Chronic heart failure （CHF） is a complex clinical syndrome that the cardiac output is not enough to meet the metabolic needs of the body， or depends on the increase of filling pressure to compensate. Its high morbidity and mortality pose a serious threat to human health， necessitating attention and active intervention. At present， western medicine treatment of CHF is mainly based on diuretics， intravenous vasodilators， intravenous positive inotropic drugs， etc.， which， however， have problems such as long medication cycles， serious side effects， and limited applicable population. Recent studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine can act in a multi-pathway， multi-component， and multi-target manner， showing unique advantages in the prevention and treatment of CHF. Buyang Huanwutang has the effects of tonifying Qi， activating blood， and dredging collaterals. Clinical and mechanism studies have confirmed that this prescription is effective in treating CHF and its syndromes. The clinical studies can be classified into two categories. Studies of the first category use simple modern medical diagnostic criteria as the inclusion criteria for CHF patients， which can improve the scientificity and objectivity. Studies of the second category uses modern medicine combined with traditional Chinese medicine disease diagnostic criteria for the screening of CHF patients， which helps to improve the accuracy of efficacy evaluation. However， there are problems such as the lack of unified research standards and the insufficiency of mechanism research. In addition， the available studies remain to be classified or summarized. This study systematically sorted out the clinical and mechanism studies of Buyang Huanwutang in the treatment of CHF in recent years to review the research status. In clinical treatment， Buyang Huanwutang can be used alone， or modified， or combined with other prescriptions or Western medicine. The mechanism studies predict that Buyang Huanwutang can ameliorate CHF by regulating the calcium balance， protecting the mitochondrial structure and function， and regulating intestinal flora. This review aims to provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the clinical application and optimization and subsequent in-depth study of Buyang Huanwutang in the treatment of CHF.

Objective To explore the mediating effect of sleep quality between somatic symptoms and severity of depression in patients with depression. Methods A total of 384 drug-naive patients diagnosed with depression were recruited from the Department of Psychological Medicine of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, during the period from February to August 2024. The severity of depression, somatic symptoms, and sleep quality were assessed using Patient Health Qusetionaire (PHQ)-9, PHQ-15, and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), respectively. Based on the PHQ-15 scores, all participants were stratified into two groups: a mild somatic symptoms group（＜10 points, n＝136）and a moderate-to-severe somatic symptoms group（≥10 points, n＝248）. Comparisons of sleep quality between the two groups were conducted, and partial correlation analysis was performed to examine the correlation between sleep quality and somatic symptoms. Additionally, linear regression and mediation analyses were conducted to investigate the mediating effect of sleep quality between somatic symptoms and severity of depression. Results The PSQI scores in moderate-to-severe somatic symptoms group were significantly higher than those in mild somatic symptoms group (P＜0.001). Partial correlation analysis indicated that, after controlling for depression severity, the positive correlation between PSQI and PHQ-15 scores remained significant in both groups (P＜0.01). Regression analysis identified both sleep quality and somatic symptoms as predictors of severity of depression (P＜0.001). Additionally, mediation analysis demonstrated that sleep quality partially mediated the relationship between somatic symptoms and severity of depression, accounting for 26.63% (0.090/0.338) of the total effect. Conclusions In patients with depression, sleep quality is associated with somatic symptoms, and both contribute to an increased risk of the severity of depression. Moreover, sleep quality plays a partial mediating effect between somatic symptoms and severity of depression, highlighting the importance of addressing sleep-related issues in the management of depression.

