AIM: To investigate the distribution characteristics of pathogens in patients with post-traumatic infectious endophthalmitis(PTIE)and their relationship with serum levels of macrophage inflammatory protein 1α(MIP-1α), heat shock protein 70(HSP70), and soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1(sTREM-1).METHODS:A total of 157 patients with PTIE from the Handan City Eye Hospital(The Third Hospital of Handan)from May 2023 to May 2025 were selected as the study group. They were divided into a good prognosis group and a poor prognosis group based on their uncorrected visual acuity at discharge. Meanwhile, 157 patients with ocular trauma but without endophthalmitis during the same period were selected as control group 1, and 157 healthy volunteers who underwent physical examinations during the same period were selected as control group 2. Aqueous humor and vitreous fluid samples were collected from the study group to detect the distribution of pathogens. The levels of serum MIP-1α, HSP70, and sTREM-1 were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for poor prognosis. The predictive value of serum MIP-1α, HSP70, and sTREM-1 levels for poor prognosis was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)and decision curve analysis(DCA).RESULTS: The general data of the participants in the three groups was comparable. A total of 173 pathogens were detected in the 157 patients with PTIE, with Gram-positive bacteria being the predominant type. The levels of serum MIP-1α and sTREM-1 in the study group were higher than those in control groups 1 and 2, while the level of HSP70 was lower than those in control groups 1 and 2(all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the levels of serum MIP-1α, HSP70, and sTREM-1 between control groups 1 and 2(all P>0.05). In the poor prognosis group, the time of wound suture was ≥24 h, the wound location was in zones II/III, the type of trauma was rupture, the proportion of rupture injuries, and the levels of serum C-reactive protein, MIP-1α, and sTREM-1 were higher than those in the good prognosis group, while the level of HSP70 was decreased(all P<0.001). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the time of wound suture, wound location, type of trauma, C-reactive protein, MIP-1α, HSP70, and sTREM-1 were risk factors for poor visual prognosis in patients with PTIE(all P<0.05). The ROC curve results showed that the combined prediction of serum MIP-1α, HSP70, and sTREM-1 for poor visual prognosis in PTIE patients had an AUC value of 0.965, which was significantly higher than that of individual predictions(ZMIP-1α, ZHSP70, ZsTREM-1=3.628, 4.705, 3.930, all P<0.05). Additionally, the DCA curve showed that the combined prediction had a higher net benefit rate than individual predictions in the high-risk threshold range of 0.03-0.97.CONCLUSION:Gram-positive bacteria are the predominant type of pathogenic bacteria in patients with PTIE, with elevated levels of serum MIP-1α and sTREM-1 and decreased levels of HSP70. The combined detection of these three factors has a high predictive efficacy for visual prognosis in patients.

OBJECTIVES: Intracranial aneurysm (IA) has an insidious onset, and once ruptured, it carries high rates of mortality and disability. Cardiometabolic factors may be associated with the formation and rupture of IA. This study aims to summarize the application of Mendelian randomization (MR) methods in research on cardiometabolic factors and IA, providing insights for further elucidation of IA etiology and pathogenesis. METHODS: Literature about MR-based IA studies published up to February 21, 2024, was retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang. Two researchers independently performed literature screening, data extraction, and quality assessment. A narrative synthesis approach was used to conduct a qualitative systematic review of the included studies. RESULTS: A total of 11 MR-based studies on IA published between 2017 to 2024 were included, of which 4 were rated as high quality. These studies investigated the associations between blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose, obesity-related indicators, and inflammatory cytokines with IA and its subtypes, though issues of duplication were noted. Four MR studies based on the same European population but using different instrumental variable selection criteria, as well as another MR study in a different European cohort, consistently identified blood pressure as a risk factor for IA and its subtypes. Findings for blood lipids, blood glucose, obesity-related indicators, and inflammatory cytokines were inconsistent across MR studies. CONCLUSIONS Blood pressure appears to increase the risk of IA and its subtypes. Associations between other cardiometabolic factors and IA/subtypes require further in-depth investigation. Given the inherent limitations of MR studies, causal inferences should be made cautiously in combination with other lines of evidence.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Intracranial Aneurysm/etiology* ; Risk Factors ; Blood Pressure ; Blood Glucose ; Obesity/complications* ; Cardiometabolic Risk Factors ; Lipids/blood*

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.07.004.].

