OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy and safety of tirofiban for early neurological deterioration in patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS A total of 126 patients with early neurological deterioration of acute ischemic stroke who were admitted to the Department of Neurology， Heji Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College from January 2022 to December 2023 were selected and divided into observation group and control group according to random number table method， with 63 cases in each group. All patients received standardized treatment such as lipid-lowering and blood pressure-lowering therapy. Based on the standard treatment， patients in the control group additionally took Aspirin enteric-coated tablets 100 mg+Clopidogrel bisulfate tablets 75 mg orally （once a day， for 14 consecutive days）. The patients in the observation group received Tirofiban hydrochloride and sodium chloride injection based on the standardized treatment [first intravenous infusion of 0.40 μg/（kg·min） for 30 min， and then continuous intravenous infusion of 0.10 μg/（kg·min） for 47.5 h]； subsequently， patients were given Aspirin enteric-coated tablets （100 mg） and Clopidogrel bisulfate tablets （75 mg） once a day for 14 consecutive days. The clinical efficacy， the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale （NIHSS） score， modified Rankin Scale （mRS） score， and hemorheological indexes before and after treatment were compared between the two groups， and the adverse reactions were recorded. RESULTS The total effective rate （87.30%） of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group （71.43%） （P＜0.05）. NIHSS scores of the two groups at 1st， 7th and 14th day after treatment， the mRS score at 90th day after treatment， and the platelet aggregation rate， whole blood viscosity， plasma viscosity and fibrinogen at 14th day after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment in the same group， and the observation group was significantly lower than the control group at the same period （P＜0.05）. The total incidences of adverse reactions such as nausea， headache， fever， gastrointestinal bleeding， oral and nasal mucosal bleeding and thrombocytopenia in both groups of patients were 28.57% respectively， with no statistically significant difference （P＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS For patients with early neurological deterioration in acute ischemic stroke， the addition of tirofiban can accelerate the recovery of neurological function， improve blood hyperviscosity and platelet aggregation， and improve the prognosis of patients with good safety.

ObjectiveTo clarify the graded quantitative diagnostic characteristics of lung qi deficiency syndrome in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） based on latent class analysis combined with a hidden structure model. MethodsClinical data， including the four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， were collected from 745 COPD patients with lung qi deficiency syndrome. Latent class modeling was performed using R 4.1.2 software， and each patient was classified into one of three severity categories （mild， moderate， or severe） based on probabilistic parameterization， parameter estimation， and model fitting. A database was established for different severity levels of lung qi deficiency syndrome. Based on this， Lantern 5.0 software was used to construct hidden structure models for mild， moderate， and severe lung qi deficiency syndrome， and syndrome differentiation rules were developed through comprehensive clustering. ResultsA latent class model was constructed using 28 symptoms and signs with a frequency greater than 10%. Considering TCM theory and model simplicity， the optimal model was determined when the number of latent classes was three， categorizing lung qi deficiency syndrome into mild （298 cases）， moderate （164 cases）， and severe （283 cases）. Hidden structure models were separately developed for each severity level， and syndrome differentiation rules were established. A comparison of common symptoms in the syndrome differentiation rules for mild and moderate lung qi deficiency syndrome showed no statistically significant differences in diagnostic values and weights （P＞0.05）， leading to their combined analysis and the development of a unified syndrome differentiation rule. Value and weight of quantitative diagnosis of mild-to-moderate lung qi deficiency syndrome were as followed： shortness of breath （diagnostic value 9.3， diagnostic weight 86.92%）， dyspnea on exertion （8.2， 76.64%）， low voice and reluctance to speak （6.7， 62.62%）， poor appetite （4.0， 37.38%）， loose stools （4.0， 37.38%）， weak cough sound （2.9， 27.10%）， wheezing （2.3， 21.50%）， fatigue （1.8， 16.82%）， spontaneous sweating （1.7， 15.89%）， susceptibility to colds （1.6， 14.95%）， swollen tongue （1.4， 13.08%）， teeth marks on the tongue edge （1.2， 11.21%）， deep pulse （1.6， 14.95%）， with a diagnostic threshold of 10.3. Value and weight of quantitative diagnosis of severe lung qi deficiency syndrome were as followed： weak cough sound （15.1， 61.13%）， soreness and weakness of the waist and knees （12.6， 51.01%）， shortness of breath （11.1， 44.94%）， low voice and reluctance to speak （8.3， 33.60%）， frequent nocturia （6.1， 24.70%）， spontaneous sweating （3.7， 14.98%）， susceptibility to colds （3.5， 14.17%）， teeth marks on the tongue edge （7.8， 31.58%）， pale tongue body （1.9， 7.69%）， white tongue coating （5.5， 22.27%）， thin pulse （1.5， 6.07%）， with a diagnostic threshold of 23.7. ConclusionThe combination of latent class analysis and a hideen structure model effectively clarified the graded quantitative diagnostic characteristics of lung qi deficiency syndrome， providing a reference for the quantitative diagnosis of other fundamental syndromes in TCM.

