AIM:To investigate the role of serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hsCRP)in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetic retinopathy(DR)in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).METHODS:A nested case-control study was conducted involving 187 T2DM patients(187 eyes)who attended at Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University from June 2017 to October 2024. Patients were categorized into three groups: the diabetes mellitus(DM)group, non-proliferative DR(NPDR)group, and proliferative DR(PDR)group. Baseline information was collected, including age, sex, duration of DM, and duration of hypertension. All patients underwent fasting biochemical tests and comprehensive ophthalmic examinations.RESULTS: A positive correlation was observed between hsCRP and fasting blood glucose(FBG; P=0.004)and glycated hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c; P=0.048)by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient analysis. After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariable Logistic regression identified hsCRP as a significant risk factor for DR(OR=2.67, 95% CI: 1.19-5.96, P=0.017). CONCLUSION:Serum hsCRP is positively correlated with FBG and HbA1c and can serve as an important predictor of the severity of DR.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the inhibitory effect and mechanism of Modified qifang weitong granules on gastric cancer based on in vitro and in vivo experiments. METHODS Human gastric cancer HGC-27 cells were divided into the following groups: control group （treated with fetal bovine serum）， 10% drug-containing serum group， 15% drug-containing serum group， 20% drug-containing serum group， and 5-fluorouracil （5-Fu） group （positive control， 3.90 μg/mL）. After culturing the cells in each group with the corresponding serum/drug solution， their proliferation， migratory and invasive abilities， as well as the cell cycle， were assessed. Additionally， the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT）-related proteins [E-cadherin， N-cadherin， and vimentin] in the cells were measured. Logarithmic-phase HGC-27 cells were harvested and subcutaneously injected into the right axillary region of nude mice to establish a subcutaneous xenograft tumor model in nude mice. The successfully modeled tumor-bearing nude mice were randomly divided into model group， low-， medium- and high-dose groups of Modified qifang weitong granules （17.65， 35.29 and 70.58 g/kg， respectively）， and 5-Fu group （25 mg/kg）， with 5 mice in each group. After 14 days of treatment with the corresponding drugs in each group， the histopathological morphology of the tumor tissues in the nude mice was observed. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot assay were employed to detect the expression levels of EMT- related proteins in the tumor tissues of the nude mice. RESULTS In the cell experiment， compared with the control group， the cell proliferation rate， migration rate， number of invasive cells， as well as the expression levels of N-cadherin and vimentin proteins， and the percentage of cells in the G2/M phase were all significantly decreased/reduced in the 15% drug-containing serum group， 20% drug-containing serum group （P＜0.05）. Conversely， the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase and the expression level of E- cadherin protein were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. In animal experiment， compared with the model group， the high-dose group of Modified qifang weitong granules exhibited significantly reduced tumor mass and expression levels of N-cadherin and vimentin proteins in the tumor tissues of nude mice （P＜0.05）， while the expression level of E-cadherinprotein in the tumor tissues was significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Additionally， the tumor cells varied in size and showed extensive necrosis. CONCLUSIONS Modified qifang weitong granules effectively inhibit gastric cancer in both in vitro and in vivo models， and the mechanism of action is related to the suppression of EMT.

