The current study aimed to clarify the roles of apolipoprotein A5 (ApoA5) and milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor 8 (Mfge8) in regulating myocardial lipid deposition and the regulatory relationship between them. The serum levels of ApoA5 and Mfge8 in obese and healthy people were compared, and the obesity mouse model induced by the high-fat diet (HFD) was established. In addition, primary cardiomyocytes were purified and identified from the hearts of suckling mice. The 0.8 mmol/L sodium palmitate treatment was used to establish the lipid deposition cardiomyocyte model in vitro. ApoA5-overexpressing adenovirus was used to observe its effects on cardiac function and lipids. The expressions of the fatty acid uptake-related molecules and Mfge8 on transcription or translation levels were detected. Co-immunoprecipitation was used to verify the interaction between ApoA5 and Mfge8 proteins. Immunofluorescence was used to observe the co-localization of Mfge8 protein with ApoA5 or lysosome-associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP2). Recombinant rMfge8 was added to cardiomyocytes to investigate the regulatory mechanism of ApoA5 on Mfge8. The results showed that participants in the simple obesity group had a significant decrease in serum ApoA5 levels (P < 0.05) and a significant increase in Mfge8 levels (P < 0.05) in comparison with the healthy control group. The adenovirus treatment successfully overexpressed ApoA5 in HFD-fed obese mice and palmitic acid-induced lipid deposition cardiomyocytes, respectively. ApoA5 reduced the weight of HFD-fed obese mice (P < 0.05), shortened left ventricular isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT), increased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and significantly reduced plasma levels of triglycerides (TG) and cholesterol (CHOL) (P < 0.05). In myocardial tissue and cardiomyocytes, the overexpression of ApoA5 significantly reduced the deposition of TG (P < 0.05), transcription of fatty acid translocase (FAT/CD36) (P < 0.05), fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) (P < 0.05), and fatty acid transport protein (FATP) (P < 0.05), and protein expression of Mfge8 (P < 0.05), while the transcription levels of Mfge8 were not significantly altered (P > 0.05). In vitro, the Mfge8 protein was captured using ApoA5 as bait protein, indicating a direct interaction between them. Overexpression of ApoA5 led to an increase in co-localization of Mfge8 with ApoA5 or LAMP2 in cardiomyocytes under lipid deposition status. On this basis, exogenous added recombinant rMfge8 counteracted the improvement of lipid deposition in cardiomyocytes by ApoA5. The above results indicate that the overexpression of ApoA5 can reduce fatty acid uptake in myocardial cells under lipid deposition status by regulating the content and cellular localization of Mfge8 protein, thereby significantly reducing myocardial lipid deposition and improving cardiac diastolic and systolic function.
Animals ; Humans ; Mice ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Obesity/physiopathology* ; Male ; Apolipoprotein A-V/blood* ; Lipid Metabolism/physiology* ; Milk Proteins/blood* ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Diet, High-Fat ; Antigens, Surface/physiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Cells, Cultured ; Female

This study aims to explore whether Albiziae Cortex-Tribuli Fructus can exert an anti-hepatic fibrosis effect by regulating the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)/cysteine protease-1(caspase-1) pathway and analyze its potential mechanism. In the in vivo experiment, a mouse model of hepatic fibrosis was established by subcutaneous injection of carbon tetrachloride. The levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), collagen type Ⅳ(ColⅣ), laminin(LN), procollagen type Ⅲ(PCⅢ), and hyaluronic acid(HA) in the serum of mice were measured using a fully automated biochemical analyzer and ELISA. Hematoxylin and eosin(HE) and Masson staining were used to observe inflammation and collagen fiber deposition in the liver tissue. Western blot and RT-qPCR were employed to detect the protein and mRNA expression of collagen type Ⅰ(collagen Ⅰ), α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), Nrf2, NLRP3, gasdermin D(GSDMD), and caspase-1 in the hepatic tissue. In the in vitro experiment, human hepatic stellate cells(HSC-LX2) were pretreated with Nrf2 agonist or inhibitor, followed by the addition of blank serum, AngⅡ + blank serum, and AngⅡ + Albiziae Cortex-Tribuli Fructus-containing serum for intervention. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of Nrf2, NLRP3, GSDMD, caspase-1, α-SMA, GSDMD-N, and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein(ASC) in cells. DCFH-DA fluorescence probe was used to detect the cellular ROS levels. The results from the in vivo experiment showed that, compared with the model group, Albiziae Cortex-Tribuli Fructus significantly reduced the serum levels of AST, ALT, ColⅣ, LN, PCⅢ, and HA, reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells and collagen fiber deposition in the liver tissue, significantly upregulated the protein and mRNA expression of Nrf2 in the liver tissue, and significantly downregulated the protein and mRNA expression of collagen I, α-SMA, NLRP3, GSDMD, and caspase-1 in the liver tissue. The results from the in vitro experiment showed that Nrf2 activation decreased the protein expression of NLRP3, GSDMD, caspase-1, α-SMA, GSDMD-N, ASC, and ROS levels in HSC-LX2, while Nrf2 inhibition showed the opposite trend. Furthermore, Albiziae Cortex-Tribuli Fructus-containing serum directly decreased the expression of the above proteins and ROS levels. In conclusion, Albiziae Cortex-Tribuli Fructus can effectively improve hepatic fibrosis, and its mechanism of action may involve inhibiting pyroptosis through the regulation of the Nrf2/NLRP3/caspase-1 pathway.
Animals ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/genetics* ; Liver Cirrhosis/genetics* ; Mice ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Caspase 1/genetics* ; Male ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Humans ; Liver/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Plant Extracts ; Tribulus