Periodontal disease is a risk factor for many systemic diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Cleft palate (CP), the most common congenital craniofacial defect, has a multifaceted etiology influenced by complex genetic and environmental risk factors such as maternal bacterial or virus infection. A prior case-control study revealed a surprisingly strong association between maternal periodontal disease and CP in offspring. However, the precise relationship remains unclear. In this study, the relationship between maternal oral pathogen and CP in offspring was studied by sonicated P. gingivalis injected intravenously and orally into pregnant mice. We investigated an obvious increasing CP (12.5%) in sonicated P. gingivalis group which had inhibited osteogenesis in mesenchyme and blocked efferocytosis in epithelium. Then glycolysis and H4K12 lactylation (H4K12la) were detected to elevate in both mouse embryonic palatal mesenchyme (MEPM) cells and macrophages under P. gingivalis exposure which further promoted the transcription of metallopeptidase domain17 (ADAM17), subsequently mediated the shedding of transforming growth factor-beta receptor 1 (TGFBR1) in MEPM cells and mer tyrosine kinase (MerTK) in macrophages and resulted in the suppression of efferocytosis and osteogenesis in palate, eventually caused abnormalities in palate fusion and ossification. The abnormal efferocytosis also led to a predominance of M1 macrophages, which indirectly inhibited palatal osteogenesis via extracellular vesicles. Furthermore, pharmacological ADAM17 inhibition could ameliorate the abnormality of P. gingivalis-induced abnormal palate development. Therefore, our study extends the knowledge of how maternal oral pathogen affects fetal palate development and provides a novel perspective to understand the pathogenesis of CP.
Animals ; Female ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; Pregnancy ; Mice ; Cleft Palate/etiology* ; Glycolysis

Objective: To examine the impacts of chemotherapy/radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and combined treatment on the quality of life in patients with intermediate and advanced lung cancer. Methods: The patients with intermediate and advanced lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy/radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and combined treatment for the first time were recruited from a tertiary hospital in Weifang City, Shandong Province, using a quota sampling method in September 2023. Basic information was collected using a general information questionnaire, and the quality of life was assessed using the Chinese version of Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General. The investigation started on the 7th day of treatment, and the follow-ups were conducted at 3 and 6 months. The quality of life in patients with different treatment regimens and at different treatment time were compared using repeated measure analysis of variance. Results: There were 26 chemotherapy/radiotherapy patients, 32 targeted therapy patients, and 95 combination therapy patients. There were no significant differences in age, gender, place of residence, education level, self-rated economic status, medical insurance, pathological type and disease stage among the three treatment regimens (all P>0.05). The repeated measure analysis of variance showed an interaction effect between time and group among patients receiving the three treatment regimens (P<0.05). The quality of life scores of patients receiving combination therapy decreased with extended treatment time (all P<0.05). The quality of life scores of patients receiving targeted therapy at 3 and 6 months were lower than those treated for 7 days (both P<0.05). No significant differences were observed in quality of life scores among chemotherapy/radiotherapy patients with different treatment durations (all P>0.05). At 3 and 6 months, patients receiving combination therapy had lower quality of life scores compared to those receiving chemotherapy/radiotherapy or targeted therapy (all P<0.05). Conclusion The decline in quality of life for patients with intermediate and advanced lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy/radiotherapy and targeted therapy is less than that for patients receiving combined therapy.