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of autologous adipose-derived stem cell gel (SVF-gel) grafting in the treatment of depressed acne scars.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on data collected from 28 patients who underwent SVF-gel grafting treatment for depressed acne scars in the Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University from October 2018 to May 2021. There were 17 males and 11 females, aged 17 - 38 (26 ± 4.86) years. As for clinical types, 8 patients were diagnosed with boxcar acne scars, 14 with rolling acne scars, and 6 with acne scars with characteristics of the two types. The clinical acne scar weighted scale (ECCA scale) was used to evaluate the appearance improvement after the treatment, and patients′ subjective satisfaction scores and incidence of adverse reactions were recorded.Results:After the SVF-gel grafting, the facial appearance of patients with depressed acne scars significantly improved, and the ECCA scores significantly decreased 6 months after surgery (before surgery: 52.5 ± 15.8 points; 6 months after surgery: 23.8 ± 10.2 points; t = 11.68, P < 0.001). The subjective satisfaction rate of patients was 82.14% (23/28), the incidence rate of adverse reactions was 17.86% (5/28), and 5 patients experienced mild inflammatory reactions after surgery, including 2 with subcutaneous nodules. The secondary grafting rate was 67.86% (19/28) . Conclusion:The SVF-gel grafting was markedly effective for the treatment of depressed acne scars, which is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Objective To construct an MRI radiomics model of cerebral damage following carbon monoxide(CO)poisoning.Methods Ninety patients with CO poisoning and 70 healthy controls(HC)were scanned by structural MRI.All patients were randomly divided into training set(n=128)and test set in a ratio of 8∶2.The radiomics features of 9 regions of interest(ROI)were automatically extracted,and each ROI was subjected to 5-fold cross-validation and 9 different types of classifiers to construct a diagnostic model.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and decision curve analysis(DCA)were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy and clinical value of the model.Results The model based on the radiomics features of the whole brain gray matter(GM)and the left globus pallidus(LGP)had better diagnostic efficacy and clinical application value.The area under the curve(AUC)in the training set and the test set were 0.813,0.815 and 0.806,0.806,respectively.Conclusion The GM-based radiomics model can effectively diagnose cerebral damage following CO poisoning.

Objective To explore the effects of Tepp-46, a pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) agonist, on the skin fibrosis of patients with systemic scleroderma (SSc) and its therapeutic effect on the SSc mouse models. Methods Full-thickness skin tissues of SSc patients and healthy controls were taken, and the expression levels of PKM2 and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were detected using immunohistochemical staining. The skin primary fibroblasts were isolated from the tissues, and the PKM2 protein expression was detected using Western blotting. SSc fibroblasts were stimulated with Tepp-46 of different concentrations, and Western blotting was used to measure the expression of PKM2, collagen type Ⅰα1 (ColⅠα1) and α-SMA protein after the stimulation. The C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups: control group, bleomycin (BLM) group and Tepp-46 group. BLM was injected subcutaneously to establish the SSc mouse model, at the same time, Tepp-46 treatment initiated in the Tepp-46 group. At 21 d after modeling, the mice were executed and their skins were taken. HE staining and Masson staining were used to analyze morphological changes of the skin. The immunohistochemical staining was used to examine the expression of PKM2 and α-SMA protein in the mouse skin. Western blotting was used to analyze the expression of ColⅠα1 and PKM2 in the mouse skin. Results Compared with the healthy controls, α-SMA protein expression in the dermis of SSc patients was higher, and PKM2 protein expression in the epidermis and dermis of SSc patients increased (P＜0.000 1). PKM2 protein expression in primary fibroblasts of SSc skin was higher than that of healthy controls (P＜0.01); after Tepp-46 stimulation, the levels of ColⅠα1 and α-SMA in SSc fibroblasts decreased (P＜0.01), but PKM2 protein was not affected. In the mice, HE and Masson stainings showed that compared with BLM group, the pathological changes of skin were alleviated in the Tepp-46 group. The immunohistochemical staining results showed the levels of PKM2 and α-SMA in the skin of Tepp-46 group were lower than those of the BLM group (P＜0.000 1). Western blotting results showed the level of ColⅠα1 in the Tepp-46 group was lower than that in the BLM group (P＜0.001). Conclusions The expression of PKM2 protein in SSc skin tissue and primary fibroblasts is up-regulated, and PKM2 agonist Tepp-46 can inhibit SSc skin fibrosis.

