Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic disease characterized by abnormal deposition of lipid in hepatocytes. If not intervened in time, NAFLD may develop into liver fibrosis or liver cancer, and ultimately threatening life. NAFLD has complicated etiology and pathogenesis, and there are no effective therapeutic means and specific drugs. Currently, insulin sensitizers, lipid-lowering agents and hepatoprotective agents are often used for clinical intervention, but these drugs have obvious side effects, and their effectiveness and safety need to be further confirmed. Adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a central role in maintaining energy homeostasis. Activated AMPK can enhance lipid degradation, alleviate insulin resistance (IR), suppress oxidative stress and inflammatory response, and regulate autophagy, thereby alleviating NAFLD. Natural herbal medicines have received extensive attention recently because of their regulatory effects on AMPK and low side effects. In this article, we reviewed the biologically active natural herbal medicines (such as natural herbal medicine formulas, extracts, polysaccharides, and monomers) that reported in recent years to treat NAFLD via regulating AMPK, which can serve as a foundation for subsequent development of candidate drugs for NAFLD.

Background: Millions of patients undergo cardiac surgery each year. The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) could help predict the prognosis of patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass surgery. We investigated whether the RDW has robust predictive value for the 30-day mortality among patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) after undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods: Using the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV Database, we retrieved data for 11,634 patients who underwent cardiac surgery in an ICU. We performed multivariate Cox regression analysis to model the association between the RDW and 30-day mortality and plotted Kaplan–Meier curves. Subgroup analyses were stratified using relevant covariates. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the predictive value of the RDWs. Results: The total 30-day mortality rate was 4.2% (485/11,502). The elevated-RDW group had a higher 30-day mortality rate than the normal-RDW group (P < 0.001). The robustness of our data analysis was confirmed by performing subgroup analyses. Each unit increase in the RDW was associated with a 17% increase in 30-day mortality when the RDW was used as a continuous variable (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.17, 95% confidence interval, 1.10–1.25). Our ROC results showed the predictive value of the RDW. Conclusions An elevated RDW was associated with a higher 30-day mortality in patients after undergoing cardiac surgery in an ICU setting. The RDW can serve as an efficient and accessible method for predicting the mortality of patients in ICUs following cardiac surgery.

Background: Millions of patients undergo cardiac surgery each year. The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) could help predict the prognosis of patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass surgery. We investigated whether the RDW has robust predictive value for the 30-day mortality among patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) after undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods: Using the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV Database, we retrieved data for 11,634 patients who underwent cardiac surgery in an ICU. We performed multivariate Cox regression analysis to model the association between the RDW and 30-day mortality and plotted Kaplan–Meier curves. Subgroup analyses were stratified using relevant covariates. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the predictive value of the RDWs. Results: The total 30-day mortality rate was 4.2% (485/11,502). The elevated-RDW group had a higher 30-day mortality rate than the normal-RDW group (P < 0.001). The robustness of our data analysis was confirmed by performing subgroup analyses. Each unit increase in the RDW was associated with a 17% increase in 30-day mortality when the RDW was used as a continuous variable (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.17, 95% confidence interval, 1.10–1.25). Our ROC results showed the predictive value of the RDW. Conclusions An elevated RDW was associated with a higher 30-day mortality in patients after undergoing cardiac surgery in an ICU setting. The RDW can serve as an efficient and accessible method for predicting the mortality of patients in ICUs following cardiac surgery.

Background: Millions of patients undergo cardiac surgery each year. The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) could help predict the prognosis of patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass surgery. We investigated whether the RDW has robust predictive value for the 30-day mortality among patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) after undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods: Using the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV Database, we retrieved data for 11,634 patients who underwent cardiac surgery in an ICU. We performed multivariate Cox regression analysis to model the association between the RDW and 30-day mortality and plotted Kaplan–Meier curves. Subgroup analyses were stratified using relevant covariates. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the predictive value of the RDWs. Results: The total 30-day mortality rate was 4.2% (485/11,502). The elevated-RDW group had a higher 30-day mortality rate than the normal-RDW group (P < 0.001). The robustness of our data analysis was confirmed by performing subgroup analyses. Each unit increase in the RDW was associated with a 17% increase in 30-day mortality when the RDW was used as a continuous variable (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.17, 95% confidence interval, 1.10–1.25). Our ROC results showed the predictive value of the RDW. Conclusions An elevated RDW was associated with a higher 30-day mortality in patients after undergoing cardiac surgery in an ICU setting. The RDW can serve as an efficient and accessible method for predicting the mortality of patients in ICUs following cardiac surgery.

