Objective To identify core targets of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by using bioinformatics and specific algorithms, explore their relationships with immune cells, and investigate the causal relationships between immune cells and HCC through Mendelian randomization. Methods Relevant genes associated with the development of HCC were screened using the GEO and TCGA databases. Immune infiltration analysis was conducted using GSVA and CIBERSORT algorithms. A bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis was then performed to explore the causal relationships between immune cells and HCC. Results A total of 284 HCC-related genes were identified, with 120 genes recognized within the protein interaction network. Immune infiltration analysis revealed significant correlations between key genes and immune cells. Mendelian randomization results indicated that HLA DR on CD33⁺ HLA DR⁺ CD14dim (OR=1.097, 95%CI: 1.002–1.201, P=0.045, P_Bonferroni=0.091) and CD8 on CD28⁺ CD45RA⁺ CD8⁺ T cell (OR=1.123, 95%CI: 1.027–1.228, P=0.011, P_Bonferroni=0.022) were the risk factors for HCC. Conversely, HLA DR⁺⁺ monocyte absolute count was identified as a protective factor for HCC (OR=0.812, 95%CI: 0.702–0.938, P=0.005, P_Bonferroni=0.139). Conclusion The occurrence and development of liver cancer may be related to CDK1, CCNB1, and CDC20, showing a high degree of correlation with Th2 cells, T helper cells, Th17 cells, and DCs. Mendelian randomization shows that HLA DR on CD33⁺HLA DR⁺ CD14dim and CD8 on CD28⁺CD45RA⁺CD8⁺T cells are associated with an increased risk of HCC. The risk of hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with a decrease in the level of HLA DR⁺⁺monocyte absolute count.

Objective:To explore the association between acute muscle wasting during hospitalization and poor prognosis in older patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) in emergency department.Methods:This study was a prospective cohort study. From January 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022, consecutive patients aged ≥65 years who met the diagnostic criteria of SCAP and had an interval of 14 days between two CT scans in the emergency department of Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital were enrolled. The general clinical data and cross-sectional area of the erector spinae muscle (ESMcsa) of the thoracic 12 level derived from chest CT on day 1 and day 14 were recorded and the differences between the two measurements were calculated. Patients were divided into survival group and non-survival group based on whether they died within 28 days. Two independent samples t-test and Mann Whitney U test were used to compare the dynamic changes of ESMcsa between two groups, and paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to compare the changes of ESMcsa within two groups. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for 28-day mortality, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the predictive value of ESMcsa loss for 28-day mortality. The optimal cutoff value was determined on the basis of the Youden index (YI), patients were divided into a high muscle loss group and a low muscle loss group, and Kaplan Meier survival curve was drawn. Results:A total of 106 older patients with SCAP were included, with a median age of 82.0 years and 59 were men (55.7%). The ESMcsa levels of patients in non-survival group were lower than those in survival group both at admission and on the 14th day (both P<0.01). The ESMcsa levels on admission were lower than those on the 14th day in non-survival group ( P<0.001). The loss of ESMcsa in non-survival group [3.01 (-1.51, 7.73) cm 2vs. 0.80 (-2.58, 4.57) cm 2, P=0.020] was higher than that in the survival group. Multivariable Cox regression showed that ESMcsa loss was an independent risk factor for 28-day mortality ( HR=1.116, 95%CI: .029-1.210, P=0.010), the AUC for predicting 28-day mortality was 0.646 (95% CI: 0.528-0.763, P=0.020), and the optimal cut-off value was 6.22 cm 2. Kaplan Meier survival curve showed that the 28-day mortality risk in the high muscle loss group was higher than that in the low muscle loss group ( χ2=11.412, P=0.001). Conclusion:Acute muscle wasting during hospitalization was associated with 28-day mortality among older patients with SCAP, which provides a basis for improving patient prognosis from a muscle perspective.

Accurate timing of myelination is crucial for the proper functioning of the central nervous system. Here, we identified a de novo heterozygous mutation in TMEM63A (c.1894G>A; p. Ala632Thr) in a 7-year-old boy exhibiting hypomyelination. A Ca²⁺ influx assay suggested that this is a loss-of-function mutation. To explore how TMEM63A deficiency causes hypomyelination, we generated Tmem63a knockout mice. Genetic deletion of TMEM63A resulted in hypomyelination at postnatal day 14 (P14) arising from impaired differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). Notably, the myelin dysplasia was transient, returning to normal levels by P28. Primary cultures of Tmem63a^-/- OPCs presented delayed differentiation. Lentivirus-based expression of TMEM63A but not TMEM63A_A632T rescued the differentiation of Tmem63a^-/- OPCs in vitro and myelination in Tmem63a^-/- mice. These data thus support the conclusion that the mutation in TMEM63A is the pathogenesis of the hypomyelination in the patient. Our study further demonstrated that TMEM63A-mediated Ca²⁺ influx plays critical roles in the early development of myelin and oligodendrocyte differentiation.
Animals ; Cell Differentiation/physiology* ; Oligodendroglia/metabolism* ; Mice, Knockout ; Mice ; Male ; Myelin Sheath/metabolism* ; Humans ; Child ; Cells, Cultured ; Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells/metabolism*

