Objective:To investigate the effect of laparoscopic splenectomy and azygoportal disconnection (LSD) on liver synthesis and development of liver cirrhosis.Methods:This is a prospective case series study.The clinical data of liver cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension who received LSD at the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Northern Jiangsu People′s Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University from September 2014 to January 2016 were included. This study analyzed the diameter of the portal vein, the velocity of portal blood flow, the routine blood parameters, the liver function, the synthetic proteins of liver (antithrombin Ⅲ (AT-Ⅲ), protein S, protein C), and the serum content of liver fibrotic markers(collagen type Ⅳ, procollagen type Ⅲ, laminin, hyaluronidase). Repeated measures ANOVA was used for comparison between multiple groups, and least significance difference was used for post-hoc multiple comparison.Results:A total of 106 patients were included in the study, including 70 males and 36 females, aged (51.8±9.8) years(range: 28 to 75 years).Compared with the preoperative results, the diameter of portal vein and the velocity of portal vein decreased after surgery ( F=14.03, 12.15, respectively, both P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative results, the total bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, Child-Pugh score and classification were improved ( F=17.96, 56.01, 66.63, 35.83, 33.49, and 27.50, respectively, all P<0.01), and the AT-Ⅲ, protein S, protein C,collagen type Ⅳ, procollagen type Ⅲ, laminin and hyaluronidase levels were also improved ( F=47.87, 36.26, 18.02, 2.79, 14.58, 44.35, and 14.38, respectively, all P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative period, the diameter of portal vein was reduced from the first week to the 24 th month after surgery ( t=5.45 to 9.39, all P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative period, the velocity of portal vein blood from the first week after surgery to the 24 th month after surgery was decreased ( t=4.02 to 8.43, all P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative period, routine blood parameters (white blood count, hemoglobin, platelet count), liver function (total bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, Child-Pugh score), liver synthetic protein (AT-Ⅲ, protein S, protein C) and liver fibrotic markers (collagen type Ⅳ, procollagen type Ⅲ, laminin, hyaluronidase) were improved to varying degrees at the 24th month after surgery ( t=-20.46 to 11.93, all P<0.01). Conclusion:Preliminary findings show that LSD can reduce portal vein pressure, restore blood cell number, and improve liver synthesis function and the degree of liver fibrosis in patients with portal hypertension in liver cirrhosis.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the primary fibrogenic cells in the liver, and their activation plays a crucial role in the development and progression of hepatic fibrosis. Here, we report that retinoid X receptor-alpha (RXRα), a unique member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is a key modulator of HSC activation and liver fibrosis. RXRα exerts its effects by modulating calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKKβ)-mediated activation of AMP-activated protein kinase-alpha (AMPKα). In addition, we demonstrate that K-80003, which binds RXRα by a unique mechanism, effectively suppresses HSC activation, proliferation, and migration, thereby inhibiting liver fibrosis in the CCl₄ and amylin liver NASH (AMLN) diet animal models. The effect is mediated by AMPKα activation, promoting mitophagy in HSCs. Mechanistically, K-80003 activates AMPKα by inducing RXRα to form condensates with CaMKKβ and AMPKα via a two-phase process. The formation of RXRα condensates is driven by its N-terminal intrinsic disorder region and requires phosphorylation by CaMKKβ. Our results reveal a crucial role of RXRα in liver fibrosis regulation through modulating mitochondrial activities in HSCs. Furthermore, they suggest that K-80003 and related RXRα modulators hold promise as therapeutic agents for fibrosis-related diseases.

