BACKGROUND: Severe stroke has high rates of mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to investigate the clinical course, causes of worsening, and outcomes of severe ischemic stroke. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter cohort study enrolled adult patients admitted ≤30 days after ischemic stroke from nine hospitals in China between September 2017 and December 2019. Severe stroke was defined as a score of ≥15 on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Clinical worsening was defined as an increase of 4 in the NIHSS score from baseline. Unfavorable functional outcome was defined as a modified Rankin scale score ≥3 at 3 months and 1 year after stroke onset, respectively. We performed Logistic regression to explore baseline features and reperfusion therapies associated with clinical worsening and functional outcomes. RESULTS: Among 4201 patients enrolled, 854 patients (20.33%) had severe stroke on admission. Of 3347 patients without severe stroke on admission, 142 (4.24%) patients developed severe stroke in hospital. Of 854 patients with severe stroke on admission, 33.95% (290/854) experienced clinical worsening (median time from stroke onset: 43 h, Q1-Q3: 20-88 h), with brain edema (54.83% [159/290]) as the leading cause; 24.59% (210/854) of these patients died by 30 days, and 81.47% (677/831) and 78.44% (633/807) had unfavorable functional outcomes at 3 months and 1 year respectively. Reperfusion reduced the risk of worsening (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 0.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.12-0.49, P  <0.01), 30-day death (adjusted OR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.11-0.41, P  <0.01), and unfavorable functional outcomes at 3 months (adjusted OR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.08-0.68, P <0.01) and 1 year (adjusted OR: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.06-0.50, P  <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one-fifth of patients with ischemic stroke had severe neurological deficits on admission. Clinical worsening mainly occurred in the first 3 to 4 days after stroke onset, with brain edema as the leading cause of worsening. Reperfusion reduced the risk of clinical worsening and improved functional outcomes. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03222024.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Ischemic Stroke/mortality* ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Stroke ; Brain Ischemia

This paper aims to study the effect of p-cymene on mice with deficiency-cold syndrome induced by hydrocortisone and deficiency-heat syndrome induced by dexamethasone and explore the medicinal properties and mechanism of p-cymene with mild and warm nature based on the dominant characteristics of the two-way applicable conditions of mild drugs. A total of 80 KM mice were randomly divided into blank group, deficiency-cold syndrome model group, deficiency-cold syndrome + ginseng group, and deficiency-cold syndrome + low-dose and high-dose p-cymene groups, as well as blank group, deficiency-heat syndrome model group, deficiency-heat syndrome + American ginseng group, and deficiency-heat syndrome + low-dose and high-dose p-cymene groups. Hydrocortisone and dexamethasone solution were intragastrically administered for 14 consecutive days to prepare deficiency-cold syndrome and deficiency-heat syndrome models. Except for the blank group and the model group intragastrically administered with normal saline, the other groups were intragastrically administrated with drugs for 14 days. The levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP), cyclic guanosine monophosphate(cGMP), triiodothyronine(T3), thyroxine(T4), total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), immunoglobin G(IgG), and immunoglobin M(IgM) in serum, as well as the activity of Na~+-K~+-ATPase in liver tissue were detected. The expression of transient receptor potential melastatin 8(TRPM8), transient receptor potential vanilloid 1(TRPV1), and uncoupling protein 1(UCP1) in brown adipose tissue of deficiency-cold syndrome model after intervention with p-cymene was studied. The results showed that p-cymene could effectively improve the levels of cAMP, cAMP/cGMP, TC, IgM, and IgG in serum and the activity of Na~+-K~+-ATPase in liver tissue of mice with deficiency-cold syndrome and reduce the content of cGMP. The effects on T3, T4, and TG were not statistically significant. At the same time, p-cymene could reduce the levels of cAMP, cAMP/cGMP, and T4 in serum and the activity of Na~+-K~+-ATPase in liver tissue of mice with deficiency-cold syndrome and increase the levels of cGMP, IgM, and IgG, and it had no effect on T3, TC, and TG. In addition, p-cymene could up-regulate the expression of TRPV1 and UCP1 in brown fat of mice with deficiency-cold syndrome and down-regulate the expression of TRPM8. In summary, p-cymene could significantly regulate the syndrome indexes of mice with deficiency-cold syndrome, and some indexes of mice with deficiency-heat syndrome could be improved, but the effects on lipid metabolism and energy metabolism indexes were not obvious, indicating that the regulation effect of p-cymene on deficiency-cold syndrome model was more prominent and that the medicinal properties of p-cymene were mild and warm. The regulation of TRPV1/TRPM8/UCP1 channel expression may be the molecular biological mechanism of p-cymene with mild and warm nature affecting the energy metabolism of the body.
Animals ; Cymenes ; Mice ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Disease Models, Animal ; Humans ; Cyclic AMP/metabolism* ; Monoterpenes/administration & dosage* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Cyclic GMP/metabolism* ; TRPV Cation Channels/genetics* ; Uncoupling Protein 1/genetics*

