ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Kaixinsan in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease （AD） based on network pharmacology， molecular docking， and animal experimental validation. MethodsThe Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform（TCMSP） and the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine（ETCM） databases were used to obtain the active ingredients and targets of Kaixinsan. GeneCards， Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man（OMIM）， TTD， PharmGKB， and DrugBank databases were used to obtain the relevant targets of AD. The intersection （common targets） of the active ingredient targets of Kaixinsan and the relevant targets of AD was taken， and the network interaction analysis of the common targets was carried out in the STRING database to construct a protein-protein interaction（PPI） network. The CytoNCA plugin within Cytoscape was used to screen out the core targets， and the Metascape platform was used to perform gene ontology（GO） functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes（KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis. The “drug-active ingredient-target” interaction network was constructed with the help of Cytoscape 3.8.2， and AutoDock Vina was used for molecular docking. Scopolamine （SCOP） was utilized for modeling and injected intraperitoneally once daily. Thirty-two male C57/BL6 mice were randomly divided into blank control （CON） group （0.9% NaCl， n=8）， model （SCOP） group （3 mg·kg^-1·d^-1， n=8）， positive control group （3 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 of SCOP+3 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 of Donepezil， n=8）， and Kaixinsan group （3 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 of SCOP+6.5 g·kg^-1·d^-1 of Kaixinsan， n=8）. Mice in each group were administered with 0.9% NaCl， Kaixinsan， or Donepezil by gavage twice a day for 14 days. Morris water maze experiment was used to observe the learning memory ability of mice. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining method was used to observe the pathological changes in the CA1 area of the mouse hippocampus. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to determine the serum acetylcholine （ACh） and acetylcholinesterase （AChE） contents of mice. Western blot method was used to detect the protein expression levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3（STAT3） and nuclear transcription factor（NF）-κB p65 in the hippocampus of mice. ResultsA total of 73 active ingredients of Kaixinsan were obtained， and 578 potential targets （common targets） of Kaixinsan for the treatment of AD were screened out. Key active ingredients included kaempferol， gijugliflozin， etc.. Potential core targets were STAT3， NF-κB p65， et al. GO functional enrichment analysis obtained 3 124 biological functions， 254 cellular building blocks， and 461 molecular functions. KEGG pathway enrichment obtained 248 pathways， mainly involving cancer-related pathways， TRP pathway， cyclic adenosine monophosphate（cAMP） pathway， and NF-κB pathway. Molecular docking showed that the binding of the key active ingredients to the target targets was more stable. Morris water maze experiment indicated that Kaixinsan could improve the learning memory ability of SCOP-induced mice. HE staining and ELISA results showed that Kaixinsan had an ameliorating effect on central nerve injury in mice. Western blot test indicated that Kaixinsan had a down-regulating effect on the levels of NF-κB p65 phosphorylation and STAT3 phosphorylation in the hippocampal tissue of mice in the SCOP model. ConclusionKaixinsan can improve the cognitive impairment function in SCOP model mice and may reduce hippocampal neuronal damage and thus play a therapeutic role in the treatment of AD by regulating NF-κB p65， STAT3， and other targets involved in the NF-κB signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the value of Fried Frailty Phenotype （FFP）， liver frailty index （LFI）， and Short Physical Performance Battery （SPPB） in predicting 2-year all-cause mortality and decompensation events in patients with liver cirrhosis. MethodsA total of 277 patients with liver cirrhosis who were hospitalized in Beijing Friendship Hospital， Capital Medical University， from December 2020 to December 2021 were enrolled， and FFP， LFI， and SPPB were used to assess the state of frailty. Based on the scores of each tool， these patients were divided into frail and non-frail groups. These three tools were compared in terms of consistency and independent predictive performance. The primary endpoints were 2-year all-cause mortality rate and composite endpoints （death+decompensation events）， and the Cox regression analysis， the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve， net reclassification index （NRI）， and integrated discrimination improvement （IDI） index were used to analyze the predictive value of the three tools. Normally distributed continuous data were compared between two groups using the independent samples t-test， while non-normally distributed continuous data were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical data were compared between groups using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. The agreement among different frailty tools was evaluated using Cohen’s Kappa statistic. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was plotted， and a survival analysis was performed using the log-rank test. ResultsThe prevalence rate of frailty assessed by FFP， LFI， and SPPB was 37.2%， 22.4%， and 20.2%， respectively， with a moderate consistency between FFP and LFI/SPPB （κ=0.57， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 0.47 — 0.67； κ=0.51， 95%CI： 0.41 — 0.62） and a relatively high consistency between LFI and SPPB （κ=0.87， 95%CI： 0.80 — 0.94）. Compared with the non-frailty group， the frailty group had significantly higher all-cause mortality rate and incidence rate of composite endpoints （P0.001）. After multivariate adjustment， FFP， LFI， and SPPB had a hazard ratio of 2.42（95%CI： 1.51 — 5.11）， 2.21（95%CI： 1.11 — 4.42）， and 2.21（95%CI： 1.14 — 4.30）， respectively， in predicting all-cause mortality， as well as a hazard ratio of 2.51（95%CI： 1.61 — 3.91）， 2.40（95%CI： 1.51 — 3.80）， and 2.20（95%CI： 1.39 — 3.47）， respectively， in predicting composite endpoints. Compared with Child-Pugh score， FFP had a significantly greater area under the ROC curve （AUC） in predicting all-cause mortality （0.79 vs 0.69， P=0.032） and composite endpoints （0.75 vs 0.68， P=0.044）. Frailty assessment tools combined with Child-Pugh score significantly improved the performance in predicting all-cause mortality and composite endpoints， with an AUC of 0.81 — 0.82 and 0.77 — 0.78， respectively （P0.05）. NRI and IDI analyses further confirmed the improvement of the combined model in classification （all P0.001）. ConclusionFFP， LFI， and SPPB can independently predict adverse outcomes in patients with liver cirrhosis， among which FFP has the best predictive performance， and the combination of frailty assessment tools with Child-Pugh score can significantly enhance the accuracy of prognostic evaluation.

