Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is an acute deterioration of liver function occurring on the basis of chronic liver disease, accompanied by failure of the liver and extrahepatic organs, and is associated with a high short-term mortality rate. Liver transplantation is the only curative treatment for patients with ACLF. However, the shortage of donor livers and limitations of the organ allocation system mean that only a minority of patients can receive transplants. The current organ allocation system based on the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score may underestimate the urgency of liver transplantation for ACLF patients. Therefore, it is urgent to develop better assessment tools to determine which ACLF patients are most likely to benefit from liver transplantation. This article reviews the current mainstream definitions of ACLF, the selection of candidates for liver transplantation in ACLF, and the prognostic scoring systems for liver transplantation in ACLF, both domestically and internationally, in order to provide a reference for the prognostic assessment of liver transplantation in ACLF patients.

ObjectiveTo investigate the dynamic trajectories of prognostic scores and key clinical indicators in hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure （HBV-ACLF） patients without liver cirrhosis， to clarify their association with outcomes， and to provide new evidence for individualized prognostic assessment. MethodsA prospective study was conducted for the data of 154 non-cirrhotic HBV-ACLF patients who attended Beijing YouAn Hospital of Capital Medical University from January 2016 to December 2023， including prognostic scores and key biochemical indicators on Days 3， 7， 14， 21， and 28 of the disease course. According to the outcome of patients at 1 year， they were divided into death/liver transplantation group with 43 patients， liver cirrhosis group with 23 patients， and non-liver cirrhosis group with 88 patients， and the trajectory heterogeneity of different outcome subgroups was analyzed. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data among the three groups； the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data among the three groups； the Wilcoxon test was used between two groups. the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The mean and its 95% confidence interval （CI） were calculated for each indicator at difference time points； the linear interpolation method was used to connect the means at adjacent time points and construct the group-specific longitudinal trend curve； the 95%CI was visualized using the semi-transparent ribbon area， with the transparency parameter （α=0.2） optimized to enhance the visual discrimination of overlapping intervals across multiple groups. A linear mixed-effects model was used to compare the longitudinal changing trend of each indicator between the patients with different outcomes； likelihood ratio was used to evaluate the significance of the interaction effect between time and group， and in case of the significant interaction effect， the slope based on the estimated marginal mean was used for comparison between two groups. ResultsThere were significant differences between the three groups in the incidence rates of ascites and grade Ⅲ — Ⅳ hepatic encephalopathy， MELD score， MELD-Na score， CLIF-C ACLF score， COSSH-ACLF Ⅱ score， total bilirubin （TBil）， international normalized ratio （INR）， alpha-fetoprotein， blood sodium， alanine aminotransferase， and procalcitonin at the baseline（all P0.05）. The analysis of dynamic trajectories showed that the death/liver transplantation group had high levels of prognostic scores and the biochemical parameters of TBil and INR （TBil400 μmol/L， INR2.5）， as well as a low level of platelet count （PLT） （100×10⁹/L）. The non-liver cirrhosis group had rapid improvements in indicators， with TBil200 μmol/L， INR1.5， and PLT100×10⁹/L by day 28， while the liver cirrhosis group showed a trend of recovery， with TBil200 μmol/L， INR2.0， and PLT 100×10⁹/L on day 28， with significant global heterogeneity in the temporal trends of the above indicators across the three groups （all P0.01）. ConclusionDynamic monitoring of prognostic scores and key clinical indicators can effectively stratify the 1-year outcomes of non-cirrhotic patients with HBV-ACLF. Patients with poor prognosis were typically characterized by INR 2.5 and TBil 400 μmol/L. Among those who survived beyond 1 year， individuals who subsequently progressed to cirrhosis were frequently identified by the presence of INR 1.5， TBil 200 μmol/L， and PLT 100×10⁹/L at day 28.

