Booster vaccinations are highly recommended in combating the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and its subvariants. However, the optimal booster vaccination strategies and related immune mechanisms with different prior vaccinations are under-revealed. In this study, we systematically evaluated the immune responses in mice and hamsters with different prime-boost regimens before their protective efficacies against Omicron were detected. We found that boosting with Ad5-nCoV, S_WT-2P or S_Omicron-6P induced significantly higher levels of neutralization activities against Omicron variants than CoronaVac and ZF2001 by eliciting stronger germinal center (GC) responses. Specifically, S_Omicron-6P induced even stronger antibody responses against Omicron variants in CoronaVac and Ad5-nCoV-primed animals than non-Omicron-specific vaccines but with limited differences as compared to Ad5-nCoV and S_WT-2P. In addition, boosting with a specific vaccine has the potential to remodel the existing immune profiles. These findings indicated that adenovirus-vectored vaccines and mRNA vaccines would be more effective than other types of vaccines as booster shots in combating Omicron infections. Moreover, the protective efficacies of the vaccines in booster vaccinations are highly related to GC reactions in secondary lymphatic organs. In summary, these findings provide timely important information on prime-boost regimens and future vaccine design.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of Modified Zhigancao Granules （炙甘草汤加味颗粒） for preventing the early recurrence following radiofrequency ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation （AF） of qi-yin deficiency syndrome. MethodsA multi-center， randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled trial was designed. A total of 116 patients with atrial fibrillation of qi-yin deficiency syndrome who underwent radiofrequency ablation for the first time were enrolled from 3 centers， and they were randomly divided into a treatment group （59 cases） and a control group （57 cases）. Both groups received basic western medicine treatment after surgery. In addition， the treatment group was given oral Modified Zhigancao Granules， while the control group was given oral placebo granules. The dosage for both groups was 20 g each time， twice a day， with continuous treatment for 12 weeks. The recurrence of atrial fibrillation in both groups was recorded at 24 hours， 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks after surgery. The serum levels of B-type natriuretic peptide （BNP）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were detected before treatment and 12 weeks after treatment in both groups. The scores of Atrial Fibrillation Effect on QualiTy-of-life （AFEQT） Questionnaire （including scores of the daily life dimension， symptom dimension， treatment worry dimension， treatment satisfaction dimension， and total score） and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores were compared before treatment and at 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks between groups. Safety indicators such as blood routine， urine routine， liver function， and renal function were monitored before and after treatment. ResultsNine of the treatment group and seven of the control group dropped out. Finally， 50 patients in each group were included in the statistical analysis. At 24 hours， 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks after surgery， the recurrence rates of AF in the treatment group were 2.0% （1/50）， 2.0% （1/50）， 4.0% （2/50）， and 10.0% （5/50）， respectively； while those in the control group were 2.0% （1/50）， 26.0% （13/50）， 28.0% （14/50）， and 34.0% （17/50）， respectively. Compared with the control group at the same time points， the early recurrence rates of AF in the treatment group were significantly lower at 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks after surgery （P＜0.01）. Compared with the baseline within group， BNP， hs-CRP， IL-6， and TNF-α in the treatment group all decreased after 12 weeks of treatment （P＜0.05）； the difference in hs-CRP levels （before vs. after treatment） in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group （P＜0.01）. Compared with the baseline within group， both groups showed decreases in the total score of AFEQT Questionnaire， scores of the daily life dimension， treatment worry dimension， symptom dimension， and TCM syndrome scores at 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks after treatment. Meanwhile， the score of the treatment satisfaction dimension of AFEQT increased in both groups （P＜0.01）， and the improvements in all the above scores in the treatment group were superior to those in the control group at all time points （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. All safety indicators of patients in both groups were within the normal range before treatment and at 12 weeks after treatment， and no adverse reactions or adverse events occurred in either group. ConclusionModified Zhigancao Granules can reduce the early recurrence rate following radiofrequency ablation in AF patients with qi-yin deficiency syndrome， improve clinical symptoms and quality of life， suppress inflammatory response， and show good safety.