Gastrointestinal tumors （GTs）， including colorectal cancer， gastric cancer， liver cancer， pancreatic cancer， and esophageal cancer， are increasing in incidence worldwide and have become one of the major diseases threatening human health. Tumor stem cells （TSCs）， an undifferentiated subpopulation within tumor tissues， possess biological characteristics such as self-renewal， multidirectional differentiation， high tumorigenicity， and resistance to radiochemotherapy. They play an important role in the occurrence， progression， recurrence， and metastasis of GTs and have increasingly become a research hotspot in GT treatment. Although modern medicine has made remarkable progress， there remain many problems in therapeutic approaches targeting TSCs. In this context， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， with its favorable safety profile and multi-target mechanisms， has shown potential advantages and value in regulating TSCs. It can reduce TSC drug resistance， enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic agents， inhibit tumor growth and metastasis， and has shown unique advantages in improving the quality of life and prolonging the survival of GT patients. Studies have found that active components of Chinese medicine， such as terpenoids， polyphenols， flavonoids， glycosides， and quinones， and Chinese medicine compound formulas， including Zuojin pills， Sijunzi decoction， Biejiajian pills， and Xuanfu Daizhe decoction， can inhibit TSCs-related signaling pathways such as the Notch signaling pathway， the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway， the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway， and the Hippo signaling pathway. They also reduce the expression of TSC surface markers， including sex-determining region Y-box 2 （SOX2）， sex-determining region Y-box 9 （SOX9）， octamer-binding transcription factor 4 （OCT4）， prominin-1 （CD133）， cluster of differentiation 44 （CD44）， cluster of differentiation 24 （CD24）， and thyroid transmembrane protein 1 （CD90）， thereby hindering TSC differentiation， accelerating their metabolic processes， improving the tumor microenvironment， and consequently inhibiting GT growth. This study collects and analyzes recent research on the regulation of TSCs by TCM in the treatment of GT， aiming to provide a new theoretical basis for tumor therapy with TCM， expand its application in the comprehensive treatment of GT， and offer new therapeutic ideas and methods for clinical practice.

Objective To analyze the risk factors of short-term re-obstruction after plastic stent placement by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP)in patients with hilar malignant biliary obstruction.Methods A retrospective study was performed on clinical data of 93 patients with hilar malignant biliary obstruction who underwent ERCP biliary plastic stent placement from January 2015 to January 2024.Understanding the effects of general information,clinical characteristics,operative-related factors,and laboratory-related indicators on postoperative short-term re-obstruction.The dependent variable was whether biliary stent re-obstruction in short-term after operation,univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors for the patients with hilar malignant biliary obstruction occurred re-obstruction in short-term after ERCP plastic stent placement.Results Among the 93 patients,49 patients had short-term recurrent biliary stent obstruction after plastic stent placement by ERCP and the recurrence rate was 52.7%.Univariate analysis showed that gender,types of malignant biliary strictures,preoperative cholangitis,no drainage before operation and endoscopic sphincterotomy(EST)during ERCP plastic stent placement,location of stent placement,fever within 24 h after ERCP plastic stent placement,the decrease less than 50%of total bilirubin(TBiL)at 2 weeks after operation,the decrease less than＜50%of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase(GGT)at 2 weeks after operation,GGT and alkaline phosphatase(ALP)by less than 50%at 2 weeks after operation were potential risk factors affecting for short-term re-obstruction after ERCP plastic stent placement in patients with hilar malignant biliary obstruction.Multivariate analysis showed that,no drainage before operation(O＾R=5.738,P=0.013),preoperative cholangitis(O＾R=5.347,P=0.025)and place stents on the left or on the right(O＾R=6.739,P=0.014;O＾R=9.719,P=0.005)were independent risk factors for short-term re-obstruction after ERCP plastic stent placement.Conclusion No drainage before operation,preoperative cholangitis,place stents on the left or on the right are independent risk factors for short-term re-obstruction after ERCP plastic stent placement in patients with hilar malignant biliary obstruction.Early identification of risk groups and timely intervention of risk factors in clinical practice are of great significance for the prevention of short-term re-obstruction after ERCP plastic stent placement in such patients.