OBJECTIVE To study the safety of Shuangshu decoction in rats and its efficacy in improving functional dyspepsia （FD） in rats. METHODS In safety test， 40 rats were divided into blank control group， Shuangshu decoction low-dose， medium- dose and high-dose groups [108， 216， 324 g/（kg·d）， calculated by raw medicine， the same applies below]； they were given relevant medicine intragastrically， for continuous 14 days. The mortality and toxic reactions of rats were recorded， and the organ indexes of the liver， kidney， spleen， lung and heart of rats were calculated； the pathological morphological changes in the liver， kidney， spleen， lung， heart， stomach， duodenum， and colon were observed to evaluate the acute toxicity of Shuangshu decoction. Another 40 rats were grouped and administered in the same way for 30 consecutive days. The mortality and toxic reactions of the rats were recorded， and the corresponding organ indexes were calculated. The pathological morphological changes in the corresponding organs were observed， and blood routine and serum biochemical indicators were measured， in order to assess the subacute toxicity of Shuangshu decoction. In pharmacodynamic experiments: 50 rats were divided into blank control group， model group， and Shuangshu decoction low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （9.45， 18.9， 37.8 g/kg）， with 10 rats in each group. Except for blank control group， rats in all other groups were used to establish the FD rat model by subcutaneous injection of loperamide （3.5 mg/kg）. Rats in each group were administered the corresponding drug solution/normal saline intragastrically， once a day， for 14 consecutive days. After the last medication， fecal moisture content， intestinal propulsion rate， gastric emptying rate and serum level of motilin were all detected， and interstitial cell of Cajal （ICC） ultrastructure of rats was observed in colon tissue. RESULTS The safety experiments showed that no death occurred in each dose group， and no significant difference was found in organ coefficient， routine blood and serum biological index， compared to blank control group （P＞0.05）； no abnormality was found in organ appearance and pathological sections. The results of the pharmacodynamic experiments showed that， compared with the blank control group， the fecal moisture content， gastric emptying rate， intestinal propulsion rate， and serum motilin levels in the model group were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）； in the colonic tissue， the mitochondria in the ICC exhibited severe swelling with the disappearance of cristae， and the endoplasmic reticulum was dilated. Compared with model group， the rats in Shuangshu decoction high-dose group showed significant increases in the above quantitative indicators （P＜ 0.05）； additionally， there was a large number of mitochondria in the ICC of the colonic tissue， with clear cristae and regular arrangement. CONCLUSIONS Shuangshu decoction is safe and has a beneficial improving effect on FD rats； its mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of gastrointestinal hormone expression to promote gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion， as well as the repair of mitochondrial structure in ICCs to restore gastrointestinal function.

Objective To observe the impact factors of vascular heat sink effect during in vitro microwave ablation(MWA)of porcine lung.Methods Simulation models were established using in vitro porcine lung tissue blocks based on isobaric inflation with an air pump and cyclic perfusion of duck blood with a glass tube and peristaltic pump,etc.MWA was performed under 8 different combining conditions(vessel diameter of 3 or 5 mm,blood perfusion of 30 or 50 cm/s,as well as distance between vessel and ablation antenna of 5 or 10 mm)each for 3 times.The highest temperature TV on vessel side and TC on control side during MWA,and ablation depth DV on vessel side and DC on control side after MWA were recorded.Multi-factor linear regression equations were constructed based on simulated vessel diameters,blood perfusion and distance between vessel and ablation antenna,and the impact factors of|TC-TV|and|DC-DV|were screened,respectively.Results Simulated vessel diameter showed linear positive correlation with both|TC-TV|and|DC-DV|(both P＜0.001).Simulated distance between vessel and ablation antenna showed linear negative correlation with both|TC-TV|and|DC-DV|(both P＜0.001),and the latter had more obvious impact on vascular heat sink effect than the former.Meanwhile,no significant linear relationship was found between simulated blood perfusion and|TC-TV|nor|DC-DV|(both P＞0.05).Conclusion Simulated vessel diameter and distance between vessel and ablation antenna were both impact factors of vascular heat sink effect during in vitro MWA of porcine lung,and the latter was more influential,whereas simulated blood perfusion showed no significant impact on it.

