ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effects of Zuogui Wan （ZGW） decoction on nephrotic syndrome （NS） through the regulation of gut microbiota. MethodsThirty male Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into five groups， with 6 rats in each group： The control group， model group， low-dose group， medium-dose group， and high-dose group. The NS rat model was induced by tail vein injection of 6.5 mg·kg^-1 doxorubicin. After successful modeling， the control and model groups were gavaged with normal saline （10 mL·kg^-1） twice daily， while the low- （50 mg·kg^-1）， medium- （100 mg·kg^-1）， and high-dose （200 mg·kg^-1） groups were gavaged with ZGW （10 mL·kg^-1） twice daily. All rats were administered at fixed intervals daily for 8 consecutive weeks. The therapeutic effects of ZGW on NS in rats were observed， and the optimal dose was screened. Renal and intestinal pathological changes in rats were examined. Fecal samples were collected， and 16S rDNA sequencing technology was used to detect the diversity and abundance of gut microbiota in each group. ResultsCompared with the control group， 24-hour urinary protein， serum creatinine， urea nitrogen， and cholesterol levels significantly increased in the model group （P<0.01）， while serum albumin levels decreased （P<0.01）. These changes were ameliorated in the treatment groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Renal pathology revealed intact and orderly arranged glomeruli and renal tubules in the control group. In the model group， glomerular atrophy， widened mesangial areas， podocyte swelling， disordered renal tubular arrangement， and numerous casts were observed. Varying degrees of glomerular atrophy and disordered renal tubular arrangement were seen in the treatment groups. Specific protein assays revealed increased serum levels of kidney injury molecule-1（KIM-1） and α1-microglobulin （P<0.01）， and significantly decreased levels of E-cadherin， Podocin， and Nephrin in renal tissues （P<0.01）， along with a significant increase in transforming growth factor-β（TGF-β） （P<0.01） in the model group. In the treatment groups， serum KIM-1 and α1-microglobulin levels decreased， E-cadherin levels significantly increased （P<0.01）， and TGF-β levels significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Podocin and Nephrin levels increased in the high-dose group （P<0.05）. Additionally， intestinal mucosal atrophy， epithelial cell edema， decreased goblet cells， and multiple inflammatory infiltrations were observed in the model group. The sequencing results of gut microbiota demonstrate that ZGW can significantly ameliorate intestinal dysbiosis in rats， restore the abundance of beneficial bacteria， and exert a profound influence on the compositional profile of gut microbiota. ConclusionZGW can alleviate renal injury in rats with nephrotic syndrome by improving gut microbiota and protecting the intestinal barrier.

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms distinguishing metabolically healthy from unhealthy phenotypes within the same BMI categories remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the associations between regional fat distribution and metabolically unhealthy phenotypes in Chinese adults across different BMI categories. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involving 11833 Chinese adults aged 20 years and older. Covariance analysis, adjusted for age, compared the percentage of regional fat (trunk, leg, or arm fat divided by whole-body fat) between metabolically healthy and unhealthy participants. Trends in regional fat percentage with the number of metabolic abnormalities were assessed by the Jonckheere-Terpstra test. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression models. All analyses were performed separately by sex. RESULTS: In non-obese individuals, metabolically unhealthy participants exhibited higher percent trunk fat and lower percent leg fat compared to healthy participants. Additionally, percent trunk fat increased and percent leg fat decreased with the number of metabolic abnormalities. After adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors, as well as BMI, higher percent trunk fat was associated with increased odds of being metabolically unhealthy [highest vs. lowest quartile: ORs (95%CI) of 1.64 (1.35, 2.00) for men and 2.00 (1.63, 2.46) for women]. Conversely, compared with the lowest quartile, the ORs (95%CI) of metabolically unhealthy phenotype in the highest quartile for percent arm and leg fat were 0.64 (0.53, 0.78) and 0.60 (0.49, 0.74) for men, and 0.72 (0.56, 0.93) and 0.46 (0.36, 0.59) for women, respectively. Significant interactions between BMI and percentage of trunk and leg fat were observed in both sexes, with stronger associations found in individuals with normal weight and overweight. CONCLUSIONS Trunk fat is associated with a higher risk of metabolically unhealthy phenotype, while leg and arm fat are protective factors. Regional fat distribution assessments are crucial for identifying metabolically unhealthy phenotypes, particularly in non-obese individuals.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Adipose Tissue ; Body Fat Distribution ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Health Surveys ; Phenotype

