The concept of "spirit" in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） aligns closely with "the liver governs the designing of strategy". By exploring the relationship between the liver and executive function decline， it is proposed that prolonged liver constraint leads to indecisiveness in strategy designing， which is the initiating factor for executive function decline； liver blood deficiency causes difficulties in executing strategy， which forms an essential foundation for the progression of executive function decline； obstruction in the "liver-du mai-brain" pathway leads to unclear strategy designing， which accelerates executive function decline. This relationship is examined from the perspectives of TCM， modern medicine， and cognitive psychology， aiming to provide insights into addressing executive function decline through treatments focused on the liver.

BACKGROUND: Changes in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels may not fully translate into patient-reported health status in patients with heart failure (HF). We aimed to evaluate the correlation between NT-proBNP levels and patient-reported health status changes at one month after discharge of patients, and their associations with risk of death and rehospitalization in patients with acute HF. METHODS: We used data from the China Patient-centered Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events Prospective Heart Failure Study (PEACE 5p-HF Study). Patient-reported health status was measured by the 12-item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ-12). Patients who were hospitalized for HF and completed the KCCQ-12 and NT-proBNP tests before and one month after discharge were eligible in our study. We stratified patients into different groups based on NT-proBNP levels (i.e., improved, stable, and deteriorated) and KCCQ-12 scores (i.e., not deteriorated and deteriorated). We also examined the associations of the joint NT-proBNP and KCCQ-12 change with the risk of one-year and four-year clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 2461 patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 64.06 ± 13.51 years, and 36.37% (895/2461) of the study population were female. Among patients with improved NT-proBNP levels, 115 (10.95%) patients had deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores. The correlation between the change in the KCCQ-12 score and NT-proBNP level was weak ( r2 = 0.002, P = 0.013). Stratification by changes in the KCCQ-12 score revealed subgroups with distinctive risks, such that patients with deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores in any of the NT-proBNP change groups exhibited an increased risk of one-year all-cause death than participants with not deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores in any of the NT-proBNP change groups. Patients with improved NT-proBNP levels and deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores presented greater risks of one-year all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34-4.48) than patients with stable NT-proBNP levels and not deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores (HR [95% CI], 1.77 [1.25-2.53]). CONCLUSIONS: A discrepancy between changes in NT-proBNP levels and KCCQ-12 scores was common. The change in NT-proBNP levels was not sufficient to characterize critical aspects related to HF during one month after discharge of patients. Changes in the KCCQ-12 score exhibit complementary information to NT-proBNP levels for the prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with acute HF. REGISTRATION www.clinicaltrials.gov (No. NCT02878811).
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Health Status ; Heart Failure/metabolism* ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain/metabolism* ; Peptide Fragments/metabolism* ; Prospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: Exposure to rare earth elements (REEs) has been linked to various systemic diseases, but their impact on the offspring blood-brain barrier (BBB) via the gut-brain axis remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the effects of maternal exposure to neodymium oxide (Nd₂O₃) on the BBB integrity of offspring rats, and to evaluate the potential protective role of bifidobacterium tetrad viable tablets (BTVT) against Nd₂O₃-induced intestinal and BBB damage. METHODS: Healthy adult SD rats were mated at a 1:1 male-to-female ratio, with the day of vaginal plug detection marked as gestational day 0. A total of 60 pregnant rats were randomly assigned to the following groups: Control, 50 mg/(kg·d) Nd₂O₃, 100 mg/(kg·d) Nd₂O₃, 200 mg/(kg·d) Nd₂O₃, and 200 mg/(kg·d) Nd₂O₃ + BTVT group. Treatments were administered by daily oral gavage throughout pregnancy and lactation. On postnatal day 21 (weaning), offspring feces, brain, and colon tissues were collected. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to assess structural changes in brain and intestinal tissues. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Evans Blue (EB) dye extravasation assessed BBB permeability. Gene and protein expression levels of tight junction proteins occludin and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) were measured by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting (WB), respectively. Neodymium levels in brain tissue were determined via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). RESULTS: HE staining revealed that maternal Nd₂O₃ exposure caused mucosal edema, increased submucosal spacing, and lymphocyte infiltration in offspring colon, as well as neuronal degeneration and vacuolization in brain tissue. BTVT intervention alleviated these changes. GC-MS analysis showed that levels of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and isobutyric acid significantly decreased, while valeric acid and isovaleric acid increased in offspring of Nd₂O₃-exposed mothers (P<0.05). BTVT significantly restored levels of acetic, propionic, and isobutyric acids and reduced valeric acid content (P<0.05). EB permeability was significantly elevated in Nd₂O₃-exposed offspring brains (P<0.05), but reduced with BTVT treatment (P<0.05). RT-PCR and WB showed downregulation of occludin and ZO-1 expression following Nd₂O₃ exposure (P<0.05), which was reversed by BTVT (P<0.05). ICP-MS results indicated significantly increased brain neodymium levels in offspring from all Nd₂O₃-exposed groups (P<0.05), while BTVT significantly reduced neodymium accumulation compared to the 200 mg/(kg·d) Nd₂O₃ group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Maternal exposure to Nd₂O₃ during pregnancy and lactation disrupts intestinal health and BBB integrity in offspring, elevates brain neodymium accumulation, and induces neuronal degeneration. BTVT effectively mitigates Nd₂O₃-induced intestinal and BBB damage in offspring, potentially through modulation of the gut-brain axis.
Animals ; Female ; Blood-Brain Barrier/pathology* ; Pregnancy ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Male ; Neodymium/toxicity* ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/prevention & control* ; Lactation ; Maternal Exposure/adverse effects* ; Brain

