Objective To explore the perioperative therapeutic effects and follow-up manage-ment in 16 patients with left ventricular assist device(LVAD)implantation.Methods A retrospec-tive analysis was conducted in data of 16 patients who underwent LVAD implantation in the depart-ment of cardiovascular surgery.Data of 6-minute walk test(6MWT),European Quality of Life-5 Di-mension-5 Levels(EQ-5D-5L),New York Heart Association(NYHA)classification,echocardio-graphy,chest radiography,cardiothoracic ratio,and occurrence of complications(infection,bleed-ing,thrombosis,right heart failure,neurological issues)were collected via the electronic medical re-cord system before surgery and at 30,60,and 90 days postoperatively.Results All patients sur-vived with the pump at 90 days postoperatively.One patient with preoperative renal insufficiency un-derwent dialysis and received a heart transplant after 8 months.One patient developed a sterile granu-loma at the percutaneous lead site on the abdominal wall,which improved after treatment,no complica-tions occurred in other patients.At 90 days postoperatively,there was no statistically significant differ-ence in the right ventricular area change fraction and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion com-pared with preoperative values(P＞0.05).The left ventricular ejection fraction,left ventricular end-diastolic diameter,and cardiothoracic ratio showed significant improvement compared with preoperative levels(P＜0.05).At 30 days postoperatively,30％of patients recovered to NYHA class Ⅰ and 70％to class Ⅱ;at 60 days,80％of patients to class Ⅰ and 20％to class Ⅱ;at 90 days,90％to classⅠ and 10％to class Ⅱ.The 6MWT and EQ-5D-5L scores of patients significantly increased within 90 days postoperatively(P＜0.01).Conclusion Through rigorous preoperative assessment by a multidisciplinary LVAD team,refinement of surgical techniques,and comprehensive management during hospitalization,self-management before discharge,daily follow-up after discharge,and fol-low-up management upon returning to the hospital for patients with LVAD implantation,the cardiac function and quality of life of patients are significantly improved at 90 days postoperatively.

Objective:To discuss the perioperative management strategy of the HeartCon left ventricular assist device in the treatment of adult patients with end-stage heart failure and evaluate the effectiveness of blood pump.Methods:Ten consecutive patients with end-stage heart failure treated with the LVAD HeartCon at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Jiangsu Province Hospital from July 2021 to July 2023 were enrolled in this study. The clinical data and follow-up results were retrospectively analyzed. Blood pump parameter, cardiac function classification, liver and kidney function, coagulation, myocardial markers, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, von Willebrand factor antigen, echocardiography, cardiothoracic ratio, and 6-minute walking distance test (6MWT) were evaluated before and after implantation of LVAD in 30, 60, 90, 180, 360, 540, and 720 days. EQ-5D-5L questionnaire was used to evaluate the quality of life.Results:There were 9 males and 1 female with a mean age of (53.7±9.7) years. All patients survived. Renal insufficiency occurred in 1 patient and recurrent aseptic granuloma occurred in 1 patient. There were no significant differences in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), right ventricular fractional area change (FAC) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) between pre-operation and 30, 60 and 90 days post-operation( P>0.05). The levels of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), von Willbrand factor (vWF) antigen, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVDd) and cardiothoracic ratio decreased significantly on the 30th, 60th and 90th day after operation ( P<0.05). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), 6MWT and EQ-5D-5L scores were significantly increased at 30, 60 and 90 days after operation compared with those before operation ( P<0.05). Conclusion:With the left ventricular assist device HeartCon, the cardiac function and quality of life of patients were significantly improved within 3 months after operation, and no serious complications were observed, proving that the device is safe and effective.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy, safety and possible mechanisms of celecoxib as an adjunctive treatment for schizophrenia.Methods:90 schizophrenic inpatients at the second affiliated hospital of Xinxiang Medical College from April 2019 to October 2020 were recruited and randomly assigned to a placebo group or the celecoxib adjunctive treatment group using a random number table. In the placebo group, 46 patients (29 males, 17 females; aged 21-34, mean age 27.46±6.50 years) completed a 6-week follow-up. In the celecoxib group, 44 patients (32 males, 12 females; aged 21-39, mean age 30.52±8.69 years) completed a 6-week follow-up. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess psychiatric symptoms in both groups. Changes in PANSS score at the end of the treatment were compared to evaluate the efficacy of celecoxib. Metabolic indicators such as weight, body mass index, waist circumference and plasm glucolipid, as well as cardiovascular indicators like blood pressure, electrocardiogram and routine blood tests, and adverse events were collected for the safety evaluation. Serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were also tested. Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between cytokine levels, PANSS score, PANSS reduction rate [(pre-treatment score-post-treatment score)/pre-treatment score×100%], and the safety measurements in the two groups, analyzing the role of inflammation in celecoxib adjunctive therapy.Results:The change of PANSS positive score at the end of the 6th week was significantly higher in the celecoxib adjuvant treatment group than in the placebo group (-8.00±6.12 vs -4.78±5.19, H=-0.55, P=0.009). The weight changes, body mass index, total cholesterol, and triglycerides over 6 weeks were significantly lower in the celecoxib group compared to the placebo group ( F=-7.37, -7.30, 2.56, -2.54; all P<0.05). No serious adverse events were found in celecoxib adjuvant therapy. In the placebo group, baseline TNF-α levels were positively correlated with baseline negative symptoms and PANSS reduction rate ( r=0.260 and 0.330, both P<0.05), and negatively correlated with the 6-week weight ( r=-0.311, P<0.05); baseline IL-4 levels were positively correlated with the 6-week PANSS total score and the 6-week PANSS negative score ( r=0.320 and 0.397, both P<0.05), and negatively correlated with PANSS reduction rate and 6-week blood glucose ( r=-0.316 and -0.331, both P<0.05); Six-week IFN-γ levels were negatively correlated with low-density lipoprotein levels ( r=-0.306, P<0.05). And no such correlation was found in celecoxib adjuvant group. Conclusion:Celecoxib adjunctive therapy can improve positive symptoms of schizophrenia without causing adverse reactions. Inflammatory state is related to schizophrenia symptoms, treatment efficacy and metabolic abnormalities.