Humans ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/pathology* ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/pathology* ; Genetic Markers ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; Urothelium/pathology*

BACKGROUND:Studies have found that glucagon-like peptide-1 and its analogues have a significant neuroprotective effect,and some drugs have been applied to the clinical stage Ⅲ study of Alzheimer's disease.However,the mechanism of its neuroprotective effect is still unclear,which needs to be further explored and clarified. OBJECTIVE:To screen out the genes related to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and the related targets of semaglutide for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease based on bioinformatics and network pharmacology analyses,to identify the potential target genes by comprehensive analysis of the two and to verify them at the cellular level. METHODS:Using DisGeNET database,differentially expressed genes between Alzheimer's disease patients and healthy population were screened out.The chemical structure formula and two-dimensional structure diagram of semaglutide were obtained using PubChem online database.GO/KEGG enrichment analysis was performed using DAVID online database.A protein-protein interaction network was constructed by using the STRING database.The HPA database was used to determine the distribution characteristics of the target proteins in various human tissues.Finally,western blot was used to detect relevant protein expression in HT22 cells after semaglutide intervention. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:With the dataset in DisGeNET database,3 374 differentially expressed genes between Alzheimer's disease patients and healthy people were obtained,and meanwhile,101 target genes of semaglutide potential drugs were obtained.There were 23 intersection genes between them.Ten key genes were identified based on the protein-protein interaction network,which were silent information regulator 1(SIRT1),CASP9,CCND1,CASP1,KEAP1,DLG4,CASP4,GRB2,GRIA1,and EDNRA.The results of GO gene functional annotation analysis of key genes showed that the positive regulatory activity of cysteine endopeptidase,the positive regulation of proteolysis,and the positive regulation of cysteine endopeptidase involved the cytoplasmic part of the apoptotic activity process;AMPA glutamate receptor complex,inflammatory complex,CARD domain binding,cysteine endopeptidase activity,and cysteine endopeptidase activity were involved in the apoptotic process.The results of KEGG signaling pathway analysis indicated that colorectal cancer,non-small cell carcinoma,and endometrial carcinoma were related to immune infiltration,inflammation and autophagic apoptosis.In addition,according to the association ranking of key genes and their distribution in different tissues of HPA online database,SIRT1 was identified as the most significant differential gene.The expression level of SIRT1 protein was significantly down-regulated in HT22 cells after β-amyloid protein 1-42 treatment,but it could be significantly increased after being treated with semaglutide.To conclude,SIRT1 may be a target gene for semaglutide in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension(HPH)is a kind of chronic high-altitude sickness disease,which is also the initiation link of high-altitude sickness such as pneumocardial disease and high-altitude pulmonary edema.Its main features are persistent vasoconstriction and irreversible remodeling of blood vessels.HPH has greatly impacted the health of people in the plat-eau section.As a typical representative of ethnic medicine,Zang medicine embodies the wisdom of the Zang people in their long-term struggle against diseases.Adapting to local conditions for a long time,Zang medicine has unique advantages in the treatment of HPH.By reviewing the pathogenesis of HPH and the research of single Zang medicine and the complex prescription of Zang medicine in the treatment of HPH,this article aims to provide a theoretical basis for the physiological and pathological research of HPH and to provide a reference for the clinical application of Zang medicine.

