Objective To explore the evaluation value of platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF),monocyte chemoattractant-1(MCP-1)and angiopoietin-like protein-4(ANGPTL4)in aqueous humor for therapeutic ef-ficacy and disease progression of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)treatment in neovascular glaucoma(NVG).Methods A total of 220 patients(220 eyes)with NVG in this hospital from January 2020 to January 2024 were selected as the NVG group,and 248(248 eyes)patients who underwent cataract surgery were selected as the control group.According to the Teich classification criteria for iris neovascularization,pa-tients were divided into grade Ⅱ(n=102),grade Ⅲ(n=73),and grade Ⅳ(n=45).According to the thera-peutic effect,they were further divided into the effective group(n=186)and the ineffective group(n=34).The levels of PDGF,MCP-1 and ANGPTL4 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),and the influencing factors of ineffective anti-VEGF treatment were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regres-sion.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to analyze the predictive value of PDGF,MCP-1 and ANGPTL4 for the effectiveness of anti-VEGF treatment.Results The levels of PDGF,MCP-1 and AN-GPTL4 in the NVG group were higher than those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The levels of PDGF,MCP-1 and ANGPTL4 in grade Ⅲ patients were higher than those in grade Ⅱ patients,and those in grade Ⅳ patients were higher than those in grade Ⅲ and grade Ⅱ pa-tients,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).After anti-VEGF treatment,the levels of PDGF,MCP-1 and ANGPTL4 in the effective group decreased more significantly than those in the ineffective group(P＜0.05).Elevated PDGF,MCP-1 and ANGPTL4 were independent risk factors for ineffective anti-VEGF treatment(P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of aqueous humor PDGF,MCP-1,and AN-GPTL4 alone in predicting the effectiveness of anti-VEGF treatment were 0.812,0.790,and 0.802 respective-ly.The AUC of the combined prediction was 0.948,which was superior to the individual predictions of each(P＜0.05).Conclusion The levels of PDGF,MCP-1 and ANGPTL4 in the aqueous humor of NVG patients gradually increase with the progression of the disease,and the higher levels of these three factors may have re-sistance effect to anti-VEGF therapy.

Objective:To assess the diagnostic performance of a panel of autoantibodies against multiple tumor-associated antigens (BRCA2, P53, ANXA11, PARP1, TRIM21, ATAD2, NY-ESO-1 and CAGE) in the detection of breast cancer.Methods:This was a retrospective case-control study. A total of 545 patients diagnosed with breast cancer (BC) by pathological examination, and eligible for enrolment at Jiangsu Cancer Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were selected as the patient group. In the same period, 200 patients with benign breast disease (BD) and 200 healthy individuals (HC) were included. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the serum levels of tumor-associated autoantibodies in each group. The tumor markers including carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), glycoconjugate antigen 125 (CA125) and glycoconjugate antigen 153 (CA153) were detected using electrochemiluminescence. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to screen the factors associated with breast cancer. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to evaluate diagnostic value.Results:The levels of seven autoantibodies against BRCA2, P53, ANXA11, PARP1, ATAD2, NY-ESO-1 and CAGE were significantly higher in the BC group compared to HC group (all P<0.05). Additionally, the levels of six autoantibodies against BRCA2, P53, PARP1, ATAD2, NY-ESO-1 and CAGE were significantly higher in the BC group than those in BD group (all P<0.05). The levels of PARP1 and ATAD2 in the BD group were higher than those in HC group ( P<0.05). Logistic multivariate analysis revealed that BRCA2 ( OR=1.099, 95% CI 0.824-1.107), P53 ( OR=1.534, 95% CI 0.813-2.898), NY-ESO-1( OR=1.159, 95% CI 0.789-1.712) and CA153 ( OR=1.029, 95% CI 0.778-1.495) were potential indicators for breast cancer (all P<0.05). The ROC curves indicated that the AUCs for breast cancer using BRCA2, P53, NY-ESO-1, and CA153 were 0.602 (95% CI 0.549-0.635), 0.688 (95% CI 0.642-0.734), 0.729 (95% CI 0.677-0.781), 0.714 (95% CI 0.663-0.764), respectively. The sensitivities were 0.405, 0.588, 0.683 and 0.653, while the specificities were 0.770, 0.825, 0.851 and 0.790, respectively. The AUC of the combined detection including BRCA2, P53, NY-ESO-1, and CA153 for breast cancer was 0.857 (95% CI 0.832-0.883), with a sensitivity of 0.719 and a specificity of 0.835. Conclusions:The levels of tumor-associated autoantibodies to BRCA2, P53 and NY-ESO-1 were significantly elevated in breast cancer patients, and the combination of the three autoantibodies and CA153 has high diagnostic value for breast cancer.

