1.Differentiation and Treatment of Non-Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Based on the Concept of Nourishing the Heart and Softening the Hardness
Xiaofei GENG ; Xinbiao FAN ; Xitong SUN ; Wenyu SHANG ; Wenxiu LI ; Chi ZHANG ; Junping ZHANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(8):846-850
This article summarized clinical experience in differentiating and treating non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) based on the concept of nourishing the heart and softening the hardness. It is considered that HCM belongs to the category of "heart accumulation", with the fundamental cause being depletion of the spleen and kidney, and phlegm-stasis accumulation, as well as qi-yin exhaustion, serving as the manifestations. Spleen and kidney depletion leads to the transformation of phlegm and stasis, which accumulate in the heart; over time, this phlegm-stasis accumulation consumes heart qi and yin, resulting in the heart being deprived of nourishment, which eventually leads to the damage to both the function and structure of heart. Therefore, the method of nourishing the heart and softening the hardness is proposed for the treatment of non-obstructive HCM. Emphasis is placed on softening hardness and dissipating masses throughout the entire treatment process, often using Modified Siwei Ruanjian Formula (四味软坚方加减). During periods with prominent symptoms, the main treatment is boosting qi and nourishing yin to soften hardness and dissipate masses with self-made Yuxin Ruanjian Formula (自拟育心软坚方) in modifications; in stable periods, the main treatment is boosting kidney and fortifying spleen to soften hardness and dissipate masses with self-made Pishen Tongzhi Formula (脾肾同治方) in modifications.
2.The Anti-Angiogenic Effect of Microbotox on Rosacea Is Due to the Suppressed Secretion of VEGF by Mast Cells Resulting From Internalization of the MRGPRX2 Receptor
Jing WAN ; Yue LE ; Meng-Meng GENG ; Bing-Qi DONG ; Zhi-Kai LIAO ; Lin-Xia LIU ; Tie-Chi LEI
Annals of Dermatology 2025;37(4):228-240
Background:
Intradermal microdroplet injections of botulinum toxin type-A (BoNT/A) effectively ameliorate rosacea-related angiogenesis, but the mechanism remains unclear.
Objective:
To explore the anti-angiogenesis of BoNT/A in the rosacea-like mouse model and to measure the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by mast cells.
Methods:
A rosacea-like mouse model was induced by LL37 in both Mas-related G-proteincoupled receptor B2 conditional knockout (MrgprB2 −/− ) mice and wild-type (WT) mice, then treated with BoNT/A and/or Apatinib. The abundance of endothelial cells and mast cells in mouse skin was determined using dual immunofluorescence staining. The VEGF levels in supernatants and cell lysates of laboratory of allergic disease 2 (LAD2) mast cells were assessed using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blots, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The effect of conditioned medium (CM) collected from LAD2 on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was determined using tube formation assays. The number of proliferative cells was confirmed using the 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine incorporation assays.The effect of BoNT/A on the internalization of Mas-related G-protein-coupled receptor X2 (MRGPRX2) was detected using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining.
Results:
LL37-induced rosacea-like skin manifestations were significantly alleviated in MrgprB2 −/− mice compared to WT controls. BoNT/A mitigated the LL37-induced secretion of VEGF by LAD2. The CM from BoNT/A-treated LAD2 inhibited HUVEC proliferation and tube formation. The LAD2 cells co-treated with LL37 and BoNT/A exhibited dramatically enhanced MRGPRX2 internalization.
Conclusion
BoNT/A enhances LL37-mediated MRGPRX2 internalization in mast cells, thereby reducing VEGF secretion and neovascularization and improving facial flushing symptom in rosacea.
