Acute-on-chronic liver failure （ACLF） is an acute and critical illness with a high short-term mortality rate， and current therapies mainly focus on elimination of causes， organ support， and prevention of complications. Although liver transplantation is the most effective treatment modality， its clinical application is limited， and traditional Chinese medicine has shown significant advantages and characteristics in the treatment of ACLF. In traditional Chinese medicine， ACLF is classified into the same category as diseases such as “jaundice”， and unlike traditional jaundice which is mostly characterized by excess and heat syndromes， the syndrome of ACLF has gradually transformed from Yang jaundice to Yin jaundice due to the changing disease spectrum of ACLF. With reference to the pathogenesis of ACLF in Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine theories， this article discusses the essential pathogenesis of ACLF in traditional Chinese medicine， explores the evolution of ACLF syndromes， and reviews the research advances in the clinical efficacy and mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine based on the three-factor differentiation-based treatment of damp-heat， blood stasis-heat， and spleen deficiency， as well as the safety of spleen-strengthening and Yang-warming drugs in the clinical treatment of ACLF， in order to provide ideas， methods， and evidence for the application of traditional Chinese medicine in ACLF.

Objective To explore the effect of individualized positive end expiratory pressure guided by driving pressure on lung protection after laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for elderly patients.Methods A total of 64 patients underwent elective laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were selected.According to the random number table method,patients were divided into the driving the pressure guided individualized positive end-expiratory pressure(PEEP)group(experimental group)and the fixed PEEP group(control group),32 cases in each group.In the control group,PEEP = 5 cmH2O.In the experimental group,PEEP titration was performed according to the increasing method,and the PEEP corresponding to the lowest driving pressure was selected until extubation.Peak airway pressure(Ppeak),plateau airway pressure(Pplat)and PEEP were recorded at 5 min after intubation(T1),immediately after PEEP titration(T2),1 h after operation(T3),2 h after operation(T4),and 10 min after pneumoperitoneum release(T5).Driving pressure(ΔP)and lung dynamic compliance(Cdyn)were calculated.Arterial blood was collected at T1-5 for blood gas analysis,arterial partial pressure of oxygen(PaO2)was recorded,and oxygenation index(OI)was calculated.The occurrence of pulmonary complications(PPCs)within 7 days after operation was recorded.Modified clinical pulmonary infection score(mCPIS)was recorded on the second day after operation.The pulmonary function was evaluated before operation,1 day,3 days and 5 days after operation.Results Compared with T1,Ppeak,Pplat and ΔP were increased and Cdyn was decreased at T2-5,while OI was decreased at T4 in control group(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,Ppeak,Pplat and Cdyn in the experimental group were increased at T2-5,ΔP was decreased,and OI was increased at T3-5(P＜0.05).Compared with the preoperative results,FVC at 1,3 and 5 days after surgery was decreased,and FEV1 and maximum expiratory flow(PEF)were decreased 1 and 3 days after surgery in the experimental groups(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,FVC,FEV1 and PEF were higher 1 day after operation in the experimental group(P＜0.05).Compared with the preoperative results,mCPIS scores of the two groups were higher on the second day after surgery(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the mCPIS score was lower on day 2 after surgery in the experimental group(P＜0.05).The incidence of PPCs within 7 days after surgery was lower in the experimental group than that in the control group(15.6%vs.40.6%).Conclusion Individualized PEEP guided by drive pressure can improve lung compliance,reduce drive pressure,improve oxygenation function and early postoperative lung function,reduce the incidence of postoperative lung complications,and has a certain lung protection effect.

Objective To assess the role of the ferroptosis-associated gene GLS2 in the prognosis of pan-cancer and immunity using bioinformatics methods. Methods GLS2 expression levels in pan-cancer were profiled using publicly available databases: The Cancer Genome Atlas, GTEx, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia and the International Cancer Genome Consortium. The aim was to explore the role of GLS2 gene expression, gene variation survival analysis, immune infiltration, immune checkpoint related genes, TMB, and MSI in different tumors. Results Difference in GLS2 expression levels between cancer and paraneoplastic tissues was statistically significant in most cancer types, and the expression level was correlated with survival in these cancer types. A positive correlation was found between GLS2 expression and immune cell infiltration in multiple cancer types, and GLS2 expression level was positively correlated with TMB, MSI, and methylation, and its expression is an indicator for potential therapeutic response. Conclusion Pan-cancer analysis shows that the ferroptosis-related gene GLS2 can be used as a diagnostic and prognostic marker of clear cell carcinoma of kidney, adrenocortical carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, and pancreatic cancer.

