Objective:To analyze the latent profile characteristics of self-management ability in patients with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and explore its influencing factors.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 311 patients with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) were selected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (including those receiving treatment and undergoing physical examinations) between August and October 2024. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, the self-management Scale for Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and the Social Support Rating Scale. After excluding 51 patients due to incomplete questionnaire responses or logical inconsistencies, 260 patients were finally included in the analysis. Latent profile analysis was used to identify potential categories of patients′ self-management abilities. With the latent categories as the dependent variable and items with P<0.05 in univariate analysis as independent variables, a multivariate logistic regression analysis (with the "poor self-management group" as the reference group) was performed to explore the influencing factors. Results:Among the 260 participants included in the study, three potential categories of self-management behaviors were finally identified, namely the active self-management group with 106 cases (40.8%), the moderate self-management group with 118 cases (45.4%), and the passive self-management group with 36 cases (13.8%).Results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, compared with the passive self-management group:Patients who resided in rural areas ( OR=0.130, 95% CI: 0.040-0.420), often stayed up late ( OR=0.200, 95% CI: 0.060-0.590), or had an average daily sleep duration of≤5 hours ( OR=0.160, 95% CI: 0.050-0.510) had a significantly lower probability of belonging to the "active self-management group";In contrast, patients with an education level of senior high school or above ( OR=7.530, 95% CI: 1.740-34.160) or a higher total score of social support ( OR=1.120, 95% CI: 1.030-1.210) had a significantly higher probability of being in the "active self-management group" (all P<0.05). Conclusion:There is heterogeneity in self-management ability among patients with metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Residential area, educational level, frequency of staying up late, average daily sleep duration, and social support are influencing factors of patients′ self-management ability.

Through a systematic review of the literature on the treatment of eczema with Binghuang Fule Ointment, the "6+1" assessment model was used to comprehensively evaluate its clinical value, providing a basis for decisions on the allocation of medical resources, rational clinical medication use, and hospital procurement and supply of Chinese patent medicines in China. Based on the relevant standards in the Guidelines for the Management of Clinical Evidence and Value Evaluation of Drugs, diversified research methods were adopted, including evidence-based medical evidence, questionnaire surveys, and pharmacoeconomic evaluations. These methods were combined with both qualitative and quantitative research approaches, and the multi-criteria decision analysis(MCDA) model was applied to perform a comprehensive evaluation of Binghuang Fule Ointment in treating eczema. Safety was evaluated based on evidence adequacy assessments and known risk evaluations, and thus the safety was rated as grade A, indicating that its risk is controllable, its safety is good, and there is sufficient evidence to confirm its safety. The evidence of effectiveness came from the results of Meta-analysis, which showed that Binghuang Fule Ointment + conventional treatment/Binghuang Fule Ointment vs conventional treatment had better clinical effective effect, and the effectiveness was rated as grade A. The economic evaluation, integrating evidence value and evidence quality results, thus the economy was rated as grade B. Innovation was evaluated based on three primary indexes and 18 secondary indexes, with Binghuang Fule Ointment's innovation rated as grade B, indicating a good level of innovation. Suitability was assessed through a questionnaire survey and Chinese patent medicine information service data, and Binghuang Fule Ointment's suitability was rated as grade B, indicating good suitability. Accessibility was assessed based on the proportion of Binghuang Fule Ointment's daily cost relative to the median disposable income of urban and rural residents. The proportion was only 0.05% in urban residents' median disposable income, and 0.14% in rural residents' median disposable income. Accessibility was rated as grade B, reflecting good accessibility. Binghuang Fule Ointment was prescribed by a senior Tibetan doctor with many years of clinical experience at the People's Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region. Its traditional Chinese medicine characteristics were rated as grade B. Based on the results from the "6+1" evaluation dimensions, the comprehensive value score of Binghuang Fule Ointment was calculated using CSC v2.0 software, yielding a score of 0.79, which corresponds to a class A, indicating good clinical value.
Humans ; Ointments ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Eczema/economics*

Kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome is a common geriatric disease that underlies chronic conditions such as diabetic nephropathy, chronic kidney disease, and osteoporosis. As age progresses, the kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome showcases increasingly pronounced manifestations, emerging as a key factor in the comorbidities experienced by elderly patients and affecting their quality of life and overall health status. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has been extensively utilized in the treatment of kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome, with Epimedii Folium, Cinnamomi Cortex, and Lycii Fructus widely used in clinical settings. Despite the complexity of the molecular mechanisms involved in treating kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome, the potential therapeutic value of TCM remains compelling. Delving into the mechanisms of TCM treatment of kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome by regulating the neuro-endocrine-immune system can provide a scientific basis for targeted treatments of this syndrome and lay a foundation for the modernization of TCM. The pathophysiology of kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome involves multiple systems, including the interaction of the neuro-endocrine-immune system, the decline in renal function, the intensification of oxidative stress responses, and energy metabolism disorders. Understanding these mechanisms and their interrelationships can help untangle the etiology of kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome, aiding clinicians in making more precise diagnoses and treatments. Furthermore, the research on the specific applications of TCM in research on these pathological mechanisms can enhance the international recognition and status of TCM, enabling it to exert a greater global influence.
Humans ; Yang Deficiency/physiopathology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Kidney Diseases/physiopathology* ; Neurosecretory Systems/physiopathology* ; Animals ; Kidney/physiopathology* ; Endocrine System/physiopathology* ; Immune System/physiopathology*

