ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of Si Junzitang in treating liver injury in rats with spleen Qi deficiency syndrome based on transcriptomics and to experimentally verify its effects. MethodsSixty male SD rats were randomly divided into blank group， model group， low-dose Si Junzitang （6 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， medium-dose Si Junzitang group （12 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， high-dose Si Junzitang group （24 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and natural recovery group， with 10 rats in each group. A composite multifactorial modeling method （forced swimming + intragastric administration of Xiao Chengqitang + irregular diet） was used to establish a spleen Qi deficiency model. After 30 days of continuous intervention， body weight and 3-hour food intake were measured， and macroscopic symptom scores for spleen Qi deficiency syndrome were evaluated. Serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase （AST） and alanine aminotransferase （ALT） in each group were detected， and hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining was used to observe histopathological changes in liver tissue. Transcriptome sequencing （RNA-Seq） was used to identify differentially expressed genes （DEGs） among the blank， model， and high-dose Si Junzitang groups. Gene ontology（GO） and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genome（KEGG） enrichment analyses were performed on the DEGs. Immunofluorescence （IF） and Western blot were used to detect NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein （ASC）， Caspase-1， and the N-terminal domain of gasdermin D （GSDMD-N）. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to detect the expression of downstream inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and interleukin-18 （IL-18）. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed significantly reduced body weight and 3-hour food intake， significantly increased macroscopic symptom scores， and elevated serum AST and ALT levels （P<0.01）， with mild inflammatory liver injury observed histologically. Compared with the model group， Si Junzitang at all doses significantly improved these parameters and alleviated liver injury in a dose-dependent manner （P<0.05，P<0.01）. RNA-Seq analysis revealed 1 254 DEGs between the blank and model groups， and 842 DEGs between the model and high-dose Si Junzitang groups. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated that the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway was activated in liver injury associated with spleen Qi deficiency， suggesting that the NLRP3 inflammasome may be a key target. Results from IF， IHC， and Westernblot showed that compared with the blank group， the expression of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， GSDMD-N， and the downstream inflammatory cytokines IL-1β， IL-6， and IL-18 were significantly increased in the model group （P<0.01）， while these levels were markedly decreased in the high-dose Si Junzitang group （P<0.01）. ConclusionSi Junzitang effectively improves mild inflammatory liver injury in rats with spleen Qi deficiency syndrome in a dose-dependent manner. Its mechanism may be associated with inhibition of the NLRP3/ASC/Caspase-1 signaling pathway， downregulation of the pyroptosis executioner protein GSDMD-N， and reduction of pyroptosis-related inflammatory cytokine release.

The central amygdala (CeA) is a crucial modulator of emotional, behavioral, and autonomic functions, including cardiovascular responses. Despite its importance, the specific circuit by which the CeA modulates blood pressure remains insufficiently explored. Our investigations demonstrate that photostimulation of GABAergic neurons in the centromedial amygdala (CeM^GABA), as opposed to those in the centrolateral amygdala (CeL), produces a depressor response in both anesthetized and freely-moving mice. In addition, activation of CeM^GABA axonal terminals projecting to the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) significantly reduces blood pressure. These CeM^GABA neurons form synaptic connections with NTS neurons, allowing for the modulation of cardiovascular responses by influencing the caudal or rostral ventrolateral medulla. Furthermore, CeM^GABA neurons targeting the NTS receive dense inputs from the CeL. Consequently, stimulation of CeM^GABA neurons elicits hypotension through the CeM-NTS circuit, offering deeper insights into the cardiovascular responses associated with emotions and behaviors.
Animals ; GABAergic Neurons/physiology* ; Male ; Central Amygdaloid Nucleus/physiopathology* ; Hypotension/physiopathology* ; Mice ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Solitary Nucleus/physiology* ; Photic Stimulation ; Neural Pathways/physiology*

