ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical effect of Ershen Zhenwu Decoction on chronic heart failure （CHF） due to heart-kidney Yang deficiency and blood stasis and its regulatory effects on miR-423-5p/Smad7/transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁）/Smads axis and myocardial fibrosis indicators. MethodsOne hundred and fourteen patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction （HFrEF） and heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction （HFmrEF） were randomly allocated into a control group and an observation group. The control group was treated with dapagliflozin tablets， sacubitril-valsartan sodium tablets， metoprolol succinate， and spironolactone， and the observation group was treated with Ershen Zhenwu Decoction on the basis of the therapy in the control group. The course of treatment was 8 weeks in both groups. The 6-min walking distance， New York Heart Association （NYHA） heart function grade， Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire （MLHFQ） score， N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP）， angiotensin Ⅱ （Ang Ⅱ）， left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF）， left ventricular end-diastolic diameter （LVIDd）， left ventricular end-systolic diameter （LVIDs）， interventricular septum thickness at diastole （IVSd）， left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness （LVPWd）， left ventricular shortening fraction （FS）， miR-423-5p， Smad7， Smad2， Smad3， Smad4， TGF-β₁， Ang Ⅱ， type Ⅰ collagen （Col Ⅰ）， type Ⅲ collagen （Col Ⅲ）， mRNA levels of fibronectin （Fn） and α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） in the myocardial tissue were observed before and after treatment in both groups to evaluate the efficacy of cardiac function and drug safety. ResultsAfter treatment， both groups showed declined levels of NT-proBNP， Ang Ⅱ， miR-423-5p， Smad2， Smad3， Smad4， TGF-β₁， Col Ⅰ， Col Ⅲ， and mRNA levels of Fn and α-SMA （P0.05）， and the levels of the indicators above were lower in the observation group than in the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， the Smad7 level increased obviously in both groups （P0.05） and was higher in the observation group than in the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed decreased MLHFQ scores and increased 6-min walking distance （P0.05）， and the observation group had lower MLHFQ score and longer 6-min walking distance than the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， the control group showed increased LVEF and FS （P0.05） and the observation group showcased decreased LVIDd and LVIDs and increased LVEF and FS （P0.05）. Moreover， the observation group had lower LVIDd and LVIDs （P0.05） and higher LVEF and FS （P0.05） than the control group. The total response rate of cardiac function in the observation group was 90.38% （47/52）， which was higher than that （70.59%， 36/51） in the control group （P0.05）. No adverse reactions associated with Ershen Zhenwu Decoction were observed during the study period. ConclusionErshen Zhenwu Decoction can improve the cardiac function， exercise tolerance， and quality of life， regulate neuroendocrine factors， and slow down/reverse myocardial remodeling in the patients with HFrEF and HFmrEF （syndrome of heart-kidney Yang deficiency and blood stasis by regulating the miR-423-5p/Smad7/TGF-β₁/Smads axis， inhibiting α-SMA and Fn expression， and alleviating myocardial fibrosis. It is worthy of further study.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical effect of Ershen Zhenwu Decoction on chronic heart failure （CHF） due to heart-kidney Yang deficiency and blood stasis and its regulatory effects on miR-423-5p/Smad7/transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁）/Smads axis and myocardial fibrosis indicators. MethodsOne hundred and fourteen patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction （HFrEF） and heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction （HFmrEF） were randomly allocated into a control group and an observation group. The control group was treated with dapagliflozin tablets， sacubitril-valsartan sodium tablets， metoprolol succinate， and spironolactone， and the observation group was treated with Ershen Zhenwu Decoction on the basis of the therapy in the control group. The course of treatment was 8 weeks in both groups. The 6-min walking distance， New York Heart Association （NYHA） heart function grade， Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire （MLHFQ） score， N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP）， angiotensin Ⅱ （Ang Ⅱ）， left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF）， left ventricular end-diastolic diameter （LVIDd）， left ventricular end-systolic diameter （LVIDs）， interventricular septum thickness at diastole （IVSd）， left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness （LVPWd）， left ventricular shortening fraction （FS）， miR-423-5p， Smad7， Smad2， Smad3， Smad4， TGF-β₁， Ang Ⅱ， type Ⅰ collagen （Col Ⅰ）， type Ⅲ collagen （Col Ⅲ）， mRNA levels of fibronectin （Fn） and α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） in the myocardial tissue were observed before and after treatment in both groups to evaluate the efficacy of cardiac function and drug safety. ResultsAfter treatment， both groups showed declined levels of NT-proBNP， Ang Ⅱ， miR-423-5p， Smad2， Smad3， Smad4， TGF-β₁， Col Ⅰ， Col Ⅲ， and mRNA levels of Fn and α-SMA （P0.05）， and the levels of the indicators above were lower in the observation group than in the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， the Smad7 level increased obviously in both groups （P0.05） and was higher in the observation group than in the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed decreased MLHFQ scores and increased 6-min walking distance （P0.05）， and the observation group had lower MLHFQ score and longer 6-min walking distance than the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， the control group showed increased LVEF and FS （P0.05） and the observation group showcased decreased LVIDd and LVIDs and increased LVEF and FS （P0.05）. Moreover， the observation group had lower LVIDd and LVIDs （P0.05） and higher LVEF and FS （P0.05） than the control group. The total response rate of cardiac function in the observation group was 90.38% （47/52）， which was higher than that （70.59%， 36/51） in the control group （P0.05）. No adverse reactions associated with Ershen Zhenwu Decoction were observed during the study period. ConclusionErshen Zhenwu Decoction can improve the cardiac function， exercise tolerance， and quality of life， regulate neuroendocrine factors， and slow down/reverse myocardial remodeling in the patients with HFrEF and HFmrEF （syndrome of heart-kidney Yang deficiency and blood stasis by regulating the miR-423-5p/Smad7/TGF-β₁/Smads axis， inhibiting α-SMA and Fn expression， and alleviating myocardial fibrosis. It is worthy of further study.

