systolic pressure(RVSP)was assessed via right heart catheterization.Right ventricular hypertrophy in-dex(RVHI)was determined by weighing the hearts.Histological examination using HE staining was conducted to observe pathological changes in small pulmonary arteries and the right ventricle,while Masson staining was used to assess fibrosis in the right ventricular wall.Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect co-localized expression of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)with NLRP3,N-terminal fragment of gasdermin D(N-GSDMD)and caspase-1 in the pulmonary arteries.Western blot analysis was conducted to measure the protein levels of NF-κB,p-NF-κB,NLRP3,apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain(ASC),N-GSDMD,interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-18 and cleaved caspase-1 in lung tissues.Transmission electron microscopy was employed to observe the ultrastructure of PASMCs.RE-SULTS:Compared with control group,the mice in SuHx group exhibited elevated RVSP and RVHI(P＜0.01),de-creased right heart function(P＜0.01),increased right ventricular wall fibrosis,and pulmonary vascular remodeling(P＜0.01).There was also increased co-localized expression of α-SMA with NLRP3,N-GSDMD and caspase-1 in small pul-monary arteries(P＜0.01),as well as elevated levels of p-NF-κB,NLRP3,ASC,N-GSDMD,IL-1β,IL-18 and cleaved caspase-1 in lung tissues(P＜0.01),indicating induced pyroptosis of PASMCs.Compared with SuHx group,FXD treat-ment significantly reduced RVSP and RVHI,improved right ventricular function,and attenuated right ventricular wall fi-brosis and pulmonary vascular remodeling(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Treatment with FXD also decreased the co-localized ex-pression of α-SMA with NLRP3,N-GSDMD and caspase-1 in small pulmonary arteries(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),and down-regulated the protein expression of p-NF-κB,NLRP3,ASC,N-GSDMD,IL-1β,IL-18 and cleaved caspase-1 in lung tis-sues(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),thereby attenuating the pyroptosis of PASMCs.CONCLUSION:FXD attenuates pulmonary vascular remodeling and right ventricular dysfunction in a mouse model of HPH.This effect may be attributed to its inhibi-tion of NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway,which subsequently reduces the pyroptosis of PASMCs.

Objective:To summarize the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of a family with hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN) caused by the SPTLC1 gene variation and to review the literature. Methods:Case summary.The clinical manifestations, neuroelectrophysiology, genetic examination, treatment and follow-up of a family with autosomal dominant HSAN diagnosed at the Department of Neurology, Beijing Children′s Hospital in March 2024 were summarized.At the same time, related English and Chinese literatures were searched from CNKI, Wanfang and PubMed databases from their establishment to July 2024, with " serine palmitoyltransferase long-chain base subunits 1", " hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy", " SPTLC1" and " HSAN1" taken as key words.Results:The proband was a 11-year-and-2-month-old boy, who developed limited bending at the age of 7.The patient had ankle pain and knee bending during walking, and limited movement.He could neither jump on one foot nor bend down to pick up things from the ground, but there was no obvious sensory and autonomic nervous function abnormalities.His parents had no abnormal clinical manifestations.Neuroelectrophysiology showed peripheral nerve damage, and family whole exon sequencing revealed a maternal heterozygous missense variation of the SPTLC1 gene c.1015G>A, p.A339T(maternal origin, reported).Further maternal neuroelectrophysiology examination and sphingomyelin analysis confirmed the diagnosis of HSAN1A.The proband wore orthopedic insoles, and the proband and his mother took L-serine orally for 8 months.During the follow up, the proband reported slight improvement in muscle strength, and no adverse reactions were found.Two Chinese and thirteen English case reports on autosomal dominant HSAN caused by the SPTLC1 gene variation were retrieved.Twenty cases had complete clinical data.Therefore, a total of 22 cases, including the above-mentioned two patients, were analyzed.Except for patients whose age at diagnosis is unknown and who are deceased, the age at diagnosis ranged from 7 to 93 years.The 66.7%(14/21) cases were childhood-onset.The first clinical symptoms were mainly gait abnormalities, easy falls, sensory disorders and ulcers.Foot deformity, and autonomic neuropathy were detected in 53.3% (8/15), and 31.6% (6/19) cases, respectively, 15.8% (3/19) of the cases had amputation.Only 1 case was treated with L-serine, who showed partial relief of clinical symptoms, but electromyography was not significantly improved.Fifteen cases received neuroelectrophysiological testing, and 78.6%(11/14) of the patients showed sensory and motor neurogenic injuries.All the gene variations reported previously were missense mutations, and the high frequency variation was p. C133T/W. Conclusions:This study is helpful to improve the understanding of the clinical characteristics of HSAN1A caused by the SPTLC1 gene.Oral L-serine supplementation may benefit patients and gene detection promotes diagnosis confirmation and early treatment.

