AIM: To assess the stability of the tear film and the characteristics of corneal nerves in patients with Parkinson's disease(PD).METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study included 72 PD patients and 50 healthy controls. Disease severity was determined using the Hoehn-Yahr(H-Y)scale, dividing patients into mild and moderate PD groups. Dry eye symptoms were evaluated via the ocular surface disease index(OSDI)questionnaire, while tear secretion was quantified using the Schirmer I test. Ocular surface damage was assessed through staining scores, and comprehensive ocular examinations were performed utilizing the LipiView ocular surface interferometer and an ocular surface analyzer. Corneal nerve parameters were examined using corneal confocal microscopy in conjunction with automated analysis software ACCMetrics, with correlations drawn between these parameters, PD course, and severity.RESULTS: PD patients exhibited significantly elevated OSDI scores, indicative of more pronounced dry eye symptoms compared to the control group(F=70.290, P<0.01). Tear film stability was markedly compromised, with significantly shorter tear film breakup time and increased corneal fluorescein staining, both showing statistically significant differences relative to controls(all P<0.01). Tear secretion indices, including Schirmer I test results and tear meniscus height, were significantly reduced in PD patients(all P<0.01), whereas lipid secretion indices, such as lipid layer thickness and meibomian gland dropout score, did not show significant variation. Corneal nerve analysis revealed significant reductions in corneal nerve fiber density, nerve branch density, fiber length, and total branch density in PD patients compared to controls(all P<0.01). Furthermore, blink frequency was markedly prolonged(F=62.353, P<0.01). Correlation analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between alterations in tear film stability and both disease duration and H-Y scores.CONCLUSION: PD patients have obvious dry eye manifestations in the early stage of the disease, including the reduction of tear film stability and corneal nerve fiber density, and gradually aggravate with the progress of the disease. Neurodegenerative disease-related dry eye needs to be diagnosed early and actively treated.

OBJECTIVE To explore the action mechanism of kushenol F （KSCF） in treating ulcerative colitis （UC） in mice. METHODS The potential targets of KSCF intervening in UC were predicted with network pharmacology and molecular docking. C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided by body weight into model group， positive control group （sulfasalazine， 703 mg/kg）， KSCF group （100 mg/kg）， and normal group， with 6 mice per group. The UC model of mice was induced by dextran sulfate sodium solution. During the modeling period， the mice were given relevant medicine intragastrically， once a day， for 7 consecutive days. After the last administration， the disease activity index （DAI） of the mice was scored； the length of the mice’s colon was measured； pathological changes in the colon tissue of mice were observed； the levels of lipopolysaccharide （LPS） in serum， myeloperoxidase （MPO）， nitric oxide （NO） and superoxide dismutase （SOD） in the colon were detected in mice； the expression levels of occludin and ZO-1 in colon tissue of mice were detected； the proportions of CD3+T， CD4+T， and CD8+T lymphocytes in the spleen and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ were detected； changes in colonic microbiota were analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing. RESULTS Results of network pharmacology indicated that KSCF may treat UC by regulating signaling pathways such as phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/AKT） and nuclear factor kappa B （NF- κB）. Molecular docking results showed that KSCF bound most stably with NF-κB p65 protein. Animal experiment results demonstrated that， compared with the model group， the pathological characteristics of colon tissue in mice were improved in KSCF group. DAI scores， serum levels of LPS， the levels of MPO，NF-κB p65 phosphorylation and NLRP3 protein expression in the colon， and the proportion of CD8+T lymphocytes in the spleen were reduced significantly （P＜0.05）. Body weight， SOD levels， expression levels of occludin and ZO-1 in the colon， proportions of CD3+T and CD4+T lymphocytes， and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the spleen were significantly increased （P＜0.05）； the abundance of Firmicutes， Actinobacteria， Akkermansia， and Lactobacillus genera were increased， while Proteobacteria decreased； the microbial community structure tended towards that of the normal group. CONCLUSIONS KSCF alleviates UC by restoring intestinal microbial imbalance， enhancing immune response， and inhibiting colonic inflammatory responses， thereby improving intestinal barrier integrity.

