OBJECTIVE To compare the antihypertensive efficacy of sacubitril/valsartan versus benazepril in patients with perimenopausal hypertension， as well as their impacts on ventricular remodeling and inflammatory fibrosis. METHODS A total of 206 perimenopausal hypertensive patients in our hospital from January 1， 2023 to December 30， 2024 were retrospectively included.These patients were enrolled and divided into benazepril group （105 cases） and sacubitril/valsartan group （101 cases）. Benazepril group received Benazepril hydrochloride tablet， and sacubitril/valsartan group received Sacubitril valsartan sodium tablet. All patients were treated for 6 months. The blood pressure（systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure） and blood pressure control status before and after treatment， echocardiographic indicators （left ventricular ejection fraction， left ventricular mass index， relative wall thickness， and early-diastolic peak transmitral flow velocity/early-diastolic peak velocity of the mitral annulus）， inflammatory fibrosis related indicators（high-sensitivity C-reactive protein，ratio of monocytes to lymphocytes，and ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes）， as well as the occurrence of adverse reactions（hypotension，hyperkalemia，and angioedema） were observed in both groups before and after treatment. RESULTS The blood pressure control rate was significantly higher in the sacubitril/valsartan group than in benazepril group （ P ＜0.05）. After treatment， the blood pressure， echocardiographic indicators（except for left ventricular ejection fraction） ，and inflammatory fibrosis related indicators were significantly lower than those before treatment within the same group， and the sacubitril/valsartan group were significantly lower than the benazepril group （ P ＜0.05）. There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of hypotension， hyperkalemia， angioedema， and overall adverse drug reactions between the two groups （ P ＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Compared with benazepril， sacubitril/valsartan provides superior blood-pressure control， reverses ventricular remodeling， attenuates inflammatory fibrosis in perimenopausal hypertensive patients， while maintaining a similar safety profile.

Objective: To explore the relationship between socio ecological risk factors (SERF), physical activity (PA) developmental trajectories, and depressive symptoms among junior and senior high school students in Tianjin, in order to provide theoretical support for comprehensive interventions for adolescent depression. Methods: A longitudinal follow up design was adopted. In September 2022, a baseline survey was conducted using a stratified cluster random sampling method in two junior high schools and two senior high schools in Tianjin, collecting data on students basic information, SERF, PA, and depressive symptoms. Two follow up surveys were conducted in September 2023 and 2024, yielding 588 valid participants. Latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was used to identify PA developmental trajectory categories among junior and senior high school students. Logistic regression was applied to examine the associations between depressive symptoms and SERF as well as PA trajectories. Results: The detection rates of depressive symptoms among Tianjin junior and senior high school students over the three years were 26.53%, 20.24%, and 21.26 %, respectively. Depressive symptoms were positively correlated with SERF ( OR=1.04, 95%CI=1.03-1.05, P <0.05). The highest risks were observed in the individual dimension and family dimension ( OR =1.28, 1.21, both P <0.05). LCGA identified three PA trajectory groups:persistently low level (80.65%), persistently high level (4.58%), and slowly increasing group ( 14.77 %). Multivariate regression analysis showed that compared with the persistently low level PA, the slowly increasing PA significantly reduced the risk of depressive symptoms ( OR=0.44, 95%CI =0.20-0.88), while SERF still increased the risk of depressive symptoms ( OR=1.04, 95%CI =1.03-1.05) (both P <0.05). Conclusion SERF are risk factors for depression symptoms among junior and senior high school students, whereas slowly increasing PA development trajectory demonstrates a protective effect.

Objective To investigate the clinical safety and efficacy of predictive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support during liver transplantation in high-risk recipients. Methods A single-center retrospective study was conducted. A total of 35 liver transplant recipients who underwent predictive ECMO assistance during surgery at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from January 2021 to April 2025 were included. Baseline characteristics, ECMO application, ECMO operating parameters and hemodynamic conditions during ECMO operation were analyzed. The cumulative survival rate was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and survival curves were plotted. Results Veno-arterial ECMO in 35 recipients was established after induction of general anesthesia. The median ECMO operation time was 8.5 h, and the success rate of weaning from ECMO was 97%. The cardiac index (CI) during the non-liver period and the new liver period was higher than that before cannulation, and CI increased during the non-liver period and before weaning (all P<0.001). The mean invasive arterial pressure and central venous pressure remained stable. No ECMO-related complications occurred in the recipients. The average survival time was (25 ± 3) months. The main causes of death were severe pulmonary infection and multiple organ failure. Conclusions For liver transplant recipients with severe cardiopulmonary dysfunction, hemodynamic disorders, or multiple organ failure risk factors, implementing predictive ECMO support during liver transplantation through active risk prediction is a safe and effective circulatory guarantee strategy.