Metastasis serves as an indicator of malignancy and is a biological characteristic of carcinomas. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a key role in the promotion of tumor invasion and metastasis and in the enhancement of tumor cell aggressiveness. Prostaglandin E synthase 3 (p23) is a cochaperone for heat shock protein 90 (HSP90). Our previous study showed that p23 is an HSP90-independent transcription factor in cancer-associated inflammation. The effect and mechanism of action of p23 on lung cancer metastasis are tested in this study. By utilizing cell models in vitro and mouse tail vein metastasis models in vivo, the results provide solid evidence that p23 is critical for promoting lung cancer metastases by regulating downstream CXCL1 expression. Rather than acting independently, p23 forms a complex with RNA-binding motif protein 14 (RBM14) to facilitate EMT progression in lung cancer. Therefore, our study provides evidence for the potential role of the RBM14-p23-CXCL1-EMT axis in the metastasis of lung cancer.

Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma(PSC)is a rare and highly malignant tumor,which includes the follow-ing five pathologic types:pleomorphic carcinoma,spindle cell carcinoma,giant cell carcinoma,carcinosarcoma and pulmonary blastoma.The onset of PSC is occult with non-specific clinical symptoms and signs.The clinical manifestations include irritat-ing cough,bloody sputum,dyspnea,chest pain and so on,which are closely related to the growth and invasion site of the tumor.PSC tends to metastasize early,so most patients are already in local advanced stage or advanced stage with a median survival of 9 months at the time of hospital visit.A patient with primary PSC which led to 90%stenosis in central airway was treated by com-bined method of vascular and tracheoscopic intervention in our respiratory center.This treatment prolonged the patient's survival time and got a satisfactory effect at 19-month follow-up after surgery.Herein we report the case for clinical reference.

Background and objective As a new technique developed in recent years,bronchoscopic interven-tion therapy has the advantages of minimal invasion,high safety and repeatability.The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical characteristics of bronchopleural fistula(BPF)induced by surgeries for lung malignancies or benign diseases and the effect of bronchoscopic intervention therapy for BPF,so as to provide support for prevention and treatment of BPF.Methods Data 64 patients with BPF who were treated by bronchoscopic intervention in Respiratory Disease Cen-ter of Dongzhimen Hospital,Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from June 2020 to September 2023 were collected.Patients with fistula diameter ≤5 mm were underwent submucous injection of macrogol,combined with blocking therapy with N-butyl cyanoacrylate,medical bioprotein glue or silicone prosthesis.Patients with fistula diameter＞5 mm were im-planted with different stents and cardiac occluders.Locations and characteristics of fistulas were summarized,meanwhile,data including Karnofsky performance status(KPS),shortbreath scale(SS),body temperature,pleural drainage volume and white blood cell count before and after operation were observed.Results For all 64 patients,96 anatomic lung resections in-cluding pneumonectomy,lobectomy and segmentectomy were executed and 74 fistulas occurred in 65 fistula locations.The proportion of fistula in the right lung(63.5％)was significantly higher than that in the left(36.5％).Besides,the right inferior lobar bronchial fistula was the most common(40.5％).After operation,KPS was significantly increased,while SS,body tem-perature,pleural drainage volume and white blood cell count were significantly decreased compared to the preoperative values(P＜0.05).By telephone follow-up or readmission during 1 month to 38 months after treament,median survival time was 21 months.33 patients(51.6％)showed complete response,7 patients(10.9％)showed complete clinical response,18 patients(28.1％)showed partial response,and 6 patients(9.4％)showed no response.As a whole,the total effective rate of broncho-scopic intervention for BPF was 90.6％.Conclusion BPF induced by pulmonary surgery can lead to severe symptoms and it is usually life-threating.Bronchoscopic intervention therapy is one of the fast and effective therapeutic methods for BPF.