Background It is a research hotspot to study the changes of metabolites and metabolic pathways in the process of coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) by metabonomics and to explore its pathogenesis. Objective To study the change of metabolites in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with CWP and explore the metabolic regulation mechanism of the disease. Methods Patients with CWP who met the national diagnostic criteria according to Diagnosis of occupational pneumoconiosis (GBZ 70-2015) and underwent massive whole lung lavage were selected as the case group, and patients with tracheostenosis who underwent bronchoscopy were selected as the control group. BALF samples were collected from the cases and the controls. After filtering out large particles and mucus, the supernatant was stored in a −80 ℃ refrigerator. The samples were detected and analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry after adding extraction solution, cold bath ultrasonication, and high-speed centrifugation, and the metabolic profiles and related data of CWP patients were obtained. The differential metabolites related to the occurrence and development of CWP were screened by multiple statistical analysis; furthermore, we searched the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database for potential metabolic pathways involved in the progression. Results There was no significant difference in the general conditions of the subjects, such as weight, height, age, and length of service among the stage I group, the stage II group, the stage III group, and the control group (P˃0.05). When comparing the CWP stage I group with the control group, 48 differential metabolites were screened out, among which 14 were up-regulated and 34 were down-regulated. A total of 66 differential metabolites were screened out between the patients with CWP stage II and the controls, 14 up-regulated and 52 down-regulated differential metabolites. Compared with the control group, 63 differential metabolites were screened out in the patients with CWP stage III, including 11 up-regulated and 52 down-regulated differential metabolites. There were 36 differential metabolites that may be related to the occurrence of CWP, among which 11 differential metabolites were up-regulated, and 25 were down-regulated. Four significant differential metabolic pathways were identified through KEGG database query: linoleic acid metabolic pathway, alanine metabolic pathway, sphingolipid metabolic pathway, and glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway. Conclusion The metabolomic study of BALF show that there are 36 different metabolites in the occurrence and development of CWP, mainly associating with linoleic acid metabolism, alanine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways.

Background Pneumoconiosis is a widespread occupational disease in China at present. As a type of lung diseases, its pathological damage is mainly irreversible fibrotic changes in the lungs. Several studies have shown that the occurrence and development of lung diseases such as coal workers' pneumoconiosis are closely related to intestinal flora. Objective To observe intestinal flora of coal workers' pneumoconiosis patients based on the results of 16SrDNA high-throughput sequencing and evaluate the changes of intestinal flora after treatment with tetrandrine tablets. Methods A total of 80 patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis attending the outpatient clinic of the Department of Occupational Diseases of the Emergency General Hospital from April to July 2022 were enrolled. All patients were treated with tetrandrine tablets for 4 weeks, with group A before the treatment of tetrandrine tablets and group B after the treatment. In the same period, 24 healthy controls (group C) were set up. Stool samples were collected before and after the treatment. Using 16SrDNA high-throughput sequencing, gene V3-V4 sequencing technology, and bioinformatic analysis platform, we evaluated the intestinal flora after treatment by groups. Results The dominant flora at the phylum level and genus level were the same across three groups. The relative abundances of phylum Bacteroidetes, Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Facealibacterium in groups B and C were higher than those in group A, and the relative abundances of phy-lum Actinobacteria, genus Blautia, and genus Romboutsia in groups B and C were lower than those in group A (P＜0.05). The relative abundances of genus Clostridium, genus Megamonas, and genus Lactobacillus in group C was lower than that in groups A and B (P＜0.05). The alpha diversity analysis showed that the Chao1 index was higher in group A than in group C (P＜0.01). Compared with group A, the Shannon index was higher in group B, and the increases of Simpson index were all statistically significant in stage I patients (P＜0.05), but the differences in Chao1 index were not statistically significant (P＞0.05). The differences in the values of Chao1 index, Shannon index, and Simpson index in stage Ⅱ and stage III patients were not statistically significant (P＞0.05). The beta diversity analysis showed that the difference in flora structure between group A and group C was statistically significant (P＜0.05); the differences in flora structure before and after treatment in the same stage patients were statistically significant (P＜0.05). The partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed that there were significant differences between group A and group C, and between group A and group B. The LEfSe analysis showed that the significant markers contributing to the differences were basically the same in stage I, stage Ⅱ, and stage Ⅲ after treatment, which were mainly phylum Bacteroidetes and its subordinate groups, class Negativicutes, or-der Selenomonas, and genus Facealibacterium. Conclusion There are differences in the distribution of flora between coal workers' pneumoconiosis patients and healthy individuals, and the structure and relative abundance of intestinal flora are changed and the number of beneficial flora is increased after treatment with tetrandrine tablets.