This study aimed to explore the pharmacological mechanism of Yourenji Capsules(YRJ) in improving osteoporosis by combining network pharmacology and proteomics technologies. The SD rats were randomly divided into a blank control group and a 700 mg·kg~(-1) YRJ group. The rats were subjected to gavage administration with the corresponding drugs, and the blank serum, drug-containing serum, and YRJ samples were compared using ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) to analyze the main components absorbed into blood. Network pharmacology analysis was conducted based on the YRJ components absorbed into blood to obtain related targets of the components and target genes involved in osteoporosis, and Venn diagrams were used to identify the intersection of drug action targets and disease targets. The STRING database was used for protein-protein interaction(PPI) network analysis of potential target proteins to construct a PPI network. Gene Ontology(GO) functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment were performed using Enrichr to investigate the potential mechanism of action of YRJ. Ovariectomy(OVX) was performed to establish a rat model of osteoporosis, and the rats were divided into a sham group, a model group, and a 700 mg·kg~(-1) YRJ group. The rats were given the corresponding drugs by gavage. The femurs of the rats were subjected to label-free proteomics analysis to detect differentially expressed proteins, and GO functional enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed on the differentially expressed proteins. With the help of network pharmacology and proteomics results, the mechanism by which YRJ improves osteoporosis was predicted. The analysis of the YRJ components absorbed into blood revealed 23 bioactive components of YRJ, and network pharmacology results indicated that key targets involved include tumor necrosis factor(TNF), tumor protein p53(TP53), protein kinase(AKT1), and matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP9). These targets are mainly involved in osteoclast differentiation, estrogen signaling pathways, and nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB) signaling pathways. Additionally, the proteomics analysis highlighted important pathways such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor(PPAR) signaling pathways, mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathways, and β-alanine metabolism. The combined approaches of network pharmacology and proteomics have revealed that the mechanism by which YRJ improves osteoporosis may be closely related to the regulation of inflammation, osteoblast, and osteoclast metabolic pathways. The main pathways involved include the NF-κB signaling pathways, MAPK signaling pathways, and PPAR signaling pathways, among others.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Osteoporosis/metabolism* ; Proteomics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Network Pharmacology ; Female ; Protein Interaction Maps/drug effects* ; Capsules ; Humans ; Signal Transduction/drug effects*

OBJECTIVE: Observational studies have found associations between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and vascular dementia (VD); however, these findings are inconsistent. It remains unclear whether these associations are causal. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis by systematically searching for observational studies on the association between IBD and dementia. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis based on summary genome-wide association studies (GWASs) was performed. Genetic correlation and Bayesian co-localization analyses were used to provide robust genetic evidence. RESULTS: Ten observational studies involving 80,565,688 participants were included in this meta-analysis. IBD was significantly associated with dementia (risk ratio [ RR] =1.36, 95% CI = 1.04-1.78; I ² = 84.8%) and VD ( RR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.18-5.70; only one study), but not with AD ( RR = 2.00, 95% CI = 0.96-4.13; I ² = 99.8%). MR analyses did not supported significant causal associations of IBD with dementia (dementia: odds ratio [ OR] = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.98-1.03; AD: OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.95-1.01; VD: OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.97-1.07). In addition, genetic correlation and co-localization analyses did not reveal any genetic associations between IBD and dementia. CONCLUSION Our study did not provide genetic evidence for a causal association between IBD and dementia risk. The increased risk of dementia observed in observational studies may be attributed to unobserved confounding factors or detection bias.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/complications* ; Dementia/etiology* ; Observational Studies as Topic ; Genome-Wide Association Study

