OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of Zhengxintai granules as in the treatment of microvascular angina （MVA） following percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction （STEMI） and qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome. METHODS Patients with STEMI and qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome who underwent PCI and developed MVA and were admitted to the Jinan Fourth People’s Hospital （Jinan Cardiovascular Hospital） from March 2022 to March 2025 were selected， they were randomly divided into the control group and the observation group according to a random number table， with 76 cases in each group. Patients in the control group received conventional Western medicine treatment combined with a placebo， while patients in the observation group received Zhengxintai granules （5 mg per dose， three times daily， for 8 weeks） in addition to conventional Western medicine treatment. The clinical efficacy [including the total effective rate of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome improvement and the total effective rates of Western clinical efficacy] was compared between the two groups. The following indicators were detected before and after treatment： TCM syndrome scores， angina pectoris episodes [daily attack frequency， duration per attack， Visual Analogue Scale （VAS） score]， cardiac function indicators [lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP）， left ventricular end-diastolic dimension （LVEDD）， left ventricular end-systolic dimension （LVESD）， left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF）， cardiac output （CO）， fractional shortening （FS）]， coagulation function indicators [thrombin time （TT）， prothrombin time （PT）， fibrinogen （FIB）]， fibrinolytic marker （D-dimer）， vascular endothelial function indicators [vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， nitric oxide （NO）， endothelin-1 （ET-1）] and myocardial microcirculation hemodynamic indicators [end-diastolic velocity （EDV）， peak systolic velocity （PSV）， resistance index （RI）， pulsatility index （PI）]. The quality of life [Seattle Angina Questionnaire （SAQ） score] and the incidence of adverse reactions were also compared between the two groups. RESULTS There was no patient dropout during the entire course of the study. The total effective rates of improvement in TCM syndromes and the total effective rates of Western clinical efficacy in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group （93.42% vs. 82.89%， 94.74% vs. 84.21%， P＜0.05）. Before the treatment， the comparison of each examination indicator between the two groups showed no statistically significant differences （P＞0.05）. Compared with before treatment， the TCM syndrome scores， the number of daily angina pectoris attacks and the duration of each attack， the VAS scores， LDH， NT-proBNP， FIB， D-dimer， ET-1 levels， LVEDD， LVESD， RI and PI after treatment in both groups were significantly reduced， shortened or decreased （P＜0.05）； VEGF and NO levels， LVEF， CO， FS， TT， PT， EDV， PSV， and the standard scores of five dimensions including angina pectoris stability， as well as the total scores of SAQ， all significantly increased or prolonged （P＜0.05）. Furthermore， the improvements in the aforementioned indicators （except for LVEF） in the observation group were significantly greater than those in the control group （P＜0.05）. There was no statistically significant difference in the total incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups （P＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Zhengxintai granules， when used as an adjunct to conventional Western medicine， can significantly alleviate the related symptoms of MVA in STEMI patients with qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome after PCI， repair damaged cardiac function， restore the balance of the coagulation-fibrinolysis system， improve vascular endothelial function and myocardial microcirculation perfusion， and significantly enhance the quality of life of patients

ObjectiveTo screen for the patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） among the physical examination population， to observe the characteristics of MAFLD patients， and to compare the differences in lifestyle between the MAFLD population and the non-MAFLD population. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 6 206 individuals who underwent physical examination in a physical examination institution in Beijing from December 2015 to December 2019， and according to the new diagnostic criteria for MAFLD， the examination population was divided into MAFLD group and non-MAFLD group. Based on body mass index （BMI）， the MAFLD group was further divided into lean MAFLD group （BMI<24 kg/m²） and non-lean MAFLD group （BMI ≥24 kg/m²）. Related data were compared between groups， including demographic indicators， education level， work pressure， physical measurement indicators， and lifestyles such as sleep， diet， and exercise. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. ResultsOf all individuals in this study， 1 926 （31.1%） had MAFLD and 4 280 （68.9%） did not have MAFLD. Compared with the non-MAFLD group， the MAFLD group had significantly higher age （Z=-14.459， P<0.001）， proportion of male patients （χ²=72.004， P<0.001）， work pressure （χ²=7.744， P=0.005）， body weight （Z=-43.508， P<0.001）， BMI （Z=-47.621， P<0.001）， waist circumference （Z=-48.515， P<0.001）， hip circumference （Z=-42.121， P<0.001）， and waist-hip ratio （Z=-43.535， P<0.001）， as well as a significantly lower education level （χ²=33.583， P<0.001）. In terms of behavior， the MAFLD group had a significantly shorter sleep time （χ²=5.820， P=0.016） and a significantly faster eating speed （χ²=74.476， P<0.001）. In terms of diet， the patients in the MAFLD group consumed more high-sodium， high-sugar， and high-calorie diets （χ²=42.667， P<0.001） and low-fiber diet （χ²=4.367， P=0.008）. In terms of exercise， the MAFLD group had a significantly higher proportion of patients without exercise habits （χ²=10.278， P=0.001）. Further analysis showed that there were 202 individuals （10.5%） in the lean MAFLD group and 1 724 （89.5%） in the non-lean MAFLD group. Compared with the non-lean MAFLD group， the lean MAFLD group had significantly higher age （Z=3.368， P=0.001） and education level （χ²=9.647， P=0.002） and significantly lower proportion of male patients （χ²=27.664， P<0.001）， body weight （Z=-18.483， P<0.001）， BMI （Z=-23.286， P<0.001）， waist circumference （Z=-18.565， P<0.001）， and hip circumference （Z=-18.097， P<0.001）， and in terms of behavior， the non-lean MAFLD group had a significantly faster eating speed （χ²=4.549， P=0.033）. ConclusionThere is a relatively high prevalence rate of MAFLD among the physical examination population in Beijing， with a higher number of people with unhealthy lifestyles compared with the non-MAFLD population.

