PURPOSE: The secondary damage of spinal cord injury (SCI) starts from the collapse of the blood spinal cord barrier (BSCB) to chronic and devastating neurological deficits. Thereby, the retention of the integrity and permeability of BSCB is well-recognized as one of the major therapies to promote functional recovery after SCI. Previous studies have demonstrated that activation of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) provides anti-apoptosis and neuroprotection in SCI. Endogenous HIF-1α, rapidly degraded by prolylhydroxylase, is insufficient for promoting functional recovery. Dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG), a highly selective inhibitor of prolylhydroxylase, has been reported to have a positive effect on axon regeneration. However, the roles and underlying mechanisms of DMOG in BSCB restoration remain unclear. Herein, we aim to investigate pathological changes of BSCB restoration in rats with SCI treated by DOMG and evaluate the therapeutic effects of DMOG. METHODS: The work was performed from 2022 to 2023. In this study, Allen's impact model and human umbilical vein endothelial cells were employed to explore the mechanism of DMOG. In the phenotypic validation experiment, the rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham group, SCI group, and SCI + DMOG group (10 rats for each). Histological analysis via Nissl staining, Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan scale, and footprint analysis was used to evaluate the functional recovery after SCI. Western blotting, TUNEL assay, and immunofluorescence staining were employed to exhibit levels of tight junction and adhesion junction of BSCB, HIF-1α, cell apoptosis, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The one-way ANOVA test was used for statistical analysis. The difference was considered statistically significant at p < 0.05. RESULTS: In this study, we observed the expression of HIF-1α reduced in the SCI model. DMOG treatment remarkably augmented HIF-1α level, alleviated endothelial cells apoptosis and disruption of BSCB, and enhanced functional recovery post-SCI. Besides, the administration of DMOG offset the activation of ER stress induced by SCI, but this phenomenon was blocked by tunicamycin (an ER stress activator). Finally, we disclosed that DMOG maintained the integrity and permeability of BSCB by inhibiting ER stress, and inhibition of HIF-1α erased the protection from DMOG. CONCLUSIONS Our findings illustrate that the administration of DMOG alleviates the devastation of BSCB and HIF-1α-induced inhibition of ER stress.
Spinal Cord Injuries/pathology* ; Animals ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Amino Acids, Dicarboxylic/therapeutic use* ; Recovery of Function/drug effects* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism* ; Male ; Spinal Cord/blood supply*

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) load in different lymphocyte subsets, as well as clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients with hematologic malignancies experiencing EBV reactivation. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples from patients were collected. B, T, and NK cells were isolated sorting with magnetic beads by flow cytometry. The EBV load in each subset was quantitated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Clinical data were colleted from electronic medical records. Survival status was followed up through outpatient visits and telephone calls. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0. RESULTS: A total of 39 patients with hematologic malignancies were included, among whom 35 patients had undergone allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The median time to EBV reactivation was 4.8 months (range: 1.7-57.1 months) after allo-HSCT. EBV was detected in B, T, and NK cells in 20 patients, in B and T cells in 11 patients, and only in B cells in 4 patients. In the 35 patients, the median EBV load in B cells was 2.19×10⁴ copies/ml, significantly higher than that in T cells (4.00×10³ copies/ml, P <0.01) and NK cells (2.85×10² copies/ml, P <0.01). Rituximab (RTX) was administered for 32 patients, resulting in EBV negativity in 32 patients with a median time of 8 days (range: 2-39 days). Post-treatment analysis of 13 patients showed EBV were all negative in B, T, and NK cells. In the four non-transplant patients, the median time to EBV reactivation was 35 days (range: 1-328 days) after diagnosis of the primary disease. EBV was detected in one or two subsets of B, T, or NK cells, but not simultaneously in all three subsets. These patients received a combination chemotherapy targeting at the primary disease, with 3 patients achieving EBV negativity, and the median time to be negative was 40 days (range: 13-75 days). CONCLUSION In hematologic malignancy patients after allo-HSCT, EBV reactivation commonly involves B, T, and NK cells, with a significantly higher viral load in B cells compared to T and NK cells. Rituximab is effective for EBV clearance. In non-transplant patients, EBV reactivation is restricted to one or two lymphocyte subsets, and clearance is slower, highlighting the need for prompt anti-tumor therapy.
Humans ; Hematologic Neoplasms/virology* ; Herpesvirus 4, Human/physiology* ; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Virus Activation ; Lymphocyte Subsets/virology* ; Flow Cytometry ; Killer Cells, Natural/virology* ; Male ; Female ; B-Lymphocytes/virology* ; Viral Load ; Adult ; T-Lymphocytes/virology* ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: The association of systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) with prognosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients has never been investigated in a large sample with long-term follow-up. This study aimed to explore the association of SIRI with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a nationally representative sample of CAD patients from United States. METHODS: A total of 3386 participants with CAD from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2018 were included in this study. Cox proportional hazards model, restricted cubic spline (RCS), and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) were performed to investigate the association of SIRI with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Piece-wise linear regression and sensitivity analyses were also performed. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 7.7 years, 1454 all-cause mortality occurred. After adjusting for confounding factors, higher lnSIRI was significantly associated with higher risk of all-cause (HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.09-1.23) and CVD mortality (HR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.05-1.30) but not cancer mortality (HR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.99-1.38). The associations of SIRI with all-cause and CVD mortality were detected as J-shaped with threshold values of 1.05935 and 1.122946 for SIRI, respectively. ROC curves showed that lnSIRI had robust predictive effect both in short and long terms. CONCLUSIONS SIRI was independently associated with all-cause and CVD mortality, and the dose-response relationship was J-shaped. SIRI might serve as a valid predictor for all-cause and CVD mortality both in the short and long terms.