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of different stents placement under endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP)in patients with malignant biliary obstruction(MBO)and the effect on patient survival time.Methods Clinical data of MBO patients treated with ERCP stent placement between January 2020 and March 2024 were collected,divided into recyclable stent group(33 cases),metal stent group(42 cases),and ordinary stent group(34 cases).Comparation of the three groups of preoperative and postoperative changes in liver function,complications of long-term cholangitis and pancreatitis,stent patency time,success rate of stent removal with a single clamping,survival time,monitoring follow-up situation.Results There was no statistically significant difference in the liver function of the three groups of patients before stent placement(P>0.05);One week after stent placement,the difference compared with preoperative between direct bilirubin(DBiL)and total bilirubin(TBiL)in the recyclable stent group and the metal stent group was significantly higher than that in the ordinary stent group,and the difference between the ordinary stent group and other two groups was statistically significant(P<0.05).The incidence of cholangitis in the recyclable stent group was the lowest,followed by the ordinary plastic biliary stent,and the metal biliary stent had the highest incidence of cholangitis,the incidence of cholangitis in the long term after stent placement was compared among the three groups of patients with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05).The incidence of postoperative pancreatitis in the three groups was not statistically significant(P>0.05).The success rate of stent removal with a single clamping was higher in the recyclable stent group than the ordinary stent group.Comparison of median stent patency time among the three groups,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The metal stent group had the longest median patency time of 194.0 d,recyclable plastic stent had the second longest median patency time of 126.0 d,and ordinary plastic biliary stent had the shortest median patency time of 92.0 d.Median survival time among the three groups was statistically significant(P<0.05).The recyclable plastic biliary stent had the longest median survival time of 590.0 d,metal biliary stent had the second longest median survival time of 476.0 d,and ordinary plastic biliary stent had the shortest median survival time of 453.0 d.Conclusion Recyclable plastic biliary stent has a faster decrease in bilirubin index compared with the ordinary stent group after operation.And the recyclable plastic stent group has lower incidence of long-term cholangitis,higher success rate of one-time clamping of the stent,and more advantages in time to stent patency and survival time compared with ordinary plastic biliary stent,which is an effective choice of stenting modality for ERCP stent placement in patients with MBO.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the mechanism of clonidine preventing sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity and Tau phosphorylation in neonatal mice.Methods:Seventy-two SPF healthy newborn C57BL/6 wild-type mice, aged 6 days, were divided into 4 groups ( n=18 each) using a random number table method: normal control group (C group), clonidine control group (CC group), sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity group (S group) and prevention with clonidine group (SC group). Mice inhaled 3% sevoflurane for 2 h daily on postnatal days 6, 9 and 12, and normal saline or clonidine 1 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected before anesthesia in S group and SC group. Six mice were randomly selected from each group after the end of anesthesia on postnatal day 12, and the hippocampal tissues were removed for determination of the expression of the phosphorylated Tau protein (AT8) and total Tau protein (Tau46) at Tau-PS202 and Tau-PT205 sites by Western blot. The ratio of AT8 expression to Tau 46 expression (AT8/Tau46 ratio) was calculated. Another 12 mice in each group underwent novel object recognition test on postnatal days 29-30 (the discrimination ratio of novel objects was observed), and the Morris water maze test was performed on postnatal days 31-37 (the escape latency and the times of crossing the platform were observed). After the end of the behavioral testing, the hippocampal tissues were harvested under anesthesia to detect the expression of postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95) by Western blot. Results:Compared with group C, the expression of AT8 was significantly up-regulated, the ratio of AT8/Tau46 was increased, the expression of PSD-95 was down-regulated, and the number of crossing platforms and novel object discrimination ratio were decreased in group S ( P<0.05). Compared with group S, the expression of AT8 was significantly down-regulated, the ratio of AT8/Tau46 was decreased, the expression of PSD-95 was up-regulated, and the number of crossing platforms and novel object discrimination ratio were significantly increased in group SC ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression of Tau46 and escape latency among the four groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The mechanism by which clonidine prevents sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity in neonatal mice is related to the inhibition of Tau phosphorylation.