Objective To analyze the long-term outcome of modified Morrow surgery (interventricular septal cardiomyectomy) in the treatment of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) in children. Methods The clinical data of the children with HOCM (aged≤14 years) who underwent modified Morrow surgery from January 2010 to August 2022 in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed, including changes in hospitalization status, perioperative period, and long-term 15-lead electrocardiogram and echocardiography. Results A total of 29 patients were collected, including 22 males and 7 females, aged 10.00 (5.00, 12.00) years. Five (17.9%) patients had New York Heart Association (NYHA) heart function grade Ⅲ or Ⅳ. Ventricular septal cardiomyectomy was performed in all patients. All 29 patients survived and their cardiac function recovered after operation. Before discharge, right bundle branch block was observed in 2 patients and left bundle branch block in 6 patients. After surgery, in the left ventricular septal cardiomyectomy, the left atrial diameter decreased (P＜0.001), left ventricular end-systolic diameter increased (P=0.009), the peak pressure gradient of left ventricular outflow tract decreased (P＜0.001), and the thickness of ventricular septum decreased (P＜0.001). The systolic anterior motion of mitral valve disappeared and mitral regurgitent jet area decreased (P＜0.001). The flow velocity and peak pressure gradient of right ventricular outflow tract also decreased in the patients who underwent right ventricular septal cardiomyectomy. The average follow-up of the patients was 69.03±10.60 months. All the patients survived with their NYHA cardiac function grading Ⅰ or Ⅱ. No new-onset arrythmia event was found. Echocardiography indicated that the peak pressure gradient of the left ventricular outflow tract remained low (P<0.001). Moderate mitral regurgitation occurred in 2 patients, and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction with moderate mitral regurgitation occurred in 1 patient after simple right ventricular septal cardiomyectomy. Conclusion Right ventricular or biventricular obstruction is frequent in the children with HOCM and they usually have more symptoms before surgery. Modified Morrow surgery can effectively relieve outflow tract obstruction and improve their cardiac function. The long-term outcome is satisfactory. However, the posterior wall of the left ventricle remains hypertrophic. Also, there is an increased risk of a conduction block.

Urodynamics is a critical field that studies the physiological and biomechanical parameters involved in urine production, storage, and voiding.This paper first reviews the development process of urodynamics, expounds the development and progress of urodynamic testing instruments from early basic research to modern advanced equipment and the history of their introduction into China, and then introduces in detail the principle of action, system composition and clinical application status of major urodynamic instruments, and further points out the technical shortcomings of current instruments, and then proposes improvement directions, including the core load sensor technology, comfort and privacy of urodynamic testing instruments, work data transfer and close integration with artificial intelligence, in order to provide a valuable reference for clinical understanding of the development of this field.

This review introduces the concept,design and implementation of longitudinal mixed methods research.It summarizes its common applications,including the in-depth exploration of potential causes and association among variables of the complex phenomenon over time,the comprehensive evaluation of intervention effectiveness,the identification of facilitators and challenges for implementation,as well as the exploration of changes in behavior and underlying mechanisms.Moreover,this review analyzes existing challenges and future insights of this method.In conclusion,this review aimed to strengthen the nursing researchers'understanding of longitudinal mixed methods research and provide insights for future related studies.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the polysomnographic differences between males and females with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome(OSAS).METHODS Adults visited to Beijing Tongren Hospital for sleep snoring from January 2023 to August 2023 who completed overnight polysomnography(PSG)and whose apnea hypopnea index(AHI)≥5 times/h were diagnosed as OSAS patients in this study.The general information,respiratory events and sleep structure were compared between male and female OSAS patients.RESULTS A total of 380 patients were included in this study with 293 males(77.1%)and 87 females(22.9%).Mean age was(44.4±11.5)years,and the mean body mass index was(26.5±3.9)kg/m2;AHI ranged between 5.0 and 115.8 times/h with a mean of(34.9±24.8)times/h;lowest oxygen saturation(LSpO2)ranged between 43%-97%with a mean of(80.7±11.6)%.Between male and female OSAS patients,the AHI in males was higher than females[(37.9±24.8)times/h vs.(24.5±21.7)times/h,P=0.000],and the AHI in REM was higher in males than females[(36.7±23.2)times/h vs.(30.9±22.8)times/h,P=0.040].LSpO2 was lower in males than females[(79.2±12.0)%vs.(85.7±8.3)%,P=0.000].There were significant differences for arousal index,sleep efficiency,N1 sleep percent and N3 sleep percent between two groups.Between male and female OSAS patients over 50 years old,AHI was still higher in males than in females[(39.3±21.4)times/h vs.(30.5±23.0)times/h,P=0.029],and there was no significant difference in AHIREM and LSpO2.The difference in sleep structure between male and female OSAS patients over 50 years old was consistent with that of participants.CONCLUSION The AHI and LSpO2 of male OSAS patients were more serious than those of female OSAS patients,and the reduction of slow wave sleep was more obvious.OSAS became worse after menopause,which was highlighted by the increase of respiratory events in REM and the more serious decline of LSpO2.The protective effect of female hormones on OSAS is mainly to alleviate REM respiratory events and hypoxia damage,rather than improving sleep structure.