Objective To summarize the clinical experience of the treatment for complex aortic coarctation with extra anatomic bypass and anatomic correction techniques. Methods The clinical data of patients with complex aortic coarctation treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and Friendship Hospital of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture between April 2012 and November 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Results A total of 12 patients were enrolled, including 5 males and 7 females aged 11-54 (34.3±16.2) years. Extra anatomic bypass grafting was performed in 8 patients and anatomic correction was performed in 4 patients. The operations were successful in all patients. There was no perioperative death. The average cardiopulmonary bypass time was 203.0±46.0 min (7 median incision patients), and the average intraoperative blood loss was 665.0±102.0 mL. The average postoperative ventilator support time was 32.3±7.5 h, and the average postoperative hospital stay time was 10.2±4.3 d. The mean drainage volume of median incision was 1 580.0±360.0 mL, and the mean drainage time was 9.3±2.7 d. The mean drainage volume of left thoracotomy was 890.0±235.0 mL, and the mean drainage time was 4.8±2.5 d. One patient had a transient hoarse after operation and recovered 6 months later. The follow-up period ranged from 2 to 10 years with an average time of 81.0±27.0 months. All patients had a recovery of hypertension, cardiac afterload after 2 years postoperatively. One patient who received an artificial blood vessel replacement in situ was examined stenosis recurrence at the third year after discharge. Others were asymptomatic during the follow-up period. There were no death or other complications. Conclusion The treatment strategy for complex aortic coarctation should be individualized according to the anatomical features and concomitant heart diseases. Extra anatomic bypass technique is a safe and feasible choice.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy, safety and possible mechanisms of celecoxib as an adjunctive treatment for schizophrenia.Methods:90 schizophrenic inpatients at the second affiliated hospital of Xinxiang Medical College from April 2019 to October 2020 were recruited and randomly assigned to a placebo group or the celecoxib adjunctive treatment group using a random number table. In the placebo group, 46 patients (29 males, 17 females; aged 21-34, mean age 27.46±6.50 years) completed a 6-week follow-up. In the celecoxib group, 44 patients (32 males, 12 females; aged 21-39, mean age 30.52±8.69 years) completed a 6-week follow-up. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess psychiatric symptoms in both groups. Changes in PANSS score at the end of the treatment were compared to evaluate the efficacy of celecoxib. Metabolic indicators such as weight, body mass index, waist circumference and plasm glucolipid, as well as cardiovascular indicators like blood pressure, electrocardiogram and routine blood tests, and adverse events were collected for the safety evaluation. Serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were also tested. Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between cytokine levels, PANSS score, PANSS reduction rate [(pre-treatment score-post-treatment score)/pre-treatment score×100%], and the safety measurements in the two groups, analyzing the role of inflammation in celecoxib adjunctive therapy.Results:The change of PANSS positive score at the end of the 6th week was significantly higher in the celecoxib adjuvant treatment group than in the placebo group (-8.00±6.12 vs -4.78±5.19, H=-0.55, P=0.009). The weight changes, body mass index, total cholesterol, and triglycerides over 6 weeks were significantly lower in the celecoxib group compared to the placebo group ( F=-7.37, -7.30, 2.56, -2.54; all P<0.05). No serious adverse events were found in celecoxib adjuvant therapy. In the placebo group, baseline TNF-α levels were positively correlated with baseline negative symptoms and PANSS reduction rate ( r=0.260 and 0.330, both P<0.05), and negatively correlated with the 6-week weight ( r=-0.311, P<0.05); baseline IL-4 levels were positively correlated with the 6-week PANSS total score and the 6-week PANSS negative score ( r=0.320 and 0.397, both P<0.05), and negatively correlated with PANSS reduction rate and 6-week blood glucose ( r=-0.316 and -0.331, both P<0.05); Six-week IFN-γ levels were negatively correlated with low-density lipoprotein levels ( r=-0.306, P<0.05). And no such correlation was found in celecoxib adjuvant group. Conclusion:Celecoxib adjunctive therapy can improve positive symptoms of schizophrenia without causing adverse reactions. Inflammatory state is related to schizophrenia symptoms, treatment efficacy and metabolic abnormalities.

