As the main water channel expressed in the brain,aquaporin 4(AQP4)has been implicated in the pathological process of ischemic stroke.After ischemic stroke,the expression,phosphorylation and polarity distribution of AQP4 are affected by the process of transcription and post-translational modification.The paper summarized the basic structure,physiological function,dynamic expression changes and mechanisms of AQP4 in this review,specifically discussing the role of AQP4 in cerebral edema,blood-brain barrier permeability and neuroinflammation after ischemic stroke,offering an up-to-date perspective on further effective therapeutic strategies for ischemic stroke.

This study was aimed at comparing performance differences among three metagenomic sequencing platforms,MGISEQ-2000,Illumina NextSeq 2000,and Ion GeneStudio S5 Plus,to optimize the sequencing process for trace samples.The three sequencing platforms were used to perform high-throughput sequencing on DNA standards and simulated samples.Through analysis of the quality of raw data and microbial detection capabilities,systematic differences among platforms were compared.The sequencing results were optimized for trace samples by incorporation of exogenous nucleic acids during the li-brary preparation process.In terms of data output per batch and base quality,MGISEQ-2000 surpassed the other two plat-forms.Illumina NextSeq 2000 had the lowest proportion of duplicate reads,whereas Ion GeneStudio S5 Plus had the highest proportion,and significant differences were observed across platforms(P＜0.001).In sequencing uniformity,MGISEQ-2000 and Illumina NextSeq 2000 were superior to Ion GeneStudio S5 Plus.MGISEQ-2000 provided a substantial advantage in microbial detection capability(P＜0.001),but the advantage diminished with decreasing bacterial fluid concentration.Ion GeneStudio S5 Plus had the shortest duration for single-batch sequencing.Moreo-ver,for trace samples with DNA content ≤0.05 ng,the experi-mental group(with added exogenous nucleic acids)achieved a higher number of reads than the control group(without exogenous nucleic acids),with a 11.09±8.03 fold increase.In conclu-sion,the different sequencing platforms each had advantages and disadvantages,thus allowing researchers to choose the appro-priate platform according to specific needs.Furthermore,the addition of exogenous nucleic acids improved the microorganism detection efficiency,and provided better support for subsequent diagnosis and evaluation of results.

Objective:To compare the aortic remodeling of the Fabulous stent system and standard thoracic aortic endovascular repair (TEVAR) on distal aorta type B aortic dissection (TBAD). Methods:The prospective data collected between Dec 2017 and Oct 2019 from 134 patients with type B aortic dissection (TBAD) who underwent treatment with the "Fabulous" stent system, and retrospective data from 159 TBAD patients receiving standard TEVAR from corresponding multicenter. By using propensity score matching analysis, we compared the prognosis and aortic remodeling outcomes in patients undergoing Fabulous and standard TEVAR treatments during a 1-year postoperative follow-up.Results:In this study, 62 patients in Fabulous group and 62 patients in standard TEVAR were included.There were no significant statistical differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. In terms of aortic remodeling in bare stent region, Fabulous group had better change trends of diameter of true lumen [10.6 (4.4, 14.5) mm vs. 4.7 (0.9, 10.7) mm, P=0.001] and false lumen [-24.2 (-30.5, -4.9) mm vs. 0.7 (-11.8, 2.3) mm, P<0.001] than those in the standard TEVAR group. The rate of complete false lumen thrombosis was also higher in the Fabulous group (62.9% vs. 37.1%, P=0.042). Conclusion:The Fabulous stent system, when compared to standard TEVAR surgery, demonstrates good aortic remodeling outcomes in the distal aorta.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of brush cytology and transpapillary biopsy sampling under the guidance of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in distinguishing between benign and malignant biliary strictures.Methods:A total of 470 patients with unknown biliary strictures who underwent ERCP at Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Friendship Hospital from January 2013 to January 2022 were enrolled. Brush cytology was performed before biopsy in a single procedure, and with multiple ERCP brush cytologies or biopsy performed for challenging cases. Clinical data, ERCP procedures, pathological results, and follow-up data were collected. With the final diagnosis as the golden standard, the diagnostic efficacy of brush cytology and biopsy sampling were calculated.Results:The final diagnosis showed 251 cases of malignant and 219 cases of benign biliary strictures. All 470 patients received brush cytology, among whom, 37 patients underwent multiple brush cytologies. Additionally, 114 patients were treated with biopsy sampling. The single brush cytology showed a sensitivity of 49.40% (124/251) and a specificity of 99.09% (217/219) for diagnosing malignant biliary strictures. Multiple brush cytologies showed a sensitivity of 68.42% (13/19) and a specificity of 100.00% (18/18). Biopsy sampling showed a sensitivity of 68.18% (45/66) and a specificity of 97.92% (47/48). Among the 114 patients who underwent both brush cytology and biopsy sampling, the results showed that the diagnostic sensitivity of brush cytology combined with biopsy sampling [77.27% (51/66)] and the sensitivity of single biopsy sampling [68.18% (45/66)] were significantly higher than that of single brush cytology [43.94% (29/66), χ 2=13.99, P<0.001; χ 2=6.92, P=0.009]. Conclusion:Combining brush cytology and biopsy forceps during ERCP enhances diagnostic sensitivity in identifying malignant biliary strictures. Biopsy sampling stands out as more sensitive compared with single brush cytology, emphasizing its role in improving diagnostic capabilities.