Objective:To investigate the association between air pollutant exposure levels and the risk of atrial fibrillation and to evaluate the mediating role of serum uric acid levels in the association between air pollutant levels and atrial fibrillation risks.Methods:This study was a case-control study, and the data of the atrial fibrillation group was derived from atrial fibrillation patients diagnosed at the Zhongda Hospital, Affiliated to Southeast University, from January 2014 to April 2021, and data of control group was derived from those without atrial fibrillation at the screening in Qixia District, Nanjing City, in March to April 2019. A 1∶1 propensity score matching was performed with the matched variables of age and sex. Air pollutant exposure data were collected from 9 air quality monitoring stations in Nanjing from January 2014 to April 2021, including NO 2, CO, PM 2.5 and PM 10. Exposure to air pollutants was converted to respiratory exposure levels according to an approximate formula. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between air pollutants and the risk of atrial fibrillation. Mediation analysis was used to investigate the mediating role and magnitude of serum uric acid in the association pathway between the four air pollutants (PM 2.5, PM 10, NO 2, and CO) and atrial fibrillation. Results:The atrial fibrillation group was aged (68.7±11.3) years, with 544 (51.8%) males; the control group was aged (68.5±8.9) years, with 543 (51.7%) males. Multivariate logistic regression models suggested that individual exposure levels of all four air pollutants were associated with the increased risks of atrial fibrillation. Every 1 μg·kg -1·d -1 increased in NO 2 was associated 12.1% increased risk of atrial fibrillation among the individuals ( OR=1.121, 95% CI:1.098-1.144); For every 1 μg·kg -1·d -1 increased in CO, the individual risk of atrial fibrillation increased by 0.7% ( OR=1.007, 95% CI: 1.006-1.008). For each 1 μg·kg -1·d -1 increase in PM 2.5 exposure level, the individual risk of atrial fibrillation increased by 14.2% ( OR=1.142, 95% CI: 1.120-1.164). For each 1 μg·kg -1·d -1 increase in PM 10 exposure level, the individual risk of atrial fibrillation increased by 3.7% ( OR=1.037, 95% CI: 1.028-1.046). The results of the mediation analysis suggested that serum uric acid levels mediated 5.6% ( P=0.032) causal effects of PM 2.5 on atrial fibrillation risks and 7.5% ( P=0.010) mediated by CO. Conclusion:Air pollutant exposure was a risk factor for the development of atrial fibrillation and uric acid mediated the increased risk of atrial fibrillation by PM 2.5 and CO.