Objectives:To summarize the characteristics of Fabry′s disease with cardiac involvement.Methods:This was a single-center, cross-sectional, retrospective study. Patients with Fabry disease who were admitted to Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University from January 2022 to March 2023 were included. Clinical data, laboratory results, electrocardiogram, echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance findings of enrolled patients were collected. Clinical presentations and imaging features of patients with Fabry′s disease with cardiac involvement were summarized and analyzed.Results:A total of 17 patients from 8 families were included, with 9 males and diagnosis age of (44.35±13.72) years. Cardiac involvement and other organ involvement were presented in all patients and the heart was the most vulnerable organ (17/17). 24 h electrocardiogram showed frequent sinus arrhythmia in 3 patients. Echocardiography showed reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in 1 patient, myocardial hypertrophy in 13 patients, and left ventricular wall thickness ≥13 mm in 10 patients. Mitral regurgitation was observed in 11 patients and tricuspid regurgitation in 12 patients. Two patients underwent two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography, both revealing reduced regional longitudinal strain of the left ventricle, primarily in the basal segments. Cardiac magnetic resonance showed reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in 2 patients, myocardial hypertrophy in 16 patients, and left ventricular wall thickness≥13 mm in 14 patients. T1 value was reduced in 16 patients, with late gadolinium enhancement observed in 9 patients and “pseudo-normalization” of T1 values in 1 patient. The most susceptible target organ besides the heart was the kidneys (14/17), followed by the central nervous system (9/17). Additional findings inclucling cutaneous angiokeratoma in 4 patients, peripheral neuropathy with burning pain and hypohidrosis or hyperhidrosis in 6 patients, and corneal vortex opacities in 2 patients.Conclusion:The main manifestations of cardiac involvement in Fabry′s disease are decreased cardiac function, left ventricular hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis. Advanced imaging techniques such as two-dimensional speckle tracking, T1 Mapping, and late gadolinium enhancement are useful in detecting myocardial pathological changes of Fabry′s disease.

ObjectiveTo screen optimized protocol of acupuncture for post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence （PPUI） patients， and to provide evidence for clinical practice. MethodsMEDLINE， Embase， Cochrane Library， Web of Science， Chinese Biomedical Literature Database， China National Knowledge Infrastructure， WanFang and VIP databases were searched to collect randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for PPUI. The search was conducted from the establishment of the database to February 1， 2024， and the quality of the literature was evaluated to exclude the studies with a high risk of overall bias or modified Jadad ＜3， and constructed acupuncture protocol and performed meta-analysis. We used International Consultation on Urinary Incontinence Short Form （ICI-Q-SF） scores， quality of life scores， overall effective rate， and modified Jadad scores as beneficial indicators， and the number of acupoints selected， stimulation duration， the number of acupuncture， and the duration of the treatment course as costly indicators， to derive the standardized protocol matrix， and used the entropy method to determine the weights of the different decision-making indicators， and finally combined with the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution （TOPSIS） for comprehensive evaluation. ResultsNine studies met the criteria， and the acupuncture treatments involved were constructed as six protocols including electrical acupoint stimulation with low-frequency， electroacupuncture at four acupoints of sacral region， replenishing qi and tonifying kidney acupuncture， body acupuncture plus pelvic floor muscle training， auricular acupuncture， and electroacupuncture plus pelvic floor muscle training. The ICI-Q-SF， number of acupuncture sessions， and total effectiveness rate were given higher weights in the decision-making indexes， while the stimulation duration and the duration of treatment course were given lower weights； the entropy method of TOPSIS was used for the evaluation and proved that the best protocol was the electroacupuncture at four acupoints of sacral region which used continuous-wave electroacupuncture with a frequency of 2 Hz for 60 min each time， and required the needle sensation to radiate to the root of the penis， with the advantages of streamlined selection of acupoints， a significant reduction in ICI-Q-SF， and an increase in the effectiveness rate. ConclusionThe final optimized protocol was electroacupuncture at four acupoints of sacral region， which can provide an evidence-based basis for clinical decision-making and guideline development.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of Feixin Decoction(Astragali Radix,Pericae Semen,Carthami Flos,Descurainiae Semen Lepidii Semen,Paeoniae Radix Rubra,etc.)on monocrotaline-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)rats based on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ/nuclear factor-κB(PPAR-γ/NF-κB)signaling pathway.Methods Forty-eight male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,Sildenafil group(0.025 g·kg-1)and low-,medium-and high-dose of Feixin Decoction groups(11.7,23.4,46.8 g·kg-1).PAH rat model was established by single intraperitoneal injection of monocrotaline solution(60 mg·kg-1).After 1 hour of modeling,the rats were given intragastric administration once a day for 28 days.Hemodynamic and echocardiographic parameters including right ventricular systolic pressure(RVSP),mean pulmonary artery pressure(mPAP),right ventricular hypertrophy index(RVHI),pulmonary artery