Background: Millions of patients undergo cardiac surgery each year. The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) could help predict the prognosis of patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass surgery. We investigated whether the RDW has robust predictive value for the 30-day mortality among patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) after undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods: Using the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV Database, we retrieved data for 11,634 patients who underwent cardiac surgery in an ICU. We performed multivariate Cox regression analysis to model the association between the RDW and 30-day mortality and plotted Kaplan–Meier curves. Subgroup analyses were stratified using relevant covariates. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the predictive value of the RDWs. Results: The total 30-day mortality rate was 4.2% (485/11,502). The elevated-RDW group had a higher 30-day mortality rate than the normal-RDW group (P < 0.001). The robustness of our data analysis was confirmed by performing subgroup analyses. Each unit increase in the RDW was associated with a 17% increase in 30-day mortality when the RDW was used as a continuous variable (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.17, 95% confidence interval, 1.10–1.25). Our ROC results showed the predictive value of the RDW. Conclusions An elevated RDW was associated with a higher 30-day mortality in patients after undergoing cardiac surgery in an ICU setting. The RDW can serve as an efficient and accessible method for predicting the mortality of patients in ICUs following cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE To study the effect and potential mechanism of eriodictyol on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. METHODS Sixteen C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control group， NAFLD model group， and eriodictyol low-dose and high-dose groups （50， 100 mg/kg）， with 4 mice in each group. Except for control group， the other groups were fed with high fat diet to induce NAFLD model. After four weeks of preprocessing， they were given relevant medicine intraperitoneally （0.01 mL/g）， once a day， for 6 consecutive weeks. The body weight and liver weight of mice were measured， and the pathological damage of liver tissue in mice was observed. The levels of aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase（ALT）， and triglycerides （TG） in serum， as well as the protein expressions of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2） and heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1） in liver tissue were determined. In vitro NAFLD model was established by using 0.5 mmol/L oleic acid （OA） in HepG2 cells. Normal control group， NAFLD model group and eriodictyol low-， medium- and high-concentration groups （50， 100， 150 μmol/L） were set up. HepG2 cells in drug groups were treated with eriodictyol for 24 h at the time of modeling. The lipid deposition was observed in cells， and the levels of TG， malondialdehyde （MDA） and reactive oxygen species （ROS） as well as the phosphorylation levels of the mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signal pathway related proteins [extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK）， c- Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK）] and the protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 were all determined. RESULTS In the in vivo experiment， compared with the NAFLD model group， the body weight， liver weight， the serum levels of AST， ALT and TG were all decreased significantly in eriodictyol low- and high-dose groups （except for serum level of AST in eriodictyol low-dose group） （P＜0.01）； liver lipid deposition was reduced significantly and the protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 in liver tissues were further up-regulated （P＜0.01）. In the in vitro experiment， compared with the NAFLD model group， the lipid deposition in hepatocytes was reduced in eriodictyol low-， medium- and high-concentration groups （P＜0.01）， and the levels of ROS， MDA and TG were down-regulated （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； the phosphorylation levels of ERK and JNK were significantly down-regulated （P＜0.01）， while the protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 were up-regulated significantly （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Eriodictyol can inhibit MAPK signaling pathway and activate Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway to alleviate NAFLD.

Objective To investigate the clinical features and prognostic factors in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and liver abscess.Methods The clinical data of AIDS patients with liver abscess admitted in Beijing You-an Hospital during January 2013 to December 2017 were retrospective analyzed to reveal the clinical manifestations,etiologies,imaging features,therapeutic effects and prognostic factors.T test,x2 test or Fisher exact test were used for statistical analyses.Results A total of 76 patients were recruited.The most common clinical manifestations were fever (72 cases),chills (48 cases),anorexia (42 cases) and abdominal pain (35 cases).Liver abscesses were mainly located in right lobe (57 cases),then in left lobe (11 cases),in both right and left lobes (6 cases) and in caudate lobe (2 cases).Lobulation or division was seen in 19 cases and gas formation was seen in 5 cases.Single abscess was identified in 56 cases.Positive culture results were obtained in 15.5％ (9/58) from liver pus and 6.0％ (4/67) from blood samples.Thirteen strains of pathogens were detected by liver pus culture,including 9 strains of Staphylococcus,3 strains of Candida and 1 strain of Mycobacterium.Six strains of pathogens were detected by blood culture,including 5 strains of Staphylococcus and 1 strain of Corynebacterium.The main complications included acute kidney injury (10 cases) and septic shock (6 cases).Sixty-one cases were treated with antibiotics plus imaging-guided percutaneous aspiration,drainage or surgery,of whom 57 cases were effective.Fifteen cases were treated with antibiotics alone,of whom 12 cases were effective.Septic shock (OR =70.16,95％ CI:4.77-1 032.06,P ＜0.01),respiratory failure (OR =68.41,95％ CI:2.40-1 946.53,P =0.01) and gas formation (OR =23.36,95％ CI:1.30-420.16,P =0.03) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis.Conclusions The clinical features of AIDS patients with liver abscess are uncharacteristic.Bacteria are the main pathogens.Septic shock,respiratory failure and gas formation are independent risk factors for poor prognosis.Imagingguided percutaneous aspiration,drainage combined with antibiotic therapy is safe and effective.

Objective To investigate the protection of DHA on the cisplatin cochlear injured modal animals ,and to explore the effect mechanism of DHA .Methods The animals were grouped randomly :control group ,DHA-treated group ,and cisplatin group .DHA-treated group at the doses of 500 mg?kg -1 ?d-1 .Control group and cisplatin group just treated vegetable oil at same doses ,all group′s treatment were lasting 30 day .Cisplatin intraperitoneal injection doses of 0 .25 mg/mL ,lasting 9 day ,begin with after DHA-treated 22 day .The intraperitoneal injections just do to DHA + cisplatin group and cisplatin group .Control group given in normal saline only .ABR was detected before the injection and after .Count the number of hair cells of cochlea after injection 9 day and detected the spiral ganglion of cochlea .Results After treatment ,ABR threshold of DHA-treated group was lower than that of the cisplatin group (P<0 .05) .DHA-treated group hair cell survival rate was significantly higher than that of cisplatin group(P<0 .05) .The spiral ganglion cells (SGCs) were severely damaged of cisplatin group than DHA-treated group .Conclusion DHA in-take may protect the cochlear from antioxidant injury of experiment animals ;these results may contribute to the treatments of cispl-atin caused deafness in clinic .