Objective:To explore the value of baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters and related clinical factors in the prognostic assessment of patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL). Methods:From July 2013 to December 2023, 70 patients with AITL (44 males, 26 females, age (63.9±9.6) years) from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University (32 cases) as well as the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (38 cases) who were diagnosed pathologically and underwent PET/CT imaging prior to treatment were retrospectively analyzed. PET/CT metabolic parameters (calculated using the 41%SUV max threshold method) and related clinical factors were collected. The optimal cut-off values of metabolic parameters were determined by using the ROC curve analysis. Cox proportional risk regression models were used for prognostic analyses, prediction models were constructed and efficacies were assessed by calibration curves and time-dependent ROC curves. Results:With the follow-up of 19.0(10.0, 33.3) months, disease progression or recurrence occurred in 51 patients, and 28 patients died. ROC curves showed that the optimal cut-off values on diagnosing AITL of total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), and SUV max were 767.1cm 3, 2159.6g and 13.0, respectively. TMTV (hazard ratio ( HR)=0.485, 95% CI: 0.252-0.935, P=0.031) and gender ( HR=0.441, 95% CI: 0.236-0.824, P=0.010) were independent risk factors for progression-free survival (PFS); TMTV ( HR=0.422, 95% CI: 0.178-0.997, P=0.049) and treatment regimen ( HR=0.346, 95% CI: 0.154-0.777, P=0.010) were independent risk factors for overall survival (OS). Time-dependent ROC curves indicated that the combined model of TMTV combining gender or treatment regimen had better prognostic results in predicting PFS (AUCs: 0.67-0.82) or OS (AUCs: 0.62-0.80) in patients with AITL. The calibration curve showed the predicted values of the combined models were in good consistency with the actual values. Conclusions:The metabolic parameter TMTV is an independent risk factor for PFS and OS in patients with AITL. The combined model of TMTV combining gender or treatment regimen can effectively improve the prognostic prediction efficacy of PFS or OS in patients with AITL.

Objective To evaluate the effects of the method of blood-cooling and blood stasis-resolving on heart function and prognosis in patients with sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction(SIMD).Methods Sixty patients with SIMD admitted to the department of critical care medicine of Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from June 2022 to October 2024 were enrolled as study subjects.The patients were divided into treatment group and control group according to random number table,with 30 patients in each group.All patients received conventional treatments,the patients in the treatment group were given Taohe Chengqi decoction(Persicae Semen 12 g,Chinese rhubarb 12 g,Cinnamon twig 6 g,Licorice root 6 g and Sodium Sulfate 6 g),the decoction was concentrated to 200 mL and taken in 2 divided doses in the morning and evening,one dose daily;and the patients in the control group were given the same amount of warm water.The total course of treatment lasts for 7 days.The differences in indicators of cardiac function[brain natriuretic peptide(BNP),cardiac troponin I(cTnI),MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase(CK-MB),aspartate aminotransferase(AST)]and echocardiographic parameters[left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD),mitral orifice early/late diastolic blood flow velocity ratio(E/A ratio),E/mitral and tricuspid valve ostia and the peak early diastolic velocity(E/e')]at admission,at 1st and 7th day after treatment,and prognosis indexes[mechanical ventilation time,intensive care unit(ICU)length of stay,total hospital stay,28-day survival rate]were compared between two groups.Draw the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and compare the difference in the 28-day cumulative survival rate between the two groups of patients.Results After 7 days therapy,LVEF of the treatment group was significantly higher than that the control(0.524±0.132 vs.0.458±0.118,P<0.05)and E/e'ratio of the treatment group was significantly lower than the control group[11.17(9.57,12.04)vs.11.82(11.28,13.72),P<0.05].There were no significant differences in the 28-day mortality and total hospital stay time between the two groups,but mechanical ventilation time[days:7.00(0.00,11.00)vs.12.50(3.50,21.75),P<0.05]and stay time of ICU[days:14.50(7.75,25.00)vs.21.00(14.25,31.50),P<0.05]in the treatment group were shorter than those in the control group.The Kaplan-Meier survival showed that the cumulative 28-day survival rate was similar between two groups(Log-Rank:χ2=1.448,P=0.229).Conclusion The method of blood-cooling and blood stasis-resolving could decrease mechanical ventilation time and length of stay in ICU of SIMD patients and could increase LVEF in the treatment group.