[Objective] To evaluate the clinical application value of intrauterine perfusion with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) combined with in vitro fertilization-frozen-thawed embryo transfer (IVF-FET) in patients with chronic endometritis (CE). [Methods] A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted, enrolling 60 CE patients undergoing artificial cycle frozen embryo transfer at our hospital from January 2022 to January 2024. Participants were randomly divided into three groups: Group A (routine frozen embryo transfer, n=20), Group B (routine frozen embryo transfer + one PRP intrauterine perfusion, n=20), and Group C (routine frozen embryo transfer + two PRP intrauterine perfusions, n=20). Endometrial thickness during the transformation and transplantation phases, uterine artery pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI), systolic peak velocity/end-diastolic velocity (S/D) ratio during transplantation, serum levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α during transplantation, as well as biochemical pregnancy rate, clinical pregnancy rate, live birth rate, and early miscarriage rate were compared across groups. [Results] No significant differences in endometrial thickness were observed among the three groups during the transformation phase (P>0.05). During the transplantation phase, endometrial thickness in Groups C and B was significantly higher than in Group A[9.54 (8.96-10.22) and 8.90 (8.34-9.72) vs 8.37 (7.89-8.75) mm, P<0.05], with Group C showing greater thickness than Group B (Z=3.733, P<0.05). Endometrial thickness in Groups C and B during transplantation was significantly increased compared to their respective transformation phases (Z=2.191, 2.462; P<0.05). Groups C and B exhibited lower PI, RI, and S/D values than Group A[PI:1.87 (1.77-1.97), 1.94 (1.88-2.15) vs 2.43 (2.35-2.49); RI:0.75 (0.73-0.77), 0.78 (0.75-0.81) vs 0.84 (0.83-0.86); S/D:2.61 (2.33-3.42), 3.01 (2.20-3.93) vs 3.72 (3.06-4.49); P<0.05]. Group C demonstrated lower PI and RI than Group B (P<0.05). IL-2 levels in Groups C and B were higher than in Group A[3.88 (2.71-5.01), 3.59 (2.73-4.38) vs 3.16 (2.11-3.25) ng/L, P<0.05], while IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α levels were significantly lower (IL-4: Z=1.428, 2.421; IL-6: Z=1.754, 2.435; IL-10: Z=1.754, 2.854; TNF-α: Z=1.961, 1.765; P<0.05). Group C had lower IL-6 levels than Group B (Z=3.976, P<0.05). Biochemical pregnancy rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and live birth rate in Group C were significantly higher than in Group A (75% vs 40%, 70% vs 35%, 60% vs 20%, P<0.05). No significant differences in early miscarriage rates were observed among the groups (χ²=3.750, P>0.05). [Conclusion] Intrauterine autologous PRP perfusion in CE patients enhances pregnancy and live birth rates, improves pregnancy outcomes post-FET, and demonstrates superior efficacy in endometrial repair and receptivity with two PRP perfusions compared to a single perfusion. This provides a safe and effective therapeutic option for optimizing outcomes in CE patients with prior implantation failure.

Purpose To investigate the relationship between SERPINA4 expression and clinicopathological fea-tures and prognosis in metastatic colorectal cancer(CRC).Methods EnVision two-step immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of SERPINA4 protein in 104 cases of primary and metastatic tumor paraffin tissues of metastatic colorectal cancer and adjacent intestinal normal mucosa,and its relationship with clinicopathological features of patients was analyzed.qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of SERPINA4 mRNA in 11 pairs of metastatic CRC metastases and paired primary tumor paraffin-embedded tissue samples.The survival of patients was followed up,and the relationship between SERPINA4 expression and patient prognosis was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method.Re-sults Immunohistochemical results showed that the strong positive expression rate of SERPINA4 was 97.10％in nor-mal mucosa,71.20％in primary lesions,and 39.40％in metastatic lesions.The difference between the three groups was statistically significant(P＜0.001).qRT-PCR results showed that SERPINA4 mRNA was lowly expressed in me-tastatic lesions of metastatic CRC(P＜0.05).The expression of SERPINA4 in metastatic lesions was significantly cor-related with histological grade,N stage and M stage of the tumor(P＜0.05),but not significantly correlated with age,gender,tumor location and T stage of patients(P＞0.05).The survival time of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer with high expression of SERPINA4 was longer than that of patients with low expression.Conclusion The ex-pression of SERPINA4 is of great significance in the survival and prognosis of patients with metastatic CRC.