3.Development and validation of a machine learning-based explainable prediction model for the outcome of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage
Hong YUE ; Zhi GENG ; Zhaoping YU ; Chi ZHANG ; Xuechun LIU ; Juncang WU ; Aimei WU
International Journal of Cerebrovascular Diseases 2025;33(6):420-428
Objectives:To evaluate the predictive value of Tabular Prior-data Fitted Network(TabPFN) for short-term outcome in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), and compared with the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGboost) model and traditional logistic regression (LR) model. Methods:Patients with sICH admitted to the Department of Neurology, Hefei Second People's Hospital from January 2018 to March 2024 were included retrospectively. The demographic and baseline data were collected. At 3 months after onset, the modified Rankin Scale score was used to determine the outcome, 0-2 was defined as good outcome and >2 was defined as poor outcome. All enrolled patients were randomly divided into a training set and a testing set at a ratio of 7:3. Feature selection was performed using recursive feature elimination (RFE) method, and then the selected feature variables were included into TabPFN, XGboost, and LR models for training and testing. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive ability of the models. Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) method was used for model interpretation.Results:A total of 547 patients with sICH were enrolled, including 367 males (67.1%), with a median age of 65 (interquartile range, 54-76) years. Two hundred twenty-six patients (41.3%) had poor outcome. Age, baseline blood pressure (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure), baseline laboratory tests (white blood cell count, red blood cell count, platelet count, neutrophil count, hemoglobin, fasting blood glucose, creatinine, uric acid, urea nitrogen, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase), hematoma rupture into the ventricle, island sign, baseline hematoma volume, and baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score were selected as characteristic variables using RFE method. ROC curve analysis showed that the ROC AUC for TabPFN, Xgboost, and LR models predicting poor short-term outcome in the testing set were 0.918 (95% confidence interval [ CI] 0.870-0.966], 0.883 (95% CI 0.826-0.940), and 0.905 (95% CI 0.854-0.957), respectively. SHAP analysis showed that the top four important variables in the TabPFN model were baseline NIHSS score, baseline hematoma volume, baseline aspartate aminotransferase, and age. Conclusions:The TabPFN model is superior to the LR model and the XGBoost model in predicting poor outcome in patients with sICH. In the TabPFN model, baseline NIHSS score, baseline hematoma volume, aspartate aminotransferase, and age are the most important predictors of poor outcome in patients with sICH.Objectives To evaluate the predictive value of Tabular Prior-data Fitted Network(TabPFN) for short-term outcome in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), and compared with the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGboost) model and traditional logistic regression (LR) model. Methods Patients with sICH admitted to the Department of Neurology, Hefei Second People's Hospital from January 2018 to March 2024 were included retrospectively. The demographic and baseline data were collected. At 3 months after onset, the modified Rankin Scale score was used to determine the outcome, 0-2 was defined as good outcome and >2 was defined as poor outcome. All enrolled patients were randomly divided into a training set and a testing set at a ratio of 7:3. Feature selection was performed using recursive feature elimination (RFE) method, and then the selected feature variables were included into TabPFN, XGboost, and LR models for training and testing. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive ability of the models. Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) method was used for model interpretation. Results A total of 547 patients with sICH were enrolled, including 367 males (67.1%), with a median age of 65 (interquartile range, 54-76) years. Two hundred twenty-six patients (41.3%) had poor outcome. Age, baseline blood pressure (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure), baseline laboratory tests (white blood cell count, red blood cell count, platelet count, neutrophil count, hemoglobin, fasting blood glucose, creatinine, uric acid, urea nitrogen, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase), hematoma rupture into the ventricle, island sign, baseline hematoma volume, and baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score were selected as characteristic variables using RFE method. ROC curve analysis showed that the ROC AUC for TabPFN, Xgboost, and LR models predicting poor short-term outcome in the testing set were 0.918 (95% confidence interval [ CI] 0.870-0.966], 0.883 (95% CI 0.826-0.940), and 0.905 (95% CI 0.854-0.957), respectively. SHAP analysis showed that the top four important variables in the TabPFN model were baseline NIHSS score, baseline hematoma volume, baseline aspartate aminotransferase, and age. Conclusions The TabPFN model is superior to the LR model and the XGBoost model in predicting poor outcome in patients with sICH. In the TabPFN model, baseline NIHSS score, baseline hematoma volume, aspartate aminotransferase, and age are the most important predictors of poor outcome in patients with sICH.