This study explores whether the current external quality assessment (EQA) level and acceptable bias for basic semen analysis in China are clinically useful. We collected data of semen EQA from Andrology laboratories in the Hunan Province (China) in 2022 and searched for data in the published literature from January 2000 to December 2023 in China. On the basis of these data, we analyzed the coefficients of variation and acceptable biases of different quality control materials for basic semen analysis through robust statistics. We compared these findings with quality specifications based on biological variation from optimal, desirable, and minimum levels of bias to seek a unified and more suitable semen EQA bias evaluation standard for China's national conditions. Different sources of semen quality control material exhibited considerable variation in acceptable biases among laboratories, ranging from 8.2% to 56.9%. A total of 50.0% of the laboratories met the minimum quality specifications for progressive motility (PR), whereas 100.0% and 75.0% of laboratories met only the minimum quality specifications for sperm concentration and total motility (nonprogressive [NP] + PR), respectively. The Z value for sperm concentration and PR+NP was equivalent to the desirable performance specification, whereas the Z value for PR was equivalent only to the minimum performance specification. This study highlights the feasibility of operating external quality assessment schemes for basic semen analysis using quality specifications based on biological variation. These specifications should be unified among external quality control (EQC) centers based on biological variation.
Semen Analysis/standards* ; Humans ; China ; Male ; Quality Control ; Sperm Motility ; Sperm Count/standards*

OBJECTIVE: By analyzing the differential miRNA in seminal plasma between individuals with normal and abnormal sperm DNA fragmentation index（DFI）, we aim to identify miRNA that may impact sperm DNA integrity and target genes, and attempt to analyze their potential mechanisms of action. METHODS: A total of 161 study subjects were collected and divided into normal control group, DFI-medium group and DFI-abnormal group based on the DFI detection values. Differential miRNA were identified through miRNA chip analysis. Through bioinformatics analysis and target gene prediction, miRNA related to DFI and specific target genes were identified. The relative expression levels of differential miRNA and target genes in each group were compared to explore the impact of their differential expression on DFI. RESULTS: Through miRNA chip analysis, a total of 11 differential miRNA were detected. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that miR-26a-5p may be associated with reduced sperm DNA integrity. And gene prediction indicated that PTEN was a specific target gene of miR-26a-5p. Compared to the normal control group, the relative expression levels of miR-26a-5p in both the DFI-medium group and the DFI-abnormal group showed a decrease, while the relative expression levels of PTEN showed an increase. The relative expression levels of miR-26a-5p in all groups were negatively correlated with DFI values, while the relative expression levels of PTEN showed a positive correlation with DFI values in the DFI-medium group and the DFI-abnormal group. The AUC of miR-26a-5p in the DFI-medium group was 0.740 (P<0.05), with a sensitivity of 73.6% and a specificity of 71.5%; the AUC of PTEN was 0.797 (P<0.05), with a sensitivity of 76.5% and a specificity of 78.4%. In the DFI-abnormal group, the AUC of miR-26a-5p was 0.848 (P<0.05), with a sensitivity of 81.3% and a specificity of 78.1%. While the AUC of PTEN was 0.763 (P<0.05), with a sensitivity of 77.2% and a specificity of 80.2%. CONCLUSION miR-26a-5p affects the integrity of sperm DNA by regulating the expression of PTEN negatively. The relative expression levels of seminal plasma miR-26a-5p and PTEN have good diagnostic value for sperm DNA integrity damage, which can help in the etiological diagnosis and prognosis analysis of abnormal DFI. This provides a diagnostic and treatment approach for the study and diagnosis of DFI abnormalities without clear etiology.
Male ; Humans ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; PTEN Phosphohydrolase/genetics* ; Spermatozoa ; Semen/metabolism* ; DNA Fragmentation