Background::Endometriosis (EM) is a complex benign gynecological disease, but it has malignant biological behavior and can invade any part of the body. Clinical manifestations include pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, infertility, pelvic nodules, and masses. Our previous study successfully detected circulating endometrial cells (CECs) in the peripheral blood of patients with EM. The purpose of this study is to overcome the limitation of cell size in the previous microfluidic chip method, to further accurately capture CECs, understand the characteristics of these cells, and explore the relationship between CECs and the clinical course characteristics of patients with EM.Methods::Human peripheral venous blood used to detect CECs and circulating vascular endothelial cells (CVECs) was taken from EM patients ( n = 34) hospitalized in the Peking University People’s Hospital. We used the subtraction enrichment and immunostaining fluorescence in situ hybridization (SE-iFISH) method to exclude the interference of red blood cells, white blood cells, and CVECs, so as to accurately capture the CECs in the peripheral blood of patients with EM. Then we clarified the size and ploidy number of chromosome 8 of CECs, and a second grouping of patients was performed based on clinical characteristics to determine the relationship between CECs and clinical course characteristics. Results::The peripheral blood of 34 EM patients and 12 non-EM patients was evaluated by SE-iFISH. Overall, 34 eligible EM patients were enrolled. The results showed that the detection rates of CECs were 58.8% in EM patients and 16.7% in the control group. However, after classification according to clinical characteristics, more CECs could be detected in the peripheral blood of patients with rapidly progressive EM, with a detection rate of 94.4% (17/18). In total, 63.5% (40/63) of these cells were small cells with diameters below 5 μm, and 44.4% (28/63) were aneuploid cells. No significant association was found between the number of CECs and EM stage.Conclusion::The number and characteristics of CECs are related to the clinical course characteristics of patients with EM, such as pain and changes in lesion size, and may be used as biomarkers for personalized treatment and management of EM in the future.