Objective To evaluate the surgical efficacy of unilateral pneumonectomy for the treatment of tuberculous destroyed lung, analyze the causes of severe postoperative complications, and explore clinical management strategies. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients with tuberculous destroyed lung who underwent unilateral pneumonectomy at the Public Health Clinical Center of Chengdu from 2017 to 2023. Postoperative severe complications were statistically analyzed. Patients were divided into a non-severe complication group and a severe-complication group, and the causes, management, and outcomes of complications were analyzed. Results A total of 134 patients were included, comprising 69 males and 65 females, with a mean age of 17-73 (40.43±12.69) years. There were 93 patients undergoing left pneumonectomy and 41 patients undergoing right pneumonectomy. Preoperative sputum smear was positive in 35 patients, all of which converted to negative postoperatively. There were 58 patients with hemoptysis preoperatively, and none experienced hemoptysis postoperatively. Postoperative incisional infection occurred in 8 (5.97%) patients, and postoperative pulmonary infection in 26 (19.40%) patients. Severe postoperative complications occurred in 17 (12.69%) patients, including empyema in 9 (6.72%) patients, bronchopleural fistula with empyema in 1 (0.75%) patient, severe pneumonia in 3 (2.24%) patients, postpneumonectomy syndrome in 1 (0.75%) patient, chylothorax in 1 (0.75%) patient, ketoacidosis in 1 (0.75%) patient, and heart failure with severe pneumonia in 1 (0.75%) patient. Perioperative mortality occurred in 2 (1.49%) patients, both of whom underwent right pneumonectomy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that a history of ipsilateral thoracic surgery, concomitant Aspergillus infection, and greater blood loss were independent risk factors for severe complications following unilateral pneumonectomy for tuberculous destroyed lung (P<0.05). Conclusion Unilateral pneumonectomy for patients with tuberculous destroyed lung can significantly improve the clinical cure rate, sputum conversion rate, and hemoptysis cessation rate. However, there is a certain risk of severe perioperative complications and mortality, requiring thorough perioperative management and appropriate management of postoperative complications.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic value of the vesical imaging-reporting and data system（VI-RADS）for determining muscle invasion in variant histology urothelial carcinoma（VUC）of the bladder.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on the pathological and imaging data of 518 bladder cancer patients admitted to Jiangsu Province Hospital between January 2013 and January 2023. Patients were stratified into pure urothelial carcinoma（PUC）group（ n = 457）and variant urothelial carcinoma（VUC）group（ n = 61）based on the presence of histological variants. In the PUC group，there were 390 males（85.3%）and 67 females（14.7%），with a mean age of（66.9 ± 11.2）years. Tumor characteristics included maximum diameter ≥ 30 mm in 149（32.6%），< 30 mm in 308（67.4%），multiple tumors in 147（32.2%），solitary in 310（67.8%），pedunculated morphology in 143（31.3%）and non-pedunculated in 314（68.7%）. Histological grading identified high-grade tumors in 319 patients（69.8%）and low-grade tumors in 138（30.2%）. Pathological stage distribution included 191 of T a（41.8%），127 of T 1（27.8%），76 of T 2（16.6%），47 of T 3（10.3%），and 16 of T 4（3.5%）patients. The VUC group included 61 patients，comprising 51 males（83.6%）and 10 females（16.4%），with a mean age of（65.8 ± 11.4）years. Tumor characteristics were maximum diameter ≥ 30 mm in 38（62.3%），< 30 mm in 23（37.7%），multiple tumors in 16（26.2%），solitary in 45（73.8%），pedunculated morphology in 11（18.0%）and non-pedunculated in 50（82.0%）. Histological grading identified high-grade tumors in 59 patients（96.7%）and low-grade tumors in 2（3.3%）. Pathological stage distribution included 3 of T a（4.9%），15 of T 1（24.6%），15 of T 2（24.6%），20 of T 3（32.8%），and 8 of T 4（13.1%）patients. No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in gender，age，or tumor multiplicity（ P > 0.05）. Statistically significant differences were found in pathological grade，pathological stage，maximum tumor diameter，and pedunculated morphology（ P < 0.05）. Furthermore，an external validation cohort of 278 bladder cancer patients treated between February 2023 and February 2024 from multiple centers（Jiangsu