Objective To explore the independent risk factors that affect the overall survival(OS)of elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC,≥60 years old)and build a nomogram prediction model.Methods Clinical data of all elderly patients with HCC from the SEER database from 2005 to 2020 were downloaded from SEER database.In accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria,the screened patients were randomly assigned to a training group(70%)and a validation group(30%).The independent risk factors of elderly patients with HCC were determined by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses and further validated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.On the basis of the determined variables,nomograms were developed and verified to predict the OS of elderly patients with HCC at 6,12,and 24 months.The consistency index(C index),calibration curve,receiver's operating characteristic(ROC)curve,and area under curve(AUC)were used to evaluate the prediction efficiency and discrimination ability of the prediction model,and decision curve analysis(DCA)was used to evaluate the potential clinical application value of the nomogram.Results A total of 1134 elderly patients with HCC were included,with 793 in the training group and 341 in the validation group.Seven variables,including age,clinical grade,clinical stage,M stage,tumor size classification,and radiotherapy,were identified as independent prognostic factors of this population.The constructed nomogram shows excellent prediction performance,with C indices of 0.745 in the training group and 0.704 in the validation group.The AUC values of the training group at 6,12,and 24 months were 0.785,0.788,and 0.798,respectively,and those of the validation group were 0.780,0.725,and 0.607,respectively.The calibration curve shows good consistency from the predicted survival probability to the actual probability.The ROC curve and DCA show that the nomogram proposed in this study has good prediction ability.Conclusion Age,clinical grade,clinical stage,M stage,tumor size classification,and radiotherapy are important influencing factors for the survival of elderly patients with HCC.The prediction model of prognosis nomogram constructed in this study has good predictive value,and it can be used to predict the OS of elderly patients with HCC,which could be helpful for individualized survival assessment and clinical management of these patients.

Objective To construct lentiviral vector of p62 gene over-expression,and stably express p62 gene in human monocytic leukemia cells 1(THP-1),and to provide a way to study the role of p62 gene at the cellular lev-el.Methods The p62 gene fragment was amplified by polymerase chain reaction(PCR),and the amplified prod-uct was ligated to the linearized pcDNA3.1-Flag-PCDH10 lentiviral vector.After identifying with PCR,the PCR product was cotransfected with the packaging plasmid into human embryonic kidney cells 293(HEK 293T).THP-1 cells were infected with recombinant lentivirus.Positive cell clones were screened by ampicillin.Western blot and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)were used to detect THP-1 cell lines with high p62 expression(overexpression group)and THP-1 cell lines transfected with empty plasmid without p62 gene(control group).The expression levels of TNF-α,IL-1β and Cxcl1 after K.p.infection were detected by RT-qPCR.Results The p62 gene fragment was successfully obtained by PCR and ligated to pcDNA3.1-Flag-PCDH10 vector.PCR confirmed that p62-pcDNA3.1-Flag-PCDH10 recombinant plasmid was constructed successfully.Am-picillin-resistant cell lines were selected after lentiviral infection of THP-1 cells.The results of Western blot analysis showed that the THP-1 cells with drug sieve survival increased the expression of P62 protein compared with the con-trol cells(P<0.001),and RT-qPCR analysis showed that the relative mRNA expression of p62 increased(P<0.001).THP-1 cells with high expression of P62 were successfully constructed.The levels of TNF-α、IL-1β and Cxcl1 from THP-1 cells with high expression of P62 significantly increased after infection with K.p.(P<0.01).Conclusion P62-pcDNA3.1-Flag-PCDH10 vector and THP-1 cells with high expression of P62 can be successful-ly constructed by three-plasmid packaging system,which provides a basis for the study of p62.