Objective To investigate the pathological and molecular characteristics of subcutaneous implanted thyroid lesions after endoscopic thyroid surgery. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on three postoperative implantation cases diagnosed in the Department of Pathology of our hospital from 2017 to 2024. Morphological evaluation, immunohistochemical staining, and next generation sequencing (NGS) targeting 66 cancer-related genes and 177 fusion loci were performed to compare features between primary and implanted lesions. Results All three implanted lesions exhibited morphological similarity to their primary counterparts, but displayed enriched mutational profiles. Case 1: a 13-year-old female. The primary lesion was an atypical follicular adenoma progressing to follicular carcinoma, while the implanted lesion was follicular carcinoma. Both lesions harbored MEN1 mutations, with an additional PTPRT mutation detected in the implanted lesion. Case 2: a 45-year-old male. The primary lesion was bilateral nodular goiter, and the implanted lesion showed follicular epithelial hyperplasia with a 0.3 cm papillary carcinoma focus. No mutations were identified in the primary lesion, whereas the implanted lesion exhibited MEN1, GLIS3, EZH1, and KMT2C mutations. Case 3: a 42-year-old female. The primary lesion included a left thyroid adenoma with cystic degeneration and right nodular goiter. A nodular goiter-like implanted lesion was detected in the right breast 5 years postoperatively. The primary lesion harbored TERT, GLIS3, and SPOP mutations, while the implanted lesion showed TERT, GLIS3, EIF1AX, and KMT2C mutations. Conclusions Endoscopic thyroid surgery is widely applied in clinical practice, however, implantation dissemination of thyroid lesions along surgical pathways may occur, encompassing both benign and malignant entities. Implanted lesions exhibit pathological similarities to their primary counterparts, but demonstrate mutational enrichment.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of β3-adrenergic receptor(β3-AR)expression levels for recurrence after radiofrequency ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation(AF).Methods Patients with AF who underwent their first radiofrequency ablation in the Department of Cardiology from January 2022 to February 2024(AF group,n=166)and healthy individuals undergoing routine medical check-ups during the same period(control group,n=100)were selected as study subjects.Based on whether AF recurred after the procedure during follow-up,AF patients were divided into a non-recurrence group and a recurrence group.General clinical data and relevant laboratory indices of AF patients were collected.The relative expression lev-el of lymphocyte β3-AR mRNA was measured using fluorescence real-time quantitative PCR.Multivariate lo-gistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for AF recurrence after surgery,and receiver operat-ing characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was employed to evaluate the predictive value of β3-AR mRNA ex-pression levels for AF recurrence after ablation.Results After 9 months of follow-up post-radiofrequency ab-lation,among 166 AF patients,42 experienced recurrence,with a recurrence rate of 25.3%.Compared with the non-recurrence group,patients in the recurrence group had significantly higher levels of sST2,IL-6 and left at-rial diameter(LAD),with a statistically significant differences(P<0.05).The relative expression level of β3-AR was higher in the recurrence group than in the non-recurrence group,with a statistically significant differ-ence(P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that LAD,sST2,IL-6,and β3-AR were inde-pendent risk factors for AF recurrence after surgery(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve for β3-AR mRNA relative expression level in predicting AF recurrence after radiofrequency ablation was 0.884(95%CI:0.794 to 0.975;P<0.05).Conclusion High preoperative expression levels of β3-AR in AF patients are associated with recurrence after radiofrequency ablation,and β3-AR can serve as a potential biological marker for predicting AF recurrence.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical significance of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in response evaluation and relapse monitoring for patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). METHODS: The clinical characteristics, efficacy and survival of 38 PMBCL patients in our hospital from January 2010 to April 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The ctDNA monitoring was conducted by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS). RESULTS: Among the 38 patients, 26 cases were female, and 32 cases were diagnosed with Ann Arbor stage I-II. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate and progression-free survival (PFS) rate were 74.7% and 61.7%, respectively. Males and those with high aaIPI scores (3 points) had a relatively poor prognosis. The NGS results of 23 patients showed that STAT6 (65.2%), SOCS1 (56.5%), and TNFAIP3 (56.5%) were the most common mutated genes. Patients with stable disease (SD)/progressive disease (PD) exhibited enrichment in cell cycle, FoxO, and TNF signaling pathways. A total of 29 patients underwent end-of-treatment PET/CT (EOT PET/CT), and 16 of them received ctDNA monitoring with 12 negative. Among 6 patients with EOT PET/CT positive (Deauville 4), 4 underwent ctDNA monitoring, and 3 of them were negative, being still in continuous remission without any subsequent anti-tumor therapy. CONCLUSION CtDNA may be combined with PET/CT to assess efficacy, monitor relapse, and guide treatment of PMBCL.
Humans ; Circulating Tumor DNA/blood* ; Female ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Prognosis ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Mutation

