Objective To investigate the distribution of dense fine speckled(DFS)antinuclear antibody(ANA)in different ages,genders,and diseases,and to explore its clinical significance in the diagnosis of auto-immune disease(AID).Methods A retrospective summary was conducted on the clinical basic data of 53520 patients who visited the hospital from January 2022 to April 2024,as well as the results of indirect immunoflu-orescence(IIF)ANA fluorescence karyotype and titer,and immunoblotting ANA spectrum,and the relation-ship between DFS positivity and AID was analyzed.Results Of the 53 520 serum samples,the rate of ANA fluorescence positivity was 32.40％,with DFS-positive samples accounting for 1.18％of all ANA fluores-cence-positive samples.The male-to-female ratio of DFS positives was 1∶1.94,with the highest percentage of 51.9％in the 21-40 age group.Among DFS positive individuals,only 12.14％were clinically diagnosed with AID disease,significantly lower than other ANA fluorescent karyotype positive individuals(23.31％,P＜0.001).The overall positivity rate of ANA spectra using immunoblotting in DFS-positive individuals was 23.54％,which was significantly lower than that in other fluorescent karyotype positive ANA individuals(73.26％,P＜0.001).Moreover,DFS positive individuals were mainly accompanied by antibody positivity such as anti-Ro52 antibodies,which had no diagnostic specificity in AID diagnosis.When comparing DFS posi-tive individuals with similar fluorescence morphology to those with homogeneous nuclear granules and nuclei,at an ANA titer of 1∶100,the proportion of AID patients in homogeneous nuclear granules and nuclei was 20.04％,significantly higher than the proportion of AID patients in DFS positive individuals(9.44％,P=0.001).With the increase of ANA titer,the proportion of AID diseases significantly increased in both karyo-type samples.When the ANA titer of DFS positive samples was increased to ≥ 1∶320,the proportion of AID diseases significantly increased to 30.77％(P=0.002).Conclusion DFS is a rare ANA fluorescent karyo-type,and DFS positive individuals are mainly found in females aged 21-40,mostly non AID patients.Howev-er,high titers of DFS cannot rule out the possibility of AID.In clinical work,special attention should be paid to distinguishing it from the homogeneous nuclear granule type to avoid misdiagnosis.

A 36-year-old male patient was hospitalized due to persistent chest tightness and dyspnea last-ing over 10 days.An echocardiogram revealed significant aortic valve regurgitation,the presence of vegetation on the aortic valve,severe mitral valve regurgitation,and enlargement of both the left atrium and left ventricle.Follow-ing a comprehensive multidisciplinary consultation,the focus was directed towards the aortic valve vegetation as the primary concern,with particular attention given to the potential diagnosis of blood culture-negative infective endocarditis(IE)and non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis,while differentiating it from rheumatic heart disease.Ultimately,the vegetation was excised during a surgical aortic valve replacement procedure,which facilitated histopathological examination,biological culture,and high-throughput metagenomic sequencing of pathogenic mi-croorganisms.The definitive diagnosis was established as aortic valve infective endocarditis(Q fever IE)leading by infection of Coxiella burnetii.

Objectives:To explore the prognostic significances of geriatric nutrition risk index (GNRI), controlling nutritional status (CONUT), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in patients with heart failure.Methods:This was a retrospective study. Patients with heart failure admitted to the Department of Cardiology, the first affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from September 16, 2013 to December 28, 2017 were enrolled. Clinical data of patients were collected and patients were followed up. GNRI, CONUT and PNI scores of patients were calculated. Cox proportional risk model was used to evaluate the relationship between the above three nutritional status scores and the risk of all-cause death in patients with heart failure, and restricted cubic spline analysis was used to verify the relationship. Subgroup analysis was performed based on left ventricular ejection fraction, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, number of heart failure comorbidities, systolic blood pressure, creatinine, body mass index, use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor antagonists, use of β-blockers, and use of spironolactone.Results:A total of 2 016 patients with heart failure aged (67.7±13.0) years old were enrolled, including 1 230 (61.0%) males. All patients were followed up until September 15, 2021. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models showed that increased GNRI score was significantly associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure ( HR=0.989, 95% CI 0.982-0.996, P=0.001), while CONUT and PNI scores were not associated with all-cause mortality (both P>0.05). Restricted cubic spline analysis showed no U-shaped relationship between the scores and all-cause death. Subgroup analysis suggested that the prognostic value of GNRI score was predominant in patients not using angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker ( Pinteraction=0.024), while there was no statistically significant difference between groups in other subgroup analyses ( Pinteraction>0.05). Conclusions:Increased GNRI score is associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure and may serve as an effective tool to assess nutritional status in patients with heart failure.

