ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which Bushen Tongluo Jiangzhuo prescription improves renal fibrosis in rats with chronic kidney disease （CKD） through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway. MethodsSeventy specific pathogen-free （SPF） Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a control group （n=15） and a modeling group （n=55）. Rats in the modeling group were administered a 2.5% adenine suspension at a dose of 200 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 by gavage for 4 weeks to establish a CKD model. Successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group， an irbesartan group （20.25 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， and Bushen Tongluo Jiangzhuo prescription low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （5.82， 11.64， and 23.28 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively）， with 10 rats in each group. Each group was administered an equal volume of physiological saline， the corresponding concentration of irbesartan， or Bushen Tongluo Jiangzhuo prescription by gavage for 12 weeks. Body weight and renal function indices were dynamically monitored. Serum creatinine （SCr）， blood urea nitrogen （BUN）， urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio （ACR）， 24-hour urinary total protein （24 hUTP）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） levels were measured using an automatic biochemical analyzer. Renal histopathological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Masson staining. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to detect the expression of PI3K， Akt， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， and mTOR in renal tissues. Western blot was performed to assess the protein expression of PI3K， p-Akt， Akt， phosphorylated mTOR （p-mTOR）， and mTOR in renal tissues. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to determine the mRNA expression levels of PI3K， Akt， and mTOR in renal tissues. ResultsCompared with the model group， rats in the irbesartan group and the low-， medium-， and high-dose Bushen Tongluo Jiangzhuo prescription groups showed significantly decreased levels of SCr， BUN， ACR， 24 hUTP， IL-1β， IL-6， and TNF-α （P<0.01）. AST levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）， while no significant difference was observed in ALT levels. Histopathological examination revealed that， compared with the model group， renal tubular epithelial cell edema and necrosis and Bowman's capsule dilation were alleviated， inflammatory cell infiltration was reduced， and interstitial and glomerular fibrosis was markedly improved in all treatment groups， with the most pronounced effect observed in the high-dose Bushen Tongluo Jiangzhuo prescription group. Real-time PCR results showed that mRNA expression levels of PI3K， Akt， and mTOR were significantly downregulated in the high-dose group （P<0.01）. IHC results demonstrated that PI3K and p-Akt expression levels in renal tissues were significantly decreased in the high-dose group （P<0.01）. Western blot analysis further confirmed that the expression levels of PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， and p-mTOR/mTOR were significantly reduced in the high-dose group （P<0.01）. ConclusionBushen Tongluo Jiangzhuo prescription improves renal function indices in CKD rats， reduces collagen deposition in renal tissues， and decreases serum inflammatory factor levels. Its protective effect on renal function may be achieved by activating autophagy through downregulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway， thereby alleviating renal fibrosis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the molecular mechanism by which the Bushen Kaixuan Tongluo prescription exerts a renal protective effect in mice with diabetic kidney disease （DKD） by regulating the cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP） signaling pathway. MethodsThirty specific pathogen-free （SPF） male db/db mice were adaptively fed for three weeks. Mice with a random tail vein blood glucose level ≥ 11.1 mmol·L^-1 and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio （ACR） ≥ 30 mg·g^-1 were considered successfully modeled. The successfully modeled mice were randomly divided into five groups with six mice in each group： the model group， the low-， medium-， and high-dose Bushen Kaixuan Tongluo prescription groups （administered at doses of 7， 14， 28 g·kg^-1·d^-1 respectively）， and the positive drug irbesartan group （administered at a dose of 20 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）. Additionally， six db/m mice were selected as the blank group. Mice in each group were given intragastric administration of the Bushen Kaixuan Tongluo prescription at the corresponding concentrations， irbesartan， or an equal volume of pure water， and the intervention lasted for 12 weeks. During the experiment， the general conditions， body weight changes， and renal function indicators of the mice were dynamically monitored. After the intervention， a blood glucose meter was used to measure the fasting blood glucose （FBG） of the mice. An automatic biochemical analyzer was employed to detect the levels of serum creatinine （SCr）， blood urea nitrogen （BUN）， urinary microalbumin （uALB）， ACR， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， leptin （LEP）， glycosylated serum protein （GSP）， and insulin （INS） in the mice. Renal tissues were collected for hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， periodic acid-Schiff （PAS） staining， and Masson's trichrome staining to observe the histopathological changes. