ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which Renshentang treats atherosclerosis （AS） in mice， focusing on the regulation of endothelial inflammatory responses mediated by transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 （TRPV1）. MethodsAn AS model was established in apolipoprotein E knockout （ApoE^-/-） mice fed a high-fat diet. The mice were randomly divided into a simvastatin group （0.02 g·kg^-1·d^-1） and low-， medium-， and high-dose Renshentang groups （1.77， 3.54， 7.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， with 12 mice in each group. ApoE^-/- mice were fed a high-fat diet and treated simultaneously. C57BL/6J mice fed a normal diet served as the normal group （n=9）. After continuous administration for 12 weeks， mice were anesthetized and the aortas were collected. Oil Red O staining was used to observe lipid plaque formation in the aorta. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to examine pathological changes in the aortic root. Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the levels of pro-inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， as well as the expression of TRPV1， phosphorylated phosphoinositide 3-kinase （p-PI3K）， and phosphorylated protein kinase B （p-Akt） in the aortic root. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect endothelial nitric oxide synthase （eNOS） mRNA expression in the aorta， and Western blot was used to detect TRPV1 protein expression. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed a significant increase in aortic plaque formation （P<0.01） and significantly elevated levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in the aortic root （P<0.01）. The expression levels of TRPV1， p-PI3K， and p-Akt were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and eNOS mRNA expression was reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all Renshentang groups significantly reduced aortic plaque formation （P<0.01）， significantly decreased TNF-α and IL-1β levels （P<0.01）， and markedly increased the expression levels of TRPV1， p-PI3K， p-Akt， and eNOS mRNA （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionRenshentang may inhibit endothelial inflammation and suppress the formation of AS by increasing TRPV1 protein expression and up-regulating the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway， which may be one of the molecular mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effect against AS.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of Renshentang on atherosclerosis （AS） in mice based on the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid1 （TRPV1） in regulating cholesterol metabolism in foam cells. MethodsNine SPF-grade 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice were set as a normal group， and 60 ApoE^-/- mice were randomized into model， positive drug （simvastatin， 0.02 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （1.77， 3.54， 7.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively） Renshentang groups （n=12） according to body weight. The normal group was fed with a normal diet， and the other groups were fed with a high-fat diet and given corresponding drugs by oral gavage for the modeling of AS. The mice were administrated with corresponding drugs once a day for 12 weeks. After the last administration and fasting for 12 h， the aorta was collected. Plaque conditions， pathological changes， levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglcerides （TG）， low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol （LDL-C）， and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol （HDL-C）， and the expression of TRPV1， liver X receptor （LXR）， inducible degrader of the low-density lipoprotein receptor （IDOL）， and low-density lipoprotein receptor （LDLR） in the aortic tissue were observed and detected by gross oil red O staining， HE staining， Western blot， immunohistochemistry， and real-time PCR. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group presented obvious plaque deposition in the aorta， raised levels of TC， TG， and LDL-C in the serum （P<0.01）， up-regulated expression level of LDLR in the aorta （P<0.01）， lowered level of HDL-C in the serum， and down-regulated expression levels of TRPV1， LXR， and IDOL in the aorta （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the positive drug and Renshentang at different doses alleviated AS， elevated the levels of HDL-C， TRPV1， LXR， and IDOL （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while lowering the levels of TC， TG， LDL-C， and LDLR （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionRenshentang has a lipid-lowering effect on AS mice. It can effectively reduce lipid deposition， lipid levels， and plaque area of AS mice by activating TRPV1 expression and regulating the LXR/IDOL/LDLR pathway.