Poor water solubility is the primary obstacle preventing the development of many pharmacologically active compounds into oral preparations. Self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems(SNEDDS) have become a widely used strategy to enhance the oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs by inducing a supersaturated state, thereby improving their apparent solubility and dissolution rate. However, the supersaturated solutions formed in SNEDDS are thermodynamically unstable systems with solubility levels exceeding the crystalline equilibrium solubility, making them prone to drug precipitation in the gastrointestinal tract and ultimately hindering drug absorption. Therefore, maintaining a stable supersaturated state is crucial for the effective delivery of poorly soluble drugs. Incorporating polymers as precipitation inhibitors(PPIs) into the formulation of supersaturated self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems(S-SNEDDS) can inhibit drug aggregation and crystallization, thus maintaining a stable supersaturated state. This has emerged as a novel preparation strategy and a key focus in SNEDDS research. This review explores the preparation design of SNEDDS and the technical challenges involved, with a particular focus on polymer-based S-SNEDDS for enhancing the solubility and oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. It further elucidates the mechanisms by which polymers participate in transmembrane transport, summarizes the principles by which polymers sustain a supersaturated state, and discusses strategies for enhancing drug absorption. Altogether, this review provides a structured framework for the development of S-SNEDDS preparations with stable quality and reduced development risk, and offers a theoretical reference for the application of S-SNEDDS technology in improving the oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs.
Solubility ; Administration, Oral ; Polymers/chemistry* ; Drug Delivery Systems/methods* ; Humans ; Emulsions/chemistry* ; Biological Availability ; Animals ; Pharmaceutical Preparations/administration & dosage*

Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), one of the most severe types of male infertility, etiology often remains unclear in most cases. Therefore, this study aimed to detect four biallelic detrimental variants (0.5%) in the minichromosome maintenance domain containing 2 ( MCMDC2 ) genes in 768 NOA patients by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) demonstrated that MCMDC2 deleterious variants caused meiotic arrest in three patients (c.1360G>T, c.1956G>T, and c.685C>T) and hypospermatogenesis in one patient (c.94G>T), as further confirmed through immunofluorescence (IF) staining. The single-cell RNA sequencing data indicated that MCMDC2 was substantially expressed during spermatogenesis. The variants were confirmed as deleterious and responsible for patient infertility through bioinformatics and in vitro experimental analyses. The results revealed four MCMDC2 variants related to NOA, which contributes to the current perception of the function of MCMDC2 in male fertility and presents new perspectives on the genetic etiology of NOA.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/genetics* ; Meiosis/genetics* ; Spermatogenesis/genetics* ; Adult ; Exome Sequencing ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics* ; Alleles ; Infertility, Male/genetics*

Objective:To quantitatively analyze right ventricular reverse remodeling in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation after transcatheter tricuspid edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER) by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography, and to preliminarily evaluate the clinical efficacy of this procedure.Methods:This study was a prospective single-center cohort study. Patients diagnosed with severe tricuspid regurgitation at the Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital Xiamen University from March 2021 to June 2023 were enrolled. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography and transesophageal three-dimensional echocardiography before T-TEER, and transthoracic echocardiography at 30 days, 6 months, and 9 months after T-TEER. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, including death, stroke, myocardial infarction, reoperation, arrhythmia, and conduction block. Other clinical evaluation indicators included New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification and tricuspid regurgitation grade.Results:A total of 34 patients were enrolled, aged (67.9±9.3) years, and 71% (24/34) were female. The median follow-up duration was 9 months. All patients achieved a reduction of tricuspid regurgitation by ≥2 grades at 9 months after T-TEER, with 79% (27/34) of them having mild to moderate tricuspid regurgitation. Transthoracic echocardiography at 9 months after T-TEER showed that the vena contracta width of tricuspid regurgitation ((5.42±2.33) mm vs. (11.54±4.05) mm, P<0.001), effective regurgitant orifice area ((0.24±0.09) cm2 vs. (0.52±0.14) cm2, P<0.001), regurgitant jet area ((7.95±4.02) cm2 vs. (13.93±6.10) cm2, P<0.001), inferior vena cava diameter ((19.38±2.63) mm vs. (23.56±3.31) mm, P<0.001), right ventricular end-diastolic diameter ((28.03±6.26) mm vs. (33.21±8.24) mm, P=0.001), and tricuspid annular diameter ((36.47±4.40) mm vs. (41.44±7.08) mm, P<0.001) were all reduced compared with baseline; while the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion ((18.08±5.25) mm vs. (14.91±3.42) mm, P=0.005) and right ventricular fractional area change ((37.61±7.52)% vs. (30.79±9.06)%, P=0.004) were both increased compared with baseline. At 9 months after T-TEER, all patients had a NYHA functional classification of grade Ⅰ or Ⅱ, and no major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular event occurred during the follow-up period. Conclusion:It is preliminarily confirmed that T-TEER is safe and effective in the treatment of severe tricuspid regurgitation, with significant right ventricular reverse remodeling observed in patients at 9 months after T-TEER.

