Objective:To evaluate the long-term oncological outcomes of partial nephrectomy(PN)in patients with renal cell carcinoma(RCC)who were clinically staged as clinical T1(cT1)preoperatively but upstaged to pathological T3a(pT3a)after surgery.Methods:A total of 427 RCC patients postopera-tively diagnosed as pT3aN0M0 at Peking University Third Hospital from February 2013 to December 2022 were retrospectively reviewed.Among them,33 cT1 patients upstaged to pT3a RCC received PN(PN group),while 394 non-upstaged pT3a RCC patients underwent radical nephrectomy(RN,RN group).Propensity score matching was performed at a 1∶1 ratio based on baseline characteristics.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess overall survival(OS),cancer-specific survival(CSS),and disease-free survival(DFS),with Log-rank tests and Cox regression models for multivariate analysis.Results:Before matching,the PN group(n=33)had significantly higher rates of perirenal fat invasion(PFI,45.5％vs.15.2％)and segmental renal vein involvement(42.4％vs.20.8％),but lower rates of renal sinus invasion(RSI,21.2％vs.73.6％)and renal vein tumor thrombus(0％vs.15.2％)compared with the RN group(n=394,all P＜0.05).After matching,baseline characteristics were comparable between the PN group(n=33)and RN group(n=33).No significant differences were observed in operative time,blood loss,mean hospital stay,complication rate,positive margin rate,or conversion to open surgery between the two groups(P＞0.05).However,the PN group showed significantly higher estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)postoperatively[76.9(55.4,87.3)mL/(min·1.73 m2)vs.61.7(56.8,73.5)mL/(min·1.73 m2),P＜0.05],indicating better renal function preserva-tion.No significant differences were found in OS,CSS,or DFS between the groups(P＞0.05).Multi-variate ana-lysis identified renal vein invasion(RVI),higher Fuhrman grades(Ⅲ-Ⅳ),and sarcoma-toid differentiation as independent risk factors for DFS and CSS in the pT3a RCC patients(P＜0.05).Conclusion:For cT1 RCC patients upstaged to pT3a,PN preserves renal function more effectively while achieving com-parable oncological outcomes to RN.RVI,higher Fuhrmann grade,and sarcomatoid differentiation are independent risk factors for pT3N0M0 RCC patients.

Objective:To observe the improving effect of acupuncture and Tuina(Chinese therapeutic massage)combined with Ba Duan Jin(Eight-brocade Exercise)on motor function in patients with Parkinson disease(PD)in the early and middle stages.Methods:Seventy patients with early-or middle-stage PD were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group,with 35 patients in each group.The control group was given conventional treatment such as oral levodopa hydrochloride tablets;the observation group was treated with acupuncture,Tuina,and Ba Duan Jin in addition to the control group's treatment.Acupuncture and Tuina were administered twice a week,and Ba Duan Jin was performed five times a week.Each course of treatment lasted 4 weeks,and a total of 3 courses were completed.The changes in the unified Parkinson disease rating scale Ⅲ(UPDRS Ⅲ)score,Berg balance scale(BBS)score,15-meter walking speed,and 6-minute walk distance were compared between the two groups.Results:The total effective rate in the observation group was 93.6%,which was significantly higher than 45.7%in the control group(P<0.01).After 4,8,and 12 weeks of treatment,the UPDRS Ⅲ score in the observation group was significantly lower than the previous score(P<0.05);the BBS score was significantly higher than the previous score(P<0.05),and the 6-minute walk distance also significantly increased compared to the previous result(P<0.05).After 8 and 12 weeks of treatment,the 15-meter walking speed in the observation group was significantly higher than that before treatment and the previous measurement(P<0.05).In comparison with the control group,the observation group showed significantly lower UPDRS Ⅲ scores after 8 and 12 weeks of treatment(P<0.05).Additionally,after 4,8,and 12 weeks of treatment,the observation group had significantly higher BBS scores,15-meter walking speed,and the 6-minute walk distance than the control group(P<0.05).There were no significant differences in the above indicators before and after treatment in the control group(P>0.05).Conclusion:The addition of acupuncture,Tuina,and Ba Duan Jin to Western medication treatment can effectively improve motor function,balance ability,and walking ability in patients with early-or middle-stage PD.