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of Renshentang on atherosclerosis （AS） in mice based on the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid1 （TRPV1） in regulating cholesterol metabolism in foam cells. MethodsNine SPF-grade 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice were set as a normal group， and 60 ApoE^-/- mice were randomized into model， positive drug （simvastatin， 0.02 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （1.77， 3.54， 7.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively） Renshentang groups （n=12） according to body weight. The normal group was fed with a normal diet， and the other groups were fed with a high-fat diet and given corresponding drugs by oral gavage for the modeling of AS. The mice were administrated with corresponding drugs once a day for 12 weeks. After the last administration and fasting for 12 h， the aorta was collected. Plaque conditions， pathological changes， levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglcerides （TG）， low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol （LDL-C）， and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol （HDL-C）， and the expression of TRPV1， liver X receptor （LXR）， inducible degrader of the low-density lipoprotein receptor （IDOL）， and low-density lipoprotein receptor （LDLR） in the aortic tissue were observed and detected by gross oil red O staining， HE staining， Western blot， immunohistochemistry， and real-time PCR. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group presented obvious plaque deposition in the aorta， raised levels of TC， TG， and LDL-C in the serum （P<0.01）， up-regulated expression level of LDLR in the aorta （P<0.01）， lowered level of HDL-C in the serum， and down-regulated expression levels of TRPV1， LXR， and IDOL in the aorta （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the positive drug and Renshentang at different doses alleviated AS， elevated the levels of HDL-C， TRPV1， LXR， and IDOL （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while lowering the levels of TC， TG， LDL-C， and LDLR （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionRenshentang has a lipid-lowering effect on AS mice. It can effectively reduce lipid deposition， lipid levels， and plaque area of AS mice by activating TRPV1 expression and regulating the LXR/IDOL/LDLR pathway.

Objective: To investigate the influencing factors for cognitive function among aluminum workers, so as to provide the basis for intervention and prevention of cognitive function among aluminum-exposed populations. Methods: From July to August 2019, male aluminum workers in the electrolytic aluminum workshop of an aluminum factory in Shanxi Province were selected using the cluster sampling method. Demographic information, prevalence of chronic diseases, lifestyle behaviors, night shifts, and sleep quality were collected through questionnaire surveys. Blood aluminum levels were measured using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Cognitive function was investigated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Factors affecting cognitive function among aluminum workers were analyzed by a quantile regression model. Results: A total of 142 aluminum workers were surveyed, including 57 workers aged 20 to <40 years (40.14%) and 85 workers aged 40 to 60 years (59.86%). The median blood aluminum level was 38.23 (interquartile range, 21.82) μg/L. The median cognitive function score was 24.00 (interquartile range, 3.00) points. Quantile regression analysis revealed that older age (βQ5=-0.186, 95%CI: -0.269 to -0.102), lower educational level (βQ5=1.933, 95%CI: 1.029 to 2.838; βQ10=1.743, 95%CI: 0.480 to 3.006; βQ50=1.038, 95%CI: 0.141 to 1.935; βQ75=1.006, 95%CI: 0.437 to 1.575; βQ90=1.111, 95%CI: 0.291 to 1.930), smoking (βQ5=-2.056, 95%CI: -3.264 to -0.849), alcohol consumption (βQ5=-1.821, 95%CI: -3.247 to -0.396) and higher blood aluminum level (βQ5=-0.075, 95%CI: -0.110 to -0.040; βQ10=-0.078, 95%CI: -0.127 to -0.029; βQ50=-0.075, 95%CI: -0.110 to -0.040; βQ75=-0.057, 95%CI: -0.079 to -0.035; βQ90=-0.067, 95%CI: -0.099 to -0.035) were associated with cognitive function decline among aluminum workers. Conclusions Educational level and blood aluminum level are the main factors affecting the cognitive function among aluminum workers. Among those with lower cognitive function scores, age, smoking and alcohol consumption are also associated with cognitive function.