Objectives:To analyze the disease burden and trends of ischemic stroke attributable to major metabolic risk factors in China from 1990 to 2021,and provide a basis for disease prevention and management.Methods:Based on the Global Burden of Disease(GBD)2021 data,we compared the age-standardized mortality rate(ASMR)and age-standardized disability-adjusted life year rate(ASDR)of ischemic stroke attributable to major metabolic risk factors(including overweight/obesity,hypertension,elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,low bone density,hyperglycemia,and impaired renal function)in China and globally,and estimated their time trends through estimated annual percentage change(EAPC).We also analyzed the number of deaths,mortality rate,disability adjusted life year(DALY),and DALY rate of ischemic stroke attributable to major metabolic risk factors in China from 1990 to 2021,and compared the epidemiological differences among different gender and age groups.Results:From 1990 to 2021,the disease burden of ischemic stroke attributable to major metabolic risk factors in China showed a slight upward trend(1990 to 2005)and then gradually decreased,with a relatively small overall decline.,while the global disease burden showed a decreasing trend.In 2021,the ASMR and ASDR of ischemic stroke attributable to major metabolic risk factors in China were 48.11/100 000 and 898.35/100 000(EAPC[95%CI]were-0.24%[-1.13%to 0.66%]and-0.25%[-1.00%to 0.51%]),respectively,both higher than the global average levels(33.96/100 000 and 651.46/100 000,EAPC[95%CI]were-1.75%[-2.03%to 1.47%]and-1.49%[-1.74%to-1.23%],respectively).Compared with 1990,the actual mortality rate and DALY rate of ischemic stroke attributable to major metabolic risk factors in China increased by 139.60%and 110.53%respectively in 2021.There are gender differences in the disease burden of ischemic stroke attributable to major metabolic risk factors in China,with significantly higher death numbers,mortality rates,DALY,and DALY rates in males compared to females.At the age level,DALY and DALY rates were both higher in individuals aged 15-49,DALY increased but DALY rates decreased in individuals aged 50-69.DALY surged in individuals aged 70 and above,male DALY rates showed increasing trend and female DALY rates showed slightly decreasing trend.Conclusions:The disease burden of ischemic stroke in China is significantly affected by metabolic risk factors.Although prevention and control have achieved certain positive results,the overall disease burden in China is higher than that of the world,and precise intervention strategies need to be developed for different genders and ages in China.

Natural killer cells(NK)are important innate immune cells that do not require prior antigen exposure and can directly recognize and attack virus-infected cells and tumor cells.The activation and effector functions of NK cells are regulated by a balance of signals delivered through their surface activating receptors and inhibitory re-ceptors,which bind to ligands on target cells to achieve cytotoxicity via"induced self"and"missing self"recogni-tion models.The killing mechanisms of NK cells primarily include release of cytotoxic granules such as perforin and granzymes to induce target cell lysis,death receptor-mediated apoptosis,secretion of various cytokines,chemokines and growth factors to coordinate with other immune cells in killing tumor cells,thereby generating secondary im-mune responses and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity(ADCC).

Objective To investigate the effects of modified Simiao San combined with Metronidazole Tablets on immune factors,inflammatory factors,and oxidative stress in patients with bacterial vaginosis(BV).Methods Eighty BV patients treated at Dongguan Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine(Dongguan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital)from March 2023 to April 2024 were equally randomly divided into a control group(40 cases,treated with Metronidazole Tablets)and a study group(40 cases,treated with modified Simiao San plus Metronidazole Tablets).The treatment for the two groups lasted for 7 days.Serum immunologic factors[immunoglobulin(Ig)A,IgG,and IgM],inflammatory factors[C-reactive protein(CRP),tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α),and interleukin-6(IL-6)],and oxidative stress markers[superoxide dismutase(SOD),malondialdehyde(MDA),and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)]in the two groups were measured before and after treatment.After treatment,symptom resolution time,clinical efficacy,and the incidence of total adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.Results(1)After 7 days,the total effective rate was 95.00%(38/40)in the study group versus 77.50%(31/40)in the control group(tested by chi-square test,P＜0.05).(2)The study group showed significantly shorter time to the resolution of profuse or scanty leukorrhea,odor of leukorrhea,vulvar itching,vaginal pain,and vaginal mucosal hyperemia(all P＜0.01)than the control group.(3)After treatment,both groups exhibited increased IgA,IgG,and IgM(P＜0.05)compared to those before treatment,with greater improvements in the study group(P＜0.01).(4)After treatment,serum levels of inflammatory factors of CRP,TNF-α,and IL-6 in both groups decreased(P＜0.05),with superior reductions in the study group(P＜0.01).(5)After treatment,serum levels of oxidative stress markers of SOD and GSH-Px levels rose(P＜0.05),while MDA declined(P＜0.05)in both groups,and the study group demonstrated more pronounced improvements(P＜0.01).(6)Adverse reaction rates were 5.00%(2/40)and 15.00%(6/40)in the study group and control group,respectively,the differentce being no statistical significance between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion Modified Simiao San combined with Metronidazole Tablets significantly alleviates BV symptoms,improves immune function,and inhibits inflammatory response and oxidative stress,demonstrating satisfactory efficacy and high safety.