Objective To explore the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome elements in patients with multi-drug resistant bacteria-infected pneumonia.Methods Clinical data of 126 patients with multi-drug resistant bacteria-infected pneumonia admitted to the intensive care unit of Lung Disease Centre of Qingdao Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from May 2020 to July 2022 were retrospectively collected.The clinical data included the patients'gender,age,underlying diseases,history of bad additions of smoking and alcohol,multi-drug resistant bacteria,and the information of four diagnostic methods of TCM,etc.The disease-nature syndrome elements in patients with drug-resistance to various strains of drug-resistant bacteria were extracted,and then deficiency-excess syndrome differentiation was carried out.Results(1)A total of 201 strains of multi-drug resistant bacteria were detected in 126 patients with multi-drug resistant bacterial pneumonia.The main pathogenic species were Gram-negative bacteria,and the proportion accounted for 95.52%(192/201),which was significantly higher than that of Gram-positive bacteria[4.48%(9/201)],with a statistically significant difference(χ2 = 166.612,P＜0.001).Klebsiella pneumoniae accounted for the highest percentage of 23.38%in the gram-negative bacterium.(2)A total of 12 syndrome elements were extracted from the 126 patients.The excess syndrome elements were predominated by phlegm and heat,and the deficiency syndrome elements were predominated by yin deficiency.There was no statistically significant difference in the distribution of yin deficiency,blood deficiency,heat,phlegm,fluid-retention and damp syndrome elements among patients with different strains of drug-resistant bacterial infection(P＞0.05).(3)Of the 126 patients,62 cases(49.21%)had simple excess syndrome,one case(0.79%)had simple deficiency syndrome,and 63 cases(50.00%)had concurrent deficiency-excess syndrome.Among the 126 patients,there were 19 cases of single syndrome element,41 cases of concurrent two-syndrome element,49 cases of concurrent three-syndrome element,16 cases of concurrent four-syndrome element,and one case of concurrent five-syndrome element.And the combined syndrome element of phlegm-heat-yin deficiency occurred most frequently for 26 times.Conclusion Gram-negative bacteria are the primary infectious pathogens for the patients with multi-drug resistant bacterial infections,and the TCM syndrome elements of the patients are characterized by the concurrence of deficiency and excess and simple excess syndrome,mainly manifesting as phlegm,heat,and yin deficiency.

Traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome (TSOFS) is a symptom complex caused by nerve entrapment in the supraorbital fissure after skull base trauma. If the compressed cranial nerve in the supraorbital fissure is not decompressed surgically, ptosis, diplopia and eye movement disorder may exist for a long time and seriously affect the patients′ quality of life. Since its overall incidence is not high, it is not familiarized with the majority of neurosurgeons and some TSOFS may be complicated with skull base vascular injury. If the supraorbital fissure surgery is performed without treatment of vascular injury, it may cause massive hemorrhage, and disability and even life-threatening in severe cases. At present, there is no consensus or guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS that can be referred to both domestically and internationally. To improve the understanding of TSOFS among clinical physicians and establish standardized diagnosis and treatment plans, the Skull Base Trauma Group of the Neurorepair Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Traumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized relevant experts to formulate Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome ( version 2024) based on evidence of evidence-based medicine and clinical experience of diagnosis and treatment. This consensus puts forward 12 recommendations on the diagnosis, classification, treatment, efficacy evaluation and follow-up of TSOFS, aiming to provide references for neurosurgeons from hospitals of all levels to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS.

Objective:To clarify the causal relationship between obesity and male infertility through Mendelian randomization(MR)study.Methods:We assessed the causal effect of genetically predicted body mass index(BMI)on the risk of male infertility via a two-sample MR analysis,with the BMIs of 99 998 cases and 12 746 controls as the exposure factor and genetic information on male infertility obtained from a genome-wide association study of 73 479 Europeans.In the univariable MR(UVMR)analysis of the causal relationship,we mainly used inverse variance weighting(IVW),with MR-Egger regression and weighted median filtering as the supplementary methods.Sensitivity analyses including the Cochran's Q test,Egger intercept test,MR-PRESSO,leave-one-out analysis and funnel plot were performed to verify the robustness of the MR results.To evaluate the direct causal effects of BMI on MI risk,mult-ivariable MR(MVMR)was performed.Results:UVMR indicated a causal relationship between genetically predicted BMI and an in-creased risk of male infertility(OR:1.237,95%CI:1.090-1.404,P=0.001).Sensitivity analysis revealed little evidence of bias in the current study(P>0.05).With such risk factors as type 2 diabetes,alcohol consumption and smoking adjusted,MVMR confirmed a direct causal effect of genetically predicted BMI on the risk of male infertility(P<0.05).Conclusion:Genetically pre-dicted BMI may be associated with an increased risk of male infertility.Further studies are expected to explore the underlying mecha-nisms of this association and provide some new strategies for the prevention and treatment of BMI-related male infertility.

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59％(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49％(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35％(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.

The present study analyzed the efficacy evaluation indexes of the randomized controlled trials(RCTs) of Chinese medi-cine in the treatment of rheumatic heart disease to lay the foundation for the construction of the corresponding core outcome index set. Clinical RCTs with a definite diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease were retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, Sino Med, Pub Med, EMbase, and Cochrane Library from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2020. Thirty-five RCTs were included, involving 3 314 patients and 41 efficacy evaluation indexes, which covered seven domains [traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) symptoms/syndromes, symp-toms/signs, physical and chemical examination, quality of life, long-term prognosis, economic evaluation, and safety events]. Physi-cal and chemical examination(56. 91%) and symptoms/signs(29. 27%) were the more frequently applied. The number of indexes used in a single trial ranged from 1 to 15, with an average of 4. The measurement time points of the top five indexes in the frequency of use were as follows: total response rate was reported at five measurement time points, ranging from 14 days to 6 months; left ventri-cular ejection fraction was measured at eight time points ranging from 5 days to 6 months; left ventricular end systolic diameter was measured at six time points, ranging from 5 days to 6 months; interleukin-2(IL-2) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) were repor-ted 28 days after treatment. At present, there are many problems in the efficacy outcome indexes of RCTs in the treatment of rheumatic heart disease with TCM, such as large difference in quantity, unclear primary and secondary indexes, unreasonable selection of " surro-gate indexes", insufficient attention to long-term prognostic indexes and safety event indexes, non-standard application of composite in-dexes, long measurement period, and lack of TCM characteristics. It is urgent to establish the core outcome set for TCM treatment of rheumatic heart disease.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Quality of Life ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Rheumatic Heart Disease/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

This study mainly introduced the research on Chinese medicine toxicology funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC) in 2012-2021 and analyzed the research content. Furthermore, key research topics and characteristic research projects were discussed, such as the toxicity mechanism, relationship between toxicity and efficacy, toxicity-alleviating mechanisms, and new technology and methods. The review suggested that researchers should gain an in-depth understanding of the "toxicity" of Chinese me-dicine, turned to characteristic research topics, and build a toxicological research paradigm suited to the characteristics of Chinese medicine in project application.
China ; Foundations ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Natural Science Disciplines