At present, research on the efficacy of local physical cooling devices is mainly based on clinical observation, but there is relatively little research on evaluating the effectiveness of local cold therapy cooling and the penetration depth. This study is based on the research of the structure and morphology of local muscle tissue in the human body, as well as the heat transfer characteristics and mechanisms of the human body. A simulation phantom of human muscle tissue under temperature cycling was created, and the differences in evaluating the effectiveness of local cold therapy between the human body and the simulation phantom were compared. This provides a new evaluation method for evaluating the cooling effectiveness of local physical cooling equipment.
Humans ; Phantoms, Imaging ; Hypothermia, Induced/methods*

Myocardial fibrosis is a serious cause of heart failure and even sudden cardiac death. However, the mechanisms underlying myocardial ischemia-induced cardiac fibrosis remain unclear. Here, we identified that the expression of sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (SARM1), was increased significantly in the ischemic cardiomyopathy patients, dilated cardiomyopathy patients (GSE116250) and fibrotic heart tissues of mice. Additionally, inhibition or knockdown of SARM1 can improve myocardial fibrosis and cardiac function of myocardial infarction (MI) mice. Moreover, SARM1 fibroblasts-specific knock-in mice had increased deposition of extracellular matrix and impaired cardiac function. Mechanically, elevated expression of SARM1 promotes the deposition of extracellular matrix by directly modulating P4HA1. Notably, by using the Click-iT reaction, we identified that the increased expression of ZDHHC17 promotes the palmitoylation levels of SARM1, thereby accelerating the fibrosis process. Based on the fibrosis-promoting effect of SARM1, we screened several drugs with anti-myocardial fibrosis activity. In conclusion, we have unveiled that palmitoylated SARM1 targeting P4HA1 promotes collagen deposition and myocardial fibrosis. Inhibition of SARM1 is a potential strategy for the treatment of myocardial fibrosis. The sites where SARM1 interacts with P4HA1 and the palmitoylation modification sites of SARM1 may be the active targets for anti-fibrosis drugs.

Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

Objective To analyze the medical resource consumption of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in patients in different groups of disease diagnosis-related grouping(DRG)based on the DRG payment model,provide reference for optimizing prevention and control of HAI as well as resource management.Methods Medical records and DRG-related indicators of discharged patients from a municipal hospital in Sichuan Province from January 1 to December 31,2024 were analyzed retrospectively.Medical resource consumption of patients in HAI group and non-HAI group was compared.Differences in average length of hospital stay and average expense per hospitalization be-tween two groups of patients were analyzed using stratified analysis.Results In 2024,HAI incidence of discharged patients in DRG management in this hospital was 1.57％.There were statistically significant differences in age,gender,admission and discharge ways between the HAI group and the non-HAI group(all P＜0.05).The main HAI sites were lower respiratory tract,surgical site,urinary tract,and blood.The time consumption index(1.63 vs 0.85),average length of hospital stay(21.00 vs 5.00 days),expense consumption index(1.53 vs 0.92),ave-rage expense per hospitalization(44 700 vs 7 300),and multiple expense in HAI group were all higher than those in non-HAI group(all P＜0.05).The consumption of medical resources for bloodstream infection was relatively higher.Patients with HAI were mostly concentrated in the groups related to acute leukemia with major complications or co-morbidities(MCC),intracranial or craniotomy surgery with MCC,tracheotomy with mechanical ventilation for 96 hours,as well as gastric,esophageal,and duodenal surgery.The average length of hospital stay and average ex-pense per hospitalization of patients in HAI group were both higher than those in the non-HAI group,differences were statistically significant(both P＜0.05).Conclusion HAI significantly increase the consumption of medical resources.Based on DRG analysis,key disease groups for infection prevention and control can be further identified,and the consumption of medical resources can be more accurately and precisely evaluated,thereby optimizing the allocation of medical resources and improving hospital operational efficiency.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of demethylzeylasteral(Dem)in ulcerative colitis(UC)and collagen-induced arthritis(CIA),focusing on its regulation of Th17 cell differentiation and associated signaling pathways.METHODS UC was induced in C57BL/6 mice using dextran sulfate sodium(DSS),and Dem was administered by gavage at low(1 mg·kg-1)or high(2 mg·kg-1)doses.Disease severity was assessed by body weight loss,colon length,and stool consisten-cy.Serum cytokines(TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6)were quantified by ELISA,and Th17 cell ratio in mesenteric lymph nodes was deter-mined by flow cytometry.The anti-inflammatory efficacy of Dem was further validated using a CIA mouse model.The efficacy of Dem was further verified in the CIA model,and the expression of JAK2 and STAT3 was intervened by siRNA to investigate its mechanism of action in Th17 differentiation.RESULTS Dem-treated mice showed reduced weight loss and colon shortening,and decreases in ser-um TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-6 levels(P<0.01)and Th17 cell proportion(P<0.01).Western blot and siRNA assays showed that Dem significantly inhibited the differentiation and activation of Th17 cells by suppressing the phosphorylation of the JAK2-STAT3 path-way.Dem also significantly alleviated arthritis symptoms and related markers in the CIA model,confirming its anti-inflammatory effects.CONCLUSION Dem improves UC and rheumatoid arthritis by downregulating the JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway,inhibi-ting Th17 cell differentiation and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression,suggesting its potential therapeutic value in immune-related diseases.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the ethanol extracts,total phenols,total flavonoids contents and HPLC fingerprints of typi-cal propolis samples from 6 foreign countries and 5 domestic regions,optimize the extraction process and evaluate the antioxidant activi-ty,so as to provide data support for improving the quality control system of propolis.METHODS The optimization of the propolis ex-traction process utilized flavonoid content as an indicator.Three flavonoid detection methods-namely,the aluminum trichloride meth-od,aluminum nitrate method,and polyamide method-were compared.The content of ethanol extract,total phenol content,and the scavenging ability of DPPH free radicals for each sample were determined.Further analysis was conducted using HPLC fingerprint pro-filing.RESULTS The propolis extract with the highest flavonoid content was obtained using 80%ethanol as the extraction solvent,operating at 50℃,with a stirring time of 3 h,ultrasonic power of 180 W,and ultrasonic time of 15 min.The aluminum trichloride method was proved to be the most effective for determining total flavonoids in propolis.While the ethanol extract,total flavonoids,and total phenols of propolis from Xinjiang,China were relatively low,their antioxidant activity exhibited superiority.HPLC analysis re-vealed,Brazilian red propolis lacked of chrysin,galangin,caffeic acid phenethyl ester and Brazilian green propolis lacked ferulic acid,apigenin,p-coumaric acid,chrysin,and pinocembrin.In contrast,the content of these four compounds in other samples varied,with the antioxidant capacity of the extracts not precisely corresponding to the compound content.CONCLUSION Propolis exhibits a complex chemical composition with significant variations among varieties.Key quality control indexes must be comprehensively consid-ered,encompassing physicochemical characteristics and biological activity.Establishing a multi-angle assessment system with a mate-rial basis-functional linkage is essential.This approach facilitates the realization of high quality and cost-effectiveness,thereby promo-ting the healthy development of the industry.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of demethylzeylasteral(Dem)in ulcerative colitis(UC)and collagen-induced arthritis(CIA),focusing on its regulation of Th17 cell differentiation and associated signaling pathways.METHODS UC was induced in C57BL/6 mice using dextran sulfate sodium(DSS),and Dem was administered by gavage at low(1 mg·kg-1)or high(2 mg·kg-1)doses.Disease severity was assessed by body weight loss,colon length,and stool consisten-cy.Serum cytokines(TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6)were quantified by ELISA,and Th17 cell ratio in mesenteric lymph nodes was deter-mined by flow cytometry.The anti-inflammatory efficacy of Dem was further validated using a CIA mouse model.The efficacy of Dem was further verified in the CIA model,and the expression of JAK2 and STAT3 was intervened by siRNA to investigate its mechanism of action in Th17 differentiation.RESULTS Dem-treated mice showed reduced weight loss and colon shortening,and decreases in ser-um TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-6 levels(P<0.01)and Th17 cell proportion(P<0.01).Western blot and siRNA assays showed that Dem significantly inhibited the differentiation and activation of Th17 cells by suppressing the phosphorylation of the JAK2-STAT3 path-way.Dem also significantly alleviated arthritis symptoms and related markers in the CIA model,confirming its anti-inflammatory effects.CONCLUSION Dem improves UC and rheumatoid arthritis by downregulating the JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway,inhibi-ting Th17 cell differentiation and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression,suggesting its potential therapeutic value in immune-related diseases.

