BACKGROUND: Heavy metals are significant risk factors for kidney function. Numerous studies have shown that exposure to heavy metals negatively correlates with kidney function through oxidative stress pathways, and serum α-klotho is linked to oxidative stress. However, the role of α-klotho in the relationship between blood lead, mercury, and kidney function remains unclear. METHOD: This study evaluated the mediating role of alpha-klotho in the relationship between lead, mercury and renal function, using data from the 2007-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in U.S. adults aged 40-79. The sample included 11,032 participants, with blood lead, mercury, α-klotho, and other relevant covariates measured. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to assess blood lead and mercury levels, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to measure serum α-klotho. Kidney function was evaluated using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) based on creatinine levels. Multivariable linear regression was conducted to analyze the relationships between blood lead, mercury, α-klotho, and eGFR. A mediation analysis model was used to assess whether α-klotho influenced these associations. RESULTS: We observed a significant association between blood lead and eGFR. Mediation analysis revealed that α-klotho accounted for 12.76% of the relationship between serum lead and eGFR in the NHANES population. Subgroup analysis showed that α-klotho mediated 12.43%, 6.87%, 21.50% and 5.44% of the relationship between blood lead and eGFR in women, middle-aged adults (40-59 years old), without cardiovascular disease and hypertension, respectively. However, α-klotho did not mediate the relationship between blood mercury and eGFR in terms of gender or age. This newly identified pathway may provide valuable insights for the prevention and treatment mechanisms related to kidney function impairment. CONCLUSION We found that blood lead was associated with renal function. According to the results of subgroup analysis, for blood lead, serum α-klotho mediated the association in females, middle aged 60-79 years. The relationship between blood mercury and renal function was not clinically significant, and serum α-Klotho mediated the relationship between blood mercury and renal function without significant clinical significance.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Lead/blood* ; Female ; Klotho Proteins ; Male ; Aged ; Adult ; Mercury/blood* ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Nutrition Surveys ; United States ; Kidney/physiology* ; Glucuronidase/blood* ; Environmental Pollutants/blood*

Objective:To analyze the research status of scleral lenses by bibliometric method based on the relevant collection of scleral lenses in the Web of Science database.Methods:Using the scleral lens-related literature collected in the Web of Science Core Collection database in the past 10 years (January 2013 to December 2022) as the object of analysis, bibliometric method and CiteSpace tools were used to conduct visual analysis of the literature.A comprehensive analysis of the volume of literature published, the distribution of countries and institutions, the information of core authors, the distribution of journals, and keyword clustering was performed.Results:A total of 340 articles were retrieved, which were published in 54 journals, with an average of 6.3 articles per journal, involving 301 authors.Research in this area covered 35 countries or regions, and 256 research institutions were involved.Discipline development was mainly in the United States, India, Spain and Australia.The main focus was on scleral lens (scleral contact lens), ocular surface disease, corneal edema, miniature scleral lens, etc.In the past 10 years, the trend of research hot topics in scleral lenses had shifted from the initial study of combining scleral contact lenses with ocular surface diseases to the subsequent study of prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem, and the exploration of corneal clearance and shape.From 2013 to 2021, the main focuses were ocular surface diseases, scleral contact lenses, and corneal edema.After 2021, research on ocular surface diseases and keratoplasty declined.From January 2013 to December 2022, emergent keywords related to scleral lens mainly included scleral contact lens, transplantation, anti-host disease, prosthetic device in the first stage, artificial replacement of ocular surface ecosystem and irregular cornea in the second stage, and the research on corneal gap and characteristic shape in the third stage.Optical coherence tomography and corneal topography were commonly used examinations for scleral lens research and fitting.Conclusions:At present, the scleral lens is mainly used for dry eye, corneal diseases, corneal ectasia, keratitis, and corneal transplantation, especially after penetrating keratoplasty and refractive errors.Prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem, and the exploration of corneal clearance and shape are the research hotspots in scleral lenses.

