ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Gelian Tiaotang pills on renal fibrosis in db/db mice based on the nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing receptor 3 （NLRP3）/cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase （Caspase）-1/gasdermin D （GSDMD） signaling pathway. MethodsForty db/db mice were randomly assigned into model， positive control （0.001 3 g·kg·d^-1 dapagliflozin suspension）， and high-， medium-， and low-dose Gelian Tiaotang pills （3.12， 1.56， and 0.78 g·kg·d^-1 suspension of Gelian Tiaotang pills， respectively） groups， with 8 mice in each group. Eight db/m mice were selected as the normal group. The normal group and model group were given equal volumes of pure water， while the drug interventions groups were administrated with corresponding agents by gavage once a day for 12 consecutive weeks. The general conditions of mice were observed daily. The fasting blood glucose （FBG） and body mass were measured every 4 weeks. Kidneys were weighed after sampling， and the kidney index was calculated. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to measure the serum levels of triglyceride （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， serum creatinine （SCr）， and blood urea nitrogen （BUN）. The pathological changes， extracellular matrix deposition， and renal fibrosis degree were examined by hematoxylin-eosin， periodic acid-schiff （PAS）， and Masson staining， respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the levels of interleukin （IL）-1β and IL-18 in the renal tissue. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to detect the localization and expression of fibronectin and collagen Ⅰ in the renal tissue. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of NLRP3， Caspase-1， cleaved Caspase-1， GSDMD， and GSDMD-N in the renal tissue. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group generally had poor general states and increases in the body mass， kidney weight， kidney index， and levels of FBG， TG， TC， SCr， and BUN （P<0.01）. In addition， glomerular pyknosis， increased matrix， vacuolar degeneration of renal tubular epithelial cells， and interstitial infiltration of inflammatory cells were observed in the model group （P<0.01）， together with rises in the levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in the renal tissue （P<0.01） and up-regulated protein levels of NLRP3， Caspase-1， cleaved Caspase-1， GSDMD， GSDMD-N， fibronectin， and collagen Ⅰ in the renal tissue （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， 12 weeks of drug interventions reduced the body mass， kidney weight， and kidney index and lowered the levels of FBG， TG， TC， SCr， and BUN in the serum and IL-1β and IL-18 in the renal tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Furthermore， drug interventions ameliorated the renal lesions and down-regulated the protein levels of NLRP3， Caspase-1， cleaved Caspase-1， GSDMD， GSDMD-N， fibronectin， and collagen Ⅰ in the renal tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The high-dose group of Gelian Tiaotang pills had the best effects. ConclusionGelian Tiaotang pills may inhibit pyroptosis and reduce inflammatory responses by regulating the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD signaling pathway， thus delaying the process of renal fibrosis in diabetes.

Intraoperative cell salvage (IOCS) has been widely applied as an important blood conservation measure in surgical operations. However, there is currently a lack of clinical practice guidelines for the implementation of IOCS in patients with malignant tumors. This report aims to provide clinicians with recommendations on the use of IOCS in patients with malignant tumors based on the review and assessment of the existed evidence. Data were derived from databases such as PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Wanfang. The guideline development team formulated recommendations based on the quality of evidence, balance of benefits and harms, patient preferences, and health economic assessments. This study constructed seven major clinical questions. The main conclusions of this guideline are as follows: 1) Compared with no perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion (NPABT), perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion (PABT) leads to a more unfavorable prognosis in cancer patients (Recommended); 2) Compared with the transfusion of allogeneic blood or no transfusion, IOCS does not lead to a more unfavorable prognosis in cancer patients (Recommended); 3) The implementation of IOCS in cancer patients is economically feasible (Recommended); 4) Leukocyte depletion filters (LDF) should be used when implementing IOCS in cancer patients (Strongly Recommended); 5) Irradiation treatment of autologous blood to be reinfused can be used when implementing IOCS in cancer patients (Recommended); 6) A careful assessment of the condition of cancer patients (meeting indications and excluding contraindications) should be conducted before implementing IOCS (Strongly Recommended); 7) Informed consent from cancer patients should be obtained when implementing IOCS, with a thorough pre-assessment of the patient's condition and the likelihood of blood loss, adherence to standardized internally audited management procedures, meeting corresponding conditions, and obtaining corresponding qualifications (Recommended). In brief, current evidence indicates that IOCS can be implemented for some malignant tumor patients who need allogeneic blood transfusion after physician full evaluation, and LDF or irradiation should be used during the implementation process.