ObjectiveTo investigate the diagnostic accuracy and grading capability of ultrasound-derived fat fraction （UDFF）， controlled attenuation parameter （CAP）， and hepatic/renal ratio （HRR） in assessing hepatic steatosis in metabolic associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） with magnetic resonance imaging-proton density fat fraction （MRI-PDFF） as the gold standard. MethodsA total of 150 patients with MAFLD who attended The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2023 to December 2024 were enrolled， and 148 healthy volunteers were recruited. All subjects underwent MRI-PDFF， UDFF， CAP， and HRR examinations. Hepatic steatosis was graded based on MRI-PDFF （S0：148 cases； S1：92 cases； S2：21 cases； S3：37 cases）， and the MAFLD patients with different grades of hepatic steatosis were compared in terms of UDFF， CAP， HRR， and clinical features. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups and the Tukey HSD test was used for further comparision between two groups； the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for further comparison between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between UDFF， CAP， HRR， and MRI-PDFF in different grades of MAFLD； the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was used to investigate the efficacy of UDFF， CAP， and HRR in the diagnosis of different degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD； the Bland-Altman difference plot was used to analyze the consistency between UDFF and MRI-PDFF in different degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD. ResultsUDFF measurement gradually increased with the increase in the grade of fatty liver （H=201.52，P0.001）. The Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a strong correlation between any two indicators of UDFF， CAP， HRR， and MRI-PDFF in S1， S2， and S3 MAFLD （all P0.001）， with the strongest correlation between UDFF and MRI-PDFF （r_s1=0.884，r_s2=0.962，r_s3=0.929， all P0.001）. The ROC curve analysis showed that UDFF had a larger area under the ROC curve （AUC） than CAP and HRR in the graded diagnosis of S1 and S3 （all P0.05）， while in the diagnosis of S2 MAFLD， UDFF had a significantly larger AUC than HRR （P0.05） and a similar AUC to CAP （P0.05）. The Bland-Altman difference plot showed good consistency between UDFF and MRI-PDFF in different degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD. ConclusionCompared with CAP and HRR， UDFF can accurately measure liver fat content and has good efficacy in identifying varying degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD.

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury （HIRI） is an inevitable major complication during surgical procedures such as liver transplantation and partial hepatectomy， and its prevention and treatment are hotspots and difficulties in clinical practice. This article reviews the mechanism of injury caused by energy metabolism disorders during liver ischemia-reperfusion and related treatment strategies and summarizes the current advances in metabolism-related therapies， in order to provide new ideas for further clarifying the onset mechanism of HIRI and exploring effective clinical prevention and treatment strategies for HIRI.