Objective:To explore the occurrence and clinical characteristics of liver injury caused by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in cancer patients.Methods:Medical records of cancer patients with normal liver function who used ICI during hospitalization in Beijing Friendship Hospital from January 2017 to December 2022 were collected, and those with liver injury related to ICI were screened out. The basic information of patients with ICI-related liver injury, treatment regime of ICI, concomitant medication, liver function before and after medication, intervention measures and outcomes were extracted, and the clinical characteristics of ICI-related liver injury were analyzed descriptively.Results:A total of 155 patients with solid tumors were treated with ICI within the set time, of which 15 (9.7%) were diagnosed with ICI-related liver injury. Among the 15 patients, there were 6 males and 9 females, with a median age of 59 (41, 76) years. The suspected drug causing liver injury was camrelizumab in 5 patients, sugemalimab in 2 patients, serplulimab in 2 patients, toripalimab in 2 patients, sintilimab in 2 patients, penpulimab in 1 patient, and cadonilimab in 1 patient. All 15 patients received combined medication, such as traditional chemotherapy drugs, receptor tyrosine kinases inhibitors, and/or other ICIs. The median time from suspected ICI administration to liver injury in 15 patients was 22 (4-64) days, and the liver injury occurred after the first cycle of ICI treatment in 9 patients. The medians of peak value of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were 157 (15-508) U/L and 131 (77-696) U/L, respectively; the total bilirubin was more than 2 times of the upper limit of normal in 3 patients. The liver injury was classified as hepatocellular type in 6 patients, cholestasis type in 5 patients, and mixed type in 3 patients; the type was unable to be determined due to lack of data in 1 patient. Among the 15 patients, 8 had liver injury of grade 2 and 7 had liver injury of grade 3; the suspected medication were discontinued after liver injury occurrence in 9 patients and did not discontinue in 6 patients. Seven and 5 patients recovered or basically had normal liver function after 1-4 months, respectively among those who stopped and did not stop ICI; the liver function did not return to normal in the other 3 patients at 2 to 9 months of follow-up.Conclusions:ICI-related liver injury usually occurs after the first cycle of ICI treatment (within 1-2 months of medication), and the severity is mostly grade 2 or 3. The 3 clinical types of drug-induced liver injury (hepatocellular type, cholestatic type, and mixed type) are clinically visible. After the occurrence of liver injury, most patients have a good prognosis through timely discontinuation and/or treatments.

Objective:To explore the occurrence and clinical characteristics of liver injury caused by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in cancer patients.Methods:Medical records of cancer patients with normal liver function who used ICI during hospitalization in Beijing Friendship Hospital from January 2017 to December 2022 were collected, and those with liver injury related to ICI were screened out. The basic information of patients with ICI-related liver injury, treatment regime of ICI, concomitant medication, liver function before and after medication, intervention measures and outcomes were extracted, and the clinical characteristics of ICI-related liver injury were analyzed descriptively.Results:A total of 155 patients with solid tumors were treated with ICI within the set time, of which 15 (9.7%) were diagnosed with ICI-related liver injury. Among the 15 patients, there were 6 males and 9 females, with a median age of 59 (41, 76) years. The suspected drug causing liver injury was camrelizumab in 5 patients, sugemalimab in 2 patients, serplulimab in 2 patients, toripalimab in 2 patients, sintilimab in 2 patients, penpulimab in 1 patient, and cadonilimab in 1 patient. All 15 patients received combined medication, such as traditional chemotherapy drugs, receptor tyrosine kinases inhibitors, and/or other ICIs. The median time from suspected ICI administration to liver injury in 15 patients was 22 (4-64) days, and the liver injury occurred after the first cycle of ICI treatment in 9 patients. The medians of peak value of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were 157 (15-508) U/L and 131 (77-696) U/L, respectively; the total bilirubin was more than 2 times of the upper limit of normal in 3 patients. The liver injury was classified as hepatocellular type in 6 patients, cholestasis type in 5 patients, and mixed type in 3 patients; the type was unable to be determined due to lack of data in 1 patient. Among the 15 patients, 8 had liver injury of grade 2 and 7 had liver injury of grade 3; the suspected medication were discontinued after liver injury occurrence in 9 patients and did not discontinue in 6 patients. Seven and 5 patients recovered or basically had normal liver function after 1-4 months, respectively among those who stopped and did not stop ICI; the liver function did not return to normal in the other 3 patients at 2 to 9 months of follow-up.Conclusions:ICI-related liver injury usually occurs after the first cycle of ICI treatment (within 1-2 months of medication), and the severity is mostly grade 2 or 3. The 3 clinical types of drug-induced liver injury (hepatocellular type, cholestatic type, and mixed type) are clinically visible. After the occurrence of liver injury, most patients have a good prognosis through timely discontinuation and/or treatments.