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to detect the expressions of protein kinase A （PKA） and cAMP response element-binding protein （CREB） in the mice. Western blot analysis was performed to determine the expression levels of PKA， phosphorylated protein kinase A （p-PKA）， CREB， phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein （p-CREB）， and B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2） proteins in the renal tissues of the mice. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of PKA， CREB， and Bcl-2 in the renal tissues of the mice. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the mice in the model group showed listlessness， decreased activity， and a significant increase in body weight （P<0.01）. Biochemical indicators revealed that the levels of BUN， uALB， ACR， AST， ALT， TC， TG， FBG， LEP， GSP， and INS were significantly increased （P<0.01）， while SCr showed an increasing trend with no statistically significant difference. Compared with the model group， the mice in the Bushen Kaixuan Tongluo prescription intervention groups had improved general conditions and a decreasing trend in body weight. Biochemical indicators showed that the levels of BUN， uALB， ACR， TC， GSP， and INS were significantly decreased （P<0.05）， while SCr， AST， ALT， TG， and LEP showed a decreasing trend with no statistically significant difference. Renal histopathological analysis showed that the model group exhibited typical DKD pathological features such as thickening of the glomerular basement membrane， expansion of the mesangial matrix， and deposition of collagen fibers in the renal tubulointerstitium， and all treatment groups could alleviate the above pathological damages. The IHC results showed that compared with the blank group， the expression levels of p-PKA and p-CREB in the renal tissues of the model group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the expression level of p-PKA in the medium-dose Bushen Kaixuan Tongluo prescription group was significantly increased （P<0.01）， while the expression level of p-CREB showed an increasing trend with no statistically significant difference. Western blot results showed that compared with the blank group， the expression levels of p-PKA/PKA， p-CREB/CREB， and Bcl-2 in the model group were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the expression levels of these proteins in the medium-dose Bushen Kaixuan Tongluo prescription group were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Real-time PCR results showed that compared with the blank group， the mRNA expressions of PKA， CREB， and Bcl-2 in the model group were significantly down-regulated （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the mRNA expressions of these genes in the medium-dose Bushen Kaixuan Tongluo prescription group were significantly up-regulated （P<0.05）. ConclusionThe Bushen Kaixuan Tongluo prescription can improve the liver and kidney functions of db/db mice， correct lipid metabolism disorders and glucose metabolism imbalance. Its renal protective effect is associated with up-regulating the cAMP signaling pathway to improve renal fibrosis and reduce the level of oxidative stress， thereby protecting renal function.

OBJECTIVE: To determine risk factors for cutout failure in geriatric intertrochanteric fracture patients after cephalomedullary nail fixation. METHODS: A retrospective review of 518 elderly patients who underwent cephalomedullary nail fixation for intertrochanteric fractures between January 2008 and August 2018 was conducted, including 167 males and 351 females, age from 65 to 97 years old. All patients were followed up for at least one year after surgery and divided into a healed group and a cutout group based on whether the hip screw cutout occurred. Among all patients, 10 cases experienced hip screw cutout. The general information, surgical data, and radiological data of the two groups were compared, and risk factors influencing hip screw cutout were analyzed. Propensity score matching was then performed on the cutout group based on gender, age, body mass index(BMI), and American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA), and 40 patients from the healed group were matched at a ratio of 1∶4. Key risk factors affecting hip screw cutout were further analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate associations between variables and cutout failure. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the healed group and the cutout group in terms of age, gender, BMI, ASA, and AO classification. However, statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of reduction quality(P=0.003) and tip-apex distance(TAD), P<0.001. Multivariate analysis identified poor reduction quality OR=23.138, 95%CI(2.163, 247.551), P=0.009 and TAD≥25 mm OR=30.538, 95%CI(2.935, 317.770), P=0.004 as independent risk factors for cutout failure. CONCLUSION The present study identified poor reduction quality and TAD≥25 mm as factors for cutout failure in geriatric intertrochanteric fractures treated with cephalomedullary nails. Further studies are needed to calculate the optimal TAD for cephalomedullary nails.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Hip Fractures/surgery* ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aged ; Risk Factors ; Retrospective Studies ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary/adverse effects* ; Bone Nails ; Bone Screws