PURPOSE: To investigate the protective effect of sub-hypothermic mechanical perfusion combined with membrane lung oxygenation on ischemic hypoxic injury of yorkshire brain tissue caused by traumatic blood loss. METHODS: This article performed a random controlled trial. Brain tissue of 7 yorkshire was selected and divided into the sub-low temperature anterograde machine perfusion group (n = 4) and the blank control group (n = 3) using the random number table method. A yorkshire model of brain tissue injury induced by traumatic blood loss was established. Firstly, the perfusion temperature and blood oxygen saturation were monitored in real-time during the perfusion process. The number of red blood cells, hemoglobin content, NA⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺ ions concentrations and pH of the perfusate were detected. Following perfusion, we specifically examined the parietal lobe to assess its water content. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were then dissected for histological evaluation, allowing us to investigate potential regional differences in tissue injury. The blank control group was sampled directly before perfusion. All statistical analyses and graphs were performed using GraphPad Prism 8.0 Student t-test. All tests were two-sided, and p value of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. RESULTS: The contents of red blood cells and hemoglobin during perfusion were maintained at normal levels but more red blood cells were destroyed 3 h after the perfusion. The blood oxygen saturation of the perfusion group was maintained at 95% - 98%. NA⁺ and K⁺ concentrations were normal most of the time during perfusion but increased significantly at about 4 h. The Ca²⁺ concentration remained within the normal range at each period. Glucose levels were slightly higher than the baseline level. The pH of the perfusion solution was slightly lower at the beginning of perfusion, and then gradually increased to the normal level. The water content of brain tissue in the sub-low and docile perfusion group was 78.95% ± 0.39%, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (75.27% ± 0.55%, t = 10.49, p < 0.001), and the difference was statistically significant. Compared with the blank control group, the structure and morphology of pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex and CA1 region of the hippocampal gyrus were similar, and their integrity was better. The structural integrity of granulosa neurons was destroyed and cell edema increased in the perfusion group compared with the blank control group. Immunofluorescence staining for glail fibrillary acidic protein and Iba1, markers of glial cells, revealed well-preserved cell structures in the perfusion group. While there were indications of abnormal cellular activity, the analysis showed no significant difference in axon thickness or integrity compared to the 1-h blank control group. CONCLUSIONS Mild hypothermic machine perfusion can improve ischemia and hypoxia injury of yorkshire brain tissue caused by traumatic blood loss and delay the necrosis and apoptosis of yorkshire brain tissue by continuous oxygen supply, maintaining ion homeostasis and reducing tissue metabolism level.
Animals ; Perfusion/methods* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Brain Injuries/etiology* ; Swine ; Male ; Hypothermia, Induced/methods*

Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) is one of the most commonly occurring pathogens associated with genital tract infections in infertile males, but the impact of seminal UU infection in semen on intrauterine insemination (IUI) outcomes is poorly understood. We collected data from 245 infertile couples who underwent IUI at The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC (Hefei, China) between January 2021 and January 2023. The subjects were classified into two groups according to their UU infection status: the UU-positive group and the UU-negative group. We compared semen parameters, pregnancy outcomes, and neonatal birth outcomes to investigate the impact of UU infection on IUI outcomes. There were no significantly statistical differences in various semen parameters, including semen volume, sperm concentration, total and progressive motility, sperm morphology, leukocyte count, the presence of anti-sperm antibody, and sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), between the UU-positive and UU-negative groups of male infertile patients (all P > 0.05). However, the high DNA stainability (HDS) status of sperm differed between the UU-positive and UU-negative groups, suggesting that seminal UU infection may affect sperm nuclear maturation ( P = 0.04). Additionally, there were no significant differences in pregnancy or neonatal birth outcomes between the two groups (all P > 0.05). These results suggest that IUI remains a viable and cost-effective option for infertile couples with UU infection who are facing infertility issues.
Humans ; Male ; Ureaplasma Infections/complications* ; Female ; Infertility, Male/therapy* ; Ureaplasma urealyticum/isolation & purification* ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Semen Analysis ; Insemination, Artificial ; Semen/microbiology* ; China

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical significance of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in response evaluation and relapse monitoring for patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). METHODS: The clinical characteristics, efficacy and survival of 38 PMBCL patients in our hospital from January 2010 to April 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The ctDNA monitoring was conducted by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS). RESULTS: Among the 38 patients, 26 cases were female, and 32 cases were diagnosed with Ann Arbor stage I-II. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate and progression-free survival (PFS) rate were 74.7% and 61.7%, respectively. Males and those with high aaIPI scores (3 points) had a relatively poor prognosis. The NGS results of 23 patients showed that STAT6 (65.2%), SOCS1 (56.5%), and TNFAIP3 (56.5%) were the most common mutated genes. Patients with stable disease (SD)/progressive disease (PD) exhibited enrichment in cell cycle, FoxO, and TNF signaling pathways. A total of 29 patients underwent end-of-treatment PET/CT (EOT PET/CT), and 16 of them received ctDNA monitoring with 12 negative. Among 6 patients with EOT PET/CT positive (Deauville 4), 4 underwent ctDNA monitoring, and 3 of them were negative, being still in continuous remission without any subsequent anti-tumor therapy. CONCLUSION CtDNA may be combined with PET/CT to assess efficacy, monitor relapse, and guide treatment of PMBCL.
Humans ; Circulating Tumor DNA/blood* ; Female ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Prognosis ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Mutation

Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Quality Improvement ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal

Objective To explore clinical effect of closed reduction percutaneous elastic intramedullary nail assisted by arthrography in the treatment of radial neck fracture in children.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 23 chil-dren with radial neck fracture treated with arthrography assisted closed reduction and percutaneous elastic intramedullary nail internal fixation(arthrography with elastic nail group)from January 2019 to December 2022,including 12 males and 11 fe-males,aged from 2 to 12 years old with an average of(7.36±1.89)years old;According to Judet fracture types,14 children were type Ⅲ and 9 children were type Ⅳ.In addition,23 children with radial neck fracture were selected from January 2015 to December 2018 who were treated with closed reduction and percutaneous elastic intramedullary nail fixation(elastic nail group),including 11 males and 12 females,aged from 2 to 14 years old with an average of(7.50±1.91)years old;Judet classi-fication included 15 children were type Ⅲ and 8 children were type Ⅳ.Operative time and intraoperative fluoroscopy times were compared between two groups.Metaizeau evaluation criteria was used to evaluate fracture reduction,and Tibone-Stoltz evaluation criteria was used to evaluate functional recovery of elbow between two groups.Results Both groups were followed up for 12 to 24 months with an average of(16.56±6.34)months.Operative time and intraoperative fluoroscopy times of elastic nail group were(56.64±19.27)min and(21.13±7.87)times,while those of joint angiography with elastic nail group were(40.33±1 1.50)min and(12.10±3.52)times;there were difference between two groups(P＜0.05).According to Metaizeau evaluation,11 patients got excellent result,9 good and 3 fair in joint angiography with elastic nail group,while in elastic nail group,5 ex-cellent,13 good,4 acceptable,and 1 poor;the difference between two groups was statistically significant(P＜0.05).According to Tibone-Stoltz criteria,14 patients got excellent result,8 good,and 1 fair in joint arthrography with elastic nail group;while in elastic nail group,12 patients got excellent result,9 good,1 fair and 1 poor;there was no significant difference between two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion Compared to percutaneous elastic intramedullary nail fixation,closed reduction assisted by arthrography has advantages of reduced operation time,decreased intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency,and improved fracture reduction.Arthrography enables clear visualization of the anatomical structures of radius,head,neck,bone,and cartilage in children,facilitating comprehensive display of fracture reduction and brachioradial joint alignment.This technique more pre-cisely guides the depth of elastic intramedullary nail implantation in radius neck,thereby enhancing surgical efficiency and success rate.