Objective:To investigate the endocardial myocardial biopsy and ultrastructural features of heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, to determine their histopathologic phenotype, and to explore the diagnostic utility of endomyocardial biopsy in such patients.Methods:A total of 35 patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction diagnosed at Beijing Anzhen Hospital and underwent endomyocardial biopsy were collected between January 2022 and December 2023. The clinical features, histopathological, and ultrastructural characteristics were analyzed and compared with 11 patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.Results:The age ranged from 35-58 years, with median age of 51 years; there were 26 males and 9 females. Myocardial fibrosis and myocardial fiber disorders were the most common histopathologic changes [97.1% (34/35) and 74.3% (26/35), respectively]. Myocardial fibrosis was not statistically different between the heart failure with reduced ejection fraction group and the heart failure with preserved ejection fraction group [13.3% (5.7%-21.4%) vs. 13.2% (9.3%-34.2%), P=0.279]. Significant ultrastructural changes were dense mitochondrial proliferation, vacuolar degeneration, and disorganized arrangement of myocardial fibers with localized lysis and fracture. After endomyocardial biopsy, the etiology was identified in 11 patients (31.4%,11/35), with a prevalence of cardiac amyloidosis of 17.1% (6/35). Conclusions:Endomyocardial biopsy is useful for early diagnosis and precise treatment in patients presenting with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Histopathological and ultrastructural analyses can uncover potential treatments, and predict and improve prognosis by providing relevant information for understanding the pathogenesis and clinical evolution.

Objective: To establish and identify hepatocyte-specific transmembrane protein 121 ( Tmem121 ) knockout mice． Methods: The hepatocyte-specific Tmem121 knockout mice ( Tmem121flox / flox / Cre，Tmem121ΔHep) were obtained by crossbreeding of Tmem121flox / + / Cre and Tmem121flox / flox mice，which were generated using the CRISPR / Cas9 and Cre / Loxp systems．The genotype was verified by PCR using genomic DNA extracted from mouse tails as template．The growth，reproduction and organ development of both control and knockout mice were ob- served and analyzed．PCR and Western blot methods were performed to assess the knockout efficiency of Tmem121 in mouse primary hepatocytes．CellMaskTM Deep Red plasma membrane staining was employed to compare the mor- phological differences in primary hepatocytes between control and knockout mice． Results: Tmem121flox / flox / Cre mice were successfully obtained according to genotype identification analysis，and there were no significant differ- ences between control and knockout mice in body mass，reproductive ability，growth and development of liver．The specific knockout of Tmem121 gene in primary hepatocytes did not significantly affect the morphological structure or pathological characteristics of liver tissue．However，compared to the control group，the levels of Tmem121 mRNA and protein in the primary hepatocytes of the knockout group were significantly reduced ( P ＜0. 01) ．CellMaskTM Deep Red plasma membrane staining indicated that the proportion of binucleated hepatocytes in Tmem121-deficient mice significantly increased ( P＜0. 05) ，while the cell area was significantly reduced ( P＜0. 001) ． Conclusion Hepatocyte-specific Tmem121 knockout mice are successfully constructed，which provides an animal model for further exploration of the function and mechanism of Tmem121 gene in liver diseases．

Current experimental and computational methods have limitations in accurately and efficiently classi-fying ion channels within vast protein spaces.Here we have developed a deep learning algorithm,GPT2 Ion Channel Classifier(GPT2-ICC),which effectively distinguishing ion channels from a test set con-taining approximately 239 times more non-ion-channel proteins.GPT2-ICC integrates representation learning with a large language model(LLM)-based classifier,enabling highly accurate identification of potential ion channels.Several potential ion channels were predicated from the unannotated human proteome,further demonstrating GPT2-ICC's generalization ability.This study marks a significant advancement in artificial-intelligence-driven ion channel research,highlighting the adaptability and effectiveness of combining representation learning with LLMs to address the challenges of imbalanced protein sequence data.Moreover,it provides a valuable computational tool for uncovering previously uncharacterized ion channels.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the active ingredients in Hedyotis diffusa-Scutellaria barbata D. Don and the main biological processes and signaling pathways mediating their inhibitory effect on primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: The core intersecting genes of HCC and the two drugs were screened from TCMSP, Uniport, Genecards, and String databases using Cytoscape software, and GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of the intersecting genes were conducted. Molecular docking between the active ingredients of the drugs and the core genes was carried out using Pubcham, RCSB and Autoduckto to identify the active ingredients with the highest binding energy, whose inhibitory effect on HepG2 cells was verifies using CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry and Western blotting. RESULTS: TP53 and ESR1 were identified as the core genes of HCC and the two drugs. GO and KEGG analyses showed that the two genes were mainly involved in regulation of apoptotic signaling pathway, cell population proliferation, methane raft, and protein kinase activity, and participated in the signaling pathways of apoptosis, proteoglycans in cancer, PI3K Akt signaling pathway, and hepatitis B. Molecular docking studies showed that the active ingredients of the drugs could be docked with TP53 and ESR1 genes under natural conditions, and ursolic acid had the highest binding energy to ESR1 (-4.98 kcal/mol). The results of CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry and Western blotting all demonstrated significant inhibitory effect of ursolic acid on HepG2 cells. CONCLUSIONS The inhibitory effect of Hedyotis diffusa-scutellariae barbatae on HCC is mediated by multiple active ingredients in the two drugs.
Humans ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Hep G2 Cells ; Network Pharmacology ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy* ; Hedyotis/chemistry* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/metabolism* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Estrogen Receptor alpha/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*

