Objective To optimize the extraction process of Xuetong capsules and establish its quality control method. Methods The extraction process was optimized by orthogonal experiment using ethanol reflux method to investigate the effects of different factors on diphenylstilbene, aloin and extraction yield. The content of 5 anthraquinone compounds in Xuetong capsule was determined by HPLC. Results The optimal extraction process was to add 10 times ethanol, with an ethanol concentration of 70%, and extract 3 times, each time for 1 h; 5 components had a good linear relationship with peak area within a certain concentration range, r>0.999 7; The range of sample recovery rate was 93.66%-96.85%, RSD range of 1.48%-1.66%. The content determination results of the 5 components in three batches of Xuetong capsules were （0.632-0.641）, （0.660-0.681）, （1.968-1.991）, （2.547-2.580）, and （1.076-1.101） mg/g. Conclusion The method was accurate, reproducible, and highly feasible, which could be references for producing and improving the quality control standards of Xuetong capsules.

Objective To assess the impact of freeze-drying and dry heat virus inactivation processes on the activity ofα2-macroglobulin(A2M)derived from human plasma Cohn fraction Ⅳ.Methods A2M derived from human plasma Cohn fraction Ⅳ was prepared and subjected to programmed freeze-drying with dry heat virus inactivation.The lyophilized products were evaluated for their appearance,water content,and validation of the viral inactivation process.The bioactivity of the products before and after lyophilization as well as before and after dry heat inactivation was determined via trypsin inhibition,and the comparisons were studied.Results The appearance of the lyophilized product was fluffy,and the water content was(5.83±0.45)％.The specific activities of the samples before and after lyophilization were(10.199±0.137)and(10.033±0.201)μg/mg,respectively,with no statistically significantdifference between the two groups(P＞0.05).The viral inactivation of the samples was carried out by using dry heat inactivation conditions at 100 ℃ for 30 min.After inactivation,the reduction was ≥5.125 LgTCID50/0.1 mL in Pseudorabies virus(PRV)titers,≥4.500 LgTCID50/0.1 mL in Sindbis virus(SinV)titers,≥6.375 LgTCID50/0.1 mL in encephalomyocarditis virus(EMCV)titers,and≥4.500 LgTCID50/0.1 mL in porcine parvovirus(PPV)titers.The specific activities of the samples before and after dry heat were(9.921±0.292)and(10.091±0.278)μ g/mg,respectively,with no statistically significant difference between the two groups.Conclusion A2M derived from human plasma Cohn fraction Ⅳ,when subjected to freeze-drying followed by dry heat inactivation at 100 ℃ for 30 minutes,can effectively inactivate viruses without altering the biological activity of the product.

Objective To investigate the effects of light-at-night exposure on anxiety and depression behaviors in mice and to explore the underlying neural mechanisms.Methods Six-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to a control(Ctrl)group and a light-at-night exposure(LAN)group.Mice in the LAN group were exposed to 460 nm blue light for 1 h daily during the zeitgeber time(ZT)13-14 while the Ctrl group mice were maintained under a 12-h light/12-h dark cycle.Behavioral tests were conducted at different time points following LAN exposure to evaluate anxiety and depression behaviors in the mice.Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the effect of LAN on c-fos expressions in the medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC),basal ateral amygdala(BLA),paraventricular nucleus(PVN)and paraventricular thalamus(PVT).ELISA was performed to measure changes in serum corticosterone,adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH)and corticotropin-releasing hormone(CRH)levels.Golgi staining was applied to measurethe dendritic spine density and morphology from mPFC and CA1.Western blotting analysis was conducted to detect expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factors(BDNFs),phosphorylated tropomyosin receptor kinase B(p-TrkB)/TrkB,postsynaptic density protein 95(PSD95)and synaptophysin(SYP)in the mPFC.Results Mice exhibited anxiety-like behaviors after 14 days of LAN exposure,with depression-like behaviors emerging after 28 days.LAN exposure of 28 days led to a significant increase in the number of c-fos-positive neurons in the mPFC,BLA,PVN and PVT(P＜0.05),resulted in elevated serum corticosterone levels(P＜0.01)and reduced protein expression levels of BDNF and SYP(P＜0.05).Furthermore,there was a marked decrease in synapse numbers and synaptic density in the mPFC(P＜0.01).Conclusion Prolonged exposure to blue light at night enhances neuronal activity in the mPFC and BLA and suppresses the BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway by activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis(HPA),thus leading to synaptic structural and functional damage and inducing anxiety and depression behaviors in mice.