Objective:To investigate the etiological distribution of hydronephrosis caused by upper uri-nary tract obstruction in adult patients and to improve the diagnostic accuracy for this condition.Me-thods:The clinical information of adult patients with newly diagnosed hydronephrosis in Upper Urinary Tract Repair Outpatient Clinic of Peking University First Hospital from May 2020 to May 2021 were pro-spectively and continuously collected.Patients with ureteral calculi or upper urinary tract tumor were ex-cluded.A total of 767 patients were involved.The underlying causes of upper urinary tract obstruction were identified by senior urological surgeons according to symptoms,medical history,physical examina-tion,and a range of diagnostic imaging techniques including ultrasound,computed tomography(CT),magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),retrograde pyelography,antegrade pyelography,radionuclide reno-gram and ureteroscopy.Results:Among the 767 patients,359(46.8％)were male and 408(53.2％)were female.The median age of these patients was 37 years(range,14-84 years).Hydronephrosis was observed at left-sided in 357 cases(46.6％),right-sided in 251 cases(32.7％),and bilateral in 159 cases(20.7％).The causes of hydronephrosis were classified as follows:(1)Non-iatrogenic factors were found in 464 cases(60.5％).These included urinary malformations in 355 cases(76.5％),infec-tion in 29 cases(6.3％),pelvic lipomatosis and/or cystitis glandularis in 23 cases(5.0％),ureteral en-dometriosis in 18 cases(3.9％),retroperitoneal fibrosis in 15 cases(3.2％),trauma in 7 cases(1.5％)and other non-iatrogenic factors in 12 cases(2.6％).Some of these patients had multiple non-iatrogenic causes.Among the 355 cases with urinary system malformations,252 cases(71.0％)had ureteropelvic junction obstruction.(2)Iatrogenic ureteral injuries accounted for 210 cases(27.4％),including 112 cases(53.3％)of urological surgical injuries,51 cases(24.3％)of radiotherapy for malignant tumor re-lated injuries,34 cases(16.2％)of gynecological and obstetrical surgical injuries,and 13 cases(6.2％)of general surgical injuries.(3)The cause of hydronephrosis remained unknown in 93 cases(12.1％).Conclusion:Hydronephrosis in adults due to upper urinary tract obstruction has a diverse range of cau-ses,with urinary malformations and iatrogenic ureteral injuries being significant contributors.Urological surgeon involved in upper urinary tract reconstruction should be familiar with these potential causes to fa-cilitate accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.

Objective:To survey the child health service capacity of community health service institutions in Shenzhen city.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. An online survey was conducted among 559 community health service centers, stations and clinics in Shenzhen from January 23, 2024 to February 3, 2024. The questionnaire contents included the development of child health management, vaccination, diagnosis and treatment of common diseases in children, management of children′s chronic diseases, appropriate technology, availability of children′s special drug dosage forms, provision of special Chinese patent medicine and appropriate technology of traditional Chinese medicine for children, referral and remote consultation in 2019 and 2023. The reasons of unavailable service items were asked in the questionnaire and the questionnaire also contained an open-ended question about the suggestions for improving the capacity of child health services.Results:A total of 559 valid questionnaires were collected, accounting for 64.48% (559/867) of the community health service centers, stations and health clinics in Shenzhen in 2023. Compared to 2019, there was a significant increase in the rate of pediatric health services provided in 2023, including the diagnosis and treatment of common diseases in children under 6 years (96.06%, 537 institutions), nebulized inhalation therapy (96.60%, 540 institutions), influenza and other respiratory pathogen detection (90.70%, 507 institutions), rotavirus and other intestinal pathogen detection (34.53%, 193 institutions), allergen detection (81.75%, 457 institutions), blood oxygen saturation monitoring (84.44%, 472 institutions), pediatric-specific formulations of Western medicine (90.52%, 506 institutions), pediatric-specific formulations of traditional Chinese medicine (89.27%, 499 institutions), appropriate Chinese medicine techniques (88.19%, 493 institutions), relatively fixed referral hospitals (95.17%, 532 institutions), and remote consultation service (19.14%, 107 institutions); and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.01). The reasons for unavailable service items were lack of space and personnel for the basic public health services, lack of space, personnel and a deficiency in knowledge and technical capabilities for diagnostic tests, and lack of equipment and personnel for remote consultation service. Suggestions made by 394 respondent institutions (70.48%) for further improvement included: conducting and strengthening various training (44.42%, 175/394), consultation and teaching by expert visiting (18.53%, 73/394), increasing the space and equipment (9.39%, 37/394), and further study at higher-level units (98.88%, 35/394). Conclusions:The child health services have been greatly improved in community health service institutions in Shenzhen, but there are still rooms for further improvement such as the ability of child health management, vaccination, chronic disease managements and provision of remote consultation.

