ObjectiveTo decipher the mechanism by which Zuoguiwan （ZGW） treat hyperthyroidism in rats with kidney-Yin deficiency based on the dopamine receptor D4 （DRD4）/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate （NADPH） oxidase 4 （NOX4） signaling pathway. MethodsThe rat model of kidney-Yin deficiency was induced by unilateral intramuscular injection of dexamethasone （0.35 mg·kg^-1）. After successful modeling， the rats were randomized into model， methimazole （positive control， 5 mg·kg^-1）， low-， medium-， and high-dose （1.85， 3.70， 7.40 g·kg^-1， respectively） ZGW， and normal control groups. After 21 days of continuous gavage， the behavioral indexes and body weight changes of rats were evaluated. The pathological changes of the renal tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The serum levels of thyroid hormones ［triiodothyronine （T₃）， thyroxine （T₄）， thyroid-stimulating hormone （TSH）］， renal function indexes ［serum creatine （Scr） and blood urea nitrogen （BUN）］， energy metabolism markers ［cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP） and cyclic guanosine monophosphate （cGMP）］， and oxidative stress-related factors ［superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， and NADPH）］ were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Western blot was employed to analyze the expression of DRD4， NOX4， mitochondrial respiratory chain complex proteins ［NADH：ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit S4 （NDUFS4） and cytochrome C oxidase subunit 4 （COX4）］， and inflammation-related protein ［tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）］ pathway in the renal tissue. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed mental malaise， body weight decreases （P<0.01）， inflammatory cell infiltration in the renal tissue， a few residual parotid glands in the thyroid， elevations in serum levels of T₃， T₄， Scr， BUN， cAMP， cAMP/cGMP， MDA， and NADPH （P<0.01）， down-regulation in protein levels of TSH， SOD， and DRD4 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and up-regulation in expression of NOX4， p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK， and inflammatory factors （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， ZGW increased the body weight （P<0.05， P<0.01）， reduced the infiltration of renal interstitial inflammatory cells， restored the thyroid structure and follicle size， lowered the serum levels of T₃， T₄， Scr， BUN， cAMP， cAMP/cGMP， MDA and NADPH （P<0.05， P<0.01）， up-regulated the expression of TSH， SOD and DRD4 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and down-regulated the expression of NOX4， p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK， and inflammatory factors （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， high-dose ZGW outperformed methimazole （P<0.05）. ConclusionBy activating DRD4， ZGW can inhibit the expression of NOX4 mediated by the p38 MAPK pathway， reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory response， thereby ameliorating the pathological state of hyperthyroidism due to kidney-Yin deficiency. This study provides new molecular mechanism support for the clinical application of ZGW.

Purpose: In this study, the neural communication patterns between hypothalamic structures and cortical areas in girls diagnosed with central precocious puberty (CPP) were explored. Endocrine profiles were incorporated to clarify the pathophysiological interactions between cerebral networks and hormonal regulation. The hypothalamus was designated as the key focus area for connectivity analysis. Methods: Fifty-seven girls (37 CPP, 20 non-CPP) were recruited from the Pediatric Development Clinic at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University. The collected data included demographic information, gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation tests, and magnetic resonance imaging scans. Hypothalamic functional connectivity (FC) was analyzed using predefined region of interest coordinates, and correlations between hormone levels and FC values were assessed. Results: Compared to the non-CPP group, the CPP group exhibited elevated baseline follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), baseline luteinizing hormone (LH), peak FSH, peak LH, and peak LH/FSH ratios. Patients with CPP exhibited enhanced neural synchronization linking the right lateral hypothalamic effector zone to the right superior frontal gyrus (displaying a borderline significant correlation with peak LH concentrations), concurrent with diminished functional coupling of the right lateral hypothalamic efferent to the right fusiform/supramarginal gyri. The left lateral hypothalamic projections demonstrated amplified connectivity with the right cuneus. No FC differences were observed in the medial hypothalamus. Conclusion Abnormal lateral hypothalamus FC patterns were identified in CPP girls and were particularly linked to peak LH levels. The findings offer novel insights into the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying CPP.