Objective:To evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among patients attending a comprehensive tertiary hospital in Beijing and to pinpoint the key demographics for anti-HCV screening.Methods:A comprehensive retrospective analysis was undertaken, examining data from 631 424 patients who underwent anti-HCV testing between 2017 and 2023. Testing for anti-HCV was conducted using the Abbott i2000 fully automated chemiluminescent immunoassay analyzer. HCV nucleic acid testing was performed with the Roche Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan 96 fluorescent quantitative PCR system, while HCV genotyping was achieved through sequencing.Results:The positive rate of HCV antibodies demonstrated a gradual decline over the years, decreasing from 1.62% in 2017 to 1.01% in 2023. The overall positive rate stood at 1.36% (8 574/631 424), with a nucleic acid testing rate of 59.24% (5 079/8 574) and a nucleic acid positive rate of 34.28% (1 741/5 079). The majority of anti-HCV positive patients came from the department of hepatology (12.17%), followed by hepatobiliary surgery (3.03%), emergency medicine (1.68%), cardiovascular medicine (1.24%) and ophthalmology clinic (1.23%). Notably, the anti-HCV positive rate was significantly elevated in the ≥40 years old group compared to the <40 years old group, with statistical significance ( χ2=1 892.577, P=0.000). The highest anti-HCV positive rates were observed within the 60-69- and 80-99-years old brackets (both at 1.85%), while the peak HCV RNA positive rate was recorded in the 50-59 years old group (27.08%). Females exhibited a significantly higher positive rate (18.53%) than males (15.75%) ( χ2=8.066, P<0.01). When anti-HCV levels surpassed 9 S/CO, the HCV RNA positive rate was notably high, exceeding 38.97%. Intriguingly, at antibody levels ranging from 15 to 16 S/CO, the HCV RNA positive rate climbed to a maximum of 56.17%. Conclusions:This study has successfully identified the key populations for anti-HCV screening: Patients aged over 40, particularly female patients within the 50-69 age bracket; Patients in hepatology, hepatobiliary surgery, emergency medicine, cardiovascular medicine and ophthalmology departments.

Objective:To explore the predictive value of baseline serum levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA for HBeAg seroconversion in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) subjects with advanced fibrosis/compensated cirrhosis undergoing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) therapy.Methods:A case-control study was conducted on 141 patients with CHB combined with advanced fibrosis/compensated cirrhosis who were treated with TDF and tested at Peking University People′s Hospital from January 2015 to December 2020. Patients were divided into HBeAg seroconversion (16 cases) group and non-seroconversion (59 cases) group based on whether HBeAg seroconversion occurred at 240 weeks after treatment. The patients were divided into HBeAg positive and negative groups at baseline (75 and 66 cases, repectively) and at 12 weeks treatment (61 and 80 cases, repectively). The baseline serum levels of relevant indicators were analyzed. HBV RNA levels were measured at baseline and at 240 weeks after treatment. The correlation between HBV RNA and HBV DNA was analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis, and the predictive value was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:For the 75 HBeAg-positive patients at baseline, 21.3% (16/75) achieved HBeAg seroconversion. The HBV DNA and HBV RNA in the HBeAg-positive group were significantly higher than that in the HBeAg-negative group (all P<0.001). Compared with the non-seroconversion group, the HBeAg seroconversion group had significantly lower baseline serum levels of HBV RNA ( P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum HBV RNA levels were positively correlated with HBV DNA in both baseline and 12 weeks HBeAg-negative group and HBeAg-positive group, respectively (baseline: r=0.718, 0.794, P<0.001; 12 weeks: r=0.689, 0.750, P<0.001). ROC curve showed that baseline levels of HBV RNA could be used as a predictor of HBeAg seroconversion in CHB patients with advanced fibrosis/compensated cirrhosis treated with TDF. The area under curve was 0.781, the sensitivity was 75.0%, and the specificity was 78.0%. Conclusion:Baseline serum levels of HBV RNA has a predictive value for HBeAg seroconversion in CHB patients with advanced fibrosis/compensated cirrhosis treated with TDF.