Objective:To explore the effects of the fat mass and obesity-associated gene(FTO)on apoptosis and the inflammatory response of chondrocytes in osteoarthritis(OA).Methods:Differences in FTO expression between normal human cartilage tissue samples and OA cartilage tissue samples were examined.Primary OA chondrocytes were isolated and cultured, and a rat OA model was constructed.The expression of FTO was detected in clinical, animal and cellular samples.Cells were treated with an FTO knockdown lentivirus vector(sh-FTO)and an m 6A methylation inhibitor(cycloleucine). The amount of m 6A and the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), were detected.Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis in OA chondrocytes, and Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2(Bcl-2)and Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax). Results:Compared with the normal control group, FTO mRNA and protein expression in human OA cartilage tissue, rat OA cartilage tissue and OA chondrocytes was significantly increased(all P<0.05). After FTO knockdown, the level of m 6A increased, the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α decreased considerably, the apoptosis rate decreased, the expression of the proapoptotic protein Bax decreased considerably, and the expression of Bcl-2 increased considerably in primary OA chondrocytes.However, cycloleucine intervention clearly reduced the level of m6A, increased the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α, promoted cell apoptosis and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins, and reversed the effect induced by the FTO knockdown lentivirus in OA chondrocytes(all P<0.05). Conclusions:FTO may be involved in mechanisms related to the action of m 6A to promote OA chondrocyte apoptosis and the inflammatory response, thus accelerating the progression of OA.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) combined with lower cervical fracture is often categorized into unstable fracture, with a high incidence of neurological injury and a high rate of disability and morbidity. As factors such as shoulder occlusion may affect the accuracy of X-ray imaging diagnosis, it is often easily misdiagnosed at the primary diagnosis. Non-operative treatment has complications such as bone nonunion and the possibility of secondary neurological damage, while the timing, access and choice of surgical treatment are still controversial. Currently, there are no clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture with or without dislocation. To this end, the Spinal Trauma Group of Orthopedics Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts to formulate Clinical guidelines for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis combined with lower cervical fracture in adults ( version 2024) in accordance with the principles of evidence-based medicine, scientificity and practicality, in which 11 recommendations were put forward in terms of the diagnosis, imaging evaluation, typing and treatment, etc, to provide guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the intervention effect of kushenol F （KSC-F） on ulcerative colitis （UC） mice. METHODS Totally 30 male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into the normal group， model group， positive drug group （sulfasalazine， 703 mg/kg）， KSC-F 50 mg/kg group （KSC-F50 group）， and KSC-F 100 mg/kg group （KSC-F100 group）， with 6 mice in each group. Except for the normal group， the mice in the remaining groups were given 3% dextran sulfate sodium solution continuously for 7 days to induce UC model. Concurrently， administration groups received corresponding drug solution intragastrically， once a day， for 10 consecutive days. During the experiment， the changes in body weight and bowel movements of the mice were observed. Disease activity index scoring was performed after the last administration. The histopathological morphology of colonic tissue was examined. The levels of inflammatory factors in the serum and colon tissue were measured. Additionally， the mRNA expression of inflammatory factors， and the protein expressions of inflammation-related proteins [interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， forkhead box O1（FOXO1）， phosphoinositide 3-kinase（PI3K）， phosphorylated PI3K（p-PI3K）， p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase（p38 MAPK）， phosphorylated p38 MAPK（p-p38 MPAK） and phosphorylated protein kinase B（p- Akt）] were determined in colonic tissue. RESULTS KSC-F could alleviate weight loss and colonic tissue damage in UC mice. KSC- F reduced the levels of IL-1β， IL-6， IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in serum， as well as IL-1β， IL-6， IL-17 and TNF- α in colonic tissue to varying degrees and increased the levels of IL-10 in both serum and colonic tissue （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Moreover， KSC-F decreased the expression levels of IL-1β， IL-17 and TNF-α mRNA， as well as p-PI3K， p-p38 MAPK， and p- Akt proteins in colonic tissue to varying degrees， and increased the expression levels of IL-10 mRNA and FOXO1 protein in colonic tissue （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS KSC-F effectively alleviates UC symptoms in mice by inhibiting PI3K， Akt and p38 MAPK activation， mitigating the release of pro-inflammatory factors such as IL-1β， IL-6， TNF- α，promoting the anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 secretion， and reducing inflammation-induced colonic tissue damage.