[Objective]To evaluate the changes in cardiac structure and ventricular function in patients with Ander-son-Fabry Disease(AFD)by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography(2D-STE)and to explore the character-istics of their early cardiac involvement.[Methods]All 45 patients diagnosed with AFD in this observational study under-went routine ultrasonic cardiogram(UCG)examination and 2D-STE.The patients were divided into 2 groups based on UCG measurements:with left ventricular hypertrophy(interventricular septum or posterior left ventricular wall thickness≥12 mm)and without left ventricular hypertrophy.TomTec software was used to analyze the echocardiographic images,then the baseline data,UCG routine parameters and myocardial strain of the two groups were compared.[Results]The study in-cluded 27 males(60.0%)and 18 females(40.0%),with an average age of(32.33±16.11),17 cases(37.78%)with left ventricular hypertrophy and 28 cases(62.22%)without left ventricular hypertrophy.All patients had normal left ventricu-lar ejection fraction(LVEF)(>50%).Compared with those without left ventricular hypertrophy,patients with left ventric-ular hypertrophy had significantly more target organ involvement,significantly higher E/A and average E/E' ratios(P<0.05).No statistical difference was found in global and segmental longitudinal strain(LS),circumferential strain(CS)and radial strain(RS)of the endocardium and myocardium between the two groups(all P>0.05).There were lower abso-lute values of global and segmental LS and CS in the myocardium than in the endocardium(all P<0.05),and higher abso-lute values of LS and RS in the mid segment than in the basal and apical segments(all P<0.05).[Conclusions]There is no significant association between early systolic dysfunction and left ventricular wall thickness.2D-STE strain can be used to detect AFD in the early stage.Ventricular wall myocardium exhibits more serious involvement than endocardium and mid segment was less involved than the apical and basal segments.

Objective To analyze the predictive value of cone beam computed tomography(CBCT)in styloid process syndrome(SPS)via logistic regression combined with receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on imaging data of 186 patients who underwent styloid CBCT.Among them,65 patients were clinically diagnosed with SPS(patient group),while 121 constituted the healthy controls(control group).The styloid length,inclination angle,and anteversion angle were measured,respectively.Logistic regression analysis was employed,and ROC curves were plotted to calculate sensitivity,specificity,and Youden index,the diagnostic cut-off values for SPS was obtained.Results In the control group,the styloid length was(29.66±7.22)mm,inclination angle was(22.34±3.05)°,and anteversion angle was(31.01±4.13)°.In the patient group,the styloid length was(40.30±8.65)mm,inclination angle was(21.86±3.74)°,and anteversion angle was(35.88±6.37)°.Logistic regression analysis revealed that styloid length and anteversion angle were risk factors for diagnosing SPS(P＜0.05),while inclination angle was not a risk factor for diagno-sing SPS(P＞0.05).ROC curve analysis demonstrated that diagnosing SPS,the area under the curve(AUC),sensitivity,specificity,and optimal cut-off value for styloid length were 0.868,92.3％,69.7％,and 31.23 mm,respectively;and for anteversion angle were 0.765,63.1％,89.3％,and 35.15°,respectively.Conclusion CBCT measurements of styloid length,inclination angle,and antever-sion angle suggest that a styloid length exceeding 31.23 mm and an styloid anteversion angle greater than 35.15° may indicate a higher likelihood of SPS.CBCT is a convenient,cost-effective,and safe diagnostic tool with positive clinical implications.