China is a high-incidence region for gastric cancer globally. The disease is characterized by a high morbidity rate, low early diagnostic rate, and poor long-term outcomes, imposing a significant burden on both patients and society. Therefore, exploring the pathogenesis of gastric cancer, developing novel therapeutic strategies, and identifying new drug targets is of great importance. Telomerase expression is broadly associated with cancer cell targeting, and its up-regulation is one of the key factors driving the initiation and progression of gastric cancer. Additionally, telomerase is intricately involved in the regulation of autophagy and autophagy-associated cell death. While autophagy can induce chemoresistance, excessive autophagy may lead to cell death, which also constitutes one of the mechanisms of chemotherapy. Telomerase not only directly contributes to gastric cancer pathogenesis but also indirectly influences its development and treatment by modulating autophagy and autophagic cell death. Therefore, telomerase holds promise as a novel therapeutic target in gastric cancer.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/genetics* ; Telomerase/genetics* ; Autophagy/physiology*

Objective:To investigate the key genetic mutations during the progressive disease (PD) /leukemic transformation (LT) course in MDS by analyzing the dynamic changes of genetic mutations in patients with myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS) with or without PD/LT.Methods:This study enrolled 84 patients with sequential MDS from May 2019 to August 2023 at ZhongDa Hospital Southeast University and used the next generation sequencing to detect gene mutations. The dynamic changes of genetic mutations in patients with MDS with or without PD/LT were retrospectively analyzed.Results:①This study analyzed data from 84 patients diagnosed with MDS with a median age of 63 (range: 31-95) years and consisting of 51 males and 33 females. Participants were distributed to the PD cohort ( n=20), LT cohort ( n=13), and non-PD/LT cohort ( n=51). Patients from the PD/LT cohorts demonstrated a higher proportion of bone marrow blasts than the non-PD/LT cohort at the first sequencing (1.6% vs. 0.4%, P=0.013). ②The most frequently mutated genes that were detected at first sequencing were ASXL1 ( n=21, 25.0%), TP53 ( n=17, 20.2%), TET2 ( n=12, 14.3%), DNMT3A ( n=11, 13.1%), and U2AF1 ( n=11, 13.1%). Further, patients from the PD/LT cohorts exhibited a higher median number of mutated genes than the non-PD/LT cohort (2 vs.1, P=0.014) at first sequencing. TET2 (27.3% vs. 5.9%, P=0.010), SETBP1 (15.2% vs.2.0%, P=0.033), and RUNX1 (18.2% vs. 2.0%, P=0.013) mutations were enriched in the PD/LT cohorts than in the non-PD/LT cohort. ③The most frequently detected acquired mutations (Ⅰ mutations) and clonally expanded mutations (Ⅱ mutations) were TP53 ( n=9, 10.7%), TET2 ( n=7, 8.3%), ASXL1 ( n=7, 8.3%), and RAS pathway ( n=7, 8.3%). Furthermore, patients from the PD/LT cohorts showed a higher median number of Ⅰ/Ⅱ genes than the non-PD/LT cohort (2 vs. 0, P<0.001), and Ⅰ/Ⅱ RAS pathway (21.2% vs. 0, P=0.001), TP53 (27.3% vs. 0, P<0.001), and TET2 (18.2% vs. 2.0%, P=0.013) mutations were enriched in PD/LT cohorts than in the non-PD/LT cohorts. ④Most of the TP53 mutations (9/12, 75.0%) in PD/LT cohorts were Ⅰ/Ⅱ mutations, whereas all of the TP53 mutations in non-PD/LT cohort were clone-decrease mutations (Ⅲ mutations) (5/8, 62.5%) or clone-stable mutations (Ⅳ mutations) (3/8, 37.5%). Most of the RAS pathway mutations (7/8,87.5%) in the PD/LT cohorts were Ⅰ/Ⅱ mutations, whereas only one patient in the non-PD/LT cohort demonstrated RAS pathway mutations, which belonged to Ⅳ mutations. Conclusion:Patients from the PD/LT cohorts demonstrated a higher proportion of bone marrow blasts and a higher median number of mutations than the non-PD/LT cohort at first sequencing; TET2, SETBP1, and RUNX1 mutations were enriched in the PD/LT cohorts than in the non-PD/LT cohort at first sequencing. Patients from the PD/LT cohorts exhibited a higher number of Ⅰ/Ⅱ mutations than the non-PD/LT cohort. Further, Ⅰ/Ⅱ TP53, RAS pathway, and TET2 mutations were enriched in the PD/LT cohorts, and Ⅰ/Ⅱ TP53 and RAS pathway mutations may contribute to the PD/LT.