Provincial People’s Hospital，The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University，Union Hospital Tongji Medical College Huazhong University of Science and Technology，Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Suzhou Municipal Hospital，Huaian First People’s Hospital，Yixing People’s Hospital）was retrospectively analyzed to externally validate the performance of VI-RADS scoring in predicting muscle invasion of VUC. This cohort included a PUC subgroup of 241 patients，comprising 196 males（81.3%）and 45 females（18.7%），with a mean age of（68.0 ± 10.7）years. Tumor characteristics were maximum diameter ≥ 30 mm in 85（35.3%），< 30 mm in 156（64.7%），multiple tumors in 65（27.0%），solitary in 176（73.0%），pedunculated morphology in 76（31.5%）and non-pedunculated in 165（68.5%）. Histological grading identified high-grade tumors in 175 patients（72.6%）and low-grade tumors in 66（27.4%）. Pathological staging comprised 107 patients of T a（44.4%），78 of T 1（32.4%），22 of T 2（9.1%），22 of T 3（9.1%），and 12 of T 4（5.0%）. The VUC subgroup consisted of 37 patients，comprising 29 males（78.4%）and 8 females（21.6%），with a mean age of（70.5 ± 9.5）years. Tumor characteristics were maximum diameter ≥ 30 mm in 23（62.2%），< 30 mm in 14（37.8%），multiple tumors in 9（24.3%），solitary in 28（75.7%），pedunculated morphology in 7（18.9%）and non-pedunculated in 30（81.1%）. Histological grading identified high-grade tumors in 36 patients（97.3%）and low-grade tumors in 1（2.7%）. Pathological staging comprised 1 patient of T a（2.7%），9 of T 1（24.3%），7 of T 2（18.9%），19 of T 3（51.4%），and 1 of T 4（2.7%）. In this validation cohort，no significant differences were found in gender，age，tumor multiplicity，or pedunculated morphology between the PUC and VUC subgroups（ P > 0.05）. Significant differences were observed in pathological grade，pathological stage，and maximum tumor diameter（ P < 0.05）. Three radiologists independently reviewed and scored the multiparametric MRI（mp-MRI）in a blinded manner. Inter-reader agreement was assessed using the weighted kappa statistic. Differences in variables between the two groups were compared using t-tests，chi-square tests，or Fisher’s exact test. The diagnostic performance of VI-RADS for muscle invasion in VUC and PUC was comprehensively evaluated using receiver operating characteristic（ROC）curves，the area under the curve（AUC），and cut-off values determined by the Youden’s index. The DeLong test was used to assess whether the diagnostic performance of VI-RADS differed between VUC and PUC. Results:In the retrospective single-center cohort，the AUC of VI-RADS for assessing muscle invasion was 0.895（95% CI 0.864?0.922）in the PUC group，with a cut-off value of > 3，and the AUC was 0.896（95% CI 0.791-0.960）in the VUC group，with a cut-off value of > 3. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant（ P = 0.986）. Using a VI-RADS score > 3 as the cut-off value，the accuracy，sensitivity，specificity，positive predictive value（PPV），and negative predictive value（NPV）for diagnosing muscle invasion status in the PUC group were 85.8%（392/457），70.5%（98/139），92.5%（294/318），80.3%（98/122），and 87.8%（294/335），respectively. The corresponding values for the VUC group were 82.0%（50/61），76.7%（33/43），94.4%（17/18），97.1%（33/34），and 63.0%（17/27）.In the retrospective multicenter cohort，the AUC of VI-RADS for assessing muscle invasion was 0.891（95% CI 0.845?0.927）in the PUC group，with a cut-off value of > 2，and the AUC was 0.898（95% CI 0.754?0.973）in the VUC group，with a cut-off value of > 3. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant（ P = 0.897）. Using a VI-RADS score > 3 as the cut-off value，the accuracy，sensitivity，specificity，PPV，and NPV for diagnosing muscle invasion status in the PUC group were 85.9%（207/241），58.9%（33/56），94.1%（174/185），75.0%（33/44），and 88.3%（174/197），respectively. The corresponding values for the VUC group were 81.1%（30/37），77.8%（21/27），90.0%（9/10），95.5%（21/22），and 60.0%（9/15）.In the single-center cohort，the Kappa values for inter-reader agreement in assessing muscle invasion status using VI-RADS were 0.881（ P < 0.01）for the PUC group and 0.941（ P < 0.01）for the VUC group among the three readers. In the multicenter cohort，the Kappa values were 0.858（ P < 0.01）for the PUC group and 0.838（ P < 0.01）for the VUC group. Conclusions:VI-RADS demonstrates similarly high diagnostic performance for assessing muscle invasion in both PUC and VUC，which is applicable for diagnosing muscle invasion status in VUC，and shows good inter-reader agreement.