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization and the prognosis in patients with extensive burns, in order to explore the hemoglobin warning threshold for blood transfusion in patients with extensive burns.Methods:The research was a retrospective observational study. From October 2012 to October 2022, 288 patients with extensive burns who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University (the Third Military Medical University), including 243 males and 45 females, aged 18 to 65 years. These patients were assigned to the death group ( n=54) and the survival group ( n=234) based on their final prognosis. The clinical data including gender, age, body mass index, total burn area, full-thickness burn area, time of first operation after injury, preoperative prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and hemoglobin level of the first surgery, complication of inhalation injury, number of surgeries, total surgical area, total surgical time, total length of hospital stay, and highest procalcitonin value, lowest platelet count and hemoglobin values, and occurrence of sepsis during hospitalization were compared between the two groups of patients. According to the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization, the patients were assigned to <65 g/L group, ≥65 g/L and <75 g/L group, ≥75 g/L and <85 g/L group, and ≥85 g/L group. The total length of hospital stay, mortality and incidence of sepsis during hospitalization, and mortality within 90 days after injury were compared among the four groups of patients. The relationship between the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization and the mortality risk of patients with extensive burns was analyzed using a restricted cubic spline model before and after adjusting covariates. A logistic regression model was adopted to analyze the relationship between the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization and the mortality risk of patients with extensive burns after adjusting covariates, with the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization as a continuous variable and a categorical variable, separately. Results:Compared with those in survival group, the total burn area, full-thickness burn area, and total surgical area of patients in death group were significantly increased, the preoperative APTT of the first surgery was significantly prolonged, the number of surgeries was significantly reduced, the total length of hospital stay was significantly shortened, the highest procalcitonin value during hospitalization was significantly increased, the lowest platelet count and hemoglobin values during hospitalization were significantly decreased, and the incidence proportion of sepsis during hospitalization was significantly increased (with Z values of -6.72, -5.40, -2.15, -2.99, -2.21, -7.84, -6.23, -7.03, and -3.43, respectively, χ2=161.95, P values all <0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the other clinical data of patients between the two groups ( P>0.05). There were statistically significant differences in mortality and incidence of sepsis during hospitalization, and mortality within 90 days after injury of patients among the four groups divided according to the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization (with χ2 values of 12.12, 15.93, and 10.62, respectively, P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the total length of hospital stay of patients among the four groups ( P>0.05). The restricted cubic spline model analysis revealed an approximately linear relationship between the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization and the mortality risk of patients with extensive burns before and after adjusting covariates (with χ2 values of 0.81 and 0.75, respectively, P>0.05). After adjusting covariates, the logistic regression model analysis showed that the mortality risk of patients with extensive burns increased with decreasing hemoglobin when the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization was analyzed as a continuous variable (with odds ratio of 0.96, with 95% confidence interval of 0.92 to 0.99, P<0.05). When using the median value of 75.5 g/L as the cut-off value for categorizing the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization, there was no statistically significant difference in the mortality risk between patients with hemoglobin <75.5 g/L and those with hemoglobin ≥75.5 g/L ( P>0.05). When the patients were divided into four groups based on the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization as above, using ≥85 g/L group as a reference, only patients in <65 g/L group had a significantly increased mortality risk (with odds ratio of 5.37, with 95% confidence interval of 1.57 to 18.29, P<0.05). Conclusions:There is an approximately linear correlation between the lowest hemoglobin value during hospitalization and the mortality risk of patients with extensive burns. When the hemoglobin level drops to 65 g/L or lower, the mortality risk of patients increases significantly, suggesting that a hemoglobin level of 65 g/L could serve as a warning threshold for blood transfusion in patients with extensive burns.

