ObjectiveTo investigate the possible mechanism by which Zhiqiao Gancao Decoction （枳壳甘草汤， ZGD） delays intervertebral disc degeneration （IDD） based on the Hippo-yes-associated protein （YAP）/transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif （TAZ） signaling pathway. MethodsA total of 50 SD rats were randomly divided into sham surgery group， model group， low-dose ZGD group， high-dose ZGD group， and high-dose ZGD + inhibitor group， with 10 rats in each group. In the sham surgery group， the rats were pierced in the skin and muscle at the Co6/7/8 segments of the tail with a 21G needle （depth approximately 2 mm） without damaging the intervertebral disc. In the other groups， rats were injected with a 21G needle at the Co6/7/8 segments of the tail to establish an IDD model by piercing the tail intervertebral disc 5 mm. One week after modeling， rats in the low-dose and high-dose ZGD groups were given 6.24 and 12.24 g/（kg·d） of the decoction via gastric gavage， respectively. The high-dose ZGD + inhibitor group was given 12.24 g/（kg·d） of the decoction and an intraperitoneal injection of YAP/TAZ inhibitor Verteporfin 10 mg/kg. The sham surgery and model groups were given 5 ml/（kg·d） of normal saline via gavage. The gavage was given once a day， and the intraperitoneal injection was given every other day. After 4 weeks of continuous intervention， the pathological changes of the tail intervertebral discs were observed using HE staining， Oil Red O-Green staining， and Toluidine Blue staining. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of aggrecan and MMP3 in the nucleus pulposus. TUNEL fluorescence staining was performed to detect apoptosis in the nucleus pulposus， and the apoptosis rate was calculated. Western blot was used to detect the Hippo-YAP/TAZ signaling pathway， including YAP， phosphorylated YAP （p-YAP）， phosphorylated MST1/2 （p-MST1/2）， phosphorylated TAZ （p-TAZ） and apoptosis-related proteins， such as Cleaved Caspase 3， P53， Bcl-2 and Bax. ResultsCompared with sham surgery group， the rats in the model group showed significant degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc. The levels of aggrecan， Bcl-2， and YAP proteins in the nucleus pulposus decreased， while the levels of p-MST1/2， p-YAP， p-TAZ， P53， Bax， Cleaved Caspase 3， MMP3 proteins， and the apoptosis rate increased （P < 0.01）. Compared with the model group， the drug intervention groups showed partial recovery in intervertebral disc degeneration. The levels of aggrecan， Bcl-2， and YAP proteins increased， while the levels of p-MST1/2， p-YAP， p-TAZ， P53， Bax， Cleaved Caspase 3， MMP3 proteins， and the apoptosis rate decreased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The high-dose ZGD group showed more significant recovery in intervertebral disc degeneration compared to the low-dose ZGD group， with a decrease in the levels of p-MST1/2， p-YAP， p-TAZ， P53， Bax， Cleaved Caspase 3， MMP3 proteins， and apoptosis rate， and an increase in the levels of aggrecan， Bcl-2， and YAP proteins （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the high-dose ZGD group， the high-dose ZGD + inhibitor group showed a reduced recovery in intervertebral disc degeneration， with an increase in the levels of p-MST1/2， p-YAP， p-TAZ， P53， Bax， Cleaved Caspase 3， MMP3 proteins， and apoptosis rate， and a decrease in the levels of aggrecan， Bcl-2， and YAP proteins （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionZGD may delay intervertebral disc degeneration by inhibiting the phosphorylation of YAP in the nucleus pulposus， maintaining the function of the Hippo-YAP/TAZ signaling pathway， and reducing apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells.