Objective:To analyze the difference of clinical characteristics and outcomes of infants with moderate and severe pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome(PARDS)diagnosed according to baseline oxygenation index(OI) in pediatric intensive care unit(PICU).Methods:Second analysis of the data collected from the "Efficacy of pulmonary surfactant (PS) in the treatment of children with moderate and severe ARDS" program.Retrospectively compare of the differences in clinical data such as general condition, underlying diseases, OI, mechanical ventilation, PS administration and outcomes among infants with moderate and severe PARDS divided by baseline OI who admitted to PICUs at 14 participating tertiary hospitals from 2016 to December 2021.Results:Among the 101 cases, 55 cases (54.5%) were moderate and 46 cases (45.5%) were severe PARDS.The proportion of male in the severe group (50.0% vs.72.7%, P=0.019) and the pediatric critical illness score(PCIS)[72 (68, 78) vs.76 (70, 80), P=0.019] were significantly lower than those in the moderate group, while there was no significant difference regarding age, body weight, etiology of PARDS and underlying diseases.The utilization rate of high-frequency ventilator in the severe group was significantly higher than that in the moderate group (34.8% vs.10.9%, P=0.004), but there was no significant difference in PS use, fluid load and pulmonary complications.The 24 h OI improvement (0.26±0.33 vs.0.04±0.34, P=0.001) and the 72 h OI improvement[0.34 (-0.04, 0.62) vs.0.15 (-0.14, 0.42), P=0.029)]in the severe group were significantly better than those in the moderate group, but there was no significant difference regarding mortality, length of hospital stay and intubation duration after diagnosis of PARDS between the two groups. Conclusion:In moderate and severe(divided by baseline OI) PARDS infants with invasive mechanical ventilation, children in severe group have better oxygenation improvement in the early stage after PARDS identified and are more likely to receive high frequency ventilation compared to those in moderate group.Baseline OI can not sensitively distinguish the outcomes and is not an ideal index for PARDS grading of this kind of patient.

Objective:To explore the performance and value of urine DNA methylation technology in non-invasive diagnosis of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the of 107 patients with UTUC (UTUC group) and 121 patients with benign upper urinary tract diseases (control group) admitted to Sun Yat sen Memorial Hospital and Peking University First Hospital from August 2019 to March 2021. There were 64 males (59.8%) and 43 females (40.2%) in the UTUC group, with the age of (67 ± 10) years old.There were 50 cases (46.7%) of ureteral cancer, 42 cases (39.3%) of renal pelvis cancer, and 15 cases (14.0%) of renal pelvis cancer combined with ureteral cancer.45 cases (42.0%) of non muscular infiltrative UTUC, 51 cases (47.7%) of muscular infiltrative UTUC, and 11 cases (10.3%) of unclear stage.There were 14 cases (13.1%) with low tumor grade and 93 cases (86.9%) with high grade. There were 81 males (66.9%) and 40 females (33.1%) in the control group, with the age of (52 ± 14) years old.There were 104 cases (86.0%) of urinary stones, 13 cases (10.7%) of ureteral stenosis or polyps, and 4 cases (3.3%) of simple hydronephrosis. Sixty cases (56.1%) in the UTUC group and 11 cases (9.1%) in the control group underwent urine cytology examination. Seventy-two cases (67.3%) in the UTUC group and 9 cases (7.4%) in the control group underwent urine in situ fluorescence hybridization (FISH) examination. Quantitative PCR detection based on ONECUT2 and VIM gene methylation was performed on urine sediment samples from both groups. If ≥ 1 gene was positive, it was determined as positive, and if both genes were negative, it was determined as negative. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of urine cytology, FISH, and urine DNA methylation tests were evaluated based on pathological or clinical diagnosis criteria.Results:The overall sensitivity of urine DNA methylation test was 84.1%, specificity was 90.9%, accuracy was 87.7%, positive predictive value was 89.1%, and negative predictive value was 86.6%, respectively. It's sensitivity and accuracy were significantly higher than that of urine cytology (43.3%, P<0.05)(52.1%, P<0.05)and FISH (69.4%, P<0.05)(71.6%, P<0.05). The accuracy was significantly higher than that of urine cytology (52.1%, P<0.05) and FISH (71.6%, P<0.05); There was no statistically significant difference in specificity between urine cytology (100.0%) and FISH (88.9%) ( P>0.05). The results of subgroup analysis showed that the diagnostic sensitivity of urine DNA methylation test for tumors in different locations was 74.0% (37/50 cases) for ureteral cancer, 90.5% (38/42 cases) for renal pelvis cancer, and 100.0% (15/15 cases) for renal pelvis cancer combined with ureteral cancer.The diagnostic specificity for different benign diseases was 92.3% (96/104 cases) for urinary stones, 84.6% (11/13 cases) for ureteral stenosis and polyps, and 75.0% (3/4 cases) for simple hydronephrosis. The diagnostic sensitivity of urine DNA methylation test for low-grade UTUC was 64.3%, significantly higher than that of urine cytology (20.0%) and FISH(36.4%)( P<0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity for high-level UTUC was 87.1%, which was higher than that of urine cytology (48.0%) and FISH (75.4%)( P<0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity for non muscular invasive UTUC was 77.8%, which was significantly higher than that of urine cytology (29.2%) and FISH (64.5%)( P<0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity for myometrial infiltrative UTUC was 88.2%, which was superior to urine cytology (53.6%) and FISH (72.7%)( P<0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of urine DNA methylation test in Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were 83.0% and 92.0%, respectively.It’s sensitivity and specificity in Peking University First Hospital were 85.2% and 85.7%, respectively. Conclusions:The urine ONECUT2 and VIM gene methylation assay have high sensitivity and accuracy in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma, which are superior to urine cytology as well as FISH.

Objective: To observe the effects of ginger-partitioned moxibustion at Shenque (CV8) and Guanyuan (CV4) on the expression levels of endocrine-related molecules and their receptors in rats with primary dysmenorrhea (PD) due to cold-dampness stagnation, thus to explore their analgesic mechanisms. Methods: Thirty-two female Wistar rats were divided into a normal group, a model group, a ginger-partitioned moxibustion group, and a Western medicine group according to the random number table method, with 8 rats in each group. Except for rats in the normal group, all other rats were treated with oxytocin combined with ice-water bath to establish the rat models of PD due to cold-dampness stagnation. After successful modeling, rats in the normal group and the model group did not receive treatment; rats in the ginger-partitioned moxibustion group received treatments with ginger-partitioned moxibustion at Shenque (CV8) and Guanyuan (CV4); rats in the Western medicine group received ibuprofen by intragastric administration. The writhing response of rats was compared among groups, and the serum levels of prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α), estrogen (estradiol, E2), progesterone (P), and the mRNA expression of PGF2α and E2 receptors in the uterine tissues were detected. Results: No writhing behavior was observed in the normal group; compared with the normal group, the serum PGF2α and E2 levels in the model group were increased (P<0.01), while the P level was decreased (P<0.01), and the mRNA expression levels of the uterine PGF2α and E2 receptors were increased (P<0.01, P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the writhing behavior latency was prolonged, and the writhing response score was decreased in the ginger-partitioned moxibustion group and the Western medicine group (P<0.01); the serum PGF2α and E2 levels in the ginger-partitioned moxibustion group and the Western medicine group were decreased, while the P level was increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01); the mRNA expression levels of the uterine PGF2α and E2 receptors in the ginger-partitioned moxibustion group and the Western medicine group were decreased (P<0.05). Compared with the Western medicine group, the ginger-partitioned moxibustion group showed a prolonged writhing behavior latency, reduced writhing response score (P<0.05), and decreased serum E2 level (P<0.05), while no statistical differences in the serum PGF2α and P levels, or the mRNA expression levels of uterine PGF2α and E2 receptors (P>0.05).Conclusion: The analgesic effect of ginger-partitioned moxibustion on PD due to cold-dampness stagnation may be related to regulating the mRNA expression levels of PGF2α and E2 receptors in the uterine tissues.