Gap junction proteins have a significant impact on the propagation of neuroinflammation after cerebral ischemia.Connexin 43(Cx43),the principal connexin in the central nervous system,typically assembles hexameric hemichannels in an oligomeric state that dock with hemichannels on adjacent cells to form gap junction channels.Ordinarily,the likelihood of cell surface hemichannels opening is minimal.However,during cerebral ischemia,the excessive activation of Cx43 hemichannels leads to the liberation of a substantial quantity of ions(Na+,Cl-,Ca2+,and K+),glutamate,aspartate,and adenosine triphosphate(ATP),thereby resulting in impairment of adjacent cells and aggravation of neuronal injury.Furthermore,the activation of Cx43 hemichannels triggers the release of inflammatory factors,which exhibits a strong association with the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome after cerebral ischemia.Hence,the modulation of Cx43 hemichannels presents a potential avenue for mitigating neuroinflammation and subsequently diminishing cerebral ischemic injury.This article focuses on the relationship between Cx43 hemichannels and NLRP3 inflammasome activation,as well as its role in cerebral ischemia,all of which provide novel insights and therapeutic approaches for managing cerebral ischemia.

Objective To explore the effects of M1 polarization of microglia on secondary damage in the thalamus after cerebral cortical infarction.Methods A focal cortical infarct model of adult male SD rats was pre-pared using eletrocoagulation and randomized into Sham and model groups at different time points 1～4 weeks after surgery.Based on the assessment of neurofunctional changes in each group of rats,immunohistochemistry was used to observe the number and morphology of NeuN,GFAP and Iba-1 positive cells in(Ventral posterior nucleus of thalamus,VPN)of the ipsilateral thalamus after distal middle cerebral artery occlusion(dMCAO).Immunofures-cence was used to detect the number and morphology of M1 microglia marker(Iba-1+/CD68+cells)and M2 microg-lia marker(Iba-1+/CD206+cells)in VPN of the ipsilateral thalamus after dMCAO.Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-10 and Arg-1 in VPN of the ipsilateral thalamus after dMCAO.Results The results of immunohistochemistry showed a significant decrease in NeuN positive cells and an increase in the density of GFAP and Iba-1 in the ipsilateral VPN of rats after dMCAO when compared with Sham group(P<0.001).Compared with sham group,the protein levels of TNF α and IL-1β were elevated in the ipsilateral VPN elevated(P<0.05).In addition,the model group rats exhibited higher Bederson scores,beam-walking test and adhesive removal test scores after dMCAO compared with Sham group(P<0.05).The numbers of M1 microglia marker(Iba-1+/CD68+cells)were significantly increased when compared with M2 microglia marker(Iba-1+/CD206+cells)in ipsilateral VPN of rats after dMCAO.Conclusion M1 polarization of microglia may play an essential role in secondary damage of thalamus after cerebral cortical infarction.

Aim To investigate the serum levels of thrombin-antithrombin complex(TAT),tissue type plas-minogen activator-inhibitor complex(t-PAIC)and thrombomodulin(TM)in patients with intracranial atherosclerotic steno-sis(ICAS),and their correlations with the degree of stenosis.Methods A total of 196 ICAS patients(ICAS group)who underwent treatment in Cangzhou People's Hospital from January 2021 to February 2023 were enrolled as research sub-jects.Based on the degree of vascular stenosis,they were separated into three groups:mild group(n=78),moderate group(n.=64),and severe group(n=54).A group of 196 healthy outpatient with similar clinical basic data to ICAS patients was selected as controls.The serum levels of TAT,t-PAIC,and TM in each group were compared;Spearman method was applied to analyze the correlation between serum levels of TAT,t-PAIC,TM and stenosis severity in ICAS pa-tients;Multivariate Logistic regression was applied to analyze the influencing factors of severe stenosis in ICAS patients;ROC curve was applied to analyze the predictive value of serum TAT,t-PAIC,TM and total cholesterol(TC)levels for se-vere stenosis in ICAS patients.Results Compared with the control group,the serum levels of TAT,t-PAIC,and TM were significantly increased in the ICAS group(P＜0.05);the levels of serum TAT,t-PAIC,TM,and TC in the mild,moderate,and severe groups increased accordingly(P＜0.05).Spearman analysis showed that the serum levels of TAT,t-PAIC,and TM in ICAS patients were positively correlated with the degree of stenosis(r=0.574,0.695,0.628;all P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that TAT,t-PAIC,TM,and TC were independent risk factors for severe stenosis in ICAS patients(P＜0.05).The ROC curve showed that the AUC of severe stenosis in ICAS patients predicted by combination of TAT,t-PAIC,TM,and TC was 0.927,with a sensitivity of 83.33％and a specificity of 86.62％,which was superior to the independent prediction of TAT,t-PAIC,TM and TC(Zcombined detection-TAT=4.617,Zcombined deteetion-t-PAIC=4.024,Zcombined detection-TM=4.004,Zcombined detection-TC=7.078,all P=0.000).Conclusion The ser-um levels of TAT,t-PAIC,and TM in the ICAS group were significantly increased,and were positively correlated with the severity of stenosis.The combination of the three and TC has a high predictive value for the occurrence of severe stenosis in ICAS patients.