Objective To investigate the relationship between morphometric parameters of the cerebral cortex and the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS)in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia(TD).Methods A total of 105 schizophrenic patients with TD undergoing basic treatment were enrolled,and randomly divided into group A(n=35),group B(n=35)and group C(n=35).Group A received rTMS at 1 Hz,group B received rTMS at 10 Hz,and group C received sham stimulation.All groups were treated for 12 weeks.The severity of TD was assessed using the Ab-normal Involuntary Movement Scale(AIMS)before and after treatment.The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status(RBANS)and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS)in Chinese were used to evaluate patients'neuropsychological status and symptom severity.magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)was employed to scan the left prefrontal cortex of patients to obtain parameters of cortical thickness,surface area and volume.Pearson correlation analysis was used to an-alyze the relationship between cortical morphological parameters and the efficacy of rTMS for TD in pa-tients.Results After treatment,AIMS scores in the three groups were significantly lower than before treatment,and the group A was significantly lower than the group B and group C(P＜0.05).After treatment,RBANS scores were significantly higher and PANSS scores were significantly lower in three groups than before treatment(P＜0.05).After treatment,the RBANS score of the group A was significantly higher than that of the group B and group C,and the group B was significantly higher than the group C(P＜0.05);the PANSS score of the group A was significantly lower than that of the group B and group C,and the group B was significantly lower than the group C(P＜0.05).Af-ter treatment,cortical morphological parameters(cortical thickness,surface area and volume)in the group A and group B were significantly higher than before treatment,and the group A was signif-icantly higher than the group B(P＜0.05).The therapeutic effect of the group A was positively correlated with cortical thickness,surface area and volume(P＜0.05).Conclusion The morpho-metric parameters of the left prefrontal cortex are associated with the efficacy of rTMS in treating TD.The rTMS at 1 Hz can facilitate structural remodeling of the motor cortex,thereby improving treat-ment outcomes for TD patients.

Objective To investigate the value of combined detection of serum interleukin-25(IL-25),interleukin-33(IL-33),C-C motif chemokine ligand 2(CCL-2)and C-C motif chemokine ligand 17(CCL-17)in children with bronchial asthma.Methods A total of 91 children diagnosed with bronchial asthma were enrolled into asthma group,and 46 healthy children undergoing routine physical examinations during the same period were included in control group.General clinical data,airway inflammatory markers[fractional exhaled nitric oxide(FeNO)and immunoglobulin E(IgE)]and pulmonary function parameters[forced vital capacity(FVC),forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1),peak expiratory flow(PEF),minute resting ventilation(VE)and specific airway resistance(Raw)]were comparedbetween the two groups.The levels of serum IL-25,IL-33,CCL-2 and CCL-17 were compared between the two groups.According to the severity of asthma,the patients were further divided into severe asthma subgroup(n=31)and non-severe asthma subgroup(n=60).Spearman correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the association between serum levels of IL-25,IL-33,CCL-2 as well as CCL-17 and the severity of asthma.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors for severe exacerbation in children with bronchial asthma.The predictive value of serum IL-25,IL-33,CCL-2 and CCL-17 for severe at-tacks of bronchial asthma was analyzed by using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results The levels of FeNO,IgE,IL-25,IL-33,CCL-2 CCL-17 and VE in the asthma group were significantly higher than those in the healthy group,while the levels of FVC,FEV1,PEF and Raw were significantly lower than those in the healthy group(P＜0.05).The levels of FeNO,IgE,IL-25,IL-33,CCL-2,CCL-17 and VE in the severe group were significantly higher than those in the non-severe group,while the levels of FVC,FEV1,PEF and Raw were significantly lower than those in the non-severe group(P＜0.05).The levels of serum IL-25,IL-33,CCL-2 and CCL-17 in children of the asthma group were positively correlated with the severity of asthma(r=0.382,0.416,0.475,0.501,P＜0.05).The levels of serum IL-25,IL-33,CCL-2 and CCL-17 were in-dependent influencing factors for severe asthma.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the combined detection of IL-25,IL-33,CCL-2 and CCL-17 was greater than that obtained from each individual biomarker.Conclusion The combined prediction of serum IL-25,IL-33,CCL-2 and CCL-17 has relatively high value in predicting the development of severe asthma in chil-dren with bronchial asthma.

Background: The genus Atractylodes, native to East Asia, encompasses several species that serve as sources for the widely used traditional Chinese medicines Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Atractylodis Rhizoma. However, the international trade arouses concern regarding potential confusion and misidentification of Atractylodes species. Objective: A comprehensive understanding of the chemical diversity is crucial for ensuring the quality and exploring the potential variations in medicinal efficacy of Atractylodes. Methods: The GC-MS/MS-based metabolomics and multivariate statistical analysis identified 589 differentially accumulated metabolites across 5 Atractylodes species. Results: A total of 150 metabolites were predicted as potential chemical markers for species differentiation and quality assessment of Atractylodes. According to the metabolic profiles, the species of Atractylodes can be roughly classified into three categories: A. lancea and A. coreana with the volatile oil components being mainly atractylodin and β-eudesmol; A. macrocephala with the biomarker being atractylon; and A. japonica and A. carlinoides lying between the two categories above. Conclusions: Metabolomic results indicated that the metabolic profiles of A. carlinoides and A. macrocephala were similar and distinct from those of the other three species. Sesquiterpenoids were the main chemical components in the rhizome of A. carlinoides, which indicated the potential medicinal value of this plant.