Objective:To evaluate the changes in left ventricular structure and function in pregnant women with different severities of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy（HDP）using conventional echocardiographic parameters，strain，and tissue-tracking mitral annulus displacement（TMAD）parameters，and to validate and compare the application value of strain and TMAD parameters.Methods:A total of 148 singleton pregnant women with HDP and 100 healthy pregnant women（HP group）who attended the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from October 2023 to July 2024 were selected. Conventional echocardiographic parameters，strain，and TMAD parameters were collected. Based on the severity of the disease，HDP patients were divided into the gestational hypertension group（GH group， n=49），non-severe preeclampsia group（NSPE group， n=35），and severe preeclampsia group（SPE group， n=64）. The differences in various parameters between the HP，GH，NSPE，and SPE groups were compared. The correlation between the displacement ratio of the midpoint of the mitral valve annulus in the apical 4-chamber（AP4 Midpt%），the displacement ratio of the midpoint of the mitral valve annulus in the apical 2-chamber（AP2 Midpt%）and left ventricular global longitudinal strain（LVGLS）were analyzed，and ROC curves were plotted to analyze and compare the diagnostic efficacies of LVGLS，AP4 Midpt% and AP2 Midpt% for left ventricular function changes in HDP pregnant women. Results:① The analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in maternal age and height between the HP group and the HDP subgroups（all P>0.05）. In contrast，statistically significant differences were observed in gestational age，systolic blood pressure，diastolic blood pressure，body mass index，and body surface area（all P<0.05）. Additionally，significant differences were noted in left ventricular mass，left ventricular interventricular septum thickness at end-diastole，left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-diastole，left ventricular end-diastolic dimension，left ventricular end-systolic dimension，left ventricular end-diastolic volume，left ventricular end-systolic volume，and stroke volume between the HP group and the HDP subgroups（all P<0.05），while the difference in left ventricular ejection fraction was not statistically significant（ P>0.05）. ② Significant differences were identified in strain and TMAD parameters between the HP group and the HDP subgroups（all P<0.05），with LVGLS，AP4 Midpt% and AP2 Midpt% exhibited the largest effect sizes（ η p2=0.457，0.453，0.351）. A progressive decline in strain and TMAD parameters was observed as the severity of HDP increased. ③ There were strong positive correlations between AP4 Midpt%，AP2 Midpt% and LVGLS（ r=0.752，0.747；all P<0.001）. ④ LVGLS，AP4 Midpt% and AP2 Midpt% all demonstrated significant diagnostic efficacies for changes in left ventricular function in HDP（AUC=0.840，0.847，0.791），and the differences in AUC among the 3 curves were not statistically significant（all P>0.05）.⑤ The success rate of collecting TMAD parameters was significantly higher than that of strain parameters（99.24% vs. 93.58%， P<0.001）. Conclusions:As the severity of the disease worsens，the changes of left ventricular structure and function in pregnant women with HDP become more and more significant. Both strain and TMAD parameters can early and sensitively identify the subclinical damage of left ventricular systolic function in HDP pregnant women，and both of them have the same diagnostic value. TMAD parameters can be used as a reliable substitute parameter of LVGLS in HDP pregnant women.

Glioma is the most common primary malignant tumor of the central nervous system in adults. Despite the standard treatment of surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the prognosis for high-grade glioma patients remains poor, highlighting the urgent need to further explore its pathogenesis and develop new therapeutic strategies. This article reviews the research progress in the field of glioma in China in 2024, covering tumorigenesis mechanisms, tumor immune microenvironment composition, advances in imaging techniques and novel imaging agents, improvements in surgical approaches, mechanisms of radio- and chemoresistance, and explorations of new therapeutic modalities. These studies provide a solid theoretical foundation for advancing clinical diagnosis and treatment of gliomas and may offer new opportunities to improve patient outcomes.