Objective To evaluate iron deposition in gray matter nuclei in patients with cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD)based on quantitative susceptibility mapping(QSM)and to analyze its correlation with cognitive function.Methods Patients with CSVD attending the outpatient clinic in the Department of Neurology at Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University from December 2016 to November 2022,and healthy controls recruited from previous studies in the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University from September 2022 to November 2022 were retrospectively consecutively collected.Baseline data of CSVD patients and healthy controls was collected and compared,including age,sex,past history(hypertension,diabetes,hyperlipidemia),smoking history,alcohol consumption history and Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA)scale score.MRI of all CSVD patients and healthy controls were collected,including three-dimensional T1 weighted imaging,QSM,T2 weighted imaging,and fluid attenuated inversion recovery(FLAIR)sequence imaging.According to the MRI-related imaging features and CSVD total burden score,the patients were divided into mild CSVD(CSVD-m)group and severe CSVD(CSVD-s)group,and healthy controls were the control group.QSM was used to obtain the susceptibility values of gray matter nuclei for all CSVD patients and controls.One-way covariance analysis and Bonferroni correction were used to compare the gray matter nuclei susceptibility values among the three groups.Spearman correlation analysis was performed between susceptibility values of gray matter nuclei with statistically significant differences in susceptibility values and cognitive function.Results A total of 61 cases of CSVD patients were included,including 29 cases in the CSVD-s group and 32 cases in the CSVD-m group;32 healthy controls were included in the control group.(1)There was no statistically significant difference in age,sex,hypertension,diabetes,hyperlipidemia,smoking,and alcohol consumption between the CSVD-s group,CSVD-m group and control group(all P＞0.05).The MoCA scale scores of the CSVD-s group and CSVD-m group were lower than those of the control group(25.0[22.5,27.5]points,27.0[25.0,29.0]points than 28.0[27.0,29.0]points,H=15.006,P＜0.01).The difference in the imaging features distribution of cerebral microbleeds,white matter hyperintensity,and perivascular space among the CSVD-s group and the CSVD-m group was statistically significant(all P＜0.05).(2)The differences in susceptibility values of the left putamen(F=4.790),pallidus(F=12.896),hippocampus(F=3.904)and the right putamen(F=36.278),pallidus(F=39.449),caudate nucleus(F=6.797),and thalamus(F=6.525)were statistically significant among the three groups(all P＜0.05).After Bonferroni correction,the susceptibility values of the left putamen and pallidus and the right putamen,pallidus,caudate nucleus,and thalamus in the CSVD-s group were higher than those of the control group(all P＜0.05);the susceptibility values of the left pallidus and the right pallidus,putamen,and thalamus in the CSVD-m group were higher than those of the control group(all P＜0.01),and the left hippocampus was lower than that of the control group(P=0.045).(3)The susceptibility values of the bilateral putamen were significantly negatively correlated with MoCA scale score(left putamen:rs=-0.316,P=0.015;right putamen:rs=-0.316,P=0.014).Conclusion Abnormal iron metabolism occurs in gray matter nuclei of CSVD patients,and iron deposition in the putamen correlate with cognitive dysfunction.