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the early clinical efficacy, safety, and application value of one-hole split endoscopy (OSE)-assisted transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion(TLIF) in the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 17 patients with lumbar degenerative diseases who underwent OSE-assisted TLIF between June 2023 and June 2024. There were 10 males and 7 females, with a mean of (55.30±6.52) years old ranging 43 to 65 years. The disease duration ranged from 3 to 36 months with a mean of(12.4±13.3) months. The disease distribution was as follows:lumbar disc herniation (7 cases), lumbar spinal stenosis (5 cases), and lumbar spondylolisthesis (2 cases). Operative time, incision length, intraoperative blood loss, number of intraoperative fluoroscopic exposures, time to ambulation, postoperative hospital stay, and complications were recorded. The dural sac area at the affected segment, visual analogue scale (VAS) for low back pain and leg pain, and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were recorded preoperatively and postoperatively. The modified MacNab criteria were used to evaluate the surgical outcome at the final follow-up. RESULTS: All 17 patients successfully underwent surgery and were followed up for 3 to 15 months with a mean of (8.4±3.3) months. The operative time was 120 to 200 minutes with a mean of (143.2±22.0) minutes, the incision length on the decompression side was 1.80 to 4.00 cm with a mean of (2.56±0.65) cm, intraoperative blood loss was 50 to 300 ml with a mean of (161.2±72.5) ml, the number of fluoroscopic exposures was 15 to 38 with a mean of (23.4±6.5), time to ambulation was 24 to 72 hours with a mean of (49.2±11.9) hours, and postoperative hospital stay was 3 to 9 days with a mean of (4.9±1.5) days. Two patients developed transient lower limb pain and numbness, which completely resolved with conservative treatment. The postoperative dural sac area was (121.47±14.90) mm², which was significantly larger than the preoperative area (51.47±7.69) mm²(P<0.001). The VAS for low back pain were (6.23±1.64), (2.94±1.43), and (1.94±0.75) at preoperation, 3 days postoperation, and final follow-up, respectively;the VAS for leg pain were (7.06±1.43), (2.35±1.17), and (2.06±0.90) at the same time points. The VAS at all postoperative time points were significantly lower than preoperative scores (P<0.001). The ODI at final follow-up was (25.29±8.15)%, which was significantly better than the preoperative ODI of(82.35±5.16)%(P<0.001). At the final follow-up, the MacNab surgical outcome was excellent in 11 cases, good in 4 cases, and fair in 2 cases. CONCLUSION OSE-assisted TLIF is an effective, safe, and minimally invasive technique with a gentle learning curve for the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases, capable of effectively relieving symptoms and improving function.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Lumbar Vertebrae/surgery* ; Adult ; Aged ; Spinal Fusion/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration/surgery* ; Spondylolisthesis/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To analyze the prognostic factors of patients with liver cirrhosis and portal vein thrombosis (PVT), and to construct a prognostic prediction model based on machine learning methods.Methods:The clinical data of 388 patients with liver cirrhosis and PVT admitted to the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2022 to April 2024 were retrospectively collected and analyzed, including 243 males and 145 females, aged (56.9±10.9) years. A total of 388 patients were randomly divided into the training set ( n=310) and the testing set ( n=78) in a 4∶1 ratio. The Boruta algorithm was used to screen the key features in the training set, and then four machine learning algorithms, including random forest, support vector machine, generalized linear model and Bayesian, were used to establish a survival prediction model. Model performance was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the test set and the training set. The patients were followed up for 1 year for survival. Sort the importance of features based on the SHAP value. Results:There were 250 patients (80.6%) who survived and 60 (19.4%) who died. The model for end-stage liver disease score, total bilirubin, serum creatinine, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, D-dimer, white blood cell count, severe ascites ratio, and Child-Pugh grade C ratio of liver function in the death group were higher than those in the survival group, and the red blood cell count and hematocrit were lower than those in the survival group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The areas under the ROC curve for predicting survival by random forest, support vector machine, generalized linear model and Bayesian model were 0.92, 0.78, 0.81 and 0.71 in the training set, and the area under the ROC curve in the testing set were 0.81, 0.72, 0.67 and 0.68, respectively. Random forest had the best prediction performance, with an accuracy of 81.7%, a sensitivity of 84.6%, and a specificity of 76.9% in the testing set. In the analysis of the importance of characteristic parameters of the random forest model, total bilirubin, red blood cells, hematocrit, serum creatinine, ascites classification, etc. had a relatively high contribution to the model. Conclusion:In the survival prediction model of patients with liver cirrhosis and PVT based on machine learning algorithm, the random forest model had high prediction performance, and total bilirubin may be the most important factor affecting the survival prognosis of patients.