Objective To analyze the medical resource consumption of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in patients in different groups of disease diagnosis-related grouping(DRG)based on the DRG payment model,provide reference for optimizing prevention and control of HAI as well as resource management.Methods Medical records and DRG-related indicators of discharged patients from a municipal hospital in Sichuan Province from January 1 to December 31,2024 were analyzed retrospectively.Medical resource consumption of patients in HAI group and non-HAI group was compared.Differences in average length of hospital stay and average expense per hospitalization be-tween two groups of patients were analyzed using stratified analysis.Results In 2024,HAI incidence of discharged patients in DRG management in this hospital was 1.57％.There were statistically significant differences in age,gender,admission and discharge ways between the HAI group and the non-HAI group(all P＜0.05).The main HAI sites were lower respiratory tract,surgical site,urinary tract,and blood.The time consumption index(1.63 vs 0.85),average length of hospital stay(21.00 vs 5.00 days),expense consumption index(1.53 vs 0.92),ave-rage expense per hospitalization(44 700 vs 7 300),and multiple expense in HAI group were all higher than those in non-HAI group(all P＜0.05).The consumption of medical resources for bloodstream infection was relatively higher.Patients with HAI were mostly concentrated in the groups related to acute leukemia with major complications or co-morbidities(MCC),intracranial or craniotomy surgery with MCC,tracheotomy with mechanical ventilation for 96 hours,as well as gastric,esophageal,and duodenal surgery.The average length of hospital stay and average ex-pense per hospitalization of patients in HAI group were both higher than those in the non-HAI group,differences were statistically significant(both P＜0.05).Conclusion HAI significantly increase the consumption of medical resources.Based on DRG analysis,key disease groups for infection prevention and control can be further identified,and the consumption of medical resources can be more accurately and precisely evaluated,thereby optimizing the allocation of medical resources and improving hospital operational efficiency.