Background: The genus Atractylodes, native to East Asia, encompasses several species that serve as sources for the widely used traditional Chinese medicines Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Atractylodis Rhizoma. However, the international trade arouses concern regarding potential confusion and misidentification of Atractylodes species. Objective: A comprehensive understanding of the chemical diversity is crucial for ensuring the quality and exploring the potential variations in medicinal efficacy of Atractylodes. Methods: The GC-MS/MS-based metabolomics and multivariate statistical analysis identified 589 differentially accumulated metabolites across 5 Atractylodes species. Results: A total of 150 metabolites were predicted as potential chemical markers for species differentiation and quality assessment of Atractylodes. According to the metabolic profiles, the species of Atractylodes can be roughly classified into three categories: A. lancea and A. coreana with the volatile oil components being mainly atractylodin and β-eudesmol; A. macrocephala with the biomarker being atractylon; and A. japonica and A. carlinoides lying between the two categories above. Conclusions: Metabolomic results indicated that the metabolic profiles of A. carlinoides and A. macrocephala were similar and distinct from those of the other three species. Sesquiterpenoids were the main chemical components in the rhizome of A. carlinoides, which indicated the potential medicinal value of this plant.

Background: The genus Atractylodes, native to East Asia, encompasses several species that serve as sources for the widely used traditional Chinese medicines Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Atractylodis Rhizoma. However, the international trade arouses concern regarding potential confusion and misidentification of Atractylodes species. Objective: A comprehensive understanding of the chemical diversity is crucial for ensuring the quality and exploring the potential variations in medicinal efficacy of Atractylodes. Methods: The GC-MS/MS-based metabolomics and multivariate statistical analysis identified 589 differentially accumulated metabolites across 5 Atractylodes species. Results: A total of 150 metabolites were predicted as potential chemical markers for species differentiation and quality assessment of Atractylodes. According to the metabolic profiles, the species of Atractylodes can be roughly classified into three categories: A. lancea and A. coreana with the volatile oil components being mainly atractylodin and β-eudesmol; A. macrocephala with the biomarker being atractylon; and A. japonica and A. carlinoides lying between the two categories above. Conclusions: Metabolomic results indicated that the metabolic profiles of A. carlinoides and A. macrocephala were similar and distinct from those of the other three species. Sesquiterpenoids were the main chemical components in the rhizome of A. carlinoides, which indicated the potential medicinal value of this plant.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic etiology of a Chinese pedigree with recurrent Joubert syndrome with negative results by whole-exome sequencing in the prior proband. METHODS: Chinese pedigree which opted elective abortion at the Women and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University in December 2024 was selected as the study subject. Whole-genome sequencing was carried out on fetal tissue after termination of pregnancy. Candidate variants were validated by Sanger sequencing and interpreted, while non-coding variant was analyzed using in silico prediction tools. RNA sequencing and cDNA sequencing were conducted on fetal brain tissue. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Hospital (Ethics No.2024YL045-02). RESULTS: Both the fetus and the affected child were found to harbor compound heterozygous variants of the CEP290 gene, namely c.7341dup (p.Leu2448fs*8) (pathogenic, maternally inherited) and c.1523-408G>A (likely pathogenic, paternally inherited). Both in silico analysis and fetal brain RNA sequencing confirmed aberrant RNA splicing caused by the intronic variant. CONCLUSION This case has highlighted the value of combining whole-genome sequencing with RNA functional validation. Above results not only enriched the spectrum of CEP290 gene mutations but also underscored its diagnostic value in resolving complex prenatal cases, providing critical clues for the prenatal diagnosis and recurrence risk assessment in genetic counseling.
Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Abnormalities, Multiple/genetics* ; Antigens, Neoplasm/genetics* ; Cell Cycle Proteins/genetics* ; Cerebellum/abnormalities* ; Cytoskeletal Proteins/genetics* ; Eye Abnormalities/genetics* ; Introns/genetics* ; Kidney Diseases, Cystic/diagnosis* ; Pedigree ; Retina/abnormalities* ; Sequence Analysis, RNA/methods* ; Whole Genome Sequencing/methods* ; Child