acceleration time(PAAT),pulmonary artery ejection time(PET),tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion(TAPSE),right ventricular internal diameter(RVIDd)and right ventricular anterior wall thickness(RVAWT)were measured in each group.The pathological changes of pulmonary arterioles were observed by HE staining.The expression level of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)in rat pulmonary artery was detected by immunofluorescence.The levels of plasma interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)were detected by ELISA.The expression levels of PPAR-γ/NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western Blot.Results Compared with the normal group,the RVSP,mPAP,RVHI,RVIDd and RVAWT of the model group were significantly increased(P＜0.01).PAAT,PAAT/PET and TAPSE were significantly decreased(P＜0.01).The wall of pulmonary arterioles was significantly thickened,and the percentage of wall thickness of pulmonary arterioles to vascular diameter and the percentage of vascular wall area to total cross-sectional area of pulmonary arterioles were significantly increased(P＜0.01).The positive expression rate of α-SMA protein in pulmonary artery was significantly increased(P＜0.01).The levels of plasma IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly increased(P＜0.01).The positive expression rate of PPAR-γ protein in lung tissue was significantly decreased(P＜0.01),and the positive expression rate of NF-κB protein was significantly increased(P＜0.01).The protein expressions of PPAR-γ and IκB-α in lung tissue were significantly down-regulated(P＜0.01).The protein expression ratio of p-NF-κB/NF-κB was significantly increased(P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,RVSP,mPAP,RVHI,RVIDd and RVAWT in each administration group were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),while PAAT,PAAT/PET and TAPSE were significantly increased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The thickness of the vascular wall was significantly reduced,and the percentage of the wall thickness of the pulmonary arterioles to the diameter of the blood vessels and the percentage of the vascular wall area to the total cross-sectional area of the small arteries were significantly reduced(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The positive expression rate of α-SMA protein in pulmonary artery was significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The plasma levels of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The positive expression rate of PPAR-γ protein in lung tissue was significantly increased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and the positive expression rate of NF-κB protein was significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The protein expression of PPAR-γ in lung tissue was significantly up-regulated(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and the protein expression ratio of p-NF-κB/NF-κB was significantly decreased(P＜0.01).The protein expression of IκB-α in the lung tissue of rats in the high-dose group of Feixin Decoction was significantly up-regulated(P＜0.01).Conclusion Feixin Decoction can improve pulmonary artery pressure,right ventricular dysfunction and pulmonary vascular remodeling in PAH rats induced by monocrotaline.The mechanism may be related to the regulation of PPAR-γ/NF-κB signaling pathway to inhibit inflammatory response.

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of seven patients (four men and three women) with primary hyperoxaluria (PH) type 1 (PH1) in the Department of Nephrology of Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University from January 2018 to October 2023. The mean age at disease onset was 32.1 (range: 26-42) years. The mean age at diagnosis was 40.6 (range: 28-51) years. All patients initially had kidney stones, and three patients were found to have renal insufficiency at the time of disease onset. Among them, two patients underwent hemodialysis immediately. Symptoms at the first visit included bone pain ( n=7), joint pain or deformity ( n=5), fatigue ( n=5), hypotension ( n=3), and subcutaneous nodules ( n=2). Four patients had a family history of PH. All patients had varying degrees of anemia (60-114 g/L), significant hypoalbuminemia (16.5-32.1 g/L), and hypercoagulable state (D-dimer: 2 230-12 781 μg/L). Seven patients received maintenance hemodialysis; their mean age was 37.7 (range: 26-50) years. The mean duration from disease onset to hemodialysis was 5.6 (range: 0-20) years. Five patients repeatedly experienced dialysis access dysfunction. Three patients underwent kidney transplantation before a diagnosis was made, and all transplanted kidneys lost function due to oxalate deposition. The mean follow-up duration was 14.43 (range: 4-38) months. Unfortunately, one patient died. All seven patients underwent computed tomography of the abdomen. All patients suffered skeletal abnormalities, bilateral nephrolithiasis, and nephrocalcinosis. Six patients carried AGXT gene mutations, including four compound heterozygous mutations and two pure homozygous mutations.The mutation sites included: c.823-824dup.AG (p.S275Rfs*38)(exon 8), c.815-816ins.GA (p.S275Rfs*38)(exon 8), c.595G>A (p.G199S) (exon 5), c.32C>G (p.P11R) (exon 1), and c.638C>T (p.A213V)(exon 6). According to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines, two loci were identified as likely pathogenic variants, seven were identified as pathogenic variants, and one locus was identified as having uncertain significance. In addition, patients 1 and 4 underwent skin biopsy, patient 2 underwent renal transplant biopsy, and patient 3 underwent bone marrow biopsy. Interestingly, significant oxalate deposition was found in the tissues. Therefore, PH1 is a rare autosomal recessive inherited disease. This study not only enhanced the understanding of the clinical characteristics of PH1 patients but also had great significance in early diagnosis and treatment of the disease.