Objective To evaluate the relationship between the systemic immune-inflammation (SII) index,systemic inflammation response index (SIRI),and the severity and functional prognosis of patients with cervicocranial arterial dissection (CCAD). Methods A total of 101 patients with CCAD were enrolled and divided into the acute mild stroke group (n=48) and moderate to severe stroke group (n=15) caused by CCAD,and CCAD without stroke group (n=38). The SII index and SIRI were compared across the three groups. Logistic regression and receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis were performed to identify independent predictors of an unfavorable outcome and predictive power. Results Compared with CCAD without stroke group,patients with stroke had higher SII index and SIRI,and significantly higher values of these biomarkers were observed in patients with moderate/severe stroke than those with minor stroke (P<0.05). SII index and SIRI were associated with the NIHSS score at admission (rSII=0.306,PSII=0.002; rSIRI=0.271,PSIRI=0.006) and the mRS score at discharge (rSII=0.264,PSII=0.008; rSIRI=0.240,PSIRI =0.016). In multivariate analysis,elevated SII index,but not SIRI,was independently associated with poor short-term outcomes after CCAD (P<0.05). NIHSS score played a full mediation effect between SII index level and poor prognosis. The sensitivity of the SII index in predicting unfavorable clinical outcomes was 66.7%,the specificity was 82.6%,and the best critical value was 1 160.63×109/L. Conclusion Elevated SII index and SIRI values are associated with the severity and clinical outcomes of patients with CCAD. An elevated SII index,but not SIRI,could be an independent predicting factor for a poor short-term outcome after CCAD.

Objective:To study the correlation between the acute-phase characteristics of motor evoked potential (MEP) and severities of spinal cord injury in patients with acute cervical hyperextension injury and central cord syndrome (CCS).Methods:Retrospectively analyzed were the data of 45 patients with acute cervical hyperextension injury and CCS (observation group) who had been admitted to Department of Orthopedics, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University from December 2018 to July 2021 and 20 healthy controls. Examination of transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced MEP was performed in patients with CCS and healthy controls using a magpro x100 magnetic stimulator, and recording was conducted in bilateral abductor pollicis brevis (APB). The characteristics of MEP waveform latency, amplitude and motor threshold were described and compared between the healthy control and observation groups; the correlations were analyzed between the MEP latency and the severity of spinal cord injury [American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) total score and motor function of Upper Extremity Motor Subscores (UEMS)] in the observation group. According to different MEP-induced states, the patients in the observation group were divided into a resting group ( n=19), a facilitation group ( n=18), and a no-waveform group ( n=8). The severity of spinal cord injury (ASIA total score) and the functional independence of the spinal cord (SCIM-Ⅲ score) were compared among the 3 groups to analyze the correlation between the MEP-induced state and the severity of spinal cord injury (ASIA total score). Results:The observation group had a significantly longer MEP latency [(30.16±6.32) ms], a significantly smaller amplitude [(0.54±0.30) mV] and a significantly higher motor threshold [(65%±11%)] than the healthy control group (all P<0.05). The MEP latency in the observation group was significantly correlated with ASIA total score ( r=-0.730, P<0.001) and UEMS ( r=-0.740, P<0.001). The ASIA total score and SCIM-Ⅲ score were significantly different among the 3 groups ( P<0.05), and the MEP-induced state was significantly correlated with the severity of spinal cord injury (ASIA total score) ( r=0.668, P<0.001). Conclusions:In patients with acute cervical hyperextension injury and CCS, the MEP latency is prolonged, the amplitude lowered, and the motor threshold enhanced. The MEP latency is strongly correlated with the severity of spinal cord injury and upper limb motor function. The MEP-induced state is also closely related to the severity of spinal cord injury.

Objective:To understand the current status of HIV self-testing reagent use in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and related factors in men who have sex with men (MSM).Methods:From December 2018 to December 2019, "Gold data" online platform (www.jinshuju.com) was used to conduct multicenter PrEP studies in Shenyang, Beijing, Chongqing and Shenzhen of China.Results:A total of 1 222 MSM PrEP users were included in the multicenter study. The average age of the participants was (31.5±8.7) years, and the number of sexual partners in the past three months was 3 ( P 25, P 75:2,6). The proportions of those who did not use condoms in anal sex with fixed, casual and commercial partners were 62.7% (456/727), 56.3% (440/781) and 41.0% (16/39), respectively. Up to 74.5% (910/1 222) of participants had used HIV self-testing reagents, and the number of HIV self-testing during last year was 3 ( P 25, P 75:2,5). The multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that compared with age group >40 years, those with education level of junior high school or below, those with psychological identity as female, event driven PrEP users, those never using new type drugs in past 3 months, the participants aged 18- years (a OR=2.06, 95% CI: 1.35-3.14), 26- years (a OR=2.72, 95% CI: 1.77-4.17), 31- years (a OR=1.76, 95% CI: 1.19-2.59), undergraduates (a OR=2.18, 95% CI: 1.35-3.49), graduate students and above (a OR=3.06, 95% CI: 1.69-5.54), those with psychological identity as male (a OR=3.22, 95% CI: 1.55-6.70), daily PrEP users (a OR=1.35, 95% CI: 1.03-1.78), and new type drug users in the past three months (a OR=1.72, 95% CI: 1.30-2.28) had higher proportions of HIV self-testing behaviors. Conclusions:The proportion of HIV self-testing in MSM PrEP users was high, while it was relatively low in older age group, event driven PrEP users and MSM never using new type drugs. To assess and improve the effectiveness and compliance of PrEPs, it is necessary to provide better HIV self-testing service for MSM with low HIV self-testing rate.