4.A multicenter clinical study on intramedullary vancomycin injection for preventing periprosthetic joint infection in total knee arthroplasty
Te LIU ; Jun FU ; Shiguang LAI ; Zhuo ZHANG ; Chi XU ; Lei GENG ; Yang LUO ; Peng REN ; Xin ZHI ; Quanbo JI ; Heng ZHANG ; Runkai ZHAO ; Haichao REN ; Ye TAO ; Qingyuan ZHENG ; Zeyu FENG ; Jianfeng YANG ; Yiming WANG ; Pengcheng LI ; Shuai LIU ; Wei CHAI ; Xiang LI ; Huiwu LI ; Xiaogang ZHANG ; Baochao JI ; Xianzhe LIU ; Xinzhan MAO ; Jianbing MA ; Xiangxiang SUN ; Jiying CHEN ; Yonggang ZHOU ; Jinliang WANG ; Weijun WANG ; Guoqiang ZHANG ; Ming NI
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedics 2025;45(12):803-811
Objective:To explore the safety and efficacy of intraosseous regional administration (IORA) of vancomycin for preventing infection in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).Methods:A total of 124 patients with knee osteoarthritis undergoing TKA between February 2024 and May 2024 at nine hospitals were enrolled. Preoperative infection prophylaxis involved either IORA (0.5 g vancomycin administered via intraosseous regional infusion before incision) or intravenous infusion (1 g vancomycin via peripheral vein). The IORA group included 15 males and 47 females with a median age of 66.5 years (range, 60.0-70.0 years), while the intravenous group included 14 males and 48 females with a median age of 66.0 years (range, 61.8-70.3 years) years. Intraoperative samples were collected including fat and synovium tissues after incision, before prosthesis placement, and after tourniquet release; distal femoral cancellous bone during femoral osteotomy; proximal tibial cancellous bone during tibial osteotomy; proximal intercondylar cancellous bone before prosthesis placement; and peripheral blood from non-infused arms at surgery initiation and after tourniquet release. Vancomycin concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Vital sign changes were recorded from admission to 5~10 minutes post-IORA (IORA group) or post-incision (intravenous group). Follow-ups were conducted on postoperative day 1 and 3, and at 1 and 3 months, to document complications including IORA-related adverse events, periprosthetic joint infections, surgical site infections, red man syndrome, acute kidney injury, deep vein thrombosis and so on.Results:Vancomycin concentrations in bone, fat, and synovial tissue samples were significantly higher in the IORA group than in the intravenous group ( P<0.05), while vancomycin concentrations in blood samples were significantly lower in the IORA group than in the intravenous group ( P<0.05). Only 7.3%(41/558) of tissue samples in the IORA group had vancomycin concentrations below 2.0 μg/g (the minimum inhibitory concentration of vancomycin against coagulase-negative staphylococcus), compared to 59.3%(331/558) in the intravenous group (χ 2=11.285, P<0.001). In the intravenous group, 16.9%(21/124) of blood samples had vancomycin concentrations exceeding 15.0 mg/L (the threshold associated with a significantly increased risk of nephrotoxicity), while all concentrations in the IORA group were below this threshold, the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=22.943, P<0.001). There were no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05) in vital signs changes before and after vancomycin administration between the two groups. Two patients in the intravenous group experienced incision exudate, while no other related complications occurred in either group. Conclusions:Compared to the traditional intravenous infusion of 1 g vancomycin, intraosseous injection of a low dose (0.5 g) of vancomycin achieves higher local tissue concentrations in the knee joint with a lower incidence of adverse reactions and is safe for infection prophylaxis. Despite guidelines not recommending the routine use of vancomycin for preventing infection after primary TKA, intraosseous injection of 0.5 g vancomycin may be considered intraoperatively for primary TKA in the following scenarios: patients in medical institutions with a high prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, patients with potential preoperative MRSA colonization, or patients with cephalosporin allergy.