Background::Intrauterine valvuloplasty is an innovative therapy, which promotes ventricular growth and function in some congenital heart diseases (CHDs). The technique remains challenging and can only be performed in a few centers. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and mid-term outcomes of fetal cardiac intervention (FCI) in fetuses with critical CHD in an experienced tertiary center.Methods::Five fetal aortic valvuloplasty (FAV) or fetal pulmonary valvuloplasty (FPV) procedures were performed in our fetal heart center between August 2018 and May 2022. Technical success was defined as crossing the aortic or pulmonary valve and balloon inflation, followed by evidence of increased blood flow across the valve and/or new regurgitation. Follow-up clinical records and echocardiography were obtained during the prenatal and postnatal periods.Results::Five fetuses received FAV or FPV, including critical aortic stenosis ( n = 2) and pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum ( n = 3). The mean maternal age was 33.0 ± 2.6 years. The median gestational age (GA) at diagnosis was 24 weeks (range, 22-26 weeks). The median GA at intervention was 29 weeks (range, 28-32 weeks). All five cases underwent successful or partially successful procedures. One patient had pulmonary valve perforation without balloon dilation. No procedure-related deaths or significant complications occurred. However, one neonatal death occurred due to heart and renal failure. The median follow-up period was 29.5 months (range, 8.0-48.0 months). The four surviving patients had achieved biventricular circulation, exhibited improved valve, and ventricular development at the last follow-up visit. Conclusion::Intrauterine FCI could be performed safely with good prognosis in critical CHD.

Gallbladder polypoid lesions (GPLs) refer to any elevated lesion of the mucosal surface of the gallbladder wall, and the prevalence is estimated to be between 0.9% and 12.1%. GPLs include benign polyps and malignant polyps. Benign polyps are further classified as non-neoplastic polyps and neoplastic polyps. Cholesterol polyps are the most common benign polyps and adenocarcinoma is the main type of malignant polyp. Hepatitis B virus infection, liver function abnormalities, dyslipidemia, and obesity are the main risk factors for GPLs. Studies of biological mechanisms have focused on malignant gallbladder polyps, the development of which is regulated by hormone levels in vivo, gut microbiota, inflammation, oxidative stress, Salmonella typhimurium, and related molecules. Diagnostic modalities include chemical examination and imaging examination, with imaging examination currently being the mainstay. Treatment of patients with GPLs is based on the presence or absence of symptoms, age, size of the polyps, tendency of the polyp to increase, and risk factors for symptomatic malignancy to determine whether surgery should be performed.

Here,5 important pathogens carried by ticks in Maanshan City,Anhui Province,China were identified.In to-tal,642 ticks were collected from 13 villages around Maanshan City and identified by morphological and mitochondrial COI genes.The 16S rRNA gene of Francisella tularensis,ssrA gene of Bartonella,16S rRNA,ompA and ompB genes of Rickett-sia,16S rRNA and gltA genes of Anaplasma,and groEL and rpoB genes of Coxiella were sequenced.Reference sequences were retrieved from a public database.Phylogenetic trees were constructed with MEG A1 1.0 software.In total,36 Rickettsiae isolates were detected in 640 Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks,which included 20 isolates of Rickettsia heilongjian-gensis,16 of Candidatus Rickettsia jingxinensis,2 of Ana-plasma bovis,and 186 of Coxiella-like endosymbiont.R.hei-longjiangensis HY2 detected in this study and Anhui B8 strain,Ca.R.jingxinensis QL3 and those from Shanxi Prov-ince and Jiangsu Province,A.bovis JX4 and those from Shanxi Province were clustered on the same branch.Overall,17 ticks had combined infections and none of the 5 bacteria were detected in two Amblyomma testudinarium ticks.This is the first report of Ca.R.jingxinensis detected in H.longicornis ticks from Anhui Province.It is recommended that the two types of Rickettsia that cause spotted fever and A.bovis should be reported to local health authorities to initiate appropriate prevention and control measures.