Current experimental and computational methods have limitations in accurately and efficiently classifying ion channels within vast protein spaces. Here we have developed a deep learning algorithm, GPT2 Ion Channel Classifier (GPT2-ICC), which effectively distinguishing ion channels from a test set containing approximately 239 times more non-ion-channel proteins. GPT2-ICC integrates representation learning with a large language model (LLM)-based classifier, enabling highly accurate identification of potential ion channels. Several potential ion channels were predicated from the unannotated human proteome, further demonstrating GPT2-ICC's generalization ability. This study marks a significant advancement in artificial-intelligence-driven ion channel research, highlighting the adaptability and effectiveness of combining representation learning with LLMs to address the challenges of imbalanced protein sequence data. Moreover, it provides a valuable computational tool for uncovering previously uncharacterized ion channels.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between mean perfusion pressure (MPP) and the risk of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) and its prognosis, and to determine the optimal cut-off value of MPP for predicting SA-AKI. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinical data of adult patients with sepsis were collected from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV 2.2 (MIMIC-IV 2.2) database. The patients were divided into two groups based on the occurrence of SA-AKI. Baseline characteristics, vital signs, comorbidities, laboratory indicators within 24 hours of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and clinical outcome indicators were collected. Mean MPP was calculated using the average values of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and central venous pressure (CVP), MPP = MAP-CVP. Cox regression models were constructed, relevant confounding factors were adjusted, and multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the associations between MPP and the risk of SA-AKI as well as ICU death. The predictive value of MPP for SA-AKI was evaluated using receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) analysis, and the optimal cut-off value was determined. RESULTS: A total of 6 009 patients were ultimately enrolled in the analysis. Among them, SA-AKI occurred in 4 755 patients (79.13%), while 1 254 patients (20.87%) did not develop SA-AKI. Compared with the non-SA-AKI group, the MPP in the SA-AKI group was significantly lowered [mmHg (1 mmHg≈0.133 kPa): 62.00 (57.00, 68.00) vs. 65.00 (60.00, 70.00), P < 0.01], and the ICU mortality was significantly increased [11.82% (562/4 755) vs. 1.59% (20/1 254), P < 0.01]. Three Cox regression models were constructed: model 1 was unadjusted; model 2 was adjusted for gender, age, height, weight and race; model 3 was adjusted for gender, age, height, weight, race, heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, hemoglobin, platelet count, white blood cell count, anion gap, HCO₃^-, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, Cl^-, Na⁺, K⁺, fibrinogen, international normalized ratio, blood lactic acid, pH value, arterial partial pressure of oxygen, arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide, sequential organ failure assessment score, Charlson comorbidity index score, use of vasopressors, mechanical ventilation, and urine output. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that when MPP was treated as a continuous variable, there was a negative correlation between MPP and the risk of SA-AKI in model 1 and model 2 [model 1: odds ratio (OR) = 0.967, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.961-0.974, P < 0.001; model 2: OR = 0.981, 95%CI was 0.974-0.988, P < 0.001], and also a negative correlation between MPP and the risk of ICU death (model 1: OR = 0.955, 95%CI was 0.945-0.965, P < 0.001; model 2: OR = 0.956, 95%CI was 0.946-0.966, P < 0.001). However, in model 3, there was no significant correlation between MPP and either SA-AKI risk or ICU death risk. when MPP was used as a multi-categorical variable, in model 1 and model 2, referring to MPP ≤ 58 mmHg, when 59 mmHg ≤ MPP ≤ 68 mmHg, as MPP increased, the risk of SA-AKI progressively decreased (OR value was 0.411-0.638, all P < 0.001), and the risk of ICU death also gradually decreased (OR value was 0.334-0.477, all P < 0.001). ROC curve showed that MPP had a certain predictive value for SA-AKI occurrence [area under the ROC curve (AUC) = 0.598, 95%CI was 0.404-0.746], and the optimal cut-off value was 60.5 mmHg. CONCLUSION MPP was significantly associated with the risk of SA-AKI, with an optimal cut-off value of 60.5 mmHg, and also demonstrated a significant correlation with the risk of ICU death.
Humans ; Acute Kidney Injury/physiopathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis/physiopathology* ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Risk Factors ; Intensive Care Units ; Adult ; Logistic Models ; Proportional Hazards Models