Objective To explore the application effect of the"ASK-T"aspiration prevention management model in reducing the risk of aspiration in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)complicated by dysphagia.Methods 196 of 409 COPD patients with aspiration risk admitted to the Respiratory Disease Department of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine,Higher Education Mega Center Hospital from July 2021 to June 2024 were selected as the study object,and 102 COPD patients with aspiration risk admitted from July 2021 to December 2022 were set as the pre-improvement group.The patients in this group received the original nursing process and management mode of the department during hospitalization.94 COPD patients with aspiration risk admitted from January 2023 to June 2024 were set as the improved group,and the patients in this group were introduced into the department and implemented an innovative improvement project:"ASK-T"anti-aspiration management mode and then received nursing management.Patients in both groups were observed and followed up for 4 weeks.The risk grade of aspiration,SSA score,DHI score,aspiration pneumonia and aspiration pneumonia,nutritional status and satisfaction after intervention were compared between the two groups.Result in the improved group was significantly lower than that in the pre-improvement group(P<0.05),and the SSA score,DHI score and total DHI score of patients in the 2 groups were significantly lower than that before intervention(P<0.05).The SSA score,DHI score and DHI total score in the improved group were lower than those in the pre-improved group(P<0.05).The results of 4-week follow-up showed that the scores of NRS-2002 for nutritional risk screening in 2 groups were lower than before intervention(P<0.05),and the scores of NRS-2002 for nutritional risk screening in the improved group were significantly lower than those in the pre-improvement group(P<0.05).The comparison showed that the incidence of aspiration and aspiration pneumonia in the improved group was lower than that in the pre-improved group(P<0.05),and the satisfaction score of patients with the relevant preventive measures was higher than that in the pre-improved group(P<0.05).Conclusion The"ASK-T"aspiration preven-tion management model,when applied in the nursing of elderly patients with COPD complicated by dysphagia,can significantly reduce the risk of aspiration and the incidence of aspiration pneumonia,effectively improve patients' swallowing function and quality of life,and enhance their nutritional status.Furthermore,this model significantly improves patient satisfaction with intervention measures,providing a scientific and effective management strategy for clinical nursing of elderly patients with COPD complicated by dysphagia.It is worthy of promotion and application in clinical practice.

Objective:To construct a general deep learning dose prediction model applicable to radiotherapy for head and neck tumors, establish design methods for artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted radiotherapy plan and evaluate the accuracy of prediction.Methods:Radiotherapy plans of 818 patients who received radiotherapy for head and neck cancers from January 2018 to June 2021 in Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were enrolled. Patients involved 17 types of common head and neck cancers, and the prescribed dose covered 5 kinds of dose gradients ranging from 54 Gy to 73.92 Gy. And 1-2 cases per each cancer type (31 cases in total) were randomly selected as the validation set, and the remaining 787 cases were used as the training set to build a deep learning head and neck radiotherapy generalized dose prediction model. Then based on the dose prediction results of this model, a program was written to automatically generate inverse optimization condition scripts, which were sent back to the treatment planning system to achieve AI-assisted radiotherapy plan design. Among the patients who received radiotherapy in our hospital from June 2021 to January 2022, 1 patient for each disease type (17 cases in total) was selected to evaluate the AI-assisted plan design program and evaluate its clinical feasibility using paired t-test. Results:Dose prediction model accuracy evaluation revealed that in the 31-case validation set, there was no statistical difference in the evaluation metrics of clinical concern for organs at risks, except for the D 1 cm3 prediction for spinal cord planning risk volume, which was statistically different compared with the clinical reference plan. The AI-assisted plan design program had higher plan quality metric scores (37.88±6.42) than manual plans (35.00±7.63) in 17 test cases ( t=-1.00, P=0.166). The number of manual adjustments to the inverse optimization conditions was reduced from (5.47±2.97) times to (2.76±1.00) times for the AI-assisted plan compared to the manual-only plan ( t=4.12, P<0.001). And the number of outlined dose shaping structures was reduced from 7.35±3.98 to 3.12±1.18 ( t=5.61, P<0.001). Conclusions:The unified universal model of dose prediction established for different head and neck cancers has high accuracy in dose prediction for all types of head and neck tumor plans. The AI-assisted planning method established in this pattern can reduce the clinical workload of physicists and improve the efficiency of their work.