Fungal keratitis represents a significant cause of blindness, with current therapeutic approaches yielding limited success. The disease's onset and progression are primarily driven by fungal virulence factors and the host's immune response. The innate immune system is the first to respond, with neutrophils playing a pivotal role in the antifungal defense. Although neutrophils are critical for pathogen clearance, their excessive or abnormal activation can lead to tissue damage, exacerbating the disease. Thus, elucidating the mechanisms underlying neutrophil activity in fungal keratitis is crucial for refining treatment strategies. This article aims to systematically review the principal antimicrobial mechanisms employed by neutrophils, including phagocytosis, degranulation, and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps(NETs). Furthermore, it explores the crosstalk between neutrophils and macrophages, alongside their collective impact and underlying mechanisms in the context of fungal keratitis. Exploration of the mechanisms of fungal keratitis facilitates precise intervention and enhances the efficacy of treatment.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect and mechanism of Zhiqiao gancao decoction （ZQGCD） on pathological angiogenesis of degenerative intervertebral disc. METHODS The rats were randomly divided into sham operation group （normal saline）， model group （normal saline）， hypoxia inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α） inhibitor （YC-1） group [2 mg/（kg·d）， tail vein injection]， and ZQGCD low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups [3.06， 6.12， 12.24 g/（kg·d）]， with 8 rats in each group. Except for sham operation group， lumbar disc degeneration model of rat was constructed in all other groups. After modeling， they were given relevant medicine once a day， for consecutive 3 weeks. After the last medication， pathological changes and angiogenesis of the intervertebral disc tissue in rats were observed； the levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， IL-6， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）] and the expressions of angiogenesis-related proteins [HIF-1α， vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， VEGF receptor 2 （VEGFR2）， angiotensin 1（Ang 1）， Ang 2] in the com intervertebral disc tissue in rats were all determined. In cell experiment， the primary nucleus pulposus cells were isolated and cultured from rats， and cellular degeneration was induced using 50 ng/mL TNF-α. The cells were divided into blank control group （10% blank control serum）， TNF-α group （10% blank control serum）， YC-1 group （10% blank control serum+0.2 mmol/L YC-1）， and 5%， 10%， 15% drug-containing serum group （5%， 10%， 15% drug-containing serum）. After 24 hours of intervention， the nucleus pulposus cells were co-cultured with HUVEC. The expressions of Collagen Ⅱ， matrix metalloproteinase-3 （MMP-3） in nucleus pulposus cells were detected. HUVEC proliferation， migration and tube forming ability were detected， and the expression levels of the HIF-1α/VEGF/Ang signal axis and angiogenesis- related proteins （add MMP-2， MMP-9） in HUVEC were detected. RESULTS Animal experiments had shown that compared with model group， the positive expression of CD31 in the intervertebral disc tissues of rats in each drug group was down-regulated （P＜ 0.05）， the levels of inflammatory factors and angiogenesis-related proteins were decreased significantly （P＜0.05）， and the pathological changes in the intervertebral disc were alleviated. Cell experiments had shown that compared with TNF-α group， the expression of Collagen Ⅱ in nucleus pulposus cells of all drug groups was significantly up-regulated （P＜0.05）， and the expression of MMP-3 was significantly down-regulated （P＜0.05）； the proliferation， migration and tubulogenesis of HUVEC were significantly weakened （P＜0.05）. The mRNA and protein expressions of HIF-1α， VEGF， Ang 2 as well as the expression of angiogenesis-related proteins （except for the expression of Ang 2 mRNA and HIF-1α， VEGFR2， Ang 2 protein in 5% drug- containing serum group） were significantly down-regulated （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS ZQGCD may inhibit the HIF-1α/VEGF/ Ang signal axis to weaken the angiogenic ability of vascular endothelial cells， improve pathological angiogenesis in the intervertebral disc， and delay the degeneration of the intervertebral disc.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of 3.0 T functional magnetic resonance imaging in evaluating postoperative recurrence and treatment efficacy of glioma. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the general clinical data of 67 patients who underwent glioma surgery at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xingtai Medical University. All patients received chemotherapy for more than one month post-surgery. Recurrence of glioma was diagnosed based on secondary surgery or pathological biopsy results as the gold standard. From 3 to 6 months post-surgery, computerized tomography was used to measure cerebral blood volume (CBV), three-dimensional arterial spin labeling was used to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) and relative CBF (rCBF), and diffusion-weighted imaging with and without contrast enhancement was used to measure apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 statistical software, and the t test or χ² test was used for inter-group comparisons based on data type. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to evaluate the value of CBV, rCBF, and ADC in assessing postoperative recurrence and treatment efficacy of glioma. Results Patients with high-grade gliomas showed significantly higher CBV and rCBF and significantly lower ADC compared to those with low-grade gliomas (P < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of CBV, rCBF, and ADC in combination for grading glioma was 0.960, which was higher than those of individual indicators (0.790, 0.955, and 0.795, P < 0.05). The recurrence group had significantly higher CBV and rCBF and lower ADC compared to the non-recurrence group (P < 0.05). The AUC of CBV, rCBF, and ADC in combination for predicting postoperative glioma recurrence was 0.965, which was significantly higher than those of individual indicators (0.729, 0.929, and 0.941, P < 0.05). CBV and rCBF were lower and ADC was higher in the effective treatment group than in the ineffective treatment group (P < 0.05). The AUC of CBV, rCBF, and ADC in combination for evaluating glioma treatment efficacy was 0.985, which was higher than those of individual indicators (0.842, 0.898, and 0.961, P < 0.05). Conclusion The CBV, rCBF, and ADC in combination has shown high diagnostic accuracy and predictive efficacy in the evaluation of postoperative recurrence and treatment efficacy of glioma, which has important clinical application value.