Objective To explore the relationship between lacune of presumed vascular origin and spontaneous HT in elderly patients with AIS.Methods A total of 671 AIS patients hospitalized in our hospital from January 2021 to September 2024 were prospectively recruited.According to the conditions of lacune of presumed vascular origin by the first cranial MRI examination after admis-sion,they were divided into 330 cases with lacune of presumed vascular origin and 341 cases with-out,and based on the re-examination of head CT or MRI during hospitalization,they were also as-signed into a HT group(139 cases)and a non-HT group(532 cases).Multivariate logistic regres-sion analysis was conducted to clarify the correlation between lacune of presumed vascular origin and spontaneous HT in the elderly AIS patients.The incidence of spontaneous HT and the differ-ences in the subtype composition of spontaneous HT were compared between the mild and severe groups of lacune of presumed vascular origin.Results Baseline NIHSS score,atrial fibrillation,white matter lesions,enlarged perivascular spaces,cerebral microbleeds,large-area cerebral infarc-tion,and ratio of lacune of presumed vascular origin were significantly higher in the HT group than the non-HT group[(10(6,13)vs 9(5,12),P=0.000;28.1％vs 18.0％,P=0.009;74.8％vs 56.0％,P=0.000;79.9％vs 57.5％,P=0.000;30.2％vs 16.9％,P=0.000;45.3％vs 13.2％,P=0.000;66.2％vs 44.7％,P=0.000].The incidence of spontaneous HT was significantly high-er in the lacune of presumed vascular origin group than the non-lacune of presumed vascular ori-gin group(27.9％vs 13.8％,P=0.000).Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that lacune of presumed vascular origin was an independent risk factor for spontaneous HT after AIS(OR=2.207,95％CI:1.231-3.959).Subtype analysis on spontaneous HT showed that the patients with lacune of presumed vascular origin had the largest proportion among all subtypes than the non-lacune of presumed vascular origin patients.The incidence of spontaneous HT was significantly higher in the severe lacune of presumed vascular origin group than the mild group(38.1％vs 20.9％,P=0.001).HI2 subtype was mainly observed in the severe group with sponta-neous HT,and HI1 subtype was in the mild group with spontaneous HT.Conclusion Lacune of presumed vascular origin is an independent risk factor for spontaneous HT after AIS in elderly patients.The patients with severe lacune of presumed vascular origin are prone to the occurrence and severe spontaneous HT than the mild lacunar patients.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicity and safety of novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion strain protein derivatives,referred to as B/R strain active proteins.In cellular experiments,RAW264.7 cells were treated with each vaccine preparation,and apoptosis rates were measured.In subsequent animal experiments,C57BL/6 mice were immunized via subcutaneous injection,and their survival and body weight changes were monitored and recorded at 2,4,8,12,and 16 weeks.The lungs and spleens were harvested to calculate organ coefficients,and pathological examinations were conducted.At the eighth week of immunization,the mice were infected with high concentrations of BCG,and pathological changes in the lungs and spleens were observed 4 weeks post-infection.The apoptosis rate at 6 hours was significantly higher in the experimental group than the PBS group(P<0.05).At 12 and 24 hours,the apoptosis rate in the experimental group remained higher than that in the PBS group,although this difference was not statistically significant.After immunization,mice in all four groups exhibited normal growth patterns,as indicated by stable body weight changes.At 4 and 12 weeks post-immunization,the lung coefficients in the protein group were significantly higher than those in the PBS group at the same time points.Additionally,the lung coefficients in the BCG group were significantly elevated across all time periods(P<0.05).The spleen coefficients in the protein and BCG groups were significantly higher than those in the PBS group at 2,4,8,12,and 16 weeks,whereas the ICD B/R group showed higher spleen coefficients than the PBS group only at week 8(P<0.05).Pathological examination revealed normal lung and spleen tissues in the PBS group.However,during the 2-8 weeks immunization period,lung and spleen tissues in all experimental groups exhibited varying degrees of damage,which gradually diminished by 12-16 weeks.Notably,no tuberculosis nodules were observed in any experimental group.After infection with high concentrations of BCG,no overt pathological changes were observed on the surfaces of the lungs and spleens in any group.Microscopic examination revealed less severe pathological changes in the lungs and spleens of mice in the experimental groups than the PBS group.Furthermore,no statistically significant differences were observed between the protein group and the BCG group.Our findings suggested that the B/R strain active proteins'toxicity and safety profiles were comparable to those of BCG,and showed immunoprotective effects.This study provides an experimental foundation for the development of a novel tuberculosis vaccine.