5.The modulation of excitability in the anterior piriform cortex by locus coeruleus noradrenergic neuron
Chi GENG ; Xiaojie WANG ; Xiao CHEN
Chinese Journal of Neuroanatomy 2025;41(3):281-288
Objective:Locus coeruleus(LC)noradrenergic(NEergic)neurons densely project to anterior piriform cortex(aPC).However,the modulation of LC to aPC remains unclear.Therefore,this study aims to investigate the effect of LC-aPC projection on the modulation of aPC in odor perception.Methods:The AAV-DIO-ChR2-eYFP virus was injected into LC of DBH-Cre mice and the optrode was placed into aPC.Optogenetics combined with in vivo electro-physiology were used to record the air/odor-evoked response of aPC pyramidal neurons.Results:The immunofluores-cent staining showed that the LC project directly to aPC.Activation of aPC NEergic fibers decreased the spontaneous re-sponses and odor-evoked responses of aPC pyramidal neurons.Conclusion:Activation of aPC NEergic neurons inhibits the spontaneous responses and odor-evoked responses of aPC pyramidal neurons.
6.The projections from the central amygdala to the dorsal raphe nucleus mediates the spontaneous activity of mice
Chi GENG ; Bin HU ; Xiaojie WANG
Chinese Journal of Neuroanatomy 2025;41(5):619-624
Objective:This study aims to investigate the effects on the behavior of mice by optogenetic activation the neural projections from the central amygdala(CeA)to the dorsal raphe nucleus(DRN).Methods:AAV-hSyn-eYFP virus was injected into CeA of C57BL/6J mice,and the projections from CeA to DRN were observed by immunofluores-cent staining.The AAV-hSyn-ChR2-mCherry virus was injected into CeA,and AAV-DIO-eYFP was injected into DRN in Ser-Cre mouse to specifically label the serotonergic neurons.Patch-clamp recording combined with optogenetic tech-nology were employed to record the light-evoked inward currents of DRN serotonergic neurons.AAV-hSyn-ChR2-mCher-ry virus was injected into CeA and optical fiber was implanted into DRN,and the effects of optogenetic activation of the CeA-DRN neural circuit on the locomotor ability of mice was studied by open field test.Results:Four weeks after injec-tion of AAV-hSyn-eYFP virus into CeA of C57BL/6J mice,axon terminals from CeA eYFP-cells were observed in the DRN.Activation of the neural projections from the CeA to the DRN induced inhibitory inward currents in DRN seroton-ergic neurons.Activation of the projections from CeA to DRN circuit decreased the total distance and the time of the center of the open field in mice,and increased the immobility time of mice.Conclusion:The CeA neurons directly pro-ject to the DRN.Activation of CeA-DRN circuit exerts an inhibitory regulatory effect on DRN serotonergic neurons and reduces the locomotor ability of mice.