Objective:This study aims to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of staged endoscopic surgery for Shin-Ⅲ stage external auditory canal cholesteatoma. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 25 patients diagnosed with Shin-Ⅲ cholesteatoma of the external auditory canal, who were admitted to the Otology Center of the First People's Hospital of Foshan City from May 2020 to October 2024. All patients initially underwent endoscopic cholesteatoma removal. Based on the outcomes of the first-stage postoperative follow-up, patients were categorized into two groups: the repair type and the non-repair type. The non-repair type was further subdivided into simple and complex types. Of the total cases, 10 patients were of the repair type, with 9 requiring no further surgical intervention. The non-repair type comprised 15 patients, of which 8 were classified as simple type and underwent either tympanoplasty type Ⅰ or external auditory canal wall reconstruction during the second stage. The remaining 7 patients, identified as complex type, received open mastoidectomy or tympanotomy in the second stage, with or without ossicular chain reconstruction. Results:All patients were monitored for a minimum of six months postoperatively. The incidence of dry ear was observed in 22 patients, corresponding to a dry ear rate of 88.0%. Four cases experienced primary complications. Conclusion:Endoscopic phased operation for managing Shin-Ⅲ stage cholesteatoma of the external auditory canal can ensure that the surgical options match the severity of the lesions, reducing unnecessary surgical trauma and achieving good efficacy.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Ear Canal/surgery* ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Cholesteatoma/surgery* ; Male ; Tympanoplasty ; Female ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear/surgery* ; Mastoidectomy

Objective To analyze the influence of HIV drug resistance genotypes on the outcomes of antiretroviral treatment in AIDS patients.Methods A total of 499 AIDS patients were included as the research subjects.Drug resistance genotypes were detected and compared with the database.Simultaneously,viral load and the absolute counts of CD4+lymphocyte were measured.The genotypes of drug resistance and effects of clinical treatment were analyzed.Results Among the 499 cases studied,409 samples were successfully amplified and sequenced,and 181 cases occurred drug resistance.The patients with drug resistance were significantly older than those without drug resistance,and their CD4+absolute cell counts were significantly lower.Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NR-TI)and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs)were more likely to develop high-level drug resistance compared to protease inhibitors(PI).Additionally,drug-resistant patients had higher viral loads.Conclusion The overall incidence of drug resist-ance in AIDS patients in Nanjing area is relatively low,but the proportion of multidrug-resistant and highly resistant patients among those with drug resistance is relatively high.During diagnosis and treatment,clinical indicators should be monitored,and antiretroviral treatment plans should be adjusted in a timely manner with preference given to the antiretroviral drugs with high resistance barriers.