AIM To establish an HPLC method for the simultaneous content determination of spinosin,ferulic acid,rosmarinic acid,salvianolic acid B,schisandrin A,schizandrin B and schisandrol A in Anshen Capsules.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 30℃thermostatic Inertsustain C18 column(5 μm,4.6 mm×250 mm),with the mobile phase comprising of methanol-acetonitrile-0.1%phosphoric acid flowing at 1.0 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and the detection wavelengths were set at 203,270 nm.Subsequently,principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis were made.RESULTS Seven constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r＞0.999 0),whose average recoveries were 96.12%-102.70%with the RSDs of 0.31%-1.83%.Ten batches of samples were divided into two categories according to manufacturers,and peaks 5(schisandrol A),4(salvianolic acid B)were quality difference markers.CONCLUSION This simple,sensitive,specific and reproducible method can be used for the quality control of Anshen Capsules.

Objective:To explore the significance of multiple frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MFBIA) in the combined surgical treatment of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 30 patients with unilateral postoperative BCRL. The patients recieved staged liposuction and lymphaticovenular anastomosis (LVA) from April to October 2021 at the Department of Lymphatic Surgery in Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University. After LVA surgery, patients were followed-up by telephone and other means, and asked to come to the hospital at 1 year and 2 years, respectively. The circumference of each part of the upper limbs, the length of forearm and arm were measured, and the limb volume was calculated. MFBIA were also performed to record limb bioelectrical impedance, extracellular water(ECW), and extracellular water ratios (ECW/TBW). SPSS 21.0 was used for statistical analysis. Clinical data of the patients were analysed by One-way Repeated Measurement Anova to examine the changes in volume of the affected arms before and after surgery and the changes in values collected by MFBIA. Subsequently, differences in the volumes and values of MFBIA of the affected arms before and after surgery, and the ratios of the above were analysed by paired t-test to compare each pair, then followed by Pearson correlation test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:After liposuction, the volume differences of affected and healthy arms were reduced from 1 147 ml ± 484 ml before surgery to 261 ml ± 304 ml after surgery, which achieved a significant reduction with statistical significance ( P<0.05). However, there were no significant changes in ECW or bioelectrical impedance at various frequencies (1-1 000 K) ( P>0.05). After LVA, the differences in volume of the affected and healthy arms further decreased to 17 ml±264 ml with statistical significance compared to that before surgery ( P<0.05), ECW decreased from 1.115 L ± 0.207 L to 0.937 L ± 0.164 L with statistical significance ( P<0.05), ECW/TBW decreased from 0.412 ± 0.008 to 0.405 ± 0.007 with statistical significance ( P<0.05), and the bioelectrical impedance at various frequencies was significantly increased with statistical significance ( P<0.05). After LVA, the difference in arm volume was positively correlated with the difference in ECW (correlation coefficient 0.602, P<0.05), positively correlated with the difference in Rate of ECW (correlation coefficient 0.560, P<0.05), and negatively correlated with the ratios of impedance at various frequencies (correlation coefficients 0.529-0.545, P<0.05). Conclusion:In the staged surgical treatment of BCRL, with the application of MFBIA, it is found that lymphatic liposuction removes the pathological adipose tissue of an arm, hence significantly reduces the volume of the affected arm. However, lymphatic stasis remains unrelieved, therefore without a significant reduction in arm oedema. After the second-stage LVA, the improvement of lymphatic return leads to the relief of arm oedema, and the volume of the affected arm approaches to that of the healthy side. MFBIA can be used for assessment of arm oedema.