ObjectiveTo investigate the status and influencing factors of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among close contacts of patients with bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis in Jing’an District, Shanghai, and to provide scientific evidence for the development of tuberculosis infection testing and preventive intervention strategies for close contacts of bacteriologically positive patients. MethodsFrom October 2022 to October 2023, patients with bacteriological confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis registered in Jing’an District, Shanghai, and their close contacts were enrolled as the research subjects. The close contacts were screened for tuberculosis infection using the interferon-γ release assay (IGRA). The chi-square test and binary logistic regression model were used to analyze factors influencing LTBI. ResultsA total of 112 close contacts were included, of whom 30 (26.79%) were male and 82 (73.21%) were female. The age ranged from 1 to 86 years, with a median (25th, 75th percentiles) of 47.50 (32.25, 61.00) years. The infection rate of LTBI was 21.43% (24/112), and the incidence of active pulmonary tuberculosis was 2.68% (3/112). Univariate analyses showed that a positive sputum smear of the index case, being a direct relative of the index case, co-living, and not wearing a mask were significantly associated with LTBI (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the risk of latent infection in close contacts of the index case with a positive sputum smear was 6.50 times higher than in those with a negative sputum smear (95%CI: 1.82‒23.25, P=0.004). ConclusionThe infection rate of LTBI in close contacts of patients with bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis in Jing’an District, Shanghai, is relatively high, and close contacts of sputum smear-positive patients face an even higher risk of infection. Therefore, tuberculosis infection screening and follow-up management should be strengthened for this population.

Incretin-based drugs have demonstrated significant clinical value in weight management and the treatment of metabolic diseases by mimicking or enhancing endogenous incretin signaling. These agents primarily target multiple receptors including glucagon-like peptide-1， glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide， and glucagon， exerting weight-reducing effects through multiple mechanisms such as central appetite regulation， gastrointestinal function modulation， and peripheral metabolic improvement， while further ameliorating blood glucose， blood lipids， fatty liver， and cardiorenal metabolic risks. This review focuses on incretin-based drugs， systematically summarizing the key clinical application points and relevant research progress of domestically marketed and investigational candidate drugs in the field of weight reduction. Available evidence indicates that semaglutide and tirzepatide demonstrate substantial weight reduction with multiple metabolic benefits； domestic innovative drugs represented by mazdutide and ecnoglutide also exhibit favorable weight-reducing effects and safety profiles. Regarding safety， these agents are generally well-tolerated， with the most common adverse reactions being mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal events， while potential risks including gallbladder events， pancreatitis， and mood changes require attention. In special populations， individualized assessment is warranted for use in children， elderly people， and pregnant women. Future research should focus on the screening of predictive biomarkers for efficacy， the development of long-acting oral formulations， and the accumulation of long-term safety follow-up data.

Objective To prepare virus-like particles (VLPs) for yellow fever virus (YFV) using the pACYCDuet-1 single-plasmid dual expression system. Methods Gene fragments including NS1, NS5, and 5' untranslated region (UTR) and 3' UTR fragment of YFV were cloned into the expression plasmid pACYCDuet-1-MS2-TMpac (carrying MS2 coat protein gene) and transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) for expression. VLPs were observed by TEM. After DNase I/RNase A digestion, RNA was extracted and transcribed into cDNA, which was subjected to fluorescence quantitative PCR detection. Results According to SN/T 3560-2013, double digestion and colony PCR of pACYCDuet-1-MS2-TMpac-YFV both produced expected bands. SDS-PAGE showed a target band at 25-35 kDa. RT-PCR amplified VLPs after enzyme digestion, and TEM revealed VLPs with clear edges and translucent interiors. Thus, the plasmid was successfully constructed, and the phage coat protein packaged YFV genes with nuclease resistance. Conclusion VLPs containing specific gene fragments of yellow fever virus have been successfully prepared. These nuclease-resistant VLPs can serve as safe and stable quality control materials to ensure the reliability of laboratory detection for YFV.