ObjectiveTo investigate the attenuating effect of Dioscoreae Bulbiferae Rhizoma（DBR） processed with Phaseoli Radiati Semen（PRS） juice， and explore the attenuating mechanism based on ferroptosis of the main toxic target organ. MethodSixty male ICR mice were randomly divided into blank group， DBR group， water roasted DBR group（hereinafter referred to as water group）， PRS juice-roasted DBR group 1（DBR-PRS 10∶1， stuffy moistening for 40 min， stir-fried at 130 ℃ for 18 min， hereinafter referred to as group 1）， PRS juice-roasted DBR group 2（DBR-PRS 10∶1， stuffy moistening for 80 min， stir-fried at 100 ℃ for 14 min， hereinafter referred to as group 2）， PRS juice-roasted DBR group 3（DBR-PRS=20∶3， stuffy moistening for 40 min， stir-fried at 160 ℃ for 14 min， hereinafter referred to as group 3）. The raw and processed groups of DBR were gavaged with their corresponding 95% ethanol extract at a dose of 3 g·kg^-1·d^-1， while the blank group was gavaged with an equal volume of 0.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose， once a day for 14 consecutive days. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of mouse liver. Alanine aminotransferase（ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase（AST） levels in serum， as well as malondialdehyde（MDA）， ferrous ions（Fe²⁺）， reduced glutathione（GSH） and superoxide dismutase（SOD） levels in liver tissue were detected by the biochemical detection. Western blot was used to detect the expression of iron key proteins such as ferritin heavy chain 1（FTH1） and glutathione peroxidase 4（GPX4）. ResultHE staining results showed that the liver tissue structure of the blank group was clear， the morphology of hepatocytes was normal， the cytoplasms of hepatocytes in the DBR group and water group were loose and vacuolar， with obvious pathological damages， and the pathologic damages of mice in the group 1-3 were significantly improved. Compared with the blank group， the levels of ALT， AST， MDA and Fe²⁺ in mice from the DBR group were significantly increased（P<0.01）， while GSH and SOD levels were significantly reduced（P<0.01）， and the protein expression levels of FTH1 and GPX4 were significantly decreased（P<0.01）. Compared with the DBR group， the ALT， AST，MDA and Fe²⁺ levels of mice in the group 1-3 were significantly reduced（P<0.05， P<0.01）， the GSH and SOD levels and the protein expression levels of FTH1 and GPX4 were significantly increased（P<0.01）. Compared with the water group， the AST and MDA levels of mice in the group 1-3 were significantly reduced（P<0.05， P<0.01）， the SOD level significantly increased（P<0.05， P<0.01）， the FTH1 protein expression significantly increased（P<0.01）， and the serum ALT level of mice in the group 2-3 significantly reduce（P<0.01）， Fe²⁺ level significantly reduced（P<0.01）， GSH level significantly increased（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and GPX4 protein expression significantly increased（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Among the group 1-3， the group 3 had the best detoxification effect. ConclutionProcessing with PRS juice can reduce the liver injury induced by DBR， and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of ferroptosis in the liver.

Objective    To retrospectively analyze the surgical treatment of Stanford type A aortic dissection after coronary artery stenting, and to explore the surgical techniques and surgical indications. Methods    Clinical data of 1 246 consecutive patients who underwent operations on Stanford type A aortic dissection from April 2016 to July 2019 in Beijing Anzhen Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection after coronary artery stenting were enrolled. Results    Finally 19 patients were collected, including 16 males and 3 females with an average age of 54±7 years ranging from 35 to 66 years. There were 11 patients in acute phase, 15 patients with AC (DeBakey Ⅰ) type and 4 patients with AS (DeBakey Ⅱ) type. In AC type, there were 10 patients receiving Sun's surgery and 5 patients partial arch replacement. Meanwhile, coronary artery bypass grafting was performed in 7 patients and mitral valve replacement in 1 patient. Stents were removed from the right coronary artery in 4 patients. In this group, 1 patient died of multiple organ failure in hospital after operation combined with malperfusion of viscera. Eighteen patients recovered after treatment and were discharged from hospital. The patients were followed up for 30 (18-56) months. One patient underwent aortic pseudoaneurysm resection, one thoracic endovascular aortic repair, one emergency percutaneous coronary intervention due to left main artery stent occlusion, and one underwent femoral artery bypass due to iliac artery occlusion. Conclusion    Iatrogenic aortic dissection has a high probability of coronary artery bypass grafting at the same time in patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection after coronary artery stenting. Complicated type A aortic dissection after percutaneous coronary intervention should be treated with surgery aggressively.