Objective:To establish a mouse model of breast cancer lung metastasis with miR-155 knockout(miR155-/-)mice,and to compare the difference of peripheral blood immune cell typing between miR155-/-mice and C57BL/6J wide-type(WT)mice.Methods:Bioinformatics analysis was used to explore the expression level of miR-155 in breast cancer tissues and peripheral serum,and its relationship with prognosis.Mouse model of lung metastasis of breast cancer was established by tail vein injection;peripheral blood was collected for flow cytometry,and the immune cell typing was analyzed;the lung tissues were collected for immunohisto-chemical detection to observe the tumor metastasis.Results:Percentage of T lymphocytes and monocytes in peripheral blood of miR155-/-mice was significantly decreased compared with WT mice(P<0.05),percentage of myeloid inhibitory cells(MDSCs)was increased significantly(P<0.05),in which the proportion of monocyte subsets(M-MDSC)was significantly decreased(P<0.05),while the proportion of granulocyte subsets(G-MDSC)was significantly increased(P<0.05).In lung metastasis model of breast can-cer,percentage of T lymphocytes in peripheral blood of miR155-/-mice was significantly higher compared with WT mice,while per-centage of NK cells was decreased significantly(P<0.05),percentage of neutrophil was significantly decreased(P<0.001),propor-tion of Th cells in T lymphocytes was significantly decreased(P<0.05),proportion of M-MDSCs was significantly decreased(P<0.01),while proportion of G-MDSCs was significantly increased(P<0.01).Conclusion:Deletion of miR-155 gene leads to significant differences in peripheral immune cell typing,making mice more susceptible to lung metastasis of breast cancer.

Background Multi-slice spiral computerized tomography (MSCT) can be used as an auxiliary diagnosis of chest radiography in diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, but there are few studies on the correlations between interstitial images and stage classification of coal workers' pneumoconiosis in the existing literature. Objective To present MSCT imaging manifestations and distribution characteristics of coal workers' pneumoconiosis and complications, evaluate correlations between coal workers' pneumoconiosis stages and pulmonary interstitial lesions, and provide a reliable imaging diagnosis basis for pneumoconiosis interstitial lesions. Methods From June 2022 to June 2023, a total of 1002 patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis confirmed by the pneumoconiosis diagnostic and identification group in the Department of Occupational Diseases of the Emergency General Hospital were enrolled. MSCT was used to observe the abnormal imaging manifestations of the lungs of coal workers' pneumoconiosis patients and the diseases of pulmonary fibrosis related to their own diseases (thickening of the interlobular septum, bronchial perivascular interstitial mass thickening, parenchymal banding, subpleural line, intralobular interstitial thickening, honeycomb, and subpleural interstitial thickening), the occurrence of coal workers' pneumoconiosis and complications (old tuberculosis, active tuberculosis, pneumonia, atelectasis, lung cancer, bronchiectasis), and the density, size, and location of pneumoconiosis nodules. Imaging data were analyzed and statistically processed. Results All 1002 patients were male, with an average age of (60.71±6.87) years and an average dust exposure time of (23.01±7.80) years. Among them, there were 470 patients with stage I, 422 patients with stage II, and 110 patients with stage III. There were significant differences in the distribution of thickening of the interlobular septum, bronchial perivascular interstitial mass thickening, parenchymal banding, intralobular interstitial thickening, subpleural interstitial thickening, and honeycomb across different stages (P<0.05). Statistically significant differences in p, q, and r subsets of round nodules were found in patients with pneumoconiosis at different stages (P<0.05). Observed nodule types included solid nodules, pure ground-glass shadow nodules, and partial solid nodules. There were statistically significant differences in pulmonary tuberculosis and bronchiectasis among different stages of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in interstitial shadows and patches combined with interstitial shadows among different stages of pneumoconiosis complicated with pneumonia (P<0.05). Conclusion MSCT provides images of the progression of coal workers' pneumoconiosis and have a certain relationship with the stages of coal workers' pneumoconiosis, which is conducive to the formulation of reasonable treatment plans in the early clinical stage. Therefore, in the diagnosis and treatment of pneumoconiosis, a great attention should be paid to the imaging technology of chest computerized tomography, especially the use of MSCT examination.