Objective:To investigate the effect of laparoscopic splenectomy and azygoportal disconnection (LSD) on liver synthesis and development of liver cirrhosis.Methods:This is a prospective case series study.The clinical data of liver cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension who received LSD at the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Northern Jiangsu People′s Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University from September 2014 to January 2016 were included. This study analyzed the diameter of the portal vein, the velocity of portal blood flow, the routine blood parameters, the liver function, the synthetic proteins of liver (antithrombin Ⅲ (AT-Ⅲ), protein S, protein C), and the serum content of liver fibrotic markers(collagen type Ⅳ, procollagen type Ⅲ, laminin, hyaluronidase). Repeated measures ANOVA was used for comparison between multiple groups, and least significance difference was used for post-hoc multiple comparison.Results:A total of 106 patients were included in the study, including 70 males and 36 females, aged (51.8±9.8) years(range: 28 to 75 years).Compared with the preoperative results, the diameter of portal vein and the velocity of portal vein decreased after surgery ( F=14.03, 12.15, respectively, both P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative results, the total bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, Child-Pugh score and classification were improved ( F=17.96, 56.01, 66.63, 35.83, 33.49, and 27.50, respectively, all P<0.01), and the AT-Ⅲ, protein S, protein C,collagen type Ⅳ, procollagen type Ⅲ, laminin and hyaluronidase levels were also improved ( F=47.87, 36.26, 18.02, 2.79, 14.58, 44.35, and 14.38, respectively, all P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative period, the diameter of portal vein was reduced from the first week to the 24 th month after surgery ( t=5.45 to 9.39, all P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative period, the velocity of portal vein blood from the first week after surgery to the 24 th month after surgery was decreased ( t=4.02 to 8.43, all P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative period, routine blood parameters (white blood count, hemoglobin, platelet count), liver function (total bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, Child-Pugh score), liver synthetic protein (AT-Ⅲ, protein S, protein C) and liver fibrotic markers (collagen type Ⅳ, procollagen type Ⅲ, laminin, hyaluronidase) were improved to varying degrees at the 24th month after surgery ( t=-20.46 to 11.93, all P<0.01). Conclusion:Preliminary findings show that LSD can reduce portal vein pressure, restore blood cell number, and improve liver synthesis function and the degree of liver fibrosis in patients with portal hypertension in liver cirrhosis.

This study aimed to explore the therapeutic mechanisms of Colquhounia Root Tablets(CRT) in treating diabetic kidney disease(DKD) by integrating biomolecular network mining with animal model verification. By analyzing clinical transcriptomics data, an interaction network was constructed between candidate targets of CRT and DKD-related genes. Based on the topological eigenvalues of network nodes, 101 core network targets of CRT against DKD were identified. These targets were found to be closely related to multiple pathways associated with type 2 diabetes, immune response, and metabolic reprogramming. Given that immune-inflammatory imbalance driven by metabolic reprogramming is one of the key pathogenic mechanisms of DKD, and that many core network targets of CRT are involved in this pathological process, receptor for advanced glycation end products(RAGE)-reactive oxygen species(ROS)-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)-protein kinase B(AKT)-nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)-NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3) signaling axis was selected as a candidate target for in-depth research. Further, a rat model of DKD induced by a high-sugar, high-fat diet and streptozotocin was established to evaluate the pharmacological effects of CRT and verify the expression of related targets. The experimental results showed that CRT could effectively correct metabolic disturbances in DKD, restore immune-inflammatory balance, and improve renal function and its pathological changes by inhibiting the activation of the RAGE-ROS-PI3K-AKT-NF-κB-NLRP3 signaling axis. In conclusion, this study reveals that CRT alleviates the progression of DKD through dual regulation of metabolic reprogramming and immune-inflammatory responses, providing strong experimental evidence for its clinical application in DKD.