Objective:To investigate the effect of iron deficiency on the prognosis of elderly patients with ejection fraction preserved heart failure (HFpEF).Methods:The clinical data of old patients (>75 years) with HFpEF from November 2021 to May 2023 in General Hospital of Eastern Theater of the Chinese People′s Liberation Army were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into iron deficiency group (65 cases) and non-iron deficiency group (90 cases) according to serum ferritin (SF) and transferrin saturation (TSAT) at admission. The first hematological indexes and echocardiogram examination results after admission were compared between two groups. The patients were followed up until November 2023, the poor prognosis was recorded. The correlation between iron deficiency, iron metabolism indexes and poor prognosis in elderly patients with HFpEF was analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was drawn to analyze the effect of iron deficiency on the cumulative survival in elderly patients with HFpEF.Results:There were no statistical difference in triglyceride, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, C-reactive protein, hemoglobin and echocardiogram indexes between the two groups ( P>0.05). The N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), creatinine, procalcitonin (PCT) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in iron deficiency group were significantly higher than those in non-iron deficiency group: 427.23 (281.00, 736.90) pmol/L vs. 313.50 (182.47, 363.25) pmol/L, (167.93 ± 51.22) μmol/L vs. (121.71 ± 11.99) μmol/L, 0.12 (0.05, 0.22) μg/L vs. 0.07 (0.04, 0.16) μg/L and 25.60 (8.38, 47.01) ng/L vs. 10.15 (4.75, 19.89) ng/L, the SF, serum iron (SI) and TSAT were significantly lower than those in non-iron deficiency group: 75.40 (42.30, 198.00) μg/L vs. 207.00 (281.00, 736.90) μg/L, (6.49 ± 2.66) μmol/L vs. (12.75 ± 4.24) μmol/L and (16.65 ± 6.26)% vs. (33.78 ± 11.16)%, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01 or <0.05). The patients were followed up for (12.06 ± 7.58) months, the all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, readmission rate and heart failure readmission rate in iron deficiency group were significantly higher than those in non-iron deficiency group: 40.0% (26/65) vs. 20.0% (18/90), 18.5% (12/65) vs. 4.4% (4/90), 90.8% (59/65) vs. 70.0% (63/90) and 66.2% (43/65) vs. 17.8% (16/90), and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01). Spearman correlation analysis result showed that the iron deficiency was positive correlation with all-cause death, cardiovascular death, readmission and heart failure readmission in elderly patients with HFpEF ( P<0.01); the SI and TSAT were negative correlation with all-cause death, cardiovascular death, readmission and heart failure readmission ( P<0.01 or <0.05); and the SF was not correlation with the indexes ( P>0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis result showed that the risk of all-cause death was significantly increased in elderly HFpEF patients with iron deficiency, and the cumulative survival rate was significantly reduced (log-rank χ2 = 6.48, P<0.05). Conclusions:The elderly HFpEF patients with iron deficiency have poor prognosis with high mortality and readmission rate.