Objective To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of adult Hirschsprung disease. Methods The clinical data of 10 patients with adult Hirschsprung disease from August 2011 to August 2017 in the Department of General Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were retrospectively analyzed. Results Among the 10 patients, 4 cases were male, and 6 cases were female, with age 21 to 65 years old, and body mass index 16.77 to 25.73 kg/m2. The patients were diagnosed with Hirschsprung disease by postoperative pathological examination. All patients had difficult defecation medical history. Barium enema examination in 3 patients before operation showed obvious narrow segment, migrating segment and dilatation segment. Four cases received emergency surgical operation, and 6 cases received selective surgical operation. Complications included intestinal obstruction in 3 cases, incisions infection in 2 cases, and incision rupture in 1 case. Conclusions Adult Hirschsprung disease is difficult to be diagnosed, and the aspect of medical history, barium enema examination, surgical findings and pathological examination has to be combined. The surgery way of AHD is diverse and ought to be individual. Laparoscopic surgery with small trauma and quick recovery has great development space.

Objective To investigate the operating strategies and essentials of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) with tubular channel (Spotlight) to treat single-level lumbar degenerative diseases. Methods From November 2013 to December 2015, 97 patients (47 males and 50 females) underwent single-level lumbar degenerative diseases fol-lowing MIS-TLIF with Spotlight were analyzed, whose age were from 35-82 years old with the average age of 57.6±12.3 years old. The preoperative diagnosis was lumbar spinal stenosis in 63 cases, lumbar spondylolisthesis in 25 cases, and lumbar instability in 9 cases. The affected level was L3,4 in 9 cases, L4,5 in 66 cases, and L5S1 in 22 cases. According to distinct clinical manifestations and radiological characteristics, different approaches of Spotlight channels were employed. Unilateral decompression via unilateral channel was performed in 52 cases, bilateral decompression via unilateral channel was performed in 22 cases, and bilateral decom-pression via bilateral channel was performed in 23 cases. Clinical outcomes included operation duration, surgical blood loss, post-operative drainage volume and complications was recorded. Average intervertebral height, lumbar and surgical Cobb angle were utilized to evaluate the reduction of intervertebral height and lumbar lordosis. The low back and leg pain were represented as Visu-al Analogue Scale (VAS) score. The preoperative and postoperative Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score were recorded individu-ally to evaluate patients'functional recovery. Besides, the Bridwell criterion was introduced to define the extent of the lumbar fu-sion. The MacNab criterion was used for assessment of postoperative efficacy. Results The operation duration was 189.8 ± 41.3 min, the volume of surgical blood loss was 143.9 ± 102.0 ml and the volume of postoperative drainage 75.0 ± 59.0 ml in all cases. Among them, operation time was 165.0±24.2 min, surgical blood loss was 99.5±54.1 ml and postoperative drainage was 48.4±27.6 ml in the operation group of unilateral decompression via unilateral channel. The date in the group of Bilateral decompression via unilateral channel were 208.9 ± 46.0 min, 151.4 ± 96.3 ml, 88.0 ± 51.3 ml and in the group of bilateral decompression via bilateral channel were 225.4±32.0 min, 236.0±126.3 ml, 122.8±81.7 ml. All the patients were followed up for 16-42 months, the average follow-up time was 24.9 ± 7.0 months. Low back VAS reduced from 6.10 ± 0.84 preoperatively to 1.59 ± 0.49 at the final follow-up, leg VAS decreased from 6.56±0.85 preoperatively to 1.59±0.57 at the last follow-up, and ODI reduced from 59.36％±5.52％preop-eratively to 15.89％±2.90％at the final follow-up, compared with preoperative, the differences were significant. Average interverte-bral height improved from 9.92±2.25 mm preoperatively to 12.24±1.78 mm at latest follow-up time, which had statistically signifi-cant difference. Operative segment and lumbar Cobb angle were 13.81°±6.10° and 32.32°±11.97° preoperative, at the time of lat-est follow-up improved to 14.25° ± 5.57° and 35.83° ± 9.89° , Compared with preoperative, lumbar Cobb angle was significantly in-creased but operative segment Cobb had no significant difference. According to the criteria of Bridwell, intervertebral fusion at fi-nal follow-up of I and II grades were 90 cases in total (92.8％). The MacNab criteria was used to evaluate the clinical efficacy, which 69 were excellent, 23 were good, and 5 were acceptable, the excellent and good rate was 94.8％. Conclusion The tech-nique of MIS-TLIF with the tubular channel (Spotlight) is safe and efficient for the treatment of single segment lumbar degener-ative diseases. Different strategies can be selected by different preoperative clinical manifestations and radiological features.