Since the first operational definition of cognitive frailty was proposed by the expert consensus group of the International Academy of Nutrition and Aging and the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics in 2013, frailty and neurocognitive assessment has become the standard diagnostic tool.Since then, the reported prevalence in the literature for cognitive frailty in community-dwelling elderly people vary by dozens of times, as a result of different scales and diagnostic cut-off points, seriously affecting health decision-making.This article reviewed the current literature with a focus on the re-recognition of the clinical significance of cognitive frailty, the limitations of existing assessment tools for diagnosis, and possible solutions in the future.

Objective To explore the difference in gut microbiota composition between patients with obstructive sleep apnea(OSA)and healthy individuals and the role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of OSA.Methods Thirty-nine patients with OSA admitted to our hospital between May and December,2022 and 20 healthy individuals were enrolled in this study.Stool samples were collected from all the participants for analysis of microbiome composition using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing analysis.The alpha diversity,beta diversity,and species difference were determined between the two groups and marker species analysis and metabolic pathway function prediction analysis were performed.Results The species diversity(Shannon and Simpson)indexes,richness(observed species)and evenness(Pielou)of gut microbiota were significantly lower in OSA patients than in the healthy individuals(P<0.05).The OSA patients had also a significantly lowered community diversity(P<0.05)with different gut microbial communities from those of the healthy individuals shown by increased relative abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas and Monocytogenes(P<0.05).LEfSe analysis showed that the abundance of 23 species of gut microbiota differed significantly between the two groups and the OSA patients had significant increases in the abundance of Pseudomonas,Meganomonas,and Fusobacterium(P<0.05).The differential marker flora affected host homeostasis.Random Forest and ROC curve analyses confirmed that Pseudomonas could be used as important biomarkers for a differential diagnosis.Metabolic pathway function prediction analysis showed that biosynthesis function had the greatest contribution to maintaining gut microbiota homeostasis,and Pseudomonas affected the occurrence and progression of OSA by participating in aromatic bioamine degradation and ketogluconic acid metabolic pathway.Conclusion OSA patients have obvious gut microbiota disturbances,and Pseudomonas may affect the development of OSA by participating in substance metabolism to serve as the potential target gut bacteria for OSA treatment.

Objective:To explore the association between the intake and changes in various types of food and the changes in blood pressure in patients with mild to moderate hypertension.Methods:Mild to moderate hypertension participants with complete baseline and outcome data were included from DECIDE-Diet study, a multicenter, randomized controlled trial. Dietary records and blood pressure measurements at both 7-day run-in (baseline) and 28-day intervention phases were collected for enrolled participants. Blood pressure change was defined as the difference between blood pressure at the end of trial and the baseline blood pressure. Baseline intake of food was the average daily intake during the run-in period, and the intake increment was defined as the difference between the average intake during the trial period and the average intake during the run-in period. After adjusting for age, sex, study center, intervention groups, baseline body mass index (kg/m 2), antihypertension medication use, and baseline total calorie intake, a linear regression model was used to analyze the associations of the before-after-intervention change in blood pressure with baseline intake and intake increment of foods. Results:A total of 258 patients with mild to moderate hypertension were included, including 133 males, aged (56.5±9.9) years. (1) After adjusting for confounding factors, there was no significant association between baseline intake of food and baseline blood pressure (all P>0.05). The blood pressure change was negatively associated with baseline intakes of tubers, vegetables, and vegetable oils but positively with baseline intake of meats; and was negatively associated with intake increment of whole grains and fish (all P<0.05). (2) The multiple linear regression analysis showed that baseline intake of vegetables ( β=-0.021, P=0.004), vegetable oils ( β=-0.260, P=0.002), and increment in intake of fish ( β=-0.128, P=0.026) were all significantly associated with changes in systolic blood pressure; baseline intake of vegetables ( β=-0.017, P=0.002), vegetable oils ( β=-0.182, P=0.001), dairy products ( β=0.021, P=0.022), and increment in intake of fish ( β=-0.092, P=0.010) were all significantly associated with changes in diastolic blood pressure. Conclusion:Increasing the intake of whole grains, vegetables, vegetable oils, and fish and decreasing the intake of meat may be beneficial for blood pressure control in patients with mild to moderate hypertension.