Purpose To investigate the relationship between SERPINA4 expression and clinicopathological fea-tures and prognosis in metastatic colorectal cancer(CRC).Methods EnVision two-step immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of SERPINA4 protein in 104 cases of primary and metastatic tumor paraffin tissues of metastatic colorectal cancer and adjacent intestinal normal mucosa,and its relationship with clinicopathological features of patients was analyzed.qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of SERPINA4 mRNA in 11 pairs of metastatic CRC metastases and paired primary tumor paraffin-embedded tissue samples.The survival of patients was followed up,and the relationship between SERPINA4 expression and patient prognosis was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method.Re-sults Immunohistochemical results showed that the strong positive expression rate of SERPINA4 was 97.10％in nor-mal mucosa,71.20％in primary lesions,and 39.40％in metastatic lesions.The difference between the three groups was statistically significant(P＜0.001).qRT-PCR results showed that SERPINA4 mRNA was lowly expressed in me-tastatic lesions of metastatic CRC(P＜0.05).The expression of SERPINA4 in metastatic lesions was significantly cor-related with histological grade,N stage and M stage of the tumor(P＜0.05),but not significantly correlated with age,gender,tumor location and T stage of patients(P＞0.05).The survival time of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer with high expression of SERPINA4 was longer than that of patients with low expression.Conclusion The ex-pression of SERPINA4 is of great significance in the survival and prognosis of patients with metastatic CRC.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of obinutuzumab combined with short-course dexamethasone in patients with relapsed immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who had previously been treated with rituximab.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted. A total of 8 patients with relapsed ITP after treatment with rituximab who received obinutuzumab combined with short-course dexamethasone between January 2023 and January 2024 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University were collected. The clinical characteristics, changes in platelet counts, changes in peripheral blood B-lymphocyte counts, treatment outcome and treatment-related adverse events were analyzed.Results:There were 1 male and 7 females in 8 patients with relapsed ITP after treatment with rituximab. The median age [ M ( Q1, Q3)] of the 8 enrolled patients was 52.5 (40.5, 56.0) years. The median relapsed times was 2.0 (2.0, 2.5) times and the median course of disease was 16.0 (13.0, 18.5) months. The platelet count increased from 8.73 (5.79, 11.65)×10 9/L pre-treatment to 180.00 (83.40, 255.00)×10 9/L post-treatment, and the difference was statistically significant ( Z = -2.37, P = 0.018); conversely, peripheral blood B-lymphocyte count decreased from 322.59 (148.29, 403.07) × 10 9/L pre-treatment to 1.23 (0.57, 1.76) ×10 9/L post-treatment, and the difference was statistically significant ( Z = -2.52, P = 0.012). After obinutuzumab and short-course dexamethasone treatment, 6 patients achieved complete remission, 1 case showed response, and 1 case had no response. No severe adverse events were observed during treatment and follow-up in all patients. Conclusions:Obinutuzumab combined with short-course dexamethasone appears to be effective in treating relapsed ITP patients after treatment with rituximab, and its safety is good.

Objective To optimize the platelet enrichment method,and to analyze the concentration changes of key molecules in platelet-rich plasma(PRP)before and after activation,as well as the impact of its activated products on the proliferation of rat endothelial progenitor cells.Methods The tube double-centrifu-gation method was employed to optimize platelet enrichment,and the platelet count in the enriched PRP was measured.ELISA was used to detect the concentration changes of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),endostatin(ES),and P-selectin(CD62P)in PRP before and after activation.The PRP was activated by using liquid nitrogen freeze-thaw method,and the effect of its activated products on the proliferation of rat endothelial progenitor cells was evaluated by using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT)assay.Results The optimal enrichment coefficient of platelets achieved by the double-centrifugation method was 4.63.After low-speed,long-duration double centrifugation,the platelet count was highest in the upper layer of the buffy coat.For PRP with a platelet count of 500× 109/L obtained by machine collection,the VEGF con-centrations before and after activation were(3 418.12±488.80)pg/mL and(4 530.04±308.30)pg/mL,re-spectively,the ES concentrations were(6 168.98±253.22)pg/mL and(6 594.65±82.47)pg/mL,respec-tively,the CD62P concentrations were(6 678.23±324.15)pg/mL and(17 630.53±746.24)pg/mL,respec-tively,statistically significant differences were observed in the above indicators before and after activation(P＜0.01).The activated PRP was diluted in a gradient manner by using a specialized culture medium for en-dothelial progenitor cells.MTT assay results indicated that,in the basal medium,the optimal volume fraction for promoting endothelial progenitor cell proliferation was 0.25％after 48 hours of culture;in the complete medium,the optimal volume fractions for promoting endothelial progenitor cell proliferation were 0.062 5％after 24 hours and 0.125％after 48 hours.Conclusion The concentrations of VEGF,ES,and CD62P in the optimized,enriched PRP exhibited significant changes before and after activation.The optimal volume fraction for promoting endothelial progenitor cell proliferation in the basal medium was 0.25％.