Objective:To evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among patients attending a comprehensive tertiary hospital in Beijing and to pinpoint the key demographics for anti-HCV screening.Methods:A comprehensive retrospective analysis was undertaken, examining data from 631 424 patients who underwent anti-HCV testing between 2017 and 2023. Testing for anti-HCV was conducted using the Abbott i2000 fully automated chemiluminescent immunoassay analyzer. HCV nucleic acid testing was performed with the Roche Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan 96 fluorescent quantitative PCR system, while HCV genotyping was achieved through sequencing.Results:The positive rate of HCV antibodies demonstrated a gradual decline over the years, decreasing from 1.62% in 2017 to 1.01% in 2023. The overall positive rate stood at 1.36% (8 574/631 424), with a nucleic acid testing rate of 59.24% (5 079/8 574) and a nucleic acid positive rate of 34.28% (1 741/5 079). The majority of anti-HCV positive patients came from the department of hepatology (12.17%), followed by hepatobiliary surgery (3.03%), emergency medicine (1.68%), cardiovascular medicine (1.24%) and ophthalmology clinic (1.23%). Notably, the anti-HCV positive rate was significantly elevated in the ≥40 years old group compared to the <40 years old group, with statistical significance ( χ2=1 892.577, P=0.000). The highest anti-HCV positive rates were observed within the 60-69- and 80-99-years old brackets (both at 1.85%), while the peak HCV RNA positive rate was recorded in the 50-59 years old group (27.08%). Females exhibited a significantly higher positive rate (18.53%) than males (15.75%) ( χ2=8.066, P<0.01). When anti-HCV levels surpassed 9 S/CO, the HCV RNA positive rate was notably high, exceeding 38.97%. Intriguingly, at antibody levels ranging from 15 to 16 S/CO, the HCV RNA positive rate climbed to a maximum of 56.17%. Conclusions:This study has successfully identified the key populations for anti-HCV screening: Patients aged over 40, particularly female patients within the 50-69 age bracket; Patients in hepatology, hepatobiliary surgery, emergency medicine, cardiovascular medicine and ophthalmology departments.

Objective:To explore the predictive value of baseline serum levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA for HBeAg seroconversion in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) subjects with advanced fibrosis/compensated cirrhosis undergoing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) therapy.Methods:A case-control study was conducted on 141 patients with CHB combined with advanced fibrosis/compensated cirrhosis who were treated with TDF and tested at Peking University People′s Hospital from January 2015 to December 2020. Patients were divided into HBeAg seroconversion (16 cases) group and non-seroconversion (59 cases) group based on whether HBeAg seroconversion occurred at 240 weeks after treatment. The patients were divided into HBeAg positive and negative groups at baseline (75 and 66 cases, repectively) and at 12 weeks treatment (61 and 80 cases, repectively). The baseline serum levels of relevant indicators were analyzed. HBV RNA levels were measured at baseline and at 240 weeks after treatment. The correlation between HBV RNA and HBV DNA was analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis, and the predictive value was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:For the 75 HBeAg-positive patients at baseline, 21.3% (16/75) achieved HBeAg seroconversion. The HBV DNA and HBV RNA in the HBeAg-positive group were significantly higher than that in the HBeAg-negative group (all P<0.001). Compared with the non-seroconversion group, the HBeAg seroconversion group had significantly lower baseline serum levels of HBV RNA ( P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum HBV RNA levels were positively correlated with HBV DNA in both baseline and 12 weeks HBeAg-negative group and HBeAg-positive group, respectively (baseline: r=0.718, 0.794, P<0.001; 12 weeks: r=0.689, 0.750, P<0.001). ROC curve showed that baseline levels of HBV RNA could be used as a predictor of HBeAg seroconversion in CHB patients with advanced fibrosis/compensated cirrhosis treated with TDF. The area under curve was 0.781, the sensitivity was 75.0%, and the specificity was 78.0%. Conclusion:Baseline serum levels of HBV RNA has a predictive value for HBeAg seroconversion in CHB patients with advanced fibrosis/compensated cirrhosis treated with TDF.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of pathological complete response(pCR)after neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced gastric cancer(LAGC)and assess the value of gastric tumor markers for predicting pCR in LAGC patients.Methods:We retrospectively ana-lyzed the clinical and pathological characteristics of 213 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy and gastric tumor marker analysis after neoadjuvant therapy at The Chinse PLA General Hospital First Medical Center,between January 2020 and April 2024(20 and 193 cases in the pCR and non-pCR groups,respectively).The interrelationships among pCR,tumor markers,and clinicopathological features were compared,and independent risk factors for pCR were analyzed.A nomogram was constructed to predict the pCR.Results:Among 213 patients,20(9.4% )achieved pCR.Univariate analysis showed that age(P=0.067),tumor bed diameter(P<0.001),gastrin-17 levels(P=0.005),CA72-4 levels(P=0.073),pepsinogen ratio(P=0.024),and neoadjuvant immunotherapy(P=0.022)were strongly associated with pCR in LAGC pa-tients.Multivariate analysis showed that neoadjuvant immunotherapy,CA72-4 levels<2.5 U/mL,gastrin-17 levels<1.48 pmol/L,and tumor bed diameter<2.85 cm were independent predictive factors for pCR in LAGC patients(P<0.05).These indicators were incorporated into a nomogram prediction model;an receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)was plotted with an AUC(95% CI)of 0.863(0.785-0.942).The calibration and decision curves suggested that the nomogram was well calibrated and had a good net benefit.Conclusions:Gastric tumor markers can effectively predict pCR after neoadjuvant therapy in LAGC patients.Our nomogram showed a good predictive ability for pCR.Thus,our findings can serve as a useful reference for clinical decision making for LAGC patients.