OBJECTIVE To set up normal ranges for indexes in embryo-fetal development toxicity studies in Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats and to establish a background database to provide reference for the embryo-fetal development toxicity evaluation of drugs.METHODS The data on embryonic develop-ment and fetal growth from embryo-fetal development toxicity studies(11 items)conducted by our center between 2013 and 2022 was statistically analyzed,involving 205 pregnant rats and 3037 fetuses in total,with the mean and standard deviation,coefficient of variation and 95%confidence interval calculated.The indexes included body mass,body mass gain and food consumption during pregnancy,pregnancy outcomes(pregnancy rate,average corpora lutea,average Implant sites,average live conceptuses,live conceptuse rate,resorption rate and dead conceptuse rate),fetal growth and development(fetal mass,placental mass and sex ratio),appearance abnormality rate,visceral abnormality rate,and skeletal abnormality rate.RESULTS The mass of pregnant rats trended up during gestation,with significant increases in the late period.Food consumption increased along with gestation.Caesarean section was conducted on gestation day 20,and the pregnancy rate was 93.2%.The average corpora lutea,Implant sites and live conceptuses were 18.0±3.2,15.9±2.8 and 14.8±3.0,respectively.The live conceptuse rate was 93.4%while the total dead embryo rate was 6.6%.The average mass of fetuses and placenta were respectively 3.6±0.3 and(0.6±0.3)g,and the fetal sex ratio(male/female)was 0.94.The incidence of fetal appearance abnormalities was about 0.2%,and that of soft tissue abnormalities was approximately 0.8%.The rate of skeletal abnormalities was about 1.2%,with higher incidence of non-ossification and incomplete ossification mostly identified on sternum and hyoid bone.The numbers of ossifications of metacarpal bones,metatarsal bones and sacrococcygeal vertebrae were 7.0±0.7,8.0±0.1 and 7.4±0.5,respectively.The rate of ossification of sternumⅠtoⅣwas higher,with an average of about 98.6%-99.9%.The ossification rates of sternum Ⅴ and Ⅵ were(68.0±28.4)%and(82.8±23.9)%.CONCLUSION The background database of indexes in the embryo-fetal development toxicity study on SD rats is established for our GLP laboratory,which provides reference for reproductive toxicity studies.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of endoscopic resection using snares for the treatment of gastric submucosal tumors(SMTs).Methods 66 patients diagnosed with gastric SMTs and treated with endoscopic resection from August 2017 to August 2023 were retrospectively analyzed and divided into the snare group(endoscopic resection using snares,n=33)and the traditional resection group(endoscopic resection using a traditional disposable incision knife,n=33).The operation time,overall resection rate,incidence of adverse reactions,operation cost,hospitalisation cost,and the post-operative hospital days were compared between the two groups.Results The lesion diameter was 8.00(6.00,14.00)mm in the snare group and 8.00(7.50,10.00)mm in the traditional resection group,the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant(P>0.05);The operative time in the snare group was significantly shorter than that in the traditional resection group[26.00(19.00,30.50)min vs 33.00(22.50,49.50)min],the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05);The overall resection rate in both groups was 100.0%;Neither group of patients had intraoperative perforation.There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of adverse reactions such as intraoperative bleeding,abdominal pain and fever between the two group(P>0.05);The operative cost of the snare group was significantly lower than the traditional endoscopic resection group[(8 642.18±1 078.56)yuan vs(13 266.45±2 160.80)yuan],the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion Compared with traditional surgical instruments,endoscopic resection of gastric SMTs using snares has a shorter operating time,lower surgical costs,safe and effective,making it worthy of promotion.

Objective To compare the safety and clinical value of warm-water infusion or carbon dioxide(CO2)insufflation in difficult colonoscopy.Methods A collection of 150 patients from May 2021 to October 2023 who underwent unsedated and difficult colonoscopy were randomly divided into warm-water insufflation group(W group,n=50),CO2 insufflation group(C group,n=50)and air insufflation group(A group,n=50).Record the cecal insertion time,the abdominal pain score during the examination and 20 min and 1 h after the examination,the success rate of intubation,the polyps detection rate,the willingness to re-examine and the need for assistance in the three groups.Some patients were randomly selected to record partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide(PetCO2)of pre-examination,the ileocecal and 20 min after the examination to understand CO2 retention in the body.Results The cecal insertion time of group A was longer than that of group W and group C,and group W was shorter than group C.The abdominal pain score of group A was higher than that of group W and group C at each time point,and the abdominal pain score during the examination was lower in the group W compared with group C.The success rate of intubation and the willingness to re-examination in the group A were lower than those in group W and group C,The above differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).However,there was no statistical difference between the the group W and group C in terms of success rate of intubation,willingness to re-examine,and abdominal pain score at 20 minutes and 1 hour after the examination(P>0.05).In the group W,significantly fewer patients required abdominal compression compared with the other two groups,and the rate of position conversion was significantly lower than that in group A(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the detection rate of polyps among the three groups(P>0.05).In addition,PetCO2 of group C was within the normal range at all time points,and there was no statistical difference compared with the group A(P>0.05).Conclusion Compared with the air group,water or CO2 insufflation colonoscopy is safe and has a high success rate in difficult colonoscopy.It can reduce the patient's abdominal discomfort,especially water insufflation colonoscopy is more suitable for promotion in primary hospitals.

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease associated with abnormal copper metabolism in the brain,which leads to misfolding and aggregation of α-synuclein-copper complexes,which is an important pathological sign of Parkinson's disease.Copper metabolism,i.e.,cellular metabolic processes involving copper ions,is closely related to the pathogenesis of α-synuclein aggregation,dopamine metabolism,mitochondrial dysfunction,oxidative stress,and ferroptosis in Parkinson's disease.In this review,we summarize the molecular metabolic mechanism of copper toxicity by studying the pathological role of copper metabolism in Parkinson's disease,to support our further understanding of the mechanism of action and drug development.