Animals ; Diabetic Nephropathies/metabolism* ; Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products/genetics* ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Rats ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Humans ; Plant Roots/chemistry* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tablets/administration & dosage*

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disease. Its pathological process is related to inflammatory response, chondrocyte apoptosis, and cartilage degeneration. Hippo-yes-associate protein(YAP) signaling pathway plays an important role in mediating organ size and tissue homeostasis. In recent years, the key effector protein YAP in the Hippo-YAP pathway has become a research hotspot in osteoarthritis. This article introduces the activation process of Hippo-YAP signaling pathway and the biological role of YAP. It reviews the progress of YAP in regulating osteoarthritis by influencing the proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and the proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of articular chondrocytes. It analyzed the problems encountered in YAP research in OA, introduces the research potential of YAP in other orthopedic diseases, and provides new ideas for subsequent research in Osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis/metabolism* ; Humans ; Signal Transduction ; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/physiology* ; Hippo Signaling Pathway ; YAP-Signaling Proteins ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/physiology* ; Animals ; Transcription Factors ; Chondrocytes/cytology* ; Cell Cycle Proteins

Sarin(GB)is a typical representative of nerve agents with high toxicity,and very low amount can cause death.GB can cause water and atmospheric environment poisoning,so the detection of GB in water and air is of great significance.In this work,a colorimetric sensor array(CSA)based on GB inhibition of cholinesterase activity was constructed to detect GB with high selectivity.A 4×4 colorimetric array was constructed using acetylcholinesterase(AChE),butyryl cholinesterase(BuChE)and the corresponding substrate acetylthiocholine iodide(S-ACh),butyryl thiocholine iodide(S-BCh),acetylcholine chloride(ACh),butyryl choline chloride(BCh)and 2,6-dichloroindophenol ethyl ester(DCIE).The linear curve of the sensor was Y=131.3×lgC+271.6(R2=0.997),where Y was the array response Euclidean distance,C was the concentration of GB(mg/L),the linear range was 0.03?0.32 mg/L,and the detection limit was 27.6 μg/L.The method could effectively distinguish chemical warfare agents(CWA)such as VX,Soman(GD),mustard gas(HD),Louie reagent(L),and had high anti-interference ability,sensitivity and good repeatability.It was successfully applied to the detection of GB in simulated water and simulated air samples,and the sample recovery rate was 97.2% ?100.9%.This method would be potentially applied to the field rapid detection of nerve agents.

Objective:To study the impact of early blood concentrations of tacrolimus on the survival of patients after liver transplantation.Methods:Clinical data of 159 patients with liver diseases undergoing classic orthotopic liver transplantation at the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the 900th Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force between January 2010 and December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, including 123 males and 36 females, aged (48.0±12.2) years. According to survival status, patients were divided into the surviving group ( n=108) and death group ( n=51). Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was applied to adjust for confounding factors by weighting covariates between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to examine the relationship between early tacrolimus concentrations and mortality, and restrict cubic spline (RCS) curves were employed to assess the nonlinear relationship further. Results:After IPTW weighting, multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that early tacrolimus concentration ( HR=2.479, 95% CI: 1.354-4.537, P<0.001) and preoperative international normalized ratio ( HR=0.358, 95% CI: 0.162-0.792, P=0.011) levels were risk factors for post-transplant survival. The RCS curve revealed that the optimal thresholds for early tacrolimus concentration were 6.30 ng/ml and 8.28 ng/ml ( P<0.001). Patients were therefore divided into the optimal concentration group ( n=60) and the non-optimal concentration group ( n=99). After IPTW weighting, the optimal concentration group comprised 102 cases, and the non-optimal concentration group included 212 cases. The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rates in the optimal concentration group and the non-optimal concentration group were 97.06%, 81.37% and 75.49%, and 86.32%, 64.62% and 50.94%, respecitvely ( χ2=8.37, P<0.001). Conclusion:Early tacrolimus concentration is an independent risk factor for post-transplant survival. A tacrolimus concentration >8.28 ng/ml or <6.30 ng/ml is associated with a relatively higher mortality rate.