7.The projections from the central amygdala to the dorsal raphe nucleus mediates the spontaneous activity of mice
Chi GENG ; Bin HU ; Xiaojie WANG
Chinese Journal of Neuroanatomy 2025;41(5):619-624
Objective:This study aims to investigate the effects on the behavior of mice by optogenetic activation the neural projections from the central amygdala(CeA)to the dorsal raphe nucleus(DRN).Methods:AAV-hSyn-eYFP virus was injected into CeA of C57BL/6J mice,and the projections from CeA to DRN were observed by immunofluores-cent staining.The AAV-hSyn-ChR2-mCherry virus was injected into CeA,and AAV-DIO-eYFP was injected into DRN in Ser-Cre mouse to specifically label the serotonergic neurons.Patch-clamp recording combined with optogenetic tech-nology were employed to record the light-evoked inward currents of DRN serotonergic neurons.AAV-hSyn-ChR2-mCher-ry virus was injected into CeA and optical fiber was implanted into DRN,and the effects of optogenetic activation of the CeA-DRN neural circuit on the locomotor ability of mice was studied by open field test.Results:Four weeks after injec-tion of AAV-hSyn-eYFP virus into CeA of C57BL/6J mice,axon terminals from CeA eYFP-cells were observed in the DRN.Activation of the neural projections from the CeA to the DRN induced inhibitory inward currents in DRN seroton-ergic neurons.Activation of the projections from CeA to DRN circuit decreased the total distance and the time of the center of the open field in mice,and increased the immobility time of mice.Conclusion:The CeA neurons directly pro-ject to the DRN.Activation of CeA-DRN circuit exerts an inhibitory regulatory effect on DRN serotonergic neurons and reduces the locomotor ability of mice.
8.A multicenter clinical study on intramedullary vancomycin injection for preventing periprosthetic joint infection in total knee arthroplasty
Te LIU ; Jun FU ; Shiguang LAI ; Zhuo ZHANG ; Chi XU ; Lei GENG ; Yang LUO ; Peng REN ; Xin ZHI ; Quanbo JI ; Heng ZHANG ; Runkai ZHAO ; Haichao REN ; Ye TAO ; Qingyuan ZHENG ; Zeyu FENG ; Jianfeng YANG ; Yiming WANG ; Pengcheng LI ; Shuai LIU ; Wei CHAI ; Xiang LI ; Huiwu LI ; Xiaogang ZHANG ; Baochao JI ; Xianzhe LIU ; Xinzhan MAO ; Jianbing MA ; Xiangxiang SUN ; Jiying CHEN ; Yonggang ZHOU ; Jinliang WANG ; Weijun WANG ; Guoqiang ZHANG ; Ming NI
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedics 2025;45(12):803-811
Objective:To explore the safety and efficacy of intraosseous regional administration (IORA) of vancomycin for preventing infection in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).Methods:A total of 124 patients with knee osteoarthritis undergoing TKA between February 2024 and May 2024 at nine hospitals were enrolled. Preoperative infection prophylaxis involved either IORA (0.5 g vancomycin administered via intraosseous regional infusion before incision) or intravenous infusion (1 g vancomycin via peripheral vein). The IORA group included 15 males and 47 females with a median age of 66.5 years (range, 60.0-70.0 years), while the intravenous group included 14 males and 48 females with a median age of 66.0 years (range, 61.8-70.3 years) years. Intraoperative samples were collected including fat and synovium tissues after incision, before prosthesis placement, and after tourniquet release; distal femoral cancellous bone during femoral osteotomy; proximal tibial cancellous bone during tibial osteotomy; proximal intercondylar cancellous bone before prosthesis placement; and peripheral blood from non-infused arms at surgery initiation and after tourniquet release. Vancomycin concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Vital sign changes were recorded from admission to 5~10 minutes post-IORA (IORA group) or post-incision (intravenous group). Follow-ups were conducted on postoperative day 1 and 3, and at 1 and 3 months, to document complications including IORA-related adverse events, periprosthetic joint infections, surgical site infections, red man syndrome, acute kidney injury, deep vein thrombosis and so on.Results:Vancomycin concentrations in bone, fat, and synovial tissue samples were significantly higher in the IORA group than in the intravenous group ( P<0.05), while vancomycin concentrations in blood samples were significantly lower in the IORA group than in the intravenous group ( P<0.05). Only 7.3%(41/558) of tissue samples in the IORA group had vancomycin concentrations below 2.0 μg/g (the minimum inhibitory concentration of vancomycin against coagulase-negative staphylococcus), compared to 59.3%(331/558) in the intravenous group (χ 2=11.285, P<0.001). In the intravenous group, 16.9%(21/124) of blood samples had vancomycin concentrations exceeding 15.0 mg/L (the threshold associated with a significantly increased risk of nephrotoxicity), while all concentrations in the IORA group were below this threshold, the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=22.943, P<0.001). There were no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05) in vital signs changes before and after vancomycin administration between the two groups. Two patients in the intravenous group experienced incision exudate, while no other related complications occurred in either group. Conclusions:Compared to the traditional intravenous infusion of 1 g vancomycin, intraosseous injection of a low dose (0.5 g) of vancomycin achieves higher local tissue concentrations in the knee joint with a lower incidence of adverse reactions and is safe for infection prophylaxis. Despite guidelines not recommending the routine use of vancomycin for preventing infection after primary TKA, intraosseous injection of 0.5 g vancomycin may be considered intraoperatively for primary TKA in the following scenarios: patients in medical institutions with a high prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, patients with potential preoperative MRSA colonization, or patients with cephalosporin allergy.
