Objective To summarize our experience and the early and midterm outcomes of stented elephant trunk procedure for right-sided aortic arch (RAA) with Kommerell's diverticulum (KD). Methods From April 2013 to July 2020, patients with RAA and KD who underwent stented elephant trunk procedure at our center were collected. Surgery was performed under moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest combined with selective antegrade cerebral perfusion via median sternotomy. Results A total of 8 patients were included, including 7 males and 1 female with a mean age of 51.88±9.61 years. All patients had an aneurysmal KD and aberrant left subclavian artery. Preoperative comorbidities included acute Stanford type B aortic dissection in 1 patient, aortic arch pseudoaneurysm in 1 patient, acute type B intramural hematoma in 2 patients, and coronary artery disease in 1 patient. Concomitant procedures included reconstruction of the left subclavian artery in all patients and coronary artery bypass grafting in 1 patient. The mean time of operation, cardiopulmonary bypass, aortic cross-clamping, and selective cerebral perfusion was 6.25±1.16 h, 157.75±40.07 min, 77.75±33.10 min, and 28.50±5.55 min, respectively. No intraoperative death occurred. There was 1 in-hospital death. Follow-up was completed in all patients with a mean period of 3.58±2.08 years. No late death occurred. A persistent anastomotic leak of the proximal arch was detected in 1 patient, but reintervention was not performed because neither aortic dilatation nor symptoms of tracheal and esophageal compression were observed during the follow-up. The remaining 6 patients showed positive aortic remodeling with complete thrombosis of the aneurysmal KD, and neither aortic event nor tracheal and esophageal compression occurred. Conclusion Stented elephant trunk procedure is a safe and feasible technique for selected patients with RAA and KD, which can achieve favorable early and midterm outcomes.

Atrial functional mitral regurgitation (AFMR) is mitral regurgitation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), whose left atrium (LA) is enlarged, the left ventricle is not enlarged or only slightly enlarged, the left ventricular ejection fraction is preserved, and the mitral valve itself has no apparent lesion. At present, the etiology, pathophysiology and mechanism of this disease have not been completely clear yet. Existing studies have found that the causes of AFMR mainly include AF, enlargement of LA and mitral annulus, destruction of mitral annular shape, inability of mitral valve remodeling to compensate for mitral annular expansion, and hamstringing of the posterior mitral leaflet by atriogenic tethering. AFMR is demonstrated to be associated with an increased risk of mortality and readmission due to heart failure. Therefore, it serves as a primary therapeutic target for patients with heart failure and AF. However, the optimal treatment of AFMR still remains controversial. Therefore, this article will mainly expound the current definition, etiology, pathophysiological mechanism, treatment, and prognosis of AFMR.

ObjectiveTo analyze the measures and effects of comprehensive noise control in an automobile engine manufacturing enterprise. Methods An automobile engine manufacturing enterprise with noise exposure work-sites was selected as the research subject. The noise hazard status of the enterprise was investigated. The noise hazard exceeded the national standard in work-sites was comprehensively treated. The treatment effect was analyzed. Results A total of 395 work-sites exposed to noise were detected. Among them, 16 work-sites exceeded the national noise standard, with the rate of 4.1%. The work-sites with noise exceeding the national standard were mainly in the machine workshop and the casting workshop, with normalization of equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure level to a nominal eight hours working day (L_EX,8h) ranging from 86.8 to 89.2 and 85.2 to 90.2 dB(A), respectively. In addition, the classification of occupational noise exposure of the mold protection group in the casting workshop was level Ⅱ, and classification of occupational noise exposure of other work-sites with excessive national standard was grade Ⅰ. After the enterprise implemented noise control measures such as process reform, equipment replacement, sound insulation, noise reduction, sound absorption, and vibration isolation, the L_EX,8h of nine positions were lower than those before rectification ［(86.7±1.1) vs (83.3±1.3) dB(A), P<0.01］. Conclusion The use of comprehensive control measures can achieve the purpose of reducing noise from the sources, and can be used for reference by relevant enterprises with noise hazards.