Objective:To establish a mouse model of liver cancer resistant to PD-1 monoclonal antibody and analyze the changes in its metabolomics to explore the potential mechanism of drug resistance.Methods:BALB/c mice were randomly divided into control and treatment groups after being loaded with tumor,and a normal group was additionally set up.The normal and control groups were injected with saline,and the treatment group was injected with PD-1 monoclonal antibody,after which the mice in the treatment group were screened for drug resistant and response groups.Observed the drug-resistant situation,body mass,tumor growth and survival rate of mice in each group,calculate the spleen index.The pathological features of tumor tissues were observed by HE staining method.Serum metabolites were detected by non-targeted metabolomics.Finally,a bivariate Pearson correlation analysis was conducted between the differential serum metabolites and tumor size.Results:The tumor-bearing mouse model with PD-1 monoclonal antibody resistance was successfully established,and the drug resistance rate of the mice was 50％.Compared with the normal and response groups,mice in the resistant group showed an increase in body weight,a significant increase in tumor volume,a decrease in survival rate,and a significant increase in splenic index.There was less lymphocyte infiltration in the tumor tissue.Metabolomics analysis showed that the serum levels of glutamic acid and aspartic acid increased and malic acid decreased in the resistant mice compared with the response group,and these changes were closely related to the arginine biosynthesis pathway.Conclusions:The tumor-bearing mouse model with PD-1 monoclonal antibody resistance was successfully established.The changes in its peripheral serum metabolomics mainly involve arginine metabolism and the related changes of aspartate,malate and glutamate.

Objective To analyze the association between lifestyle and the risk of type 2 diabetes(T2D)among adult residents.Methods The data was sourced from the Shanghai Suburban Adult Cohort and Biobank.A total of 42 096 adult residents who had not developed T2D were recruited from four districts of Shanghai(Songjiang,Jiading,Minhang,and Xuhui)between 2016 and 2019.The follow-up ended on Feb 28,2023.A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on six lifestyle-related items,including smoking,alcohol consumption,BMI,waist circumference(WC),physical activity,and diet.The unhealthy lifestyle scores(UHLS)were calculated by counting the number of all the unhealthy lifestyle items,with a range of 0-6.New-onset T2D events diagnosed by physicians were obtained through the medical information system.Cox proportional hazards regression model and restricted cubic spline model were utilized to evaluate the association between unhealthy lifestyles and the risk of T2D incidence.Results About 28.1%of the participants led 4-6 unhealthy lifestyles.A total of 1 752 new T2D cases were identified during 218 513.4 person-years of follow-up.Analysis of single unhealthy lifestyle showed that abnormal WC(HR=1.5,95%CI:1.4-1.7)and abnormal BMI(HR=1.3,95%CI:1.2-1.5)were associated with an increased risk of T2D.Compared with individuals with a UHLS of 0-1,those with a UHLS of 3 and 4-6 had 30%(95%CI:1.1-1.6)and 50%(95%CI:1.2-1.8)higher risks of T2D,respectively.Each additional unhealthy lifestyle was associated with a 10%increase in T2D incidence risk(HR=1.1,95%CI:1.1-1.2).Conclusion The risk of T2D in adult residents increases with the cumulative number of unhealthy lifestyles.Adult residents with abnormal WC or BMI,or have three or more unhealthy lifestyles accumulated,will increase the risk of new-onset T2D.