Debates persist regarding the efficacy and safety of azvudine, particularly its real-world outcomes. This study involved patients aged ≥60 years who were admitted to 25 hospitals in mainland China with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between December 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. Efficacy outcomes were all-cause mortality during hospitalization, the proportion of patients discharged with recovery, time to nucleic acid-negative conversion (T _NANC), time to symptom improvement (T _SI), and time of hospital stay (T _HS). Safety was also assessed. Among the 5884 participants identified, 1999 received azvudine, and 1999 matched controls were included after exclusion and propensity score matching. Azvudine recipients exhibited lower all-cause mortality compared with controls in the overall population (13.3% vs. 17.1%, RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.90; P = 0.001) and in the severe subgroup (25.7% vs. 33.7%; RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88; P < 0.001). A higher proportion of patients discharged with recovery, and a shorter T _NANC were associated with azvudine recipients, especially in the severe subgroup. The incidence of adverse events in azvudine recipients was comparable to that in the control group (2.3% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.170). In conclusion, azvudine showed efficacy and safety in older patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron wave in China.

Objective:To explore how one-sided/two-sided brain blood flow affects the occurrence of neurological complications in patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection, as well as to assess the factors that contribute to the development of neurological complications.Methods:A total of 162 patients diagnosed with Stanford type A aortic dissection who had undergone ascending aorta and total aortic arch replacement at Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical College from August 2020 to December 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. These patients were categorized into two groups based on the presence of postoperative neurological complications: a group with neurological complications comprising 77 cases and a group without neurological complications comprising 85 cases. A comparative analysis was carried out on general clinical data, surgical and brain perfusion characteristics, as well as preoperative test indicators between these two groups in order to investigate the factors influencing the occurrence of postoperative neurological complications in patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection. The data was analyzed using Logistic regression to identify the risk factors associated with postoperative neurological complications and to develop a predictive nomogram model. Calibration curves, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and decision curve (DCA) were generated to assess the accuracy and predictive capability of the nomogram model.Results:In the group of patients who experienced neurological complications, there was a higher prevalence of a history of hypertension, longer operation time, extended periods of cardiopulmonary bypass, cross-clamping, brain perfusion, cooling, and rewarming, as well as increased postoperative drainage volume. Additionally, the levels of preoperative blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr) and lactic acid (Lac) were elevated compared to those in the non-neurological complications group: 77.9% (60/77) vs. 52.9% (45/85), (409.99 ± 104.26) min vs. (348.29 ± 63.12) min, (223.36 ± 66.86) min vs. (179.25 ± 38.59) min, 112 (94, 133) min vs. 96 (84, 113) min, (35.23 ± 9.89) min vs. (32.14 ± 6.81) min, (82.19 ± 28.69) min vs. (68.76 ± 29.06) min, (79.30 ± 22.60) min vs. (69.54 ± 16.42) min, 806 (529, 1 127) ml vs. 663 (449, 925) ml, 6.78 (5.38, 8.84) mmol/L vs. 6.08 (4.66, 7.76) mmol/L, 86.3 (64.0, 131.9) μmol/L vs. 71.0 (55.6, 84.9) μmol/L, 2.1(1.2, 4.0) mmol/L vs. 1.5 (0.9, 2.3) mmol/L. On the other hand, the percentage of patients who underwent bilateral brain perfusion was lower, and they experienced lower lowest temperature, preoperative platelet count, and ejection fraction levels than those in the non-neurological complications group: 57.1% (44/77) vs. 75.3% (64/85), (25.69 ± 1.04) ℃ vs. (26.04 ± 0.82) ℃, (175.79 ± 58.14) ×10 9/L vs. (213.87 ± 77.29) ×10 9/L, (54.18 ± 3.84)% vs. (55.34 ± 3.56)% ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that a prior history of high blood pressure, prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass duration were identified as autonomous risk factors for the development of postoperative neurological issues in individuals with Stanford type A aortic dissection, while simultaneous brain perfusion emerged as an independent protective element ( P<0.05). Subsequently, a predictive nomogram was constructed incorporating these three pivotal factors to assess the likelihood of postoperative neurological complications in patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection. The calibration curve exhibited a noteworthy level of accuracy for the nomogram predictive model ( χ2 = 9.01, P = 0.342). Additionally, the ROC curve analysis displayed an area under the curve of 0.84 (95% CI 0.78 to 0.90) for the nomogram model in predicting postoperative neurological complications in patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection, indicating a high predictive accuracy. Moreover, DCA analysis indicated that the nomogram model provided a net benefit above 0 across the spectrum of 0 to 90%. Conclusions:Postoperative neurological complications in patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection is linked to factors such as a previous history of hypertension, unilateral brain perfusion, an extended cardiopulmonary bypass duration. By developing a nomogram model that incorporates these factors, it becomes feasible to accurately forecast the likelihood of postoperative neurological complications in this patient population. This predictive tool holds significant value in facilitating proactive clinical risk evaluation and preventive measures.