Background Some studies have suggested that exposure to multiple metals is closely linked to the development of metabolic syndrome (MS) in the populations, but the effect of aluminum exposure on MS remains unclear. Objective To analyze the prevalence and influencing factors of MS among employees with aluminum exposure in Shanxi Province. Methods Cluster sampling was employed to survey male frontline workers in an aluminum factory in Shanxi Province. Data on general demographic information, lifestyle, occupational history, medical history, and family history of chronic diseases were collected through questionnaires. The concentration of fasting blood glucose was determined using the glucose oxidase technique, and blood lipid levels were determined using the peroxidase method. Serum aluminum levels were detected using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and blood biochemical indicators were measured using the peroxidase method. Based on the China's 2020 diagnostic criteria for MS, the participants were and divided into an MS group anda non-MS group. Variables with statistical significance in univariate analysis were included to construct a logistic regression model. Results A cohort of 312 workers participated in this research, with 84 individuals diagnosed with MS, yielding a prevalence rate of 26.92%. The logistic regression model revealed that body mass index (BMI)≥24.0 kg·m⁻² (OR=1.967, 95%CI: 1.057, 3.659), alcohol consumption (OR=1.883, 95%CI: 1.063, 3.336), experiencing major life event (OR=3.886, 95%CI: 1.509, 10.008), family history of hypertension (OR=2.112, 95%CI: 1.162, 3.837), serum aluminum concentration (OR=1.024, 95%CI: 1.012, 1.035), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level (OR=1.032, 95%CI: 1.011, 1.054), and white blood cell (WBC) count (OR=1.210, 95%CI: 1.001, 1.465) were significant influencing factors for MS. Conclusion BMI≥24.0 kg·m⁻², alcohol consumption, experiencing major life event, family history of hypertension, elevated serum aluminum concentration, increased ALT level, and elevated WBC count are risk factors for MS among occupationally aluminum-exposed workers.

Objective To construct and validate a prediction model for urosepsis in patients after upper urinary tract stone surgery using various machine learning algorithms.Methods A total of 7 464 upper urinary tract stone patients who underwent surgery at the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from Jun.2018 to Jun.2023 were enrolled and randomly assigned to training(5 224 cases)or validation sets(2 240 cases)at a ratio of 7∶3.Among them,622(8.33%)cases developed urosepsis postoperatively.Six machine learning algorithms,including extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost),logistic regression,light gradient boosting machine(LightGBM),random forest(RF),adaptive boosting(AdaBoost),and gradient boosting decision tree(GBDT),were used to construct prediction models for postoperative urosepsis.The model's predictive ability and clinical benefits were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,Shapley additive explanation(SHAP)analysis,calibration curves,and decision curve analysis(DCA).Results The clinical features included body mass index(BMI),number of surgeries,heart rate,Barthel index,venous thrombo embolism(VTE)risk assessment,gender,American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA)grade,urinary nitrite,and urinary leukocyte in the models.In the training set,the XGBoost,LightGBM,and RF models performed excellently,with area under curve(AUC)values of ROC curves reaching 1.00.In the validation set,the logistic regression model performed the best,with an AUC value of ROC curve of 0.76,showing good predictive stability and calibration.The AdaBoost and GBDT models followed with AUC values of 0.74 and 0.75,respectively,while the AUC values of the LightGBM,XGBoost,and RF models were 0.71,0.70,and 0.68.In terms of model interpretability,SHAP analysis showed the contribution of variables in a descending order as:heart rate,urinary leukocytes,gender,BMI,Barthel index,VTE risk assessment,urinary nitrite,number of surgeries,and ASA grade.Conclusion A logistic regression model for early risk prediction of postoperative urosepsis in upper urinary tract stone patients has been successfully constructed.This model has good predictive performance and calibration,and can effectively assist clinical diagnosis.