Objective To explore the value and operational effectiveness of establishing a donor care unit (DCU). Methods A single-center retrospective cohort study design was adopted. The DCU of the Transplant Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University was officially put into use on August 1, 2023. As of April 30, 2024, 200 donors were divided into the DCU group (n=107) and the non-DCU group (n=93) based on the different donor maintenance sites. Baseline data of donors, organ maintenance management indicators, organ output and utilization were collected and analyzed; simultaneously, the perioperative effects and 1-year postoperative prognosis of 314 recipients undergoing kidney transplantation at the Transplant Medicine Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University were tracked. Results Compared with the non-DCU group, the usage rate of vasoactive drugs in the DCU group was lower, the completeness rate of pathogen culture and the proportion of daytime organ acquisition surgeries were higher, the cold ischemia time of the liver was shorter, the professional maintenance time of donors was longer, but the total hospitalization cost of donors was higher (all P<0.05). The 24-hour urine volume of donors in the DCU group increased, the level of creatine kinase decreased, and electrolyte indicators such as procalcitonin, lactate, blood sodium and blood chloride improved (all P<0.05). The cardiac output rate of donors in the DCU group was higher than that of the non-DCU group (P<0.05). The perioperative indicators, 1-year postoperative survival rates and graft survival rates of kidney transplant recipients in both groups were similar, but the serum creatinine level of recipients in the DCU group was lower after 1 year (P<0.05). Conclusions The management and operation efficiency of the DCU are good. By monitoring and regulating the stable physiological state of donors, the quality of organs is guaranteed, thereby improving cardiac output rate and short-term function of the transplanted kidney. The total hospitalization cost of donors is higher, and its comprehensive benefits need to be studied. However, it provides preliminary evidence-based basis for the clinical application of the DCU.