Objective::Microchannels are associated with the progression of atherosclerotic vulnerable plaques. However, in patients with culprit optical coherence tomography (OCT)-defined plaque erosion, the knowledge of microchannels and culprit lesion vulnerability is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate culprit lesion characteristics in patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) caused by plaque erosion with and without microchannels using OCT.Methods::In all, 348 STEMI patients with plaque erosion who underwent OCT of the culprit lesion at the 2 nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (Harbin, China) from August 2014 to December 2017 were included and divided into the microchannel group ( n= 116, 33.3%) and no-microchannel group ( n = 232, 66.7%). The clinical characteristics and OCT-derived plaque features were compared between both groups. Results::Among the 348 STEMI patients with plaque erosion, culprit lesions with microchannels had higher incidence of lipid plaque (59.5% vs. 45.3%, P= 0.012); calcification (41.4% vs. 24.6%, P= 0.002); spotty calcification (30.2% vs. 18.1%, P= 0.014); macrophages accumulation (72.4% vs. 45.7%, P < 0.001); and cholesterol crystals (32.8% vs. 14.2%, P < 0.001) than those without microchannels. In addition, minimal lumen area was smaller ((1.9 ± 0.9) mm 2vs. (2.8 ± 2.3) mm 2, P < 0.001) and lumen area stenosis was greater ((71.3% ± 13.4%) vs. (65.3% ± 19.3%), P= 0.001) in the microchannel group than in the no-microchannel group. Conclusion::In patients with STEMI caused by plaque erosion, one-third manifested typical microchannel characteristics, and those with microchannels were associated with more severe luminal stenosis and more vulnerable plaque features than those without microchannels.

Objective::Microchannels are associated with the progression of atherosclerotic vulnerable plaques. However, in patients with culprit optical coherence tomography (OCT)-defined plaque erosion, the knowledge of microchannels and culprit lesion vulnerability is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate culprit lesion characteristics in patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) caused by plaque erosion with and without microchannels using OCT.Methods::In all, 348 STEMI patients with plaque erosion who underwent OCT of the culprit lesion at the 2 nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (Harbin, China) from August 2014 to December 2017 were included and divided into the microchannel group ( n= 116, 33.3%) and no-microchannel group ( n = 232, 66.7%). The clinical characteristics and OCT-derived plaque features were compared between both groups. Results::Among the 348 STEMI patients with plaque erosion, culprit lesions with microchannels had higher incidence of lipid plaque (59.5% vs. 45.3%, P= 0.012); calcification (41.4% vs. 24.6%, P= 0.002); spotty calcification (30.2% vs. 18.1%, P= 0.014); macrophages accumulation (72.4% vs. 45.7%, P < 0.001); and cholesterol crystals (32.8% vs. 14.2%, P < 0.001) than those without microchannels. In addition, minimal lumen area was smaller ((1.9 ± 0.9) mm 2vs. (2.8 ± 2.3) mm 2, P < 0.001) and lumen area stenosis was greater ((71.3% ± 13.4%) vs. (65.3% ± 19.3%), P= 0.001) in the microchannel group than in the no-microchannel group. Conclusion::In patients with STEMI caused by plaque erosion, one-third manifested typical microchannel characteristics, and those with microchannels were associated with more severe luminal stenosis and more vulnerable plaque features than those without microchannels.

The association rules in data of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions were analyzed using SQL Server 2008,which showed that 17 core compatible drug pairs were in line with the association rules.For example,platycodon grandiflorum combined with liquorice,known as Liquorice and Platycodon Decoction,can treat the principal and secondary aspects of a disease by ventilating the lungs and resolving the phlegm,removing the toxic substances and relieving the sore throat.Mining compatible drug pairs by analyzing their association rules can provide evidence for their clinical application.

Objective To explore the clinical application and curative effect of iron removal treatment with week-therapy in chronic iron overload related to blood transfusion.Methods Twenty patients who were diagnosed as chronic iron overload were retrospectively studied.The amelioration of liver and pancreatic fanctions in patients with chronic iron overload treated with week-therapy of iron chelating agent through intravenous drip.Results The changes in the level of serum ferritin [2693.7±709.9) μg/L] were not significant after treatment at six months,hut the cilinical symptoms were relieved obviously.The levels of serum ferritin in patients after the treatment at twelve months were significantly different from the level before treated [(2083.7±714.4) μg/L vs (2771.5±725.2) μg/L,t =3.35,P ＜ 0.01],and the decreases were significant in sixteen patients.The liver functions in seven patients were improved and pancreatic functions were better in five patients.Conclusion The study suggests that iron removal treatment with week-therapy is effective for chronic iron overload,and improves the functions of damaged organs.

Objective To study the detection and significance of serum ICAM-1 and E-selectin in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods Double antibody sandwich quantitative enzyme fined immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was used to measure the serum levels of serum ICAM-I and E-selectin in 60 patients with COPD,52 exacerbated patients,52 stable patients and 30 normal control subjects.Results The levels of serum ICAM-1 and E-selectin in COPD group and exacerbated patients were significantly higher than those in normal controls (P＜0.01) ; these in stable patients were significantly lower than those of exacerbated patients (P＜0.01),and significantly higher than those exacerbated patients(P＜0.05).Conclusion ICAM-1 and E-selectin were involved in occurrance and development process of COPD.