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the mechanism of Shuangshu Decoction (SSD) for inhibiting growth of gastric cancer xenografts in nude mice. METHODS: Network pharmacology analysis was conducted to identify the common targets of SSD and gastric cancer cell ferroptosis, and bioinformatics analysis and molecular docking were used to validate the core targets. In the cell experiment, AGS cells were treated with SSD-medicated serum, Fer-1 (a ferroptosis inhibitor), or both, and the changes in cell viability, ferroptosis markers (ROS, Fe²⁺ and GSH), expressions of P53, SLC7A11 and GPX4, and mitochondrial morphology were examined. In a nude mouse model bearing gastric cancer xenografts, the effects of gavage with SSD, intraperitoneal injection of Fer-1, or their combination on tumor volume/weight, histopathology, and expressions of P53, SLC7A11 and GPX4 levels were evaluated. RESULTS: The active components in SSD (quercetin and wogonin) showed strong binding affinities to P53. In AGS cells, SSD treatment dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation, increased ROS and Fe²⁺ levels, upregulated P53 expression, and downregulated the expressions of SLC7A11 and GPX4, but these effects were effectively attenuated by Fer-1 treatment. SSD also induced mitochondrial shrinkage and increased the membrane density, which were alleviated by Fer-1. In the tumor-bearing mouse models, gavage with SSD significantly reduced tumor size and weight, caused tumor cell necrosis, upregulated P53 and downregulated SLC7A11 and GPX4 expression in the tumor tissue, and these effects were obviously mitigated by Fer-1 treatment. CONCLUSIONS SSD inhibits gastric cancer growth in nude mice by inducing cell ferroptosis via the P53/SLC7A11/GPX4 axis.
Ferroptosis/drug effects* ; Animals ; Stomach Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/metabolism* ; Mice, Nude ; Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Amino Acid Transport System y+/metabolism* ; Mice ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of albumin (Alb) administration on the prognosis of patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). METHODS: Clinical data of AKI patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) were retrospectively analyzed from the American Medical Information Mart of Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV), including demographic data, acute physiology score (APS), comorbidities, vital signs, laboratory indicators, treatment status, ICU length of stay, and outcome indicators. The main outcome measure is ICU mortality. AKI patients were divided into Alb infusion group and Alb non infusion group based on whether they received Alb treatment. Multiple imputation was used to process missing data and eliminate variables that missing more than 30%. To ensure the stability of the results, propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability weighting (IPW) were used to correct the results. Using Kaplan-Meier survival curve and Cox proportional hazards regression model to evaluate the effect of Alb infusion on ICU survival rate in AKI patients. Perform subgroup analysis based on patient age, gender, and comorbidities to evaluate the prognostic effects of Alb on different patient subgroups. RESULTS: A total of 6 390 AKI patients were included, including 1 721 in the Alb infusion group and 4 669 in the Alb non infusion group. After adjusting for key covariates in the Cox regression model, compared with the Alb non infusion group, patients in the Alb infusion group were significantly younger in age, with APS III score, proportion of vasoactive drugs and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) use, sepsis proportion, heart rate, respiratory frequency, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatinine (Cr), lactic acid (Lac), and arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO₂) levels significantly higher. The proportion of hypertension, myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure, as well as blood pressure, urine output, platelet count (PLT), and Alb levels were significantly lower. The results of univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis on the raw data showed that the risk of death in the Alb infusion group was significantly lower than that in the Alb non infusion group [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.69, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.60-0.80, all P < 0.05]. The results after propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability weighting (IPW) processing are consistent with the original data trend (both P < 0.05). The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the cumulative survival rate during ICU stay in the Alb infusion group was significantly higher than that in the Alb non infusion group (24.48% vs. 12.17%, Log-Rank test: χ² = 74.26, P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis shows that Alb infusion has a more significant survival benefit for AKI patients who use vasoactive drugs, have concurrent sepsis, and do not have liver disease. CONCLUSION Albumin infusion can decrease the ICU mortality of AKI patients.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Acute Kidney Injury/mortality* ; Prognosis ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Intensive Care Units ; Albumins/therapeutic use* ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Adult ; Databases, Factual