A mounting body of research suggests that circRNAs significantly contribute to the develop-ment of myocardial fibrosis.The microarray results of human circular RNA expression profile indicated that circHERC4_041 expression increased in the myocardium of patients with heart failure,RT-qPCR a-nalysis confirmed that the myocardial expression level of circHERC4_041 in individuals with heart failure were considerably elevated compared to that in healthy organ donors.Fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH)confirmed that circHERC4_041 was abundant in the cytoplasm of human cardiomyocyte AC16.Overexpression of circHERC4_041 in mouse myocardial fibroblasts(mCFs)mediated by adenovirus in-hibited the expression of fibrosis-related proteins in mCFs.Experiments involving cell proliferation,wound healing,and Transwell assays demonstrated that overexpression of circHERC4_041 suppressed the growth and mobility of mCFs(P＜0.001).Sequence analysis results suggested that circHERC4_041 con-tains potential ribosome entry sequence(IRES)and open reading frame(ORF).Western blot confirmed that circHERC4_041 could translate the 516 amino acid HERC4-516aa protein,which was mainly located in the cytoplasm of the cell.Cell functional experiments confirmed that circHERC4_041 inhibited the fi-brotic phenotype of mCFs by specifically translating HERC4-516aa(P＜0.05).The specific interaction between HERC4-516aa and transglutaminase 2(TGM2)was confirmed by IP-MS screening and Co-IP i-dentification.Further results found that the degradation of TGM2 was promoted through proteasome path-way.The overexpression of TGM2 in mCFs facilitated by adenoviral vectors could counteract the suppres-sive effects of HERC4-516aa on the fibrotic phenotype of mCFs.Therefore,this study confirmed that the HERC4-516aa protein translated by circHERC4_041 can specifically bind to TGM2 to inhibit the fibrotic phenotype of myocardial fibroblasts.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of active warming versus conventional warming during the perioperative period of robotic-assisted total hip arthroplasty (THA) for femoral neck fracture in elderly patients.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 312 elderly patients with femoral neck fracture who underwent robot-assisted THA at Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi ′an Jiaotong University from January 2024 to January 2025, including 196 males and 116 females, aged 65-89 years [(77.0±7.3)years]. Among them, 156 patients received standardized thermal management (active warming group), involving the administration of pre-warmed intravenous fluids and use of an inflatable warming blanket preoperatively, combined application of a forced-air warming system and warmed fluids intraoperatively, and transfer to a temperature-controlled ward combined with a foot circulatory compression device postoperatively. The other 156 patients received conventional warming with cotton quilts (conventional warming group), involving no administration of pre-warmed intravenous fluids preoperatively, use of warmed fluids intraoperatively, and transfer to a standard ward without the use of a foot circulatory compression device postoperatively. Core body temperature was compared between the two groups at 30 minutes preoperatively, 30 minutes intraoperatively, immediately postoperatively, and at 1 hour, 1 day, 5 days, and 7 days postoperatively. Changes in the coagulation function, including prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) were assessed at 1 day preoperatively and at 1, 5, and 7 days postoperatively. Length of hospital stay and incidence of postoperative complications (incision infection, deep vein thrombosis, cardiac complications, and unplanned reoperations) were also recorded. Results:The core body temperature at 30 minutes intraoperatively, immediately postoperatively and at 1 hour postoperatively was (36.77±0.17)℃, (36.29±0.14)℃, and (36.35±0.14)℃ in the active warming group, significantly higher than (36.12±0.27)℃, (35.49±0.25)℃, and (35.67±0.29)℃ in the conventional warming group ( P<0.01). No significant differences in body temperature were observed between the two groups at 30 minutes preoperatively, at 1, 5, or 7 days postoperatively ( P>0.05). At 1 day postoperatively, the PT, TT and APTT were (8.5±1.3)seconds, (10.0±0.9)seconds and (24.8±2.3)seconds, significantly lower than (9.7±1.3)seconds, (12.1±1.5)seconds and (29.2±2.7)seconds in the conventional warming group ( P<0.01). There were no significant differences in PT, TT, APTT or CRP levels between the two groups at 1 day preoperatively or at 5 and 7 days postoperatively ( P>0.05). The CRP level at 1 day postoperatively was (8.0±3.0)mg/L in the active warming group, significantly lower than (13.5±3.2)mg/L in the conventional warming group ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in CRP between the two groups at 1 day preoperatively or at 5 and 7 days postoperatively ( P>0.05). The average length of hospital stay was (12.2±1.4)days in the active warming group, significantly shorter than (14.9±1.4)days in the conventional warming group ( P<0.01). The perioperative complication rate was 6.4% (10/156) in the active warming group, significantly lower than 17.9% (28/156) in the conventional warming group ( P<0.01). Conclusion:For elderly patients with femoral neck fracture operated via robot-assisted THA, active warming during the perioperative period can more effectively maintain intraoperative normothermia, improve early postoperative coagulation function, reduce inflammatory response, shorten the length of hospital stay, and decrease complication rate when compared with conventional warming.