Pulmonary mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma(MSCGP)is a subtype of pulmonary papil-loma,which can be classified as central type and peripheral type based on its site of development.The central type is the most common.The clinical manifestations of pulmonary MSCGP are mainly related to the location of the tumor.Surgery is the main treatment for this disease.Bronchoscopic interventional treatment for the MSCGP in the central trachea could receive satis-factory effect.We reported a patient suffered from diffuse tracheal MSCGP who was treated by bronchoscopic interventional treatment in Respiratory Disease Center,Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine,aiming to enhance the recognition of the clinical features and provide clinical references for the diagnosis and treatment of such disease.

Objective:To study the epidemiological and spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Hangzhou City, providing a scientific basis for prevention and control of HFRS.Methods:Data of HFRS cases reported in Hangzhou City from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2022 were collected through the Infectious Disease Surveillance and Reporting Information System of China Disease Prevention and Control Information System. Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the prevalence and three-distribution characteristics of HFRS in Hangzhou City. Joinpoint regression was used to analyze the trend of HFRS incidence in Hangzhou City from 2010 to 2022. Global and local spatial autocorrelation were used to analyze the spatial distribution pattern of HFRS and the hotspots of incidence in Hangzhou City. And spatio-temporal scanning was used to analyze the spatio-temporal aggregation areas of HFRS in Hangzhou City.Results:From 2010 to 2022, a total of 224 HFRS cases were reported in Hangzhou City, with an average annual incidence of 0.18/100 000. The distribution of cases showed obvious seasonality, with peak incidence in spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November), accounting for 30.80% (69/224) and 26.34% (59/224), respectively. HFRS cases were reported in all districts (counties, cities) of the city, among which Xiaoshan District (66 cases, 29.46%), Chun'an County (41 cases, 18.30%) and Jiande City (25 cases, 11.16%) ranked the top three. The majority of the cases were individuals aged 31 to 60 (65.18%, 146/224), males (74.55%, 167/224), and farmers (46.43%, 104/224). Joinpoint regression analysis indicated that the overall incidence of HFRS in Hangzhou City was in downward trend from 2010 to 2022 [average annual percent change (AAPC) = - 5.01%, 95% confidence intervals ( CI): - 9.46% to - 0.34%, t = - 2.10, P = 0.036]. Global spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that there was a positive spatial correlation in the incidence of HFRS among various streets (townships) in Hangzhou City from 2011 to 2014, 2018, and 2020 (Moran's I > 0, Z > 1.96, P < 0.05). Local spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that from 2010 to 2022, the number of streets (towns) in hot areas (high-high) in Hangzhou City was 0, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 0, 0, 4, 0, 1, 0, and 1, respectively, and was relatively fixed in the southwest districts (counties, cities). Spatio-temporal scan analysis identified three clusters: Cluster I was from August 2011 to January 2015, centered on Fenkou Town in Chun'an County, involving 5 townships in Chun'an County; Cluster Ⅱ-1 was from August 2012 to March 2016, centered on Puyang Town in Xiaoshan District, involving 5 townships in Xiaoshan District; Cluster Ⅱ-2 was from June 2019 to June 2020, centered on Xiaya Town in Jiande City, not involving other streets (townships). Conclusions:From 2010 to 2022, the majority of HFRS cases in Hangzhou City are middle-aged male farmers. The overall trend of HFRS epidemic is decreasing, mainly concentrated in the southwest districts (counties, cities) of Hangzhou City. In the future, precise prevention and control measures should be implemented in key areas and among key populations.

Objective To explore the mechanism of immediate effect regulated by acupuncture on acupoints in patients with migraine without aura(MwoA)during the interictal period.Methods A total of 28 MwoA patients were enrolled and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI)were performed at baseline and after acupuncture for 30 minutes.Paired t test was used to compare the differences of regional homogeneity(ReHo)and voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity(VMHC)between two groups.Additionally,the correlation between the changes of rs-fMRI indexes and clinical scores was analyzed.Results In MwoA patients after acupuncture for 30 minutes,the mean regional homogeneity(mReHo)was decreased in the right lingual gyrus and right cere-bellum and was increased in the right middle frontal gyrus,while the z transformation voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity(zVMHC)was significantly decreased in the bilateral cuneus compared with baseline.There was no significant correlation between imaging data and clinical scales.Conclusion Patients with MwoA after acupuncture for 30 minutes show abnormal ReHo and VMHC in multiple brain regions,which suggest that the mechanism of immediate effect may act through regulating pain-related brain regions.