9.The modulation of excitability in the anterior piriform cortex by locus coeruleus noradrenergic neuron
Chi GENG ; Xiaojie WANG ; Xiao CHEN
Chinese Journal of Neuroanatomy 2025;41(3):281-288
Objective:Locus coeruleus(LC)noradrenergic(NEergic)neurons densely project to anterior piriform cortex(aPC).However,the modulation of LC to aPC remains unclear.Therefore,this study aims to investigate the effect of LC-aPC projection on the modulation of aPC in odor perception.Methods:The AAV-DIO-ChR2-eYFP virus was injected into LC of DBH-Cre mice and the optrode was placed into aPC.Optogenetics combined with in vivo electro-physiology were used to record the air/odor-evoked response of aPC pyramidal neurons.Results:The immunofluores-cent staining showed that the LC project directly to aPC.Activation of aPC NEergic fibers decreased the spontaneous re-sponses and odor-evoked responses of aPC pyramidal neurons.Conclusion:Activation of aPC NEergic neurons inhibits the spontaneous responses and odor-evoked responses of aPC pyramidal neurons.
10.Clinical outcomes of minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting in 239 patients: A propensity score matching study
Feng PAN ; Lin LIANG ; Wei XIAO ; Jiaji LIU ; Xiaolong MA ; Danqing GENG ; Guangxin ZHAO ; Liqun CHI ; Qingyu KONG
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2023;30(07):976-981
Objective To investigate the perioperative clinical effects and follow-up results of minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting (MICS CABG) versus conventional coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in thoracotomy. Methods The patients who received off-pump CABG in Beijing Anzhen Hospital from January 2017 to October 2021 were collected. Among them, the patients receiving MICS CABG performed by the same surgeon were divided into a minimally invasive group, and the patients receiving median thoracotomy were into a conventional group. By propensity score matching, preoperative data were balanced. Perioperative and postoperative follow-up data of the two groups were compared. Results A total of 890 patients were collected. There were 211 males and 28 females, aged 60.54±9.40 years in the minimally invasive group, and 487 males and 164 females, aged 62.31±8.64 years in the conventional group. After propensity score matching, there were 239 patients in each group. Compared with the conventional group, patients in the minimally invasive group had longer operation time, shorter drainage duration, less drainage volume on the first postoperative day, shorter postoperative hospital stay, and lower rate of positive inotropenic drugs use, while there was no statistical difference in the mean number of bypass grafts, ICU stay, ventilator-assisted time, blood transfusion rate or perioperative complications (P>0.05). During the median follow-up of 2.25 years, there was no statistical difference in major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, including all-cause death, stroke or revascularization between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion Reasonable clinical strategies can ensure perioperative and mid-term surgical outcomes of MICS CABG not inferior to conventional CABG. In addition, MICS CABG has the advantages in terms of postoperative hospital stay, postoperative drainage volume, and rate of positive inotropic drugs use.

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