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Tongluo Baoshen prescription （TLBS）-containing serum on the rat podocyte injury induced by lipopolysaccharide （LPS） and explore the potential mechanisms. MethodsSD rats were used to prepare the blank serum， losartan potassium-containing serum， and low-， medium-， and high-dose TLBS-containing sera. Rat podocytes were cultured in vitro， and the effects of drug-containing sera on podocyte viability were detected by the cell counting kit-8 （CKK-8） method. The optimal intervention volume fraction of drug-containing sera and the optimal concentration of LPS for inducing the podocyte injury were determined. Rat podocytes were grouped as follows： normal control （NC， 10% blank serum）， model control （MC， 20.00 mg·L^-1 LPS+10% black serum）， losartan potassium （LP， 20.00 mg·L^-1 LPS+10% losartan potassium-containing serum）， low-dose TLBS （TLBS-L， 20.00 mg·L^-1 LPS+10% low-dose TLBS-containing serum）， medium-dose TLBS （TLBS-M， 20.00 mg·L^-1 LPS+10% medium-dose TLBS-containing serum）， and high-dose TLBS （TLBS-H， 20.00 mg·L^-1 LPS+10% high-dose TLBS-containing serum）， and the interventions lasted for 48 h. The ultrastructure of podocytes was observed under a transmission electron microscope. The podocyte apoptosis was detected by the terminal deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick-end labeling （TUNEL） kit. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of gasdermin D N-terminal fragment （GSDMD-NT） in podocytes. The mRNA and protein levels of G protein-coupled receptor family C group 5 member B （GPRC5B）， nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） p50， NF-κB p52， NF-κB p65， Rel B， c-Rel， NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-1 （Caspase-1）， GSDMD-NT， interleukin （IL）-1β， IL-18， nephrin， integrin α₃， and integrin β₁ in podocytes were determined by real-time quaritiative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. ResultsCompared with the NC group， the MC group showed reduced podocyte protrusions and organelles， segmental missing of cell membranes， increased and swollen mitochondria， irregular nuclear membranes， light chromatin， increased TUNEL fluorescence-positive nuclei （P<0.01）， obviously enhanced fluorescence intensity of GSDMD-NT， up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of GPRC5B， NF-κB p50， NF-κB p52， NF-κB p65， Rel B， c-Rel， NLRP3， caspase-1， GSDMD-NT， IL-1β， and IL-18 （P<0.01）， and down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of nephrin， integrin α₃， and integrin β₁ （P<0.01） in podocytes. Compared with the MC group， the LP， TLBS-M， and TLBS-H groups showed improved ultrastructure of podocytes with increased protrusions， intact cell membranes， reduced organelles， and alleviated mitochondrial swelling， decreased TUNEL fluorescence-positive nuclei （P<0.01）， weakened fluorescence intensity of GSDMD-NT， down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of GPRC5B， NF-κB p50， NF-κB p52， NF-κB p65， Rel B， c-Rel， NLRP3， caspase-1， GSDMD-NT， IL-1β， and IL-18 （P<0.01）， and up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of nephrin， integrin α₃， and integrin β₁ （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， the changes above were the most obvious in the TLBS-H group. ConclusionThe TLBS-containing serum can regulate the GPRC5B/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway to inhibit pyroptosis， thereby ameliorating the podocyte injury induced by LPS.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect and mechanism of Jingangteng capsules in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. METHODS Thirty-two SD rats were randomly divided into normal group and modeling group. The modeling group was fed a high-fat diet to establish a NAFLD model. The successfully modeled rats were then randomly divided into model group， atorvastatin group[positive control， 2 mg/（kg·d）]， and Jingangteng capsules low- and high-dose groups [0.63 and 2.52 mg/（kg·d）]， with 6 rats in each group. The pathological changes of the liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and oil red O staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to determine the serum levels of triglycerides （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， alanine transaminase （ALT）， aspartate transaminase （AST）， tumour necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， IL-6， IL-18. 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing and metabolomics techniques were applied to explore the effects of Jingangteng capsules on gut microbiota and metabolisms in NAFLD rats. Based on the E-mail：591146765@qq.com metabolomics results， Western blot analysis was performed to detect proteins related to the nuclear factor kappa-B （NF-κB）/NOD-like receptor family protein 3 （NLRP3） signaling pathway in the livers of NAFLD rats. RESULTS The experimental results showed that Jingangteng capsules could significantly reduce the serum levels of TG， TC， LDL-C， AST， ALT， TNF-α， IL-1β， IL-6， IL-18， while increased the level of HDL-C， and alleviated the hepatic cellular steatosis and inflammatory infiltration in NAFLD rats. They could regulate the gut microbiota disorders in NAFLD rats， significantly increased the relative abundance of Romboutsia and Oscillospira， and significantly decreased the relative abundance of Blautia （P＜0.05）. They also regulated metabolic disorders primarily by affecting secondary bile acid biosynthesis， fatty acid degradation， O-antigen nucleotide sugar biosynthesis， etc. Results of Western blot assay showed that they significantly reduced the phosphorylation levels of NF-κB p65 and NF-κB inhibitor α， and the protein expression levels of NLRP3， caspase-1 and ASC （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Jingangteng capsules could improve inflammation， lipid accumulation and liver injury in NAFLD rats， regulate the disorders of gut microbiota and metabolisms， and inhibit NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway. Their therapeutic effects against NAFLD are mediated through the inhibition of the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Objective: We employed Mendelian randomization (MR) to test the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory of emotional pathogenesis concept and explore the causal relationship between negative emotions and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Data of negative emotions, bronchitis, emphysema, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were downloaded from genome-wide association study (GWAS) public database for a two-sample MR analysis. Independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with negative emotions, bronchitis, and emphysema were selected as instrumental variables. Primary causal estimates were derived using inverse-variance weighting (IVW), supplemented by weighted median (WM), and simple mode (SM) methods. Sensitivity analyses included MR-Egger regression and MR-PRESSO to assess pleiotropy, Cochran’s Q test for heterogeneity, and multivariate MR to adjust for smoking. Mediation analysis evaluated the role of inflammatory markers. Reverse MR was tested for bidirectional causality. Weak instrument bias was mitigated via F-statistic thresholds (> 10). All analyses were conducted in RStudio. Results: MR analysis identified significant causal effects of several negative emotions on COPD. Genetically, the IVW analysis of seen doctors for nerves anxiety tension or depression [ORIVW = 1.006, 95% CI = (1.002, 1.010), P = 0.002], sensitivity/hurt feelings [ORIVW = 1.024, 95% CI = (1.004, 1.044), P = 0.017], and irritability [ORIVW = 1.019, 95% CI = (1.003, 1.035), P = 0.019 were robustly associated with increased risks of COPD. No heterogeneity was detected among the different instrumental variables (IVs) for depression (P = 0.655) and irritability (P = 0.163). MR-Egger regression intercepts for all emotional exposures were close to zero and statistically non-significant, indicating no evidence of directional pleiotropy. The horizontal pleiotropy results showed that except for worry (MR-PRESSO P = 0.006), other emotion exposures confirming no substantial pleiotropic bias. Multivariable MR demonstrated that anxiety remained independently associated with COPD after adjusting for smoking (P = 0.002), while associations with other negative emotions were attenuated post-adjustment. The mediation analysis revealed that CRP mediated 3.93% of the total effect of anxiety on COPD. However, reverse MR analysis found no evidence of reverse causality. Conclusion This study confirmed the causal effects of negative emotions on COPD through MR analysis and revealed that negative emotions may trigger CRP production, which plays an essential mediating role in this relationship. This study provides a reliable modern theoretical basis for emotion theory in TCM.