Objective To investigate the values of systemic inflammatory response index(SIRI),systemic immunoinflammatory index(SII),neutrophil count/lymphocyte count(NLR),platelet count/lymphocyte count(PLR)and lymphocyte count/monocyte count(LMR)in prediction of the severity of acute pancreatitis(AP)at early stage.Methods The clinical data on 666 AP patients admitted to the department of hepatobiliary surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Science and Technology,from January 2020 to November 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into a mild group(MAP group,mild acute pancreatitis)and a non-mild group(non-MAP group,including moderate to severe acute pancreatitis).Blood routine and biochemical indicators were collected at admission and 24 hours after admission.The differences in SIRI,SII,NLR,PLR and LMR between the two groups were compared,so were the values of these five indexes in prediction of non-MAP.Results Of the 666 AP patients,507 were in the MAP group and 159 in the non-MAP group.In the non-MAP group,C-reactive protein(CRP),SIRI,SII,and NLR were higher than those in the MAP group 24 hours after admission,while LMR was lower than that in the MAP group,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).CRP(HR=1.008,95%CI:1.004～1.012,P<0.05)and SIRI(HR=1.216,95%CI:1.029～1.436,P<0.05)were identified as the risk factors for the severity of AP.The ROC curve showed that the AUC and sensitivity of SIRI for predicting non-MAP 24 hours after admission were 0.718 and 75.00%,respectively,higher than those of SII,CRP,NLR,and LMR.Both SIRI and CRP had AUC values greater than 0.7,and the combined AUC was 0.788(0.738～0.837),the sensitivity was 86.00%and the specificity was 81.44%.Conclusions SIRI can be used as a predictor of disease severity in early AP patients,and combined with CRP can improve the predictive value.

Malignant tumors have become the main cause of human death.With the prolonged use of chemotherapeutic drugs during the treatment process,tumor cell resistance is also constantly increasing.long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)is an important mem-ber of the non-coding RNA family.Cancer susceptibility candidate 2(CASC2)is a type of long non-coding RNA,high expression of CASC2 can inhibit tumor cell development and reduce drug resistance of tumor cells by promoting apoptosis,regulating signaling path-ways,participating in cellular transmission pathways,competitively binding of miRNA,and changing the protein structure or functional status.This article will provide a comprehensive review of the regulatory effects and mechanism of lncRNA CASC2 on chemotherapy resistance in malignant tumors.

Objective To explore the value of vesical imaging reporting and data system(VI-RADS)combined with absolute tumor-wall contact length(ABTCL)and actual tumor-wall contact length(ACTCL)in diagnosing muscle invasive bladder cancer(MIBC).Methods The MRI data of 113 patients with pathologically confirmed bladder cancer(BCa)were analyzed retrospectively.All patients underwent conventional MRI,diffusion weighted imaging(DWI)and dynamic contrast enhanced(DCE)MRI before sur-gery.Two radiologists independently evaluated MRI images based on VI-RADS score,and measured quantitative parameters,inclu-ding ABTCL and ACTCL.The Chi-square test was used to compare the difference of VI-RADS scores between MIBC and non-mus-cle invasive bladder cancer(NMIBC).Quantitative parameters between MIBC and NMIBC were compared by Mann-Whitney U test.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of VI-RADS,quantitative parameters and VI-RADS combined with quantitative parameters in the diagnosis of MIBC.Results VI-RADS,ABTCL and ACTCL had significant differences between MIBC and NMIBC(P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)for VI-RADS,ABTCL and ACTCL in diagno-sing MIBC were 0.89,0.76 and 0.77,respectively.There was no significant difference between the AUC for ABTCL and ACTCL(P＞0.05).The AUC for VI-RADS combined with ABTCL or ACTCL in diagnosing MIBC was 0.93,higher than that of only VI-RADS(P＜0.05).Conclusion The combination of VI-RADS with either ABTCL or ACTCL can effectively improve the diagnostic performance of MIBC.ABTCL obtainedby linear measurement is easier to implement in clinical practice than ACTCL obtained by curved measurement.

Berberine is a natural isoquinoline alkaloid that was initially used as a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent in clinical treatment of enteritis,peptic ulcers,chronic gastritis,pneumonia,and other diseases.In recent years,in-depth study of the pharmacological effects of berberine has provided increasing evidence that berberine has neuroprotective effects on ischemic stroke.In this review,we introduce the effect of berberine on risk factors of ischemic stroke and discuss the neuroprotective effects of berberine on various mechanisms of ischemic stroke in detail to provide a reference for clinical and basic research in this field.