Objective:To explore the therapeutic efficacy and prognostic factors of induction therapy for secondary central nervous system lymphoma(SCNSL).Methods:Clinical data of patients diagnosed with SCNSL from 2010 to 2021 at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital were retrospectively collected.A retrospective cohort study was performed on all and grouped patients to analyze the efficacy and survival.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the adverse prognostic factors.Results:Thirty-seven diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients with secondary central involvement were included in the research.Their 2-year overall survival(OS)rate was 46.01％and median survival time was 18.1 months.The 2-year OS rates of HD-MTX group and TMZ group were 34.3％and 61％,median survival time were 8.7 and 38.3 months,and median progression-free survival time were 8.1 and 47 months,respectively.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age,sex,IPI,Ann Arbor stage were correlated with patient survival time.The median survival time of patients with CD79B,KMT2D,CXCR4.ERBB2,TBL1XR1,BTG2,MYC,MYD88,and PIM1 mutations was 8.2 months,which was lower than the overall level.Conclusion:HD-MTX combined with TMZ as the first-line strategy may improve patient prognosis,and early application of gene sequencing is beneficial for evaluating prognosis.

Objective: To compare the effects of the China Children's Asthma Action Plan (CCAAP)-based remote joint management model with traditional management model on the control of childhood asthma. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the general data and asthma control assessment data of 219 children with asthma who attended the respiratory department of Guangzhou Women's and Children's Medical Center from April 2021 to October 2021 and were followed up for 1 year or more. According to the follow-up management model, the CCAAP-based remote joint management model was used in the observation group and the traditional management model was used in the control group, and the propensity score matching method was applied to match the data of children in the two management models for comparison. Paired-samples t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, McNemar χ²-test or χ²-test or nonparametric tests were used to compare the general data and asthma control assessment data between the two matched groups of children. Results: Among 219 children with asthma, 145 were male and 74 were female, aged at consultation (7.2±2.4) years. There were 147 cases in the observation group and 72 cases in the control group, and 27 cases in each of the observation and control groups were successfully matched. The number of asthma exacerbation aura, acute exacerbations, and emergency room visits or hospitalizations for asthma exacerbations were lower in the observation group than in the control group after pairing (1 (0, 2) vs. 3 (1, 5) times, 0 (0,0) vs. 0 (0, 1) times, 0 (0,0) vs. 1 (0, 1) times, Z=-3.42, -2.58, -3.17, all P<0.05). The use of peak flowmeters was higher in children aged 5 years and older in the observation group than in the control group after pairing (100% (22/22) vs. 13% (3/23), χ²=54.00,P<0.001). The ratio of actual to predicted 1st second expiratory volume of force after follow-up in the observation group after pairing was higher than that before follow-up in the observation group and after follow-up in the control group ((95±11)% vs. (85±10)%, (95±11)% vs. (88±11)%, t=-3.40, 2.25, all P<0.05). The rate of complete asthma control after follow-up was higher in both the observation and control groups after pairing than before follow-up for 12 months in both groups (93% (25/27) vs. 41% (11/27), 52% (14/27) vs. 41% (11/27), H=56.19, 45.37, both P<0.001), and the rate of complete control of asthma in children in the observation group was higher than that in the control group at 3 and 12 months of follow-up management (56% (15/27) vs. 25% (5/20), 93% (25/27) vs. 52% (14/27), χ²=47.00, 54.00, both P<0.001). The number of offline follow-up visits, inhaled hormone medication adherence scores, and caregiver's asthma perception questionnaire scores were higher in the observation group than in the control group after pairing (6 (4, 8) vs. 4 (2,5), (4.8±0.3) vs. (4.0±0.6) score, (19.3±2.6) vs. (15.2±2.7) score, Z=6.58, t=6.57, 5.61, all P<0.05), and the children in the observation group had lower school absences, caregiver absences, asthma attack visit costs, and caregiver PTSD scores than the control group (0 (0,0) vs.3 (0, 15) d, 0 (0,0) vs. 3 (0, 10) d, 1 100 (0, 3 700) vs. 5 000 (1 000, 10 000) yuan, 1.3 (1.1, 1.9) vs. 2.0 (1.2, 2.7) score, Z=-2.89, -2.30, 2.74, 2.73, all P<0.05). Conclusion: The CCAAP-based joint management model of asthma control is superior to the traditional management model in the following aspects: it can effectively improve asthma control, self-monitoring, and lung function in children; it can improve treatment adherence and caregivers' asthma awareness; and it can reduce the duration of absenteeism from school, the cost of asthma exacerbation visits, and caregiver's negative psychology.
Humans ; Child ; Female ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Asthma/therapy* ; China ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals

Objective: To analyze the clinical features, efficacy and prognosis factors of core binding factor (CBF) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) children in South China. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Clinical data of 584 AML patients from 9 hospitals between January 2015 to December 2020 was collected. According to fusion gene results, all patients were divided into two groups: CBF-AML group (189 cases) and non-CBF-AML group (395 cases). CBF-AML group were divided into AML1-ETO subgroup (154 cases) and CBFβ-MYH11 subgroup (35 cases). Patients in CBF-AML group chosen different induction scheme were divided into group A (fludarabine, cytarabine, granulocyte colony stimulating factor and idarubicin (FLAG-IDA) scheme, 134 cases) and group B (daunorubicin, cytarabine and etoposide (DAE) scheme, 55 cases). Age, gender, response rate, recurrence rate, mortality, molecular genetic characteristics and other clinical data were compared between groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis and survival curve was drawn. Cox regression model was used to analyze prognostic factors. Results: A total of 584 AML children were diagnosed, including 346 males and 238 females. And a total of 189 children with CBF-AML were included, including 117 males and 72 females. The age of diagnosis was 7.3 (4.5,10.0)years, and the white blood cell count at initial diagnosis was 21.4 (9.7, 47.7)×10⁹/L.The complete remission rate of the first course (CR1) of induction therapy, relapse rate, and mortality of children with CBF-AML were significantly different from those in the non-CBF-AML group (91.0% (172/189) vs. 78.0% (308/395); 10.1% (19/189) vs. 18.7% (74/395); 13.2% (25/189) vs. 25.6% (101/395), all P<0.05). In children with CBF-AML, the CBFβ-MYH11 subgroup had higher initial white blood cells and lower proportion of extramedullary invasion than the AML1-ETO subgroup, with statistical significance (65.7% (23/35) vs. 14.9% (23/154), 2.9% (1/35) vs. 16.9% (26/154), both P<0.05). AML1-ETO subgroup had more additional chromosome abnormalities (75/154), especially sex chromosome loss (53/154). Compared with group B, group A had more additional chromosome abnormalities and a higher proportion of tumor reduction regimen, with statistical significance (50.0% (67/134) vs. 29.1% (16/55), 34.3% (46/134) vs. 18.2% (10/55), both P<0.05). Significant differences were found in 5-years event free survival (EFS) rate and 5-year overall survival (OS) rate between CBF-AML group and non-CBF-AML group ((77.0±6.4)%vs. (61.9±6.7)%,(83.7±9.0)%vs. (67.3±7.2)%, both P<0.05).EFS and OS rates of AML1-ETO subgroup and CBFβ-MYH11 subgroup in children with CBF-AML were not significantly different (both P>0.05). Multivariate analysis showed in the AML1-ETO subgroup, CR1 rate and high white blood cell count (≥50×10⁹/L) were independent risk factors for EFS (HR=0.24, 95%CI 0.07-0.85,HR=1.01, 95%CI 1.00-1.02, both P<0.05) and OS (HR=0.24, 95%CI 0.06-0.87; HR=1.01, 95%CI 1.00-1.02; both P<0.05). Conclusions: In CBF-AML, AML1-ETO is more common which has a higher extramedullary involvement and additional chromosome abnormalities, especially sex chromosome loss. The prognosis of AML1-ETO was similar to that of CBFβ-MYH11. The selection of induction regimen group FLAG-IDA for high white blood cell count and additional chromosome abnormality can improve the prognosis.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Child ; Retrospective Studies ; RUNX1 Translocation Partner 1 Protein/genetics* ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit/therapeutic use* ; Prognosis ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics* ; Cytarabine/therapeutic use* ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/genetics* ; Chromosome Aberrations