Objective To explore the epidemiological characteristics and cost structure of hospitalized patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD)in a tertiary comprehensive hospital in Xi'an from 2014 to 2023.Methods The first page information of AECOPD inpatients in a hospital from January 2014 to December 2023 was col-lected(n=6 748),and the distribution of their demographic characteristics and clinical characteristics as well as the composition of hospitalization expenses were retrospectively analyzed,and the structural change degree was used to analyze the structural change of hospitalization expenses in different years.Results AECOPD patients diagnosed and hospitalized accounted for 4.81 ‰ of all hospitalized patients in this institution from 2014-2023,the proportion of AECOPD inpatients showed a continuous downward trend during 10 years(x2=1 083.351,P＜0.001);The distribution of gender,occupation,medical payment meth-ods,and sources of AECOPD inpatients in different years showed statistical differences(P＜0.05);There is a statistical differ-ence in the seasonal distribution of AECOPD inpatients in different years(x2=157.328,P＜0.001);There is a statistical difference in the average length of hospital stay among AECOPD inpatients in different years(x2=83.463,P＜0.001);There were statistically significant differences in the proportion of hospitalizations,admission conditions,comorbidities or complications,history of drug allergies,and readmission plans among AECOPD patients in different years(P＜0.05);There is a statistical difference in the outcomes of hospitalized AECOPD patients in different years(x2=153.367,P＜0.001);The average hospital-ization cost of AECOPD patients gradually increased from 2014-2016,and gradually decreased from 2016-2023(P＜0.01);The hospitalization expenses of AECOPD patients in different years are mainly based on drug expenses and diagnostic expenses;The overall degree of structural change(DSV)of average hospitalization expenses for AECOPD patients from 2014-2022 was 41.62％,with the highest DSV of hospitalization expenses in 2012-2013(22.69％)and the lowest DSV in 2017-2018(4.23％);The proportion of drug expenses in the average hospitalization cost of AECOPD patients continued to decline,while diagnostic expenses,hygiene material expenses,medical service expenses,and nursing expenses showed an overall increasing trend from 2014-2023.Conclusion The proportion and mortality rate of hospitalized AECOPD patients have shown an overall downward trend in the past 10 years;The proportion of hospitalized AECOPD patients in the age group of 70-79 is the highest,mainly distributed in winter;The overall average hospitalization cost over the past 10 years has shown a downward trend,with drug and diagnostic expenses as the main components.Drug expenses have been decreasing year by year,while diagnostic expen-ses have been increasing year by year.This indicates that medical policy reform plays a significant role in optimizing the hospitali-zation cost structure and controlling unreasonable cost growth.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has become an increasingly important health challenge, with a substantial rise linked to changing lifestyles and global obesity. Ursolic acid, a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid, has been explored for its potential therapeutic effects. Given its multifunctional bioactive properties, this research further revealed the pharmacological mechanisms of ursolic acid on MASLD. Methods: Drug target chips and bioinformatics analysis were combined in this study to explore the potential therapeutic effects of ursolic acid on MASLD. Molecular docking simulations, surface plasmon resonance analyses, pull-down experiments, and co-immunoprecipitation assays were used to verify the direct interactions. Gene knockdown mice were generated, and high-fat diets were used to validate drug efficacy. Furthermore, initial CD4+ T cells were isolated and stimulated to demonstrate our findings. Results: In this study, the multifunctional extracellular matrix phosphorylated glycoprotein secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) was investigated, highlighting its capability to induce Th17 cell differentiation, amplifying inflammatory cascades, and subsequently promoting the evolution of MASLD. In addition, this study revealed that in addition to the canonical TGF-β/IL-6 cytokine pathway, SPP1 can directly interact with ITGB1 and CD44, orchestrating Th17 cell differentiation via their joint downstream ERK signaling pathway. Remarkably, ursolic acid intervention notably suppressed the protein activity of SPP1, suggesting a promising avenue for ameliorating the immunoinflammatory trajectory in MASLD progression. Conclusions Ursolic acid could improve immune inflammation in MASLD by modulating SPP1-mediated Th17 cell differentiation via the ERK signaling pathway, which is orchestrated jointly by ITGB1 and CD44, emerging as a linchpin in this molecular cascade.

Adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) and Adiponectin receptor 2 (AdipoR2) can bind to adiponectin (AdipoQ) secreted by adipose tissue to participate in various physiological functions of the body. In order to explore the role of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 in amphibians infected by Aeromonas hydrophila (Ah), the genes adipor1 and adipor2 of Rana dybowskii were cloned by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and analyzed by bioinformatics. The tissue expression difference of adipor1 and adipor2 was analyzed by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and an inflammatory model of R. dybowskii infected by Ah was constructed. The histopathological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE staining); the expression profiles of adipor1 and adipor2 after infection were dynamically detected by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. The results show that AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 are cell membrane proteins with seven transmembrane domains. Phylogenetic tree also shows that AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 cluster with the amphibians in the same branch. qRT-PCR and Western blotting results show that adipor1 and adipor2 were up-regulated at different levels of transcription and translation upon Ah infection, but the response time and level were different. It is speculated that AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 participate in the process of bacterial immune response, providing a basis for further exploring the biological functions of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 in amphibians.
Animals ; Receptors, Adiponectin/metabolism* ; Phylogeny ; Adiponectin/metabolism* ; Cloning, Molecular ; Ranidae/genetics*