Objective:To summary the clinical phenotype and genotype characteristics of 2 cases of autosomal dominant mental retardation (MRD) caused by TRIO gene variation. Methods:Retrospective study of the clinical data of 2 cases of autosomal dominant MRD caused by TRIO gene mutations diagnosed at the Department of Neurology, Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University in April 2019 and January 2023 was conducted. The clinical features were summarized and gene analysis and follow-up were carried out. Results:The 2 patients were 6 years and 5 months old and 5 months old males, respectively. Clinical manifestations included seizures, cognitive and motor disorders, low intelligent development; case 1 had microcephaly, attention deficit disorder, ataxia, and aggressive behavior, and case 2 had macrocephaly. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed cerebellar atrophy in case 1, and non-specific dilation of the subarachnoid space and hypoplasia of the corpus callosum in case 2. Analysis of chromosome karyotype and chromosome copy number variation in 2 children showed no abnormalities. Whole exome sequencing revealed novel missense mutations in the TRIO gene in both patients [NM_007118:c.4289C>A(p.Thr1430Lys), c.4111C>A(p.His1371Asn), respectively]. The application of rehabilitation function training and a variety of anti-seizure medications can not fully and effectively control the seizure. Conclusion:TRIO gene c.4289C>A(p.Thr1430Lys), c.4111C>A(p.His1371Asn) de novo missense variants were the genetic etiology of the 2 probands,causing rare autosomal dominant MRD type 44 and 63.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic value of the 18F-prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-1007 PET/CT in seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) of prostate cancer. Methods:Clinical and pathological materials of 88 patients (age: 51-84 years) who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) between May 2019 and December 2021 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University were analyzed retrospectively. All patients underwent 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT examination for primary staging before surgery. The diagnostic efficiency of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in SVI was obtained using postoperative pathological results as the " gold standard" and ROC curve was drawn. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to screen the influencing factors for 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT prediction of SVI. Results:The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in diagnosing SVI were 79.55%(70/88), 72.73%(16/22), 81.82%(54/66), 57.14%(16/28) and 90.00%(54/60), respectively. The ROC AUC was 0.77. Results of univariate logistic regression showed that total prostate specific antigen (tPSA), primary SUV max, Gleason score, International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade group were associated with 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT prediction of SVI. Results of multivariate logistic regression showed that Gleason score (odds ratio ( OR)=2.04, 95% CI: 1.19-3.50, P=0.009) was a predictor of SVI in prostate cancer. Conclusion:18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT has certain diagnostic value in SVI of prostate cancer, and combining with Gleason score can improve the diagnostic efficiency.

Objective:To investigate the incidence of venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) in urological inpatients during perioperation.Methods:The clinical data of 7 988 inpatients admitted to the Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January to December 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. The cohort included 5 657 males and 2 331 females. The average age of the enrolled patients was (56.3±15.8) years old, and the body mass index was (23.8±3.2) kg/m 2. There were 1 628 malignant tumors patients and 6 360 non-malignant tumors patients in the cohort. Of all the patients, 7 725 cases received surgical treatment. All patients were scored with the Caprini Risk Assessment Model (2005) after admission and 1 655 cases were classified as very low risk, 2 940 cases were low risk, 2 922 cases were medium risk, 345 cases were high risk and 126 cases were very high risk. Patients with Caprini score ≥ 2 and/or clinical symptoms were examined by venous color Doppler ultrasound. CT pulmonary angiography was performed for patients with chest pain, chest tightness, decreased blood oxygen saturation and other symptoms suspected of pulmonary embolism according to clinical judgment to screen the incidence of VTE. Results:Among the 7 988 cases, 180 cases (2.25%, 180/7 988) with VTE were found by preoperative examination, including 1 case (0.01%, 1/7 988) with pulmonary embolism. There were 199 new cases with VTE after operation, and the incidence of new VTE after operation was 2.58% (199/7 725). Among them, pulmonary embolism was found in 7 cases, with a incidence of 0.09% (7/7 725). Only 7.92% (30/379) of the VTE patients had VTE-related symptoms. The operations with higher incidence of VTE were radical cystectomy, nephroureterectomy, radical prostatectomy and radical nephrectomy, with the incidence of 11.61% (13/112), 10.87 (10/92), 8.25% (16/194) and 6.16% (22/357) respectively.Conclusions:The incidence of VTE in hospitalized patients with urinary surgery in this study is much higher than previously reported. Most of the patients with VTE are asymptomatic. The operations with high incidence of VTE after operation are radical cystectomy, nephroureterectomy, radical prostatectomy and radical nephrectomy. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out VTE screening for hospitalized patients in urology department, which is helpful to realize early intervention of VTE and reduce the risk of VTE progression and pulmonary embolism.