Objective:To investigate the neuropsychological and imaging features of patients with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA).Methods:Patients of PCA, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), typical Alzheimer′s disease (t-AD) who were diagnosed in the Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University from September 27, 2019, to September 24, 2021 were enrolled, and the normal controls who visited the Outpatient and Physical Examination Centers of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University and Rizhao People′s Hospital at the same time were enrolled, too. Neuropsychological assessments, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET)/CT data of the 4-group subjects were collected. Variance analysis was used to compare the differences in neuropsychological performance among the 4 groups, and the imaging features of PCA patients were summarized.Results:Eleven PCA patients, 17 DLB patients, 31 t-AD patients, and 11 normal controls were included in the study. The cognitive function of patients in the PCA group [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score 13.52±1.81; Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score 7.06±1.72] was significantly impaired compared to the normal control group (MMSE score 27.85±1.75, t=-6.561, P<0.001; MoCA score 23.60±1.59, t=-7.968, P<0.001]. However, there was no statistically significant difference compared to the DLB group and the t-AD group. Patients in the PCA group exhibited more severe impairments in attention, executive function, and language compared to the DLB group (Trail Making Test A score: 298.86±16.16 vs 110.07±18.62, t=9.980, P<0.001; Trail Making Test B score: 305.51±18.89 vs 230.34±23.59, t=2.865, P=0.024; Boston Naming Test score: 8.67±1.53 vs 15.66±1.56, t=-2.682, P=0.013) and the t-AD group (148.91±12.77, t=7.071, P<0.001; 200.78±19.34, t=3.789, P=0.004; 15.15±1.05, t=-2.544, P=0.016). Scores for visuospatial function [PCA group: 1(0, 1), normal control group: 3(3, 3), Z=-4.023, P<0.001] and visual perception [PCA group: 0(0, 1), normal control group: 35(34, 36), Z=-3.704, P<0.001] were significantly lower in the PCA group compared to the normal control group. The cranial MRI findings of PCA patients showed atrophy of the parietal and occipital lobes, with less obvious atrophy of the medial temporal lobe, which can be distinguished from t-AD. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT of the PCA patients showed a relative reduced glucose metabolism in the bilateral parietal lobe, occipital lobe and posterior cingulate gyrus, while the 18F-florbetapir PET/CT showed deposition of amyloid protein in the bilateral frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and cingulate gyrus. Conclusions:PCA patients exhibit neuropsychological characteristics of visuospatial dysfunction, along with impairments in various cognitive domains such as memory, attention, and executive functions. The typical MRI feature is parietal occipital lobe atrophy, and the PET/CT findings are consistent with metabolic changes in AD.

Objective     To analyze the clinical efficacy and survival outcome of totally thoracoscopic redo mitral valve replacement and evaluate its efficiency and safety. Methods     The clinical data of patients with totally thoracoscopic redo mitral valve replacement in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital between 2013 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to determine the risk factors for postoperative death. Results     There were 48 patients including 29 females and 19 males with a median age of 53 (44, 66) years. All the procedures were performed successfully with no conversion to median sternotomy. A total of 15, 10 and 23 patients received surgeries under non-beating heart, beating heart and ventricular fibrillation, respectively. The in-hospital mortality rate was 6.25% (3/48), and the incidence of early postoperative complications was 18.75% (9/48). Thirty-five (72.92%) patients had their tracheal intubation removed within 24 hours after the operation. The 1- and 6-year survival rates were 89.50% (95%CI 81.30%-98.70%) and 82.90%(95%CI 71.50%-96.20%), respectively. Age>65 years was an independent risk factor for postoperative death (P=0.04). Conclusion     Totally thoracoscopic redo mitral valve replacement is safe and reliable, with advantages of rapid recovery, reducing blood transfusion rate, reducing postoperative complications and acceptable long-term survival rate. It is worthy of being widely popularized in the clinic.