BACKGROUND:Previous studies have shown the correlation between lumbosacral sagittal plane parameters and natural absorption of lumbar disc herniation.However,the lumbosacral sagittal plane parameters included lumbar lordosis angle,lumbosacral joint angle,sacral inclination angle and many other parameters.The effects of each parameter on the natural absorption of the herniated disc were different.In addition,there are few studies on the reabsorption of a specific segment of intervertebral disc herniation at present,and most of the measured data are obtained from digital radiography or CT,while the correlation between lumbosacral sagittal plane parameters measured from MRI and reabsorption after L5/S1 intervertebral disc herniation is rarely reported. OBJECTIVE:To study the corresponding changes of lumbar sagittal plane parameters after L5/S1 intervertebral disc herniation reabsorption and to screen out the lumbosacral sagittal plane parameters with the most significant changes during intervertebral disc reabsorption. METHODS:Totally 57 patients with lumbar disc herniation who had complete MRI image data were selected and met the diagnostic criteria for lumbar disc herniation and only received non-surgical treatment for reabsorption of L5/S1 protrusion segments.MRI measured the protrusion area of the maximum protrusion plane in the coronal plane,lumbosacral sagittal plane parameters[lumbar curvature index,lumbar lordosis(α),L5/S1 disc angle(β),intervertebral height measurement,lumbosacral joint angle,sacral platform angle,sacral inclination angle,and lower lumbar lordosis angle].Besides,lumbosacral sagittal plane parameters were ranked in the importance of variables by random forest model in R software,and then significant variables were fitted with multiple linear regression.The changes between parameters before and after treatment were analyzed and compared by paired sample t-test. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)A total of 57 patients with L5/S1 lumbar disc herniation were included in this study,and the symptoms and imaging features of the patients were significantly relieved to a large extent.(2)Before treatment,there were 4 cases of grade 1,29 cases of grade 2 and 24 cases of grade 3 according to the Classification of Michigan State University.After treatment,there were 48 cases of grade 1 and 9 cases of grade 2.(3)The random forest model suggested that intervertebral height,lumbar curve index,sacral inclination angle,and lower lumbar lordosis angle changed significantly in L5/S1 disc herniation reabsorption,and the order of their change significance was lumbar curve index>intervertebral space height>sacral inclination angle>lower lumbar lordosis angle.(4)Lumbar curve index,lumbar lordosis and sacral platform angle increased,with statistical significance(P<0.05).There were no significant differences in disc angle,intervertebral height,lower lumbar lordosis angle,sacral inclination angle or lumbosacral joint angle(P>0.05).(5)Lumbar curvature index was the most significant parameter of the lumbosacral sagittal plane in herniated disc reabsorption.In addition,lumbar curve index,sacral inclination angle,and lower lumbar lordosis angle are commonly used clinically to describe the change of lumbar curvature,suggesting that L5/S1 disc herniation reabsorption is correlated with the change of lumbar curvature.It is indicated that in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation,a clinical cure can be achieved by improving or restoring the disordered lumbar curvature.

Fungal keratitis is a serious blinding eye disease. The development of fungal infections depends primarily on the interaction of fungal virulence with host immune defense factors. The cornea is considered an immune-privileged organ, and resident macrophages are the main immune cells that respond to the heterogeneity exhibited by the microenvironment with their polarization. In the early stage of infection, macrophages polarize towards M1, which promotes inflammation and facilitates fungal clearance but produces a cellular storm that exacerbates immune damage; in the late stage of infection, macrophages polarize towards M2, which suppresses the inflammatory response and facilitates tissue repair, but may be immunosuppressed or even immune escape to the detriment of pathogen clearance. The balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses is key to maintaining the functional integrity of the cornea. Current antifungal drug therapy is limited, so it is particularly important to find a therapeutic target for the inflammatory response triggered by the immune response in addition to antifungal therapy. In this review, the functional and phenotypic characterization of macrophage subsets associated with fungal keratitis was reviewed, more in-depth research is needed to explore the specific mechanisms by which macrophage polarization and their impact on fungal keratitis. Targeted regulation of macrophage differentiation based on their phenotype and function could be an effective approach to treat and manage fungal keratitis in the future.