Hepatic encephalopathy （HE） is a common complication of severe liver disease in the end stage， and it is urgently needed to improve the rate of effective treatment and clarify the pathogenesis of HE. The liver is a crucial hub for immune regulation， and disruption of immune homeostasis is a key factor in the pathological mechanisms of HE. As the main metabolites of intestinal flora， short-chain fatty acids （SCFAs） play a vital role in the biological processes of both innate and adaptive immunity and can regulate the proliferation and differentiation of immune cells maintain the homeostasis of intestinal microenvironment and the integrity of barrier function. Studies have shown that SCFAs participate in bidirectional and dynamic interactions with the liver-gut-brain axis through immunomodulatory pathways， thereby playing an important role in the diagnosis， treatment， and prognostic evaluation of HE. Starting from the immunoregulatory effect of SCFAs， this article summarizes and analyzes the crosstalk relationship between SCFAs and the liver-gut-brain axis and the significance of SCFAs in the diagnosis and treatment of HE， in order to provide new ideas for optimizing clinical prevention and treatment strategies.

Nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） is an important intracellular transcription factor widely involved in the processes such as immune response， inflammatory response， cell proliferation， and apoptosis. The abnormal activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in various liver diseases including chronic hepatitis， liver fibrosis， liver cirrhosis， and hepatocellular carcinoma. Extensive studies have shown that inhibiting NF-κB activity may effectively reduce inflammation and fibrosis and improve metabolic disorders. Several natural compounds， such as matrine and salvianolic acid B， have shown the potential in suppressing NF-κB activity， thereby exerting anti-inflammatory， anti-fibrotic， and anti-tumor effects. This article systematically reviews the critical role of the NF-κB signaling pathway in liver diseases and its potential as a therapeutic target， in order to highlight its potential as a therapeutic target for liver diseases and provide new directions for the treatment of liver diseases.

Objective : To investigate the roles of transient receptor potentia1 vanilloid 1 ( TRPV 1) and oxytocin receptor ( OTR) in the mechanism of dysmenorrhea in adenomyosis. Methods : The ectopic endometrium ( EC) and the homologous eutopic endometrium (EU) were selected from 60 patients with adenomyosis surgery , and the control endometrium (CE) of patients without endometriosis was used as control. Streptavidin⁃Peroxidase immunosion of TRPV 1 and OTR was detected by Western blot. The degree of dysmenorrhea was scored by visual analogue scale/score (VAS) , and its correlation with the TRPV 1 and OTR was analyzed. Results : The expression of TRPV 1 and OTR in EC was higher than that in EU and CE (P < 0. 05) , but there was no statistically significant difference between EU and CE. In EC , the expression of TRPV 1 and OTR in the severe dysmenorrhea group was higher than that in the mild and moderate groups (P < 0. 05) , but there was no statistically significant difference between the mild dysmenorrhea group and the moderate group. The expression of TRPV 1 and OTR was positively correlated with the severity of dysmenorrhea ( rs = 0. 280 , P < 0. 05 ; rs = 0. 318 , P < 0. 05) ; the expression of TRPV 1 and OTR was positively correlated ( rs = 0. 287 , P < 0. 05) . Conclusion TRPV 1 and OTR may play a synergistic role in the pathogenesis of dysmenorrhea in patients with adenomyosis , which are important predictors of dysmenorrhea severity and potential therapeutic targets.

Objective To prepare gadolinium-loaded stearic acid grafted chitooligosaccharide (COSSA-DTPA-Gd) and evaluate its micelle properties,cytotoxicity,relaxation rate in vitro,and pancreatic tumor in vivo imaging.Methods Stear ic acid grafted chitooligosaccharide (COSSA) was synthesized by acetylation reaction between stearic acid and chitooligosaccharide.Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic dianhydride (DTPA) was conjugated to the residual amino groups of COSSA,then Gd3+ was chelated to obtain the final product.The micelle properties were measured using an electron microscopy and a laser particle sizer.The MTT assay was adopted to determine cytotoxicity.The in vitro relaxation rate and in vivo imaging of pancreatic tumor were evaluated using an MR scanner.Results COSSA-DTPA-Gd could self-assemble into stable micelles in aqueous solutions with a critical micelle concentration of (5.12±0.43)μg/ml.The micelles had positive charge and exhibited roughly spherical shape with a mean diameter of (58.3± 5.7)nm.The content of Gd3+ in COSSA-DTPA-Gd was 330.31 μmol/g.The nanoprobe and Magnevist,the commercial formulation,showed similar cytotoxicity (P＞0.05).The cell survival rate within 24 h were higher than 85％.The in vitro relaxation rate of COSSA-DTPA-Gd was 8.23 mM-1 ·s-1.After intravenous injection,COSSA-DTPA-Gd showed a better positive contrast-enhancing effect for pancreatic tumor than Magnevist.The MR images at the tumor periphery was rapidly enhanced,while a slow increase in image quality was observed in tumor core.Conclusion The prepared COSSA-DTPA-Gd can be used for efficient MR imaging of pancreatic tumor.