Aim To examine the pathogenesis of disul-fide death gene in vascular dementia(VD)by bioin-formatics analysis of disulfide death differentially ex-pressed genes(DEGs)combined with experimental verification.Methods The death DEGs of disulfide were screened and their correlation was analyzed.The VD patients data in the data set were analyzed by clus-tering and typing and gene set variation.The clustering risk of DEGs was tested with a nomogram model,and the optimal learning model was predicted.After the es-tablishment of VD rat model,water maze test,HE stai-ning and RT-qPCR detection were performed to verify the results of health information.Results Four DEGs including SLC7A11 were obtained,which had antago-nistic or synergistic interaction with each other.The genetic data could be divided into two subtypes with significant differences.After typing,VD disulfide DEGs were mainly concentrated in GnRH signaling pathways.The accuracy of the nomogram prediction model was high.Generalized linear was the best ma-chine learning model.Compared with the sham opera-tion group,the escape latency of rats in the model group was prolonged,the number of crossing platforms decreased,the relative mRNA expression levels of Slc3a2 and Slc7a11 decreased,and LRPPRC in-creased.Conclusions SLC7A11 and other disulfide death DEGs and its related GnRH signaling pathway may be an important part of the pathogenesis of VD di-sulfide death.SLC3A2,LRPPRC and SLC7A11 can be used as characteristic genes in the regulation of VD by disulfide death,which may affect VD progression through the regulation of disulfide death.

This study aimed to identify ideal pharmaceutical candidates featuring strong anti-HIV-1 activity and desirable drug-like characteristics. Our endeavor involved the implementation of a bioisosterism strategy, leading to the discovery of an assemblage of halogen-containing biphenyl-diarylpyrimidines as potent HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Notably, compound A12 demonstrated exceptional efficacy against both WT HIV-1 (EC₅₀ = 1.9 nmol/L) and seven mutant strains (EC₅₀ = 1.7-157 nmol/L), surpassing that of the lead compound 6 and comparable to etravirine. Furthermore, this analog exhibited minimal adverse effects with significantly reduced cytotoxicity (CC₅₀ = 195 μmol/L) and a high selectivity index (SI = 102,608), superior to those of etravirine (CC₅₀ > 4.6 μmol/L, SI > 1436) and rilpivirine (CC₅₀ = 3.98 μmol/L, SI = 3989). It displayed low inhibition of CYP (IC₅₀ = 6.99-25 μmol/L) and hERG (IC₅₀ > 40 μmol/L), indicating a safer profile compared to etravirine and rilpivirine. No acute toxicity or organ pathological damage was observed at a single dose of 2 g/kg. Additionally, A12 exhibited favorable oral bioavailability (F = 29.2%) and an extended elimination half-life (T _1/2 = 13.56 h), enabling convenient oral administration at minimal doses. These findings indicated that A12 could serve as a promising drug candidate for HIV treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major health concern in northwest China; however, the impact of particulate matter (PM) exposure during sand-dust storms (SDS) remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between PM exposure on SDS days and COPD hospitalization risk in arid regions. METHODS: Data on daily COPD hospitalizations were collected from 323 hospitals from 2018 to 2022, along with the corresponding air pollutant and meteorological data for each city in Gansu Province. Employing a space-time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional Poisson regression, we analyzed 265,379 COPD hospitalizations. RESULTS: PM exposure during SDS days significantly increased COPD hospitalization risk [relative risk ( RR) for PM _2.5, lag 3:1.028, 95% confidence interval ( CI): 1.021-1.034], particularly among men and the elderly, and during the cold season. The burden of PM exposure on COPD hospitalization was substantially high in Northwest China, especially in the arid and semi-arid regions. CONCLUSION Our findings revealed a positive correlation between PM exposure during SDS episodes and elevated hospitalization rates for COPD in arid and semi-arid zones in China. This highlights the urgency of developing region-specific public health strategies to address adverse respiratory outcomes associated with SDS-related air quality deterioration.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/chemically induced* ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Spatio-Temporal Analysis ; Adult ; Sand ; Air Pollution