Objective:To analyze and evaluate the safety and efficacy of a Chinese domestically manufactured Heart Con-type implantable third-generation magnetic and hydrodynamic levitation left ventricular assist device(LVAD) for the treatment of end-stage heart failure(ESHF), by reporting the results of eleven-center clinical trial on 50 cases.Methods:This study was a multicenter clinical trial, designed by means of prospective, multicenter and single-group target value. 50 subjects with ESHF were competitively enrolled and treated with HeartCon as the LVAD in eleven centers. The primary efficacy measure was survival, defined as either the subjects experiencing the transition to heart transplantation(HT) or myocardial recovery assisted by the device within 90 days, or as successfully assisted by the LVAD for full 90 days after implantation. The target survival rate was 60%, other observations included implantation success rate, mortality, pump failure needing replacement or emergency heart transplantation.Results:All enrolled 50 patients received LVAD implantation successfully, 46 survived with the pump for 90 days, 1 patient transitioned to heart transplantation, and 3 patients experienced pump thrombosis, within which 2 patients underwent pump replacement and continued to live with the pump for 90 days, and the other one received emergency heart transplantation. There were no dropout subjects. The survival rate at full 90 days after HeartCon implantation was 100%. The survival rates with pump in the full set analysis and the protocol set analysis were 96.00% and 95.92% respectively, which were higher than the target value of 60%. The differences were both statistically significant( P<0.05). Conclusion:The results of the multicenter clinical trial with the largest sample size in China using domestically manufactured third-generation LVAD has demonstrated that, HeartCon is a safe and effective LVAD to treat ESHF patients.

A long-held belief is that pituitary hormones bind to their cognate receptors in classical target glands to actuate their manifold functions. However, a number of studies have shown that multiple types of pituitary hormone receptors are widely expressed in non-classical target organs. Each pituitary gland-derived hormone exhibits a wide range of nonconventional biological effects in these non-classical target organs. Herein, the extra biological functions of pituitary hormones, thyroid-stimulating hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, adrenocorticotrophic hormone, and prolactin when they act on non-classical organs were summarized, defined by the novel concept of an "atypical pituitary hormone-target tissue axis." This novel proposal explains the pathomechanisms of abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism, obesity, hypertension, fatty liver, and atherosclerosis while offering a more comprehensive and systematic insights into the coordinated regulation of environmental factors, genetic factors, and neuroendocrine hormones on human biological functions. The continued exploration of the physiology of the "atypical pituitary hormone-target tissue axis" could enable the identification of novel therapeutic targets for metabolic diseases.
Humans ; Pituitary Hormones/metabolism* ; Luteinizing Hormone ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; Prolactin ; Pituitary Gland/metabolism*