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment options for otogenic intracranial infections. Method: Clinical records of all the patients of otogenic intracranial infections admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University from 2008 to 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Their clinical presentations, radiological findings, culture results, and medical and surgical therapy modalities, as well as treatment outcomes were studied. Results: Sixteen cases were identified. The majority of the otogenic patients had a history of cholesteatoma, other rare events included congenital cerebrospinal fluid otorhinorrhea, Gorham-Stout disease and after radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Meningitis, cerebral venous thrombosis and brain abscess were the primary intracranial infection. Eight patients had received modified radical mastoidectomy at least one time. Results of routine culture for cerebrospinal and pus samples had high negative rate. All patients received initial empirical broadspectrum intravenous antibiotics therapy. Four cases of brain abscesses were drained or excised at the same time for otologic surgery. The mortality rate was 6.25% (1 case). Conclusions Cholesteatoma is still the most commonly primary disease of otogenic intracranial complications. Diagnosis and treatment of otogenic intracranial infections require multidisciplinary cooperation. Surgical intervention for primary ear lesions and intracranial abscess is still the main option in the treatment of otogenic intracranial infections.

Objective:To observe the effects of Deoxyschisandrin on hemorrheology and coagulation function in ulcerative colitis (UC)mice.Methods:Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)induced UC mice model was prepared.And then UC mice were randomly divided into model group,positive control group,high,medium,and low dose groups of deoxyschisandrin (80,40,20mg/kg),and in addition,a normal control group was set up.There were 10 mice in each group respectively.UC mice were intragastricly administrated with different concentration of deoxyschisandrin in medication group,or with equal volume distilled water in normal group or model group,respectively.The blood viscosity was determined by blood rheometer,and the bleeding time (BT)and the clotting time (CT)were also observed through the methods of tail cutting and blood coagulation in glass plates accordingly.Results:Compared with model group,the BT (P ＜ 0.01)and CT (P ＜ 0.05)were significantly prolonged,and the blood viscosity was decreased obviously (P ＜ 0.05) in UC mice after administrated with different concentration deoxyschisandfin for 14 days.And the effects in high dose group were strongest and similar to those in the positive group.Conclusions:Deoxyschisandrin can improve hemorrheology and coagulation function in UC mice.

Ardipusilloside-I is a natural triterpenoid saponin, which was isolated from Ardisia pusilla A. DC. The aim of the study was to evaluate the stimulation of ardipusilloside-I on gastrointestinal motility in vitro and in vivo. The experiment of smooth muscle contraction directly monitored the contractions of the isolated jejunal segment (IJS) in different contractile states, and the effects of ardipusilloside-I on myosin were measured in the presence of Ca²⁺-calmodulin using the activities of 20 kDa myosin light chain (MLC₂₀) phosphorylation and myosin Mg²⁺-ATPase. The effects of ardipusilloside-I on gastro emptying and intestinal transit in constipation-predominant rats were observed, and the MLCK expression in jejuna of constipated rats was determined by western blot. The results showed that, ardipusilloside-I increased the contractility of IJS in a dose-dependent manner and reversed the low contractile state (LCS) of IJS induced by low Ca²⁺, adrenaline, and atropine respectively. There were synergistic effects on contractivity of IJS between ardipusilloside-I and ACh, high Ca²⁺, and histamine, respectively. Ardipusilloside-I could stimulate the phosphorylation of MLC₂₀ and Mg²⁺-ATPase activities of Ca²⁺- dependent phosphorylated myosin. Ardipusilloside-I also stimulated the gastric emptying and intestinal transit in normal and constipated rats in vivo, respectively, and increased the MLCK expression in the jejuna of constipation-predominant rats. Briefly, the findings demonstrated that ardipusilloside-I could effectively excite gastrointestinal motility in vitro and in vivo.
Animals ; Ardisia ; Atropine ; Blotting, Western ; Epinephrine ; Gastric Emptying ; Gastrointestinal Motility* ; Histamine ; In Vitro Techniques ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Myosin Light Chains* ; Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase* ; Myosins* ; Phosphorylation* ; Rats ; Saponins