Objective:To investigate the characteristics and diagnostic methods for the patients with primary lymphedema and interstitial lung disease, as well as the efficacy of thoracic duct or right lymphatic duct plasty.Methods:A retrospective study was performed on 13 patients who were treated for primary lymphedema in the Department of Lymphatic Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2018 to December 2022. All patients were confirmed with interstitial lung disease by high-resolution CT (HRCT) and then underwent thoracic duct or right lymphatic duct plasty surgery. The 13 patients in this study were 7 males and 6 females aged 7.3 (0.7-30.0) years old. Primary lymphedema was the first manifestation in all patients, with an average morbidity age at 1.0 (0-11.0) years old. The average time from the onset of lymphedema to the confirmed interstitial lung disease was 6.3 (0.3-19.0) years. All patients underwent thoracic duct or right lymphatic duct plasty for improvement of the lymphatic flow. In addition, 9 cases (69.2%) received a direct lymphangiography (DLG). In which, 4 cases (44.4%) received further treatment of ligation of the reflux branches, and 1 (11.1%) had the treatment plans changed, because a chylous reflux into the lung through a bronchomediastinal trunk was found from DLG, therefore a ligation of the abnormal reflux branches was performed and a life-long strict low-fat diet was required. Postoperative follow-ups for evaluation of the improvements of lymphedema and pulmonary lymphatic flow were carried out by visit of outpatient clinic or via telephone interviews.Results:All patients recovered well after surgery with an average follow-up time of 47.5 (19.0-68.0) months. Lymphedema was stable in 2 cases (15.4%) and relieved in 11 cases (84.6%). Ten cases (76.9%) had completed the postoperative HRCT reviews and 9 (90.0%) were found with significant improvement in the interstitial lung disease.Conclusion:The interstitial lung disease found during the examination of patients with primary lymphedema can be explained with a lymphatic flow disorder. DLG can identify the cause and make to guide the treatment. Thoracic duct or right lymphatic duct plasty can effectively improve both of the symptom of lymphedema and interstitial lung disease.

Diabetic kidney disease(DKD)is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide and one of the major microvascular complications of diabetes.The pathogenesis of DKD is multifactorial,and its pathological process involves multiple pathways.Ferroptosis is a regulatory cell death characterized by iron dependent lipid peroxidation.Recently,an increasing number of studies have shown that ferroptosis is a key driving factor for the occurrence and development of DKD and has been identified to play a crucial role in the occurrence,development,and treatment of various kidney diseases.Traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in preventing and delaying the progression of DKD due to the characteristics of multi-component,multi-target,and multi-pathway.This article focuses on summarizing the impact of key regulatory factors and signaling pathways of ferroptosis on the pathological process of DKD,as well as the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine in regulating ferroptosis key factors and pathways for preventing and treating DKD.The aim of this study is to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of DKD and the development of new traditional Chinese medicine drugs.

Objective To investigate the dosimetric effects of different calculation grid size(CGS)in helical tomotherapy(HT)planning system on stereotactic body radiation therapy(SBRT)for non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods Nine NSCLC patients receiving radiation therapy for the first time at some hospital from March 2019 to December 2022 were selected as the subjects.SBRT planning was carried out through the HT system with three different CGS plans(Fine,Normal,and Coarse)and the same pitch,modulation factor(MF)and optimization conditions,and the target area indexes of the three CGS plans were compared including conformity index(CI),homogeneity index(HI),dosimetric parameters of the organ at risk(OAR),point dose verification pass rate,treatment time,number of monitor units and Sinograms.SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results For target area HI,there weres significant differences between CGS Fine plan and Coarse plan and between CGS Normal plan and Coarse plan(P＜0.05),while no statistical differences were found between CGS Fine plan and Normal plan(P＞0.05).For target area CI,there were significant differences between CGS Fine plan and Coarse plan(P＜0.05),while no statistical differences were found between CGS Fine plan and Normal plan and between CGS Normal plan and Coarse plan(P＞0.05).For OAR dosimetric parameters,CGS Fine plan and Coarse plan had significant differences in heart Dmax and Dmean,esophageal Dmax and Dmean,V5,V20,V30 and Dmean of the whole lung and affected lung,V5 and Dmax of the affected lung and heart V10 and V30(P＜0.05),CGS Normal plan and Coarse plan had obvious differences in esophageal Dmax(P＜0.05),and the remained dosimetric parameters were not statistically significant(P＞0.05).Fine,Normal and Coarse plans had the point dose verifica-tion pass rates being 0.96％,1.50％and 1.77％,respectively.In terms of treatment time and number of monitor units,there were significant differences between Fine plan and Coarse plan(P＜0.05)while no statistical differences were found between Fine and Normal plans and between Normal and Coarse plans(P＞0.05).Sinograms analyses showed Fine plan had evenly distributed segment color gradient,Coarse plan had areas of very dark and very light color gradients and Normal plan was somewhere in between.Conclusion Low CGS has to be used as much as possible to obtain accurate dose distribution during SBRT planning for NSCLC patients,which contributes to the execution of the radiation therapy plan and the prevention of ad-verse effects.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(2):52-57]