Objective:This study evaluated the metabolic phenotype in offspring of maternal immune activation(MIA) rats, to determine whether it applies to the study of the mechanism of metabolic syndrome associated with schizophrenia, and to analyze its possible pathogenesis.Methods:Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) or saline was injected via tail vein at 9.5 days of pregnancy, and the offspring were defined as MIA group and control group. Behavior, blood routine, blood glucose, blood lipid and liver function were detected. Besides, inflammatory cytokine levels were analyzed by quantitative PCR. The independent -sample t-test was used for the comparison between groups. Results:The results showed that the rats of the MIA group had an increased anxiety level, memory impairment, and sensory gating dysfunction in early adulthood. However, the rats of the MIA group already showed the risk of metabolic disorders in their adolescence, including the increased proportion of monocytes ( t=2.50, df=14, P=0.028), elevated LDL-C level ( t=3.34, df=14, P=0.005), and increased atherosclerosis index ( t=2.23, df=14, P=0.043). The rats of the MIA group showed abnormal liver morphology and decreased globulin ( t=3.61, df=14, P=0.003) and total protein levels ( t=3.40, df=14, P=0.004), suggesting possible impaired liver function. In addition, the rats of the MIA group showed systemic inflammation of the brain and liver. Conclusion:These results demonstrate that behavioral disorders and metabolic disorders coexist in the rats of the MIA group, and metabolic disorders appear earlier than significant behavioral abnormalities, suggesting the possible value of this model in the study of schizophrenia complicated by metabolic syndrome. In addition, systemic inflammation of the brain and liver may be a possible mechanism for behavioral disorders and metabolic disorders in the offspring of MIA.

Objective     To investigate the influence of prior percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on the outcome of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods     Clinical data of 5 216 patients from Jiangsu Province CABG registry who underwent primary isolated CABG from 2016 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into a PCI group (n=673) and a non-PCI group (n=4 543) according to whether they had received PCI treatment. The PCI group included 491 males and 182 females, aged 62.6±8.2 years, and the non-PCI group included 3 335 males and 1 208 females, aged 63.7±8.7 years. Multivariable logistic regression and propensity score matching (PSM) were used to compare 30-day mortality, incidence of major complications and 1-year follow-up outcomes between the two groups. Results     Both in original cohort and matched cohort, there was no statistical difference in the 30-day mortality [14 (2.1%) vs. 77 (1.7%), P=0.579; 14 (2.1%) vs. 11 (1.6%), P=0.686], or the incidence of major complications (myocardial infarction, stroke, mechanical ventilation≥24 h, dialysis for new-onset renal failure, deep sternal wound infection and atrial fibrillation) (all P>0.05). The rate of reoperation for bleeding in the PCI group was higher than that in the non-PCI group [19 (2.8%) vs. 67 (1.5%), P=0.016; 19 (2.8%) vs. 7 (1.0%), P=0.029]. Both in original cohort and matched cohort, there was no statistical difference in 1-year survival rate between the two groups [613 (93.1%) vs. 4 225 (94.6%), P=0.119; 613 (93.1%) vs. 630 (95.2%), P=0.124], while the re-admission rate in the PCI group was significantly higher than that in the non-PCI group [32 (4.9%) vs. 113 (2.5%), P=0.001; 32 (4.9%) vs. 17 (2.6%), P=0.040]. Conclusion     This study shows that a history of PCI treatment does not significantly increase the perioperative mortality and major complications of CABG, but increases the rate of cardiogenic re-admission 1 year postoperatively.

Objective:A case-control association analysis was performed to investigate if the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of N-cadherin(CDH2) gene is implicated in schizophrenia in a Han Chinese population.Methods:A total of 528 patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 528 healthy controls were recruited from northern Henan province to analyze 25 SNPs located in CDH2 gene.The clinical symptoms of 267 first-episode schizophrenia patients were evaluated with positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS), and the correlation between CDH2 gene and clinical symptoms was analyzed by SNPStats software online.Results:Allele frequencies of rs9951577 and rs1231268 were significantly correlated with schizophrenia( P<0.05), genotype frequency of rs1639387 was significantly correlated with schizophrenia( P=0.044). After gender classification, SNPs rs1789470 and rs28365328 were found to be significantly correlated with schizophrenia in female patients ( P=0.044, 0.019). In addition, the study found that CDH2 was correlated with the clinical characteristics of schizophrenia( P<0.05), and the negative factor score of patients between GG type rs1231268 and the other two genotypes (AG+ AA) ((21.12±8.41) vs (18.87±7.52)) was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusion:CDH2 gene may be one of the susceptibility genes to SZ, and has definite correlation with clinical negative symptoms.