Objective:To explore the effects of medication interval on the quality of split-dose bowel preparation and analyze the independent risk factors affecting the quality of bowel preparation.Methods:This pilot study involved two centers. Adult outpatients who underwent screening, surveillance, and diagnostic colonoscopy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University ( n=46) and the Fifth Hospital of Zhangjiakou ( n=20) between April and June 2023 were enrolled. Bowel preparation was conducted based on the guideline. Patients were divided into the short-interval group (4-<10 hours, n=45) and the long-interval group (10-16 hours, n=21) based on the time between the two administrations of polyethylene glycol during bowel preparation. Differences in terms of patient-reported outcome measurements (patient-reported willingness to repeat the bowel preparation regimen, satisfaction with bowel preparation, satisfaction with sleep), defecation frequency, Boston bowel preparation scale scores, bowel preparation bubble scores, bowel preparation qualified rates, polyp detection rates and incidence of adverse events were compared. Relevant factors influencing bowel preparation quality were analyzed by univariate logistic regression. Results:There were no significant differences in patient-reported willingness to repeat the bowel preparation regimen [88.9% (40/45) VS 85.7% (18/21), χ2<0.001, P>0.999], the satisfaction with bowel preparation [65.9% (29/45) VS 57.1% (12/21), χ2=0.469, P=0.493], or the satisfaction with sleep quality [35.6% (16/45) VS 28.6% (6/21), χ2=0.314, P=0.575] between the short-interval and long-interval groups. Similarly, no significant differences were observed between the groups in defecation frequency (11.3±4.8 VS 10.2±4.4, t=0.861, P=0.395), Boston bowel preparation scale scores (8.2±1.4 scores VS 7.9±1.2 scores, t=1.024, P=0.311), bowel preparation bubble scores (8.6±1.0 scores VS 8.4±1.5 scores, t=0.672, P=0.506), bowel preparation qualified rates [88.9% (40/45) VS 90.5% (19/21), χ2<0.001, P>0.999], polyp detection rates [33.3% (15/45) VS 47.6% (10/21), χ2=1.242, P=0.265], or incidence of adverse events [24.4% (11/45) VS 14.3% (3/21), χ2=0.381, P=0.537]. Univariate logistic analysis suggested that a low-fiber diet ( OR=8.100, 95% CI:1.400-46.849, P=0.019) was an influencing factor for qualified bowel preparation. Conclusion:Medication interval of the two doses of polyethylene glycol in a split-dose bowel preparation regimen for colonoscopy has no significant impact on bowel preparation quality. Notably, preoperative low-fiber diet emerges as an independent protective factor for qualified bowel preparation.

Objective To explore the relationship between lacune of presumed vascular origin and spontaneous HT in elderly patients with AIS.Methods A total of 671 AIS patients hospitalized in our hospital from January 2021 to September 2024 were prospectively recruited.According to the conditions of lacune of presumed vascular origin by the first cranial MRI examination after admis-sion,they were divided into 330 cases with lacune of presumed vascular origin and 341 cases with-out,and based on the re-examination of head CT or MRI during hospitalization,they were also as-signed into a HT group(139 cases)and a non-HT group(532 cases).Multivariate logistic regres-sion analysis was conducted to clarify the correlation between lacune of presumed vascular origin and spontaneous HT in the elderly AIS patients.The incidence of spontaneous HT and the differ-ences in the subtype composition of spontaneous HT were compared between the mild and severe groups of lacune of presumed vascular origin.Results Baseline NIHSS score,atrial fibrillation,white matter lesions,enlarged perivascular spaces,cerebral microbleeds,large-area cerebral infarc-tion,and ratio of lacune of presumed vascular origin were significantly higher in the HT group than the non-HT group[(10(6,13)vs 9(5,12),P=0.000;28.1％vs 18.0％,P=0.009;74.8％vs 56.0％,P=0.000;79.9％vs 57.5％,P=0.000;30.2％vs 16.9％,P=0.000;45.3％vs 13.2％,P=0.000;66.2％vs 44.7％,P=0.000].The incidence of spontaneous HT was significantly high-er in the lacune of presumed vascular origin group than the non-lacune of presumed vascular ori-gin group(27.9％vs 13.8％,P=0.000).Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that lacune of presumed vascular origin was an independent risk factor for spontaneous HT after AIS(OR=2.207,95％CI:1.231-3.959).Subtype analysis on spontaneous HT showed that the patients with lacune of presumed vascular origin had the largest proportion among all subtypes than the non-lacune of presumed vascular origin patients.The incidence of spontaneous HT was significantly higher in the severe lacune of presumed vascular origin group than the mild group(38.1％vs 20.9％,P=0.001).HI2 subtype was mainly observed in the severe group with sponta-neous HT,and HI1 subtype was in the mild group with spontaneous HT.Conclusion Lacune of presumed vascular origin is an independent risk factor for spontaneous HT after AIS in elderly patients.The patients with severe lacune of presumed vascular origin are prone to the occurrence and severe spontaneous HT than the mild lacunar patients.