Objective To evaluate the predictive value of serum carbohydrate antigen 50(CA50),tumor specific growth factor(TSGF),and tissue polypeptide antigen(TPA)levels for sensitivity to radiochemotherapy in patients with middle-and advanced-stage breast cancer using a nomogram model.Methods Eighty-two patients with middle-and advanced-stage breast cancer were selected as the study sub-jects.All patients received paclitaxel chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy and were divided into sensitive(n= 57)and insensitive(n= 25)groups according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors.The general information of the patients,serum expression of CA50,TSGF,and TPA,and their differences before and after treatment were recorded.A nomogram model was constructed,and cali-bration curves,receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,and decision curves were used to evaluate the predictive power and clinical utility of the nomogram model.Results Significant differences were observed in tumor diameter,vascular invasion,TNM stage,lymph node metastasis,and degree of differentiation between the two groups(P＜0.05).Compared to those in the sensitive group,the serum expression of CA50,TSGF,and TPA after treatment was higher,and the difference in CA50,TSGF,and TPA was smaller in the insensitive group(P＜0.05).Three predictive variables were identified in the LASSO regression:differences in CA50,TSGF,and TPA.The logistic regression results showed that differences in CA50,TSGF,and TPA influenced sensitivity to radiochemotherapy in middle-and advanced-stage breast cancer(P＜0.05).A nomogram model was constructed using differences in CA50,TSGF,and TPA.Calibration,ROC,and decision curves showed the model's good predictive accuracy and clinical utility.Conclusion Serum expression of CA50,TSGF,and TPA is high in patients with middle-and advanced-stage breast cancer who are insensitive to radiochemotherapy,and differences in CA50,TSGF,and TPA affect their sensitivity to radiochemotherapy.The nomogram model had good predictive value and clinical utility.

Objective:To construct a prediction model for neurogenic shock in patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury and validate its effectiveness.Methods:A retrospective case-control study was conducted on the clinical data of 381 patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury admitted to the Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 2017 to December 2022, including 311 males and 70 females, aged 12-86 years [(55.1±12.9)years]. A total of 121 patients (31.8%) were complicated with neurogenic shock. The patients were randomly divided into training set ( n=267) and validation set ( n=114) with a ratio of 7∶3. The training set was divided into neurogenic shock group ( n=81) and non-neurogenic shock group ( n=186) according to whether they were complicated with neurogenic shock. The general data, clinical data, laboratory indicators and imaging data of the patients were collected. Univariate analysis was used to determine differences in the aforementioned indicators between the neurogenic shock group and non-neurogenic shock group in the training set. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was conducted to screen the predictors for neurogenic shock in patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury, and regression equation was constructed. A nomogram prediction model based on the regression equation was plotted with R programming language. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the training set and validation set were plotted, when the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to determine the discriminability of the model. The calibration of the model was assessed with calibration curves. The clinical applicability of the model was evaluated by the decision curve analysis (DCA). Results:The univariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade, tracheal intubation, serum albumin concentration within 24 hours on admission, intramedullary lesion length (IMLL), maximum spinal cord compression (MSCC), increased signal intensity (ISI), and highest damaged segment between the neurogenic shock group and non-neurogenic shock group in the training set ( P<0.05). The multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that AISA grade (grade C vs. grade A: OR=0.13, 95% CI 0.03, 0.59, P<0.01; grade D vs.grade A: OR=0.04, 95% CI 0.01, 0.28, P<0.01), serum albumin concentration within 24 hours on admission ( OR=0.75, 95% CI 0.65, 0.86, P<0.01), IMLL ( OR=2.71, 95% CI 1.68, 4.38, P<0.01), ISI (grade 2 vs.grade 0: OR=5.62, 95% CI 1.07, 29.48, P<0.05), and highest damaged segment ( OR=0.49, 95% CI 0.29, 0.83, P<0.01) were predictors for neurogenic shock in patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury. Based on the 5 forementioned variables, the regression equation was constructed as follows: Logit[ P/(1- P)]=10.99-1.06×＂AISA grade＂-0.29×＂serum albumin concentration within 24 hours on admission＂+1.04×＂IMLL＂+0.89×＂ISI＂-0.74×＂highest damaged segment＂. In the prediction model constructed based on the equation, the AUC values of the training set and validation set were 0.97 (95% CI 0.97, 0.99) and 0.95 (95% CI 0.91, 0.99). Calibration curves of the training set and validation set demonstrated the prediction curve roughly overlapped with the reference curve and the mean absolute errors of the two sets were 0.013 and 0.050. DCA results showed that the net benefit rate of patients was greater than 0 when the threshold probability ranged from 0% to 97% for the training set and from 0% to 100% for the validation set. Conclusion:The prediction model based on the AISA grade, serum albumin concentration within 24 hours on admission, IMLL, ISI, and highest damaged segment demonstrates good discriminability, calibration and clinical applicability in predicting neurogenic shock in patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury.

Objective To compare the diagnostic performance of a multi-marker panel(copeptin,cardiac troponin T[cTnT],and heart-type fatty acid-binding protein[HFABP])with the single marker cTnT in the diagnosis of type 4a acute myocardial infarction(AMI),and explore the application value of combined detectionmodel with the multiple markers.Methods The enrolled non-AMI pa-tients underwent elective percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)at Nanjing Medical University First Affiliated Hospital during the period from March to December 2022 and were assessed as postoperative elevation of cTnT above the 99th percentile upper reference limit(URL).According to the Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction,the patients were divided into non-type 4a AMI group and type 4a AMI group based on whether type 4a AMI occurred after surgery.The concentrations of AMI biomarkers were meas-ured using a chemiluminescent immuno-gold nanoassembly immunosensor array(chemiluminescent immuno-Gold,ciGold).Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were used to analyze the performance of the diagnostic models with single and combined cardiac biomarkers.The sensitivity and specificity were also obtained from the ROC curves,and the area under the ROC curve(AUCROC)was calculated to evaluate respective diagnostic value.Kappa analysis was used to assess the consistency between the results combined de-tection model of multiple biomarkers and the diagnosis based on the Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction.Results In this study,a total of 65 patients were included in whom females accounted for 23.1％.The ROC curve indicated that the combined de-tection model of multiple cardiac biomarkers showed specificity of 96.5％,sensitivity of 92.3％,agreement rate of 94.6％,positive pre-dictive value of 92.3％,negative predictive value of 96.2％,and AUCROC of 0.979.The single cTnT diagnostic model showed specificity of 94.2％,sensitivity of 100％,agreement rate of 95.7％,positive predictive value of 100％,negative predictive value of 94.9％,and AUCROC of 0.987.Although the combined detection model of multiple biomarkers had lower sensitivity(P=0.011),it showed higher specificity(P=0.016).The analysis of AUCROC differences between the two diagnostic models showed P＞0.05,indicating no signifi-cantly statistical difference for the diagnostic accuracy.Kappa analysis demonstrated a strong consistency between the combined detec-tion model of multiple cardiac biomarkers and the diagnosis of type 4a AMI based on the Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial In-farction with a Cohen's Kappa coefficient of 0.818.Conclusion The multi-marker combined detection model showed similar perform-ance of cTnT in diagnos of type 4a AMI with strong diagnostic consistency.However,the combined detection model exhibited an advan-tage of higher specificity.