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the most common type of primary liver cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths,and it is a serious threat to human health and has become a clinical problem that needs to be solved urgently.Extracellular vesicles(EV)are membrane vesicles containing multiple components and play an important role in the development and progression of HCC.This article summarizes the effect of EVs of different origins on HCC and analyzes the mechanism of action of EV on HCC,so as to provide new perspectives for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

Tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)is involved in the regulation of multiple biological processes such as the proliferation,invasion,migration,and chemotherapy resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)cells through TNF receptor-mediated signaling pathways.At the same time,TNF-α also plays a role in inducing the apoptosis of HCC cells.Some TNF-α inhibitors have been shown to inhibit the progression of HCC and prolong survival time.At present,the potential mechanism of action of TNF-α in HCC remains unclear,and exploration of the interaction between TNF-α and HCC can help to determine the potential therapeutic targets for HCC.This article summarizes the latest research advances in the mechanism of action of TNF-α in HCC and introduces the possibility of targeting TNF-α as a treatment method for HCC,in order to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer and drug research and development.

Background::Although overnight fasting is recommended prior to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), the benefits and safety of high-carbohydrate fluid diet (CFD) intake 2 h before ERCP remain unclear. This study aimed to analyze whether high-CFD intake 2 h before ERCP can be safe and accelerate patients’ recovery.Methods::This prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial involved 15 tertiary ERCP centers. A total of 1330 patients were randomized into CFD group ( n = 665) and fasting group ( n = 665). The CFD group received 400 mL of maltodextrin orally 2 h before ERCP, while the control group abstained from food/water overnight (>6 h) before ERCP. All ERCP procedures were performed using deep sedation with intravenous propofol. The investigators were blinded but not the patients. The primary outcomes included postoperative fatigue and abdominal pain score, and the secondary outcomes included complications and changes in metabolic indicators. The outcomes were analyzed according to a modified intention-to-treat principle. Results::The post-ERCP fatigue scores were significantly lower at 4 h (4.1 ± 2.6 vs. 4.8 ± 2.8, t = 4.23, P <0.001) and 20 h (2.4 ± 2.1 vs. 3.4 ± 2.4, t= 7.94, P <0.001) in the CFD group, with least-squares mean differences of 0.48 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26–0.71, P <0.001) and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.57–0.95, P <0.001), respectively. The 4-h pain scores (2.1 ± 1.7 vs. 2.2 ± 1.7, t = 2.60, P = 0.009, with a least-squares mean difference of 0.21 [95% CI: 0.05–0.37]) and positive urine ketone levels (7.7% [39/509] vs. 15.4% [82/533], χ2 = 15.13, P <0.001) were lower in the CFD group. The CFD group had significantly less cholangitis (2.1% [13/634] vs. 4.0% [26/658], χ2 = 3.99, P = 0.046) but not pancreatitis (5.5% [35/634] vs. 6.5% [43/658], χ2 = 0.59, P = 0.444). Subgroup analysis revealed that CFD reduced the incidence of complications in patients with native papilla (odds ratio [OR]: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39–0.95, P = 0.028) in the multivariable models. Conclusion::Ingesting 400 mL of CFD 2 h before ERCP is safe, with a reduction in post-ERCP fatigue, abdominal pain, and cholangitis during recovery.Trail Registration::ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT03075280.

Objective To observe the value of deep learning(DL)models for automatic classification of echocardiographic views.Methods Totally 100 patients after heart transplantation were retrospectively enrolled and divided into training set,validation set and test set at a ratio of 7∶2∶1.ResNet18,ResNet34,Swin Transformer and Swin Transformer V2 models were established based on 2D apical two chamber view,2D apical three chamber view,2D apical four chamber view,2D subcostal view,parasternal long-axis view of left ventricle,short-axis view of great arteries,short-axis view of apex of left ventricle,short-axis view of papillary muscle of left ventricle,short-axis view of mitral valve of left ventricle,also 3D and CDFI views of echocardiography.The accuracy,precision,recall,F1 score and confusion matrix were used to evaluate the performance of each model for automatically classifying echocardiographic views.The interactive interface was designed based on Qt Designer software and deployed on the desktop.Results The performance of models for automatically classifying echocardiographic views in test set were all good,with relatively poor performance for 2D short-axis view of left ventricle and superior performance for 3D and CDFI views.Swin Transformer V2 was the optimal model for automatically classifying echocardiographic views,with high accuracy,precision,recall and F1 score was 92.56％,89.01％,89.97％and 89.31％,respectively,which also had the highest diagonal value in confusion matrix and showed the best classification effect on various views in t-SNE figure.Conclusion DL model had good performance for automatically classifying echocardiographic views,especially Swin Transformer V2 model had the best performance.Using interactive classification interface could improve the interpretability of prediction results to some extent.