Background::Limited information exists regarding the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on psoriasis patients. The objective of this study was to identify clinical factors associated with the prognosis of psoriasis following SARS-CoV-2 infection.Methods::A retrospective, multicenter study was conducted between March and May 2023. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related psoriasis outcomes. The study included 2371 psoriasis patients from 12 clinical centers, with 2049 of them having been infected with SARS-CoV-2.Results::Among the infected groups, lower exacerbation rates were observed in individuals treated with biologics compared to those receiving traditional systemic or nonsystemic treatments (22.3% [236/1058] vs. 39.8% [92/231] vs. 37.5% [140/373], P <0.001). Psoriasis progression with lesions (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 8.197, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 5.685–11.820, compared to no lesions), hypertension (adjusted OR = 1.582, 95% CI = 1.068–2.343), traditional systemic (adjusted OR = 1.887, 95% CI= 1.263–2.818), and nonsystemic treatment (adjusted OR= 1.602, 95% CI= 1.117–2.297) were found to be associated with exacerbation of psoriasis after SARS-CoV-2 infection, but not biologics (adjusted OR = 0.931, 95% CI = 0.680–1.274, compared to no treatment), according to multivariable logistic regression analysis. Conclusions::A reduced risk of psoriasis exacerbation after SARS-CoV-2 infection was observed with biologics compared to traditional systemic and nonsystemic treatments. Significant risk factors for exacerbation after infection were identified as existing psoriatic lesions and hypertension.

Objective:To design a new type of intelligent power-assisted hip disarticulation prosthesis and to use experiments to verify its kinematic performance.Methods:The main body of the prosthesis was designed using a double parallel four-link configuration based on a remote motion center mechanism. A series elastic actuator was used to provide external power for the prosthesis, and an antagonistic torsion spring structure was used to achieve bidirectional energy storage assistance in hip flexion and extension. A control system based on impedance control was established. By setting up an auxiliary force field to compensate for the difference between the actual angle of the prosthesis and the target angle, the prosthesis assist function was realized. Finally, the traditional hip disarticulation prosthesis was used as a comparison to test the overall performance of the new intelligent power-assisted hip disarticulation prosthesis worn by normal people.Results:For the new smart-assisted hip-disarticulation prosthesis, the goodness-of-fit of its hip joint angle curve to that of a normal person was 86%, which was 14% higher than that of the traditional hip-disarticulation prosthesis (72%). The goodness-of-fit of the healthy-side angle of the new smart-assisted hip disarticulation prosthesis to the normal human was 94%, which was the same as that of the traditional hip disarticulation prosthesis.Conclusions:A new type of intelligent power-assisted hip disarticulation prosthesis is designed to realize the function of prosthesis-assisted movement.

Hemophilic arthritis(HA),caused by recurrent bleeding,can seriously affect patient quality of life and consumes extensive social and medical resources.There is thus a need to establish an animal model of HA for research;however,this is limited by ethical requirements.Here we review the recent literature and summarize research progress into animal models of HA at home and abroad,from the aspects of species selection,modeling method,histopathology,and imaging evaluation method.Species selection includes rodents such as mice,New Zealand rabbits,beagles,miniature pigs,and crab-eating macaques.Modeling method comprise gene knockout trauma models,gene knockout spontaneous models,and injection models.Among these,the gene knockout spontaneous model closely mimics the pathological process of spontaneous bleeding and concurrent arthritis in human HA,making it more relevant to human HA.However,due to high modeling costs,phenotypic instability,and low survival rates,this model is not the preferred choice for animal experimental studies.In contrast,gene knockout trauma models exhibit characteristics such as short modeling time,strong stability,and high success rates,thus being widely utilized in animal experimental research.Evaluation of HA models involves various imaging method including MRI,micro-CT,MSKUS/PD,in addition to various gross scoring method.By reviewing the progress of HA model research,more experimental evidence is provided for investigating the pathogenesis and validating the efficacy of HA treatments,thereby compensating for the lack of clinical data,particularly in the field of traditional Chinese medicine therapy.