Objective To elucidate the potential mechanisms by which mesothelin(MSLN)contributes to chemotherapy resistance in high-grade serous ovarian cancer(HGSOC).Methods A Meta-analysis utilizing public ovarian cancer databases was performed to evaluate the correlation between MSLN expression levels and overall survival(OS)in ovarian cancer patients.Pathway enrichment analysis was employed to identify key signaling pathways regulated by MSLN and their roles in chemotherapy resistance.Additionally,the TCGA-HGSOC database was analyzed to examine genomic features associated with MSLN-mediated chemotherapy resistance.To validate the biological function of MSLN in chemotherapy resistance,an intraperitoneal metastasis model was established using MSLN-knockdown ID8 ovarian cancer cells in mice.Results Elevated MSLN expression was significantly associated with poor patient prognosis(HR:1.42,95%CI:1.16-1.74).Differential gene expression and pathway enrichment analyses revealed that high MSLN expression upregulates resistance-associated genes and pathways involved in drug metabolism and DNA-binding signaling.Genomic association analysis showed a negative correlation between high MSLN expression and chromosomal instability features,specifically CX3,CX11,and CX13 scores.In vivo studies demonstrated that MSLN knockdown enhanced the tumor-suppressive effects of cisplatin.Conclusion High MSLN expression represents a potential biomarker for poor prognosis and chemotherapy resistance in HGSOC patients,suggesting MSLN as a promising target for therapeutic intervention.

Humans ; Mpox (monkeypox) ; China

Objective: To explore the heterogeneity and correlation of clinical phenotypes and genotypes in children with disorders of sex development (DSD). Methods: A retrospective study of 1 235 patients with clinically proposed DSD in 36 pediatric medical institutions across the country from January 2017 to May 2021. After capturing 277 DSD-related candidate genes, second-generation sequencing was performed to analyzed the heterogeneity and correlation combined with clinical phenotypes. Results: Among 1 235 children with clinically proposed DSD, 980 were males and 255 were females of social gender at the time of initial diagnosis with the age ranged from 1 day of age to 17.92 years. A total of 443 children with pathogenic variants were detected through molecular genetic studies, with a positive detection rate of 35.9%. The most common clinical phenotypes were micropenis (455 cases), hypospadias (321 cases), and cryptorchidism (172 cases) and common mutations detected were in SRD5A2 gene (80 cases), AR gene (53 cases) and CYP21A2 gene (44 cases). Among them, the SRD5A2 mutation is the most common in children with simple micropenis and simple hypospadias, while the AMH mutation is the most common in children with simple cryptorchidism. Conclusions: The SRD5A2 mutation is the most common genetic variant in Chinese children with DSD, and micropenis, cryptorchidism, and hypospadias are the most common clinical phenotypes. Molecular diagnosis can provide clues about the biological basis of DSD, and can also guide clinicians to perform specific clinical examinations. Target sequence capture probes and next-generation sequencing technology can provide effective and economical genetic diagnosis for children with DSD.
3-Oxo-5-alpha-Steroid 4-Dehydrogenase/genetics* ; Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Cryptorchidism/genetics* ; Disorders of Sex Development/genetics* ; Female ; Genital Diseases, Male ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypospadias/genetics* ; Male ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Penis/abnormalities* ; Phenotype ; Retrospective Studies ; Steroid 21-Hydroxylase/genetics*

Neuroscientists have emphasized visceral influences on consciousness and attention, but the potential neurophysiological pathways remain under exploration. Here, we found two neurophysiological pathways of heart-brain interaction based on the relationship between oxygen-transport by red blood cells (RBCs) and consciousness/attention. To this end, we collected a dataset based on the routine physical examination, the breaking continuous flash suppression (b-CFS) paradigm, and an attention network test (ANT) in 140 immigrants under the hypoxic Tibetan environment. We combined electroencephalography and multilevel mediation analysis to investigate the relationship between RBC properties and consciousness/attention. The results showed that RBC function, via two independent neurophysiological pathways, not only triggered interoceptive re-representations in the insula and awareness connected to orienting attention but also induced an immune response corresponding to consciousness and executive control. Importantly, consciousness played a fundamental role in executive function which might be associated with the level of perceived stress. These results indicated the important role of oxygen-transport in heart-brain interactions, in which the related stress response affected consciousness and executive control. The findings provide new insights into the neurophysiological schema of heart-brain interactions.
Awareness ; Brain ; Consciousness ; Humans ; Oxygen ; Visual Perception