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of pre-infusion of hypertonic saline on the postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients.Methods:This was a prospective study. Seventy-six patients of both sexes, aged≥60 yr, of American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification Ⅱ or Ⅲ, who underwent elective shoulder arthroscopic surgery under brachial plexus block combined with general anesthesia from June 2022 to January 2023 in our hospital, were selected and divided into 2 groups ( n=38 each) by the random number table method: hypertonic saline group and normal saline group. At 30 min before anesthesia induction, 3% hypertonic saline of 4 ml/kg was intravenously infused in hypertonic saline group, and normal saline 4 ml/kg was intravenously infused in normal saline group. The occurrence of intraoperative cerebral desaturation events was recorded. Venous blood samples were collected at 24 h postoperatively, and the plasma concentrations of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and S-100β were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expression of neutrophil CD11b was detected by flow cytometry. Rey auditory verbal learning test, trail making test, digit symbol substitution test, and stroop color-word test were performed at 1 day before surgery and 5 days after surgery, and the postoperative cognitive dysfunction was assessed using the Z-score method. Results:Compared with normal saline group, the concentrations of plasma IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and S-100β and expression of neutrophil CD11b were significantly decreased in hypertonic saline group, and the incidence of cognitive dysfunction and cerebral desaturation events was decreased in hypertonic saline group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Pre-infusion of hypertonic saline can reduce inflammatory responses and improve postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients.

Objective:To investigate alterations in functional connectivity network and brain function activity in childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) based on neuromagnetic signals by using multi-frequency magnetoencephalography.Methods:Twenty-five drug-naive children diagnosed with CAE from the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and the Affiliated Children′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University during October 2022 and March 2024 and 25 healthy controls matched for age and sex from community were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The interictal data, ictal data of CAE and healthy control children were collected using a CTF-275 channel magnetoencephalography system. Corrected amplitude envelope correlation was used to construct functional connectivity network, and network-based statistics were used to compare network differences between groups. Relative power spectral density was used to describe the distribution characteristics of whole-brain spectral power. Nonparametric permutation tests were conducted 1 000 times to compare spectral power differences between groups.Results:In terms of functional connectivity, significant increases in network activity were observed in the low-frequency bands (δ, θ) during interictal periods in children with CAE. A sub-network with significantly increased functional connectivity, including key nodes of the default mode network, was observed in the δ band. Compared with interictal periods, functional connectivity in the δ band decreased during absence seizures in children with CAE, while connectivity in the mid-to-high-frequency bands (α-γ2) increased. In terms of spectral power, children with CAE during interictal periods exhibited widespread magnetic source activation in the δ band, activation in parts of the parietal and occipital lobes in the θ band, and significantly decreased magnetic source intensity in most areas of the parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes in the α-γ2 band. Compared with interictal periods, children with CAE during absence seizures exhibited widespread magnetic source activation in the δ band, and significantly decreased activation in the θ-γ2 band. According to the magnetic source distribution map, during absence seizures, the frontal lobe replaced the parieto-occipital region in cortical activation in the α band.Conclusion:In the analysis of functional network and spectral power based on multi-frequency neuromagnetic signals, the network pattern and magnetic source activation of children with CAE during interictal periods were significantly different from those of healthy children, and there were characteristic changes in neuromagnetic signals during consciousness impairment caused by absence seizures in children with CAE.