Objective To assess the safety of transeptal puncture(TSP)guided by transthoracic echocardiography(TEE)in percutaneous transcatheter closure of patent foramen ovale(PFO).Methods From March 2022 to December 2022,our department performed TSP guided by TEE in 45 patients with PFO who were unable to pass through the PFO with transcatheter standard technique.After guiding the delivery of the sheath,the foramen ovale was occluded.Results PFO closure with TSP technique guided by transthoracic echocardiography was successfully finished in all the 45 patients,with an operative time of(15.0±3.7)min.No complications such as arrhythmia or cardiac perforation happened immediately and at 12 h after surgery.All the patients recovered and were discharged on the next day after surgery.All the 45 patients were followed up by outpatient echocardiography and dynamic electrocardiogram at 3 months after surgery,and no complications such as intracardiac shunt,pericardial effusion,atrial fibrillation,aortic regurgitation,or arrhythmia were observed.Conclusion TSP guided by TEE is safe and feasible,and it can be used as a supplementary method for complex PFO.

The paper summarizes the treatment experience of surgical repair combined with automated peritoneal dialysis in a maintenance peritoneal dialysis patient complicated with thoracoabdominal fistula. Through the close participation of medical and patients, the diagnosis method and peritoneal dialysis scheme were optimized continuously. The thoracoabdominal fistula repair operation was successfully implemented by a multidisciplinary team, and the patient's condition was improved and was discharged. This case suggests that standardized diagnosis process and optimized diagnosis method can be applied to improve the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis, and strive for early diagnosis and intervention; multi-disciplinary teams can be actively formed and the patients can be encouraged to participate in decision-making, to improve treatment confidence; the advantages of automated peritoneal dialysis can be made full use to reduce complications and improve the life quality of the patient.

In November 2023, the seventh National Nucleic Acid Vaccine Conference was held to deeply discuss the immune mechanism, safety risks, advantages, and disadvantages of nucleic acid vaccines, and review the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines developed by nucleic acid vaccine technology. Some prospectives were formed in the meeting that in the post-pandemic era, nucleic acid vaccine technology will play a role in the following areas: dealing with pathogens that are difficult to be prevented by traditional vaccines, promoting the upgrading of traditional live attenuated vaccines, contributing to the development of multivalent and combined vaccines, and rapid response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. These views point out the direction for the future development of nucleic acid vaccine technology.

Objective:To analyze the clinical, genetic mutation characteristics, and treatment prognosis of type 2A hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) in China.Methods:Peripheral blood samples and clinical data of patients with primary iron overload were collected through the China Registry of Genetic/Metabolic Liver Disease from June 2015 to November 2023. HH-related genes were detected by Sanger sequencing. Clinical characteristics and gene mutation characteristics of HH patients carrying HJV gene mutations were analyzed.Results:Among the 37 cases with primary iron overload, ten cases (27.0%, 10/37) had detectable HJV gene mutations, which included four homozygous mutations, five compound heterozygous mutations, and one monoheterozygous mutation. p.Q6H and p.C321X (80.0%, 8/10) were the most common mutated sites. The average age of onset was 30.7±14.7 years. The age of diagnosis was 35.7±16.2 years, with male-to-female ratio of 7:3. Ferritin and transferrin saturation were (5 267±905) ng/ml, and 94.3%±1.2%, respectively. Magnetic resonance imaging showed iron overload in the liver, pancreas, and myocardium. Liver biopsy showed diffuse iron deposition within hepatocytes. All ten cases had elevated transaminases; one case (1/10, 10.0%) had liver cirrhosis; four cases (4/10, 40.0%) had heart failure and arrhythmia; five cases (5/10, 50.0%) had diabetes; six cases (6/10, 60.0%) had hypogonadism; six cases (6/10, 60.0%) had skin pigmentation; and six cases (6/10, 60.0%) had fatigue symptoms. All six cases underwent bloodletting therapy, and ferritin levels dropped to about 100 ng/ml. Two cases of oral administration of the iron chelator deferasirox did not meet the ferritin level standard, and one case died from acute heart failure following a confirmed diagnosis during hospitalization.Conclusion:The HJV gene may be one of the main pathogenic genes of HH in China. The p.Q6H and p.C321X mutations were one of the hotspot mutations. The onset age of HJV gene-related HH was between 20 and 30 years old, and their condition was severe. Therefore, early bloodletting treatment can have a favorable outcome.