Objective To explore the obstacles in palliative care consultation services and put forward the suggestions for improving the services in grade A tertiary hospitals. Methods A semi-structured interview was conducted with 17 medical workers who had requested palliative care consultation services in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Results The palliative care consultation services were hindered by five obstacle factors including insufficient knowledge of patients and their families about palliative care,unsound understanding of medical workers about palliative care,poor implementation of consultation opinions,limited labor of palliative care team,and poor economic benefits from palliative care.In view of such obstacles,the following suggestions were put forward,which included increasing the acceptance of palliative care by patients and their families,enriching the knowledge of medical staff on palliative care,establishing a new cooperation model between consultation team and medical staff,strengthening the institutional guarantee for the development of palliative care,and establishing and perfecting the laws and policies related to palliative care. Conclusion Although there are many difficulties in the in-hospital palliative care consultation services in grade A tertiary hospitals,the demand and expectation of medical staff for palliative care are still increasing.
Humans ; Palliative Care ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Referral and Consultation ; Hospitalization

Perilla frutescens is a traditional medicinal and edible plant widely distributed in China and enjoys an extensive usage. P. frutescens contains multiple essential oils， which are composed of monoterpenes， sesquiterpenes， and their oxygen-containing derivatives. Compared with other parts of P. frutescens， Perillae Folium produce more oils， with volatile oils as the main constituents. There are many active substances in the volatile oils from Perillae Folium， mainly including perillaldehyde， perillaketone， perillaalcohol， D-limonene， β-caryophylene， etc. Such factors as germplasm， growth environment， extraction method， cultivation time， and harvest period all can trigger changes in volatile oil constituents and content from Perillae Folium. The volatile oils from Perillae Folium have diverse pharmacological effects like anti-oxidation， anti-bacteria， anti-inflammation， vasodilation， anti-tumor， and anti-depression， implying its high clinical application value. However， the chemical constituents in volatile oils from Perillae Folium are complex and unstable and their pharmacological activities are affected by many factors， so the safety and effectiveness of clinical medication fail to be guaranteed， which may has impeded the rational and effective use of these volatile oils. Many scholars in China and abroad have conducted a lot of research on the volatile oils from Perillae Folium， but there is currently no systematic and comprehensive research report on the chemical constituents of volatile oils from Perillae Folium and their pharmacological effects. This paper reviewed the relevant domestic and foreign literature， analyzed the development status of volatile oils from Perillae Folium， and summarized their extraction process， chemical constituents， and pharmacological actions， aiming to provide a reference for their further development， clinical application， and risk assessment.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome, hypercoagulability, hypertension, and multiorgan dysfunction. Effective antivirals with safe clinical profile are urgently needed to improve the overall prognosis. In an analysis of a randomly collected cohort of 124 patients with COVID-19, we found that hypercoagulability as indicated by elevated concentrations of D-dimers was associated with disease severity. By virtual screening of a U.S. FDA approved drug library, we identified an anticoagulation agent dipyridamole (DIP) , which suppressed SARS-CoV-2 replication . In a proof-of-concept trial involving 31 patients with COVID-19, DIP supplementation was associated with significantly decreased concentrations of D-dimers ( < 0.05), increased lymphocyte and platelet recovery in the circulation, and markedly improved clinical outcomes in comparison to the control patients. In particular, all 8 of the DIP-treated severely ill patients showed remarkable improvement: 7 patients (87.5%) achieved clinical cure and were discharged from the hospitals while the remaining 1 patient (12.5%) was in clinical remission.