Objective:To observe the effects of acupuncture and moxibustion on ubiquitin-like containing PHD and RING finger domains 1(UHRF1)and DNA methyltransferase 1(DNMT1)in ectopic endometrium of rats with endometriosis(EMS). Methods:Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group with 10 rats and a model-building group with 30 rats according to body mass.EMS rat models were established in the model-building group and then were divided into a model group,an acupuncture and moxibustion group,and a progesterone group,with 10 rats in each group.All rats were fixed by a fixator.The sham operation group and the model group were given normal saline by gavage.The acupuncture and moxibustion group received acupuncture at Xuehai(SP10)and Sanyinjiao(SP6),moxibustion at Guanyuan(CV4),and gavage of normal saline.The progesterone group was given the mixed liquid made of dydrogesterone and normal saline by gavage.After 28 d of treatments,the three diameters(length,width,and height)of EMS rats'ectopic cysts were measured,the cyst volumes were calculated,the volumes before intervention were subtracted,and the difference values were used to evaluate the growth of ectopic cysts.UHRF1 and DNMT1 mRNA and protein levels in normal endometrium,eutopic endometrium,and ectopic endometrium were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Results:There was no significant difference in the ectopic cyst volume difference between the acupuncture and moxibustion group and the progesterone group(P>0.05),but they were smaller than that of the model group(P<0.05).The levels of UHRF1 and DNMT1 mRNA and protein in the ectopic endometrium of the model group were lower than those in the normal endometrium(P<0.05).The levels of DNMT1 mRNA and UHRF1 protein in the eutopic endometrium of the model group were lower than those in the normal endometrium(P<0.05).The levels of UHRF1 mRNA and protein and the level of DNMT1 protein in the ectopic endometrium of the acupuncture and moxibustion group were higher than those in the model group(P<0.05),and the level of UHRF1 mRNA was higher than that in the progesterone group(P<0.05).The level of DNMT1 mRNA in the eutopic endometrium of the acupuncture and moxibustion group was higher than that in the model group(P<0.05).The levels of UHRF1 and DNMT1 mRNA and protein in the acupuncture and moxibustion group were insignificantly different from those in the normal endometrium(P>0.05). Conclusion:Acupuncture and moxibustion may up-regulate the levels of UHRF1 mRNA and UHRF1 and DNMT1 proteins in the ectopic endometrium to the normal level so as to reduce the volume of ectopic cysts and cure EMS in rats.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of Nuanxinkang on plaque formation in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS)comorbid with atherosclerosis(AS)mice by inhibiting endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition(EndMT).Methods Male ApoE-/-mice were randomly divided into six groups:control group,model group,atorvastatin group(2.6 mg·kg-1)and Nuanxinkang low-,medium-and high-dose groups(crude drug 3.5,7.0,14.0 g·kg-1),with eight mice in each group.The mice were exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia(CIH)environment during sleep for a long time,and fed with high-fat diet to replicate OSAHS comorbid with AS mouse model.Oil red O staining was used to observe the formation of plaque on aortic intima in mice.Masson trichrome staining was used to evaluate the collagen content of atherosclerotic plaques in the aortic root of mice.The expressions of endothelial cell marker CD31 and EndMT marker Vimentin in aortic plaque were detected by immunofluorescence.Blood lipid levels were determined by ELISA;the mRNA expression levels of EndMT markers α-SMA and Cdh2 in aortic tissue were detected by qPCR.Results Compared with the control group,the area of aortic atherosclerotic plaque in the model group was significantly increased(P＜0.01),and the area of collagen deposition in the aortic root plaque was significantly increased(P＜0.01).The number of CD31 positive cells in the plaque were significantly decreased(P＜0.01),and the number of Vimentin positive cells were significantly increased(P＜0.01).Serum TG,T-CHO and LDL-C levels were significantly increased(P＜0.01),and HDL-C level was significantly decreased(P＜0.01).The mRNA expression levels of α-SMA and Cdh2 in aortic tissue were significantly increased(P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,the area of aortic atherosclerotic plaque in Nuanxinkang groups were significantly reduced(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and the collagen deposition area of aortic root atherosclerotic plaque were significantly reduced(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The number of CD31 positive expression cells in the plaque of Nuanxinkang high-dose group were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the number of Vimentin positive expression cells in the plaque of Nuanxinkang medium-and high-dose groups were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The serum TG level of mice in the high-dose group of Nuanxinkang was significantly decreased(P＜0.01).The serum T-CHO and LDL-C levels of mice in each Nuanxinkang administration group were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The serum HDL-C levels of mice in the medium-and high-dose groups of Nuanxinkang were significantly increased(P＜0.01).The mRNA expression levels of α-SMA and Cdh2 in aortic tissue of mice in each treatment group were significantly decreased(P＜0.01).Conclusion Nuanxinkang can effectively reduce the plaque formation in OSAHS comorbid with atherosclerosis mice,which may be related to its inhibition of EndMT and reduction of collagen fiber formation.