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical value of dose-escalated postoperative radiotherapy(PORT)in improving local control and survival outcomes for head and neck adenoid cystic carcinoma(ACC)patients.METHODS This retrospective study analyzed 336 ACC patients treated with surgery plus PORT at Beijing Tongren Hospital from January 2015 to January 2021.Cohort stratification compared high-dose(>60 Gy,n=146)and conventional-dose(≤60 Gy,n=190)regimens.Survival analysis employed Kaplan-Meier estimates with log-rank testing,complemented by multivariate Cox regression for risk adjustment.RESULTS The cohort demonstrated 39.29%(132/336)cumulative local failure rate.The overall survival rates at 1,3,and 5 years after surgery were 98.81%,94.05%,and 90.48%,respectively.Dose-response relationships revealed:1.Significantly reduced local recurrence with high-dose PORT(28.08%vs.47.89%,P<0.001),corresponding to 41.37%lower recurrence risk(a HR=0.59,95%CI=0.38-0.91;P=0.041);2.Superior progression-free survival in the high-dose group(3-year:86.99%vs.76.32%;5-year:82.19%vs.66.32%,all P<0.05);3.Comparable overall survival between groups(median OS:200 vs.160 months,P=0.292).CONCLUSION Dose escalation beyond 60 Gy significantly enhances locoregional control and progression-free survival in head and neck ACC without conferring overall survival advantage,likely reflecting the disease's characteristic indolent metastatic progression.These results establish>60 Gy as an optimal dose threshold for PORT in high-risk ACC management.

Objective:To determine the best scoring system for assessing the severity of perioperative aortic dissection.Methods:All data were obtained from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-Ⅳ(MIMIC-Ⅳ) database in the United States. The predictive value of the Acute Physiology Score Ⅲ(APS Ⅲ), Oxford Acute Severity of Illness Score (OASIS), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), Simplified Acute Physiology Score Ⅱ(SAPS Ⅱ), and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scoring systems were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic ( ROC) curve. The area under the curve ( AUC) was used to determine the best predictive score, and the ideal cutoff value of the score was calculated based on the Youden index. Patients were divided into high and low groups according to the cutoff value. The Kaplan- Meier curve was used to show the impact on the survival rate of patients with aortic dissection. Results:ROC curve analysis showed that APS Ⅲ( AUC: 0.803, 95% CI: 0.721-0.885) was superior to SAPS Ⅱ( AUC: 0.767, 95% CI: 0.654-0.880), OASIS( AUC: 0.760, 95% CI: 0.635-0.885), SOFA( AUC: 0.753, 95% CI: 0.649-0.857), and CCI( AUC: 0.670, 95% CI: 0.524-0.817) in assessing in-hospital mortality. Based on the ROC curve and the Youden index calculation, the ideal cutoff value of the APS Ⅲ score was 57.5. Kaplan- Meier survival analysis showed that patients in the high group of APS Ⅲ had a shorter 28-day survival time. Patients in the high group of APS Ⅲ had a higher incidence of postoperative complications, and correlation analysis showed that patients in the high group of APS Ⅲ had a longer hospital stay. Conclusion:The APS Ⅲ scoring system is more valuable in predicting the 28-day mortality and prognosis of patients with aortic dissection.