Objective To investigate the effect of glucose supplement on AMPK activation in myocardium of exercised rats by measuring the myocardial AMPK activation and glycogen content after acute exercise training.Methods Rats were subjected to an acute endurance exercise and glucose supplement in varying doses and time points before and after exercise.The dynamic changes of myocardial AMPK activities was measured with Western blotting, changes of myocardial glycogen content were measured with Anthrone method.Results AMPK activation in myocardium of exercised rat was increased significantly throughout the exercise, and remained at a higher level 1 hour after acute exercise.However the level of AMPK activity was not significantly increased in exercised rat with glucose supplement.Glycogen content was not significantly changed after exercise.Rats subjected to lower dose glucose supplement did not show significant changes in glycogen content neither.But glycogen content was significantly increased in rats at 24 hours after exercise, subjected to higher dose of glucose supplement.Conclusions 1) Acute exercise induces a significant increase in AMPK activation in myocardium of exercised rats.Glucose supplement significantly inhibites the activation of AMPK induced by acute exercise.(2) Higher dose glucose supplement significantly increases glycogen content in the rat myocardium 24 h after exercise.

Objective To evaluate the accuracy of continuous noninvasive hemoglobin ( Hb ) monitoring in the patients undergoing cesarean section. Methods A total of 200 patients, at 36-42 weeks of gestation, aged 19-40 yr, with body mass index of 20.5-35.1 kg∕m2 , of ASA physical statusⅠorⅡ, undergoing elective cesarean section from June 2014 to October 2014 in our hospital, were enrolled. A sensor was positioned at patient′s finger and connected to the Masimo Radical?7 Pulse CO?Oximeter, a continuous noninvasive Hb measurement device. Noninvasive Hb obtained with Pulse CO?oximeter ( SpHb) was recorded. Before skin incision ( T0 ) , after delivery of the placenta ( T1 ) , after suturing the uterus ( T2 ) and at the end of operation ( T3 ) , blood samples from the radical artery were collected for determination of total Hb ( tHb) , and SpHb was also recorded. The agreement between two methods was assessed using Bland?Altman analysis. Results At T0-T3, tHb was 111±9, 103±8, 94±8 and (89±7) g∕L, respectively, and SpHb was 124 ± 9, 120 ± 12, 108 ± 9 and ( 103 ± 8 ) g∕L, respectively. Bland?Altman analysis showed that at T0-T3 , the mean difference between SpHb and tHb was 13.5, 17.1, 14.1 and 13.9 g∕L, respectively, and 95% confidence interval was 13.1-13.9, 16.5-17.7, 13.6-14.6 and 13.4-14.4 g∕L, respectively. The limit of agreement was 8.4-18.6, 9.1-25.1, 7.8-20.4 and 7.4-20.4 g∕L at T0-T3 , respectively, and the interchangeable limits of the two methods ranged between 3.5-23.5, 7.1-27.1, 4.1-24.1 and 3.9-23.9 g∕L at T0-T3 , respectively. The repeatability coefficient of tHb and SpHb was 16.5 and 15.8 g∕L, respectively. The relative error of SpHb was (4.6±1.0)%, (5.3±1.4)%, (4.9±1.2)% and (4.8±1.2)% at T0-T3, respectively. Conclusion Continuous noninvasive Hb monitoring provides good accuracy in the patients undergoing cesarean section.

Objective The main objective of this study is to explore the effect of liver function on the awake BIS value.Methods According to the Child-Pugh classification,65 patients were divid-ed into three groups.Group A (n=27):patients with normal liver function;group B (n=21):pa-tients with Child-Pugh A;group C (n=1 7):patients with Child-Pugh B-C.The awake BIS value at rest was measured.Results Total bilirubin (TBIL),direct bilirubin (DBIL),indirect bilirubin (IBIL),alanine aminotransferase (ALT),aspartate aminotransferase (AST),albumin (ALB)of group B and C were significantly poorer than group A (P <0.05 or P <0.01).The coagulation func-tion of group C was poorer than group A and B (P <0.01).Compared with group A (96.2 ± 1.7) and group B (95.6±0.8),the awake BIS value of group C (94.1±3.0)was significantly reduced (P<0.01).The awake BIS value was negatively correlated with the TBIL value (r = - 0.26,P =0.039).Conclusion The awake BIS value in end-stage liver disease patients was significantly lower than that in patients with normal liver function and mild liver dysfunction.The awake BIS value may be related with the amount of total bilirubin in the blood.

Objective To study the expressions of Cx43,CD105 and VEGF in HBV related HCC tissues and the relationships between Cx43 expression and recurrence and prognosis after cancer radical resection in HCC patients stratified by serum AFP levels. Methods The expressions of Cx43,CD105,VEGF in 234 HBV related HCC tissues were examined by tissue microarray and two-step methods of PV-6000 of immunohistochemistry and the expressions of Cx43 in 20 frozen HCC specimens were examined by RT-PCR. Results Cx43 in HCC tissues was positive as examined by both immunohistochemistry and RTPCR methods.Positive Cx43 expression is correlated with lower early recurrence ( Log Rank P =0.001 ),longer disease free survival (Log Rank P =0.026 ) and overall survival( Log Rank P =0.000 ) as showed by the Kaplan-Meier analysis in patients with AFP ＜ 400 μg/L. The expression of Cx43 is an independent prognostic factor.The positive expression of Cx43 related with lower positive expression of CD105 and VEGF (P =0.018,0.023 ),and correlated with histological differentiation (P =0.002),the number of focus (P =0.033 ),blood vessel tumor embolism ( P =0.029 ). Conclusions The expression of Cx43 is correlative with the expression of CD105 and VEGF,and is predictive of HCC early recurrence and poor prognosis after radical hepatectomy in HBV related HCC patients with serum AFP ＜ 400 μg/L.