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the therapeutic effect of Fu's subcutaneous needling combined with scalp acupuncture and simple scalp acupuncture for shoulder-hand syndrome phase Ⅰ after cerebral infarction. METHODS: A total of 68 patients with shoulder-hand syndrome phase Ⅰ after cerebral infarction were randomized into a combination group (34 cases, 1 case dropped out) and a scalp acupuncture group (34 cases). Internal medicine treatment and conventional rehabilitation training were adopted in both groups. In the scalp acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied at parietal area and anterior parietal area of Yu's scalp acupuncture, electroacupuncture was connected for 30 min, with disperse-dense wave, in frequency of 2 Hz/100 Hz and in electric current of 1 mA, and the needles were retained for 6 h, once a day for continuous 14 days. On the basis of the treatment in the scalp acupuncture group, Fu's subcutaneous needling was applied at the affected muscles during needle retaining in the combination group, once a day in the first 3 days, once every other day in left days, 2-day interval was taken after 4-time treatment, for 14 days totally. Before and after treatment, the scores of the short form of McGill pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ), edema degree, guides to evaluation of permanent impairment (GEPI), and disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) were observed in the two groups, respectively, and the therapeutic effect was evaluated after treatment. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of pain rating index (PRI), visual analogue scale (VAS) and present pain intensity (PPI), as well as the total scores of SF-MPQ were decreased compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the above indexes in the combination group were lower than those in the scalp acupuncture group (P<0.05). After treatment, the scores of edema degree and DASH were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), while the GEPI scores were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05) in the two groups; in the combination group, the scores of edema degree and DASH were lower (P<0.05) while the GEPI score was higher (P<0.05) than those in the scalp acupuncture group. The total effective rate was 97.0% (32/33) in the combination group, which was superior to 91.2% (31/34) in the scalp acupuncture group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Both Fu's subcutaneous needling combined with scalp acupuncture and simple scalp acupuncture can effectively relieve the shoulder joint pain and edema degree of hand, improve the upper limb function in patients with shoulder-hand syndrome phase Ⅰ after cerebral infarction, and the combination therapy has better therapeutic effect than simple scalp acupuncture.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Acupuncture Therapy/instrumentation* ; Middle Aged ; Cerebral Infarction/therapy* ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Scalp ; Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/therapy* ; Acupuncture Points ; Adult

The many-banded krait, Bungarus multicinctus, has been recorded as the animal resource of JinQianBaiHuaShe in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Characterization of its venoms classified chief phyla of modern animal neurotoxins. However, the evolutionary origin and diversification of its neurotoxins as well as biosynthesis of its active compounds remain largely unknown due to the lack of its high-quality genome. Here, we present the 1.58 Gbp genome of B. multicinctus assembled into 18 chromosomes with contig/scaffold N50 of 7.53 Mbp/149.8 Mbp. Major bungarotoxin-coding genes were clustered within genome by family and found to be associated with ancient local duplications. The truncation of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor in the 3'-terminal of a LY6E paralog released modern three-finger toxins (3FTxs) from membrane tethering before the Colubroidea divergence. Subsequent expansion and mutations diversified and recruited these 3FTxs. After the cobra/krait divergence, the modern unit-B of β-bungarotoxin emerged with an extra cysteine residue. A subsequent point substitution in unit-A enabled the β-bungarotoxin covalent linkage. The B. multicinctus gene expression, chromatin topological organization, and histone modification characteristics were featured by transcriptome, proteome, chromatin conformation capture sequencing, and ChIP-seq. The results highlighted that venom production was under a sophisticated regulation. Our findings provide new insights into snake neurotoxin research, meanwhile will facilitate antivenom development, toxin-driven drug discovery and the quality control of JinQianBaiHuaShe.