With the rapid development of competitive sports, the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is on the rise. Such injuries may shorten athletes′ career and lead to other long-term adverse consequences. Although athletes generally recover well after ACL reconstruction, many still struggle to return to their pre-injury performance levels. Advances in the understanding of ACL anatomy and injury mechanisms, along with the evolution of surgical techniques and rehabilitation methods, have provided more individualized and tailored options for athletes following ACL injuries. However, there is currently no consensus in China regarding surgical and rehabilitation strategies for competitive athletes aiming to return to sports after ACL injuries. To this end, the Sports Medicine Committee of the Chinese Research Hospital Association and the Editorial Board of the Chinese Journal of Trauma jointly formulated the Expert consensus on surgical treatment and rehabilitation for competitive sports athletes returning to sports after anterior cruciate ligament injury ( version 2025), and presented 14 recommendations covering surgical indications, preoperative rehabilitation, surgical timing, surgical strategies and postoperative rehabilitation strategies, aiming to improve the surgical treatment and rehabilitation system for ACL injuries in competitive athletes and facilitate their return to high-level sports performance after injury.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of B-type natriuretic peptide(BNP)combined with the Evaluation of Guidelines in Syncope Study(EGSYS)score for cardiogenic syncope(CS), and to provide evidence for rapid clinical identification of high-risk patients.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed 366 patients with syncope hospitalized in the department of cardiovascular medicine of Beijing Hospital from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2022.Based on the international guideline diagnostic criteria, the patients were categorized into four groups: neutrally mediated reflex syncope(NMS)group, orthostatic hypotension(OH)group, cardiogenic syncope(CS)group, and syncope of unknown origin(US)group.BNP levels were measured at admission and EGSYS scores were calculated.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic efficacy of individual and combined indices for CS.Results:A total of 366 syncope patients were included, among which 70 patients(19.1%)were diagnosed with NMS, 25 patients(6.8%)with OH, 44 patients(12.0%)with CS, and 227 patients(62.0%)with US.Patients in the CS group had significantly higher BNP levels and EGSYS scores compared to those in the NMS, OH, and US groups(all P<0.001). The AUC of EGSYS score for diagnosing CS was 0.783(95% CI: 0.711-0.855), while the AUC of BNP level for diagnosing CS was 0.805(95% CI: 0.727-0.884). When BNP level was combined with EGSYS score, diagnostic performance was significantly improved, with the AUC increasing to 0.855(95% CI: 0.792-0.918). Conclusions:The combination of BNP and EGSYS score significantly can improve the diagnostic accuracy of cardiogenic syncope, providing a practical diagnostic strategy for the early identification of high-risk syncope patients in clinical practice.

Objective To explore the factors associated with the pathogenesis of gastric ulcer and mechanism of inflammatory response in a mouse model.Methods A total of 31 patients with gastric ulcer were enrolled in the ulcer group,and 31 healthy individuals undergoing physical exami-nations during the same period were included in healthy group.The infection status of Helicobacter pylori(Hp),serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and T-lymphocyte subset indicators were com-pared between the two groups.Logistic regression analysis was employed to screen for the influencing factors of gastric ulcer onset.A lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced gastric injury mouse model was constructed,and the levels of relevant inflammatory cytokines after chlorogenic acid intervention were measured.Results The Hp infection level in the healthy group was lower than that in the ulcer group,and the difference was statistically significant(t=5.95,P＜0.001).The levels of interleu-kin(IL)-2,IL-5,IL-8,IL-12p70,IL-17A,interferon-α(IFN-α)and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)in the ulcer group were higher than those in the healthy group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).The counts of cluster of differentiation 45-positive lymphocytes(CD45+Lym),T-lymphocytes(CD3+),helper/inducer T-lymphocytes(CD3+CD4+),suppressor/cytotoxic T-lymphocytes(CD3+CD8+)and the percentages of helper/inducer T-lymphocytes(CD3+CD4+％)in the ulcer group were lower than those in the healthy group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Logistic multivariate regression analysis revealed that Hp infec-tion,elevated IL-12p70 and elevated TNF-α were independent risk factors for the onset of gastric ul-cer(P＜0.05).In the LPS-induced gastric injury mouse model,chlorogenic acid intervention sig-nificantly inhibited increase in the expression levels of IL-6,IL-1β,IL-12 and TNF-α in mouse plasma(P＜0.05).Conclusion Patients with gastric ulcer exhibit high expression of Hp,IL-12p70 and TNF-α,which are important influencing factors for the pathogenesis of gastric ulcer.In addition,chlorogenic acid can effectively inhibit the elevation of inflammatory cytokine levels in mice with LPS-induced gastric injury.

Due to the poor ionization efficiency and the weak mass spectrometry(MS)intensity of weakly polar substances,direct analysis using the traditional electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(ESI-MS)is a big challenge.In this study,a novel rapid on-site detection method of four prohibited sex hormones in cosmetics was proposed using online derivatization strategy coupled with a miniature mass spectrometer.The target substances in the samples were extracted by a custom-made polyaniline/multi-walled carbon nanotube solid-phase microextraction(SPME)probe.The stirring speed was 200 r/min,the extraction temperature was 40℃,and the extraction time was 2 min.A pulled dual-channel θ borosilicate glass capillary emitter was used as the nano-ESI ion source.The SPME probe was inserted into the channel containing methanol in theθborosilicate glass capillary.When the spray voltage was applied,the four sex hormones were desorbed and formed spray microdroplets,which then collided with the hydroxylamine microdroplets generated from the other channel.The microdroplets of reaction product entered into the miniature mass spectrometer for direct analysis.The limits of detection(LOD)and limits of quantification(LOQ)for the four sex hormones were 10-20 ng/mL and 20-50 ng/mL,respectively.The recoveries were from 84.6%to 107.8%with the relative standard deviations(RSD)from 4.1%to 11.6%.Compared to detection without derivatization,the MS signals of the four target substances were increased by 3 to 15 times.This method was simple,rapid,highly efficient and sensitive,and suitable for on-site rapid analysis of weakly polar sex hormones in cosmetics.