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant arterial interventional chemotherapy(NAIC)and neoadjuvant intravenous chemotherapy(NIVC)for the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer(LACC).Methods Randomized controlled trials(RCTs)which fit the theme were included by searching PubMed,Web of Science,Embase,CNKI,and Wanfang databases.After study quality assessment and data extraction,statistical analysis was performed using Stata 17.0,and outcome quality was assessed using the GRADE system.Results A total of 14 RCTs were included,with 1 063 LACC patients.The results of the Meta-analysis showed that NAIC and NIVC had a positive effect on the effectiveness indicators:complete response(CR)[RR=1.23,95％CI(0.91,1.67),P=0.174],partial response(PR)[RR=1.10,95％CI(0.86,1.20),P=0.874],total response(TR)[RR=1.10,95％CI(0.95,1.25),P=0.212],no change(NC)[RR=0.62,95％CI(0.33,1.16),P=0.137]and progressive disease(PD)[RR=1.43,95％CI(0.41,4.99),P=0.574]were not statistically significant.Differences in safety indicators:gastrointestinal reactions[RR=0.96,95％CI(0.76,1.23),P=0.755],hepatic and renal impairment[RR=0.71,95％CI(0.41,1.23),P=0.226]were not statistically significant.While in the incidence of myelosuppression[RR=0.62,95％CI(0.45,0.86),P=0.04],NAIC was superior to NIVC.In addition,the GRADE score results showed CR,PR,TR,and NC were high-quality evidence.Conclusion For LACC patients,the incidence of myelosuppression after treatment with NAIV is lower and safer than that with NIVC,and no significant difference was found between the two in terms of other efficacy and safety indicators.Clinicians should choose the appropriate neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen based on a comprehensive assessment of the patient's actual condition.

Objective To investigate the hemodynamic characteristics of carotid artery models with different degrees of artificial arterial stenosis based on hemodynamic numerical simulation,and to analyze causes of internal carotid artery stenosis and the diseases due to the stenosis from the perspective of hemodynamics.Methods Two-dimensional CT data of healthy individuals were collected from Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Minzu University,and the three-dimensional model of carotid artery was reconstructed from the two-dimensional CT data using medical modeling software MIMICS20.0.Subsequently,the obtained carotid artery model was imported to 3-Matic Medical software and interfered with various degrees of artificial internal carotid artery stenosis at the same location to obtain the models with 25%,50%and 75%internal carotid artery stenosis.After format conversion,boundary condition setting and mesh generation,the models were imported to computational fluid dynamics software FLUENT14.5 for the hemodynamic numerical simulation and analysis of the carotid artery and two-phase blood flow.Results The comparison of the blood streamlines and velocity vector maps of 3 different degrees of internal carotid artery stenosis at the same location revealed that with the increase of stenosis severity,the phenomenon of blood vortex flow at the carotid sinus decreases rapidly,but obvious vortex flow appeared above and below the internal carotid artery stenosis,and the blood flow was selectively deflected.During the internal carotid artery stenosis from 25%to 50%and then to 75%,the pressure on the wall of internal carotid artery was always low,and the pressure on the wall of internal carotid artery was gradually increased,forming a high pressure area.There was high shear stress area at the stenosis,and the low shear stress ranges above and below the stenosis were obviously larger.Conclusion The technology of using computer software to obtain models with artificial stenosis is convenient and efficient.When the internal carotid artery stenosis increases from 25%to 50%and then to 75%,the blood flow of the carotid artery changes obviously,obvious vortex flow appears in the internal carotid artery,and the mechanical properties of the wall of the carotid artery also change.