Green analytical chemistry (GAC) focuses on mitigating the adverse effects of analytical activities on human safety, human health, and environment. In addition to the 12 principles of GAC, proper GAC tools should be developed and employed to assess the greenness of different analytical assays. The 15 widely used GAC metrics, i.e., national environmental methods index (NEMI), advanced NEMI, assessment of green profile (AGP), chloroform-oriented toxicity estimation scale (ChlorTox Scale), Analytical Eco-Scale, Green Certificate Modified Eco-Scale, analytical method greenness score (AMGS), green analytical procedure index (GAPI), ComplexGAPI, red-green-blue (RGB) additive color model, RGB 12 algorithm, analytical greenness calculator (AGREE), AGREE preparation (AGREEprep), HEXAGON, and blue applicability grade index (BAGI), are selected as the typical tools. This article comprehensively presents and elucidates the principles, characteristics, merits, and demerits of 15 widely used GAC tools. This review is helpful for researchers to use the current GAC metrics to assess the environmental sustainability of analytical assays.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a highly heterogeneous recessive inherited disorder. FAP54, the homolog of CFAP54 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, was previously demonstrated as the C1d projection of the central microtubule apparatus of flagella. A Cfap54 knockout mouse model was then reported to have PCD-relevant phenotypes. Through whole-exome sequencing, compound heterozygous variants c.2649_2657delinC (p. E883Dfs*47) and c.7312_7313insCGCAGGCTGAATTCTTGG (p. T2438delinsTQAEFLA) in a new suspected PCD-relevant gene, CFAP54, were identified in an individual with PCD. Two missense variants, c.4112A>C (p. E1371A) and c.6559C>T (p. P2187S), in CFAP54 were detected in another unrelated patient. In this study, a minigene assay was conducted on the frameshift mutation showing a reduction in mRNA expression. In addition, a CFAP54 in-frame variant knock-in mouse model was established, which recapitulated the typical symptoms of PCD, including hydrocephalus, infertility, and mucus accumulation in nasal sinuses. Correspondingly, two missense variants were deleterious, with a dramatic reduction in mRNA abundance from bronchial tissue and sperm. The identification of PCD-causing variants of CFAP54 in two unrelated patients with PCD for the first time provides strong supportive evidence that CFAP54 is a new PCD-causing gene. This study further helps expand the disease-associated gene spectrum and improve genetic testing for PCD diagnosis in the future.
Mice ; Animals ; Humans ; Male ; Kartagener Syndrome/metabolism* ; Cilia/metabolism* ; Semen ; Genetic Testing ; RNA, Messenger ; Mutation

Humans ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/drug therapy* ; Hypoglycemic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Liver Cirrhosis/pathology* ; Biopsy ; Patients ; Liver/pathology* ; Fibrosis

[摘 要] 目的：探讨肝转移对晚期胃癌患者免疫治疗效果的影响。方法：收集2019年2月至2022年1月在南京医科大学附属常州第二人民医院肿瘤中心接受过免疫治疗的晚期胃癌患者的临床资料，进行回顾性分析，利用卡方检验或Fisher确切概率法进行基线特征比较，利用卡方检验和Kaplan-Meier生存分析方法进行有肝转移与无肝转移胃癌患者的疗效和生存期的比较。结果：共有48例晚期胃癌患者纳入分析，根据有无肝转移将患者分为肝转移队列（n=20）和无肝转移队列（n=28）。有肝转移较无肝转移胃癌患者体力状况更差。肝转移队列与无肝转移队列的ORR分别为15.0%和35.7%（P>0.05），DCR分别为65.0%和82.1%（P>0.05）；中位PFS在两组分别为5.0个月和11.2个月（HR=0.40，P<0.05），中位OS分别为12.0个月和19.0个月（P>0.05）。结论：胃癌肝转移患者免疫治疗的疗效差于无肝转移的患者。

Inflammasomes play an important role in the innate immunity of the liver; however, the excessive activation of inflammasomes can lead to liver inflammation and injury. The mechanism of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-mediated liver injury has been extensively studied. Related studies have shown that the development of various liver diseases may be associated with the excessive activation of inflammasomes, especially NLRP3 inflammasome. This article reviews inflammasomes, the activation mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome, and the role of NLRP3 inflammasome in different liver diseases, so as to provide a reference for the treatment targets of liver diseases from the perspective of NLRP3 inflammasome.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), also known as membrane vesicles, are vesicular bodies secreted by eukaryotic cells and bacteria. EVs can carry proteins, DNA, RNA, and various metabolites for the exchange and transmission of substances between cells. They play contents-dependent physiological functions, such as delivering nutrients, participating in immune response, and treating cancers. Currently, most studies focus on the exploration of vesicles secreted by eukaryotic cells and gram-negative bacteria, while few studies focus on gram-positive bacteria. This review summarized the production, content composition, physiological function, and engineering of EVs secreted by gram-positive bacteria, and prospected future perspectives in this area.
Bacteria/metabolism* ; Extracellular Vesicles/metabolism* ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; Gram-Positive Bacteria/metabolism* ; Proteins/metabolism*

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is one of the common adverse drug reactions and is the main cause of withdrawal of drugs after marketing, which has attracted more and more attention of the public, and herb-induced liver injury (HILI) is a special type of DILI. In recent years, the frequent occurrence of HILI not only seriously endangers the health of patients, but also causes the controversy over the safety of traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, this article reviews the potential risk factors for HILI from the three aspects of "patient", "drug", and "use", so as to provide a basis for the objective identification, prevention, and control of HILI and a reference for the construction of traditional Chinese medicine pharmacovigilance system represented by liver injury.