ObjectiveTo explore the correlation between the occurrence of cardiovascular events in rheumatoid arthritis（RA） and traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） syndrome. MethodsThe cross-sectional study selected 6713 RA patients from 122 centres nationwide， in which general information such as name， gender， age， height， body weight， and course of disease were collected by completing a questionnaire； patients were classified into eight types of syndrome according to the information of their four examinations，i.e. wind-dampness obstruction syndrome， cold-dampness obstruction syndrome， dampness-heat obstruction syndrome， phlegm-stasis obstruction syndrome， stasis-blood obstructing collateral syndrome， qi-blood deficiency syndrome， liver-kidney insufficiency syndrome， and qi-yin deficiency syndrome. According to the occurrence of cardiovascular events， they were divided into the occurrence group and the non-occurrence group， and the condition assessment data and laboratory examination indexes were recorded. The test of difference between groups was used to analyse the possible risk factors for the occurrence of RA cardiovascular events， and binary logistic regression was used to analyse the correlation between TCM syndromes and RA cardiovascular events. ResultsA total of 6713 RA patients were included， including 256 cases in occurrence group and 6457 in non-occurrence group. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of height， gender， insomnia， appetite， white blood cell（WBC）， hemoglobin（HGB）， platelets（PLT）， rheumatoid factor（RF）， anti-cyclic peptide containing citrulline（CCP）， alanine aminotransferase（ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase（AST）， γ-glutamyl transpeptidase（GGT）， urea creatinine（CREA）， and glucose（GLU）（P＞0.05）. The TCM syndromes between groups showed significant statistic differences（P＜0.05）. Patients in occurrence group had longer disease duration， heavier body weight， and older age； more severe conditions such as disease activity（DAS-28）， number of painful joints（TJC）， number of swollen joints（SJC）， health questionnaire scores（HAQ）， visual analog scores（VAS）， restlessness， and fatigue； higher blood sedimentation rate（ESR）， low-density lipoprotein（LDL-C）， triglyceride（TG）， total cholesterol（TC）， D-Dimer， and lower high-density lipoprotein（HDL-C）（P＜0.05）. The distribution of syndrome types showed that dampness-heat obstruction syndrome accounted for the largest proportion of patients in both groups and was higher in RA cardiovascular events. Logistic regression analysis showed that the occurrence of RA cardiovascular events was strongly associated with dampness-heat obstruction syndrome［OR=5.937， 95%CI （4.434， 7.949）， P＜0.001］. ConclusionThe occurrence of RA cardiovascular events were associated with TCM syndromes， and the probability of cardiovascular events in the RA patients with dampness-heat obstruction syndrome was 5.937 times higher than patients with other TCM syndromes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Poly(lactic-co-glycolide)(PLGA)is a key excipient in long-acting sustained-release preparations,and its degradation properties directly affect the drug release behavior.In this study,PLGA microspheres were prepared by microfluidic techniques,and the morphology changes of the microspheres were observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).In alkaline environment,due to the accelerated hydrolysis of ester bonds,the surface of the microspheres was rapidly dissolved and eroded,and the degradation rate was significantly higher than that in acidic environment.High temperature accelerated the degradation of PLGA microspheres.Under neutral and alkaline conditions,the microspheres showed aggregation and adhesion.Under acidic conditions,the microspheres gradually decomposed into irregular fragments.The high ionic strength further promoted the surface corrosion of the microspheres,especially under extreme pH conditions.Simultaneously,PLGA microspheres encapsulating coumarin were prepared to simulate the microsphere formulation.The release rate of coumarin after degradation of the microspheres under different conditions was observed by measuring the absorbance with ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry.The results were consistent with those of the blank microspheres.This study revealed that the degradation of PLGA microspheres was significantly pH-dependent,temperature sensitive and ion strength responsive.These findings not only helped to understand and optimize the long-term stability and controlled release performance of drug-carrying microspheres,but also provided a theoretical basis for further improvement of PLGA-based drug carrier design.

Purpose: Polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAHG), which had been used widely for breast augmentation, has been banned for more than 15 years. Patients who had been injected PAHG for breast augmentation need evacuation surgery to remove as much as possible. To provide a series of diagnosis and treatment process MRI and intraoperative color Doppler ultrasound are combined for maximal removal of PAHG. Methods: The patients who received evacuation surgery in Peking University Third Hospital from 2010 to 2022 after PAHG injection for breast augmentation were included in this research. MR scanning was performed preoperatively and postoperatively in some of these patients and color Doppler ultrasound was applied to help evacuate PAHG intraoperatively. The mean clearance rate of PAHG was calculated according to the MRI outcomes. Results: Two hundred and 4 patients had received evacuation surgery after PAHG injection for breast augmentation with an average age of 42.8 years and an average body mass index of 21.2 kg/m 2 . The average PAHG retention time was 13.5 years. Among them, 52 patients underwent pre- and postoperative MRI scanning. The mean three-dimensional (3D) volume of PAHG was 684.8 mL (range, 350.0–1,123.9 mL), and the average residual 3D volume of PAHG was 53.7 mL (range, 12.4–98.3 mL). The mean clearance rate was 92.1%. Conclusion MRI and intraoperative color Doppler ultrasound can provide effective and precise location information of PAHG for evacuation surgery, which is a reliable method to ensure the maximal removal of PAHG.

Based on the technology of platelet proteomics, the key regulatory proteins and pathogenesis of coronary heart disease with phlegm and blood stasis syndrome were explored and analyzed. Based on the previous laboratory research, the model of coronary heart disease in mini-swine with phlegm-stasis cementation syndrome was duplicated. The model was judged by the changes in blood lipid and myocardial tissue characteristics. Furthermore, the platelet proteins were studied by quantitative proteomics, and the differentially expressed proteins were screened. The critical regulatory proteins and biological pathways of coronary heart disease with phlegm-stasis cementation syndrome were analyzed by bioinformatics. After ten weeks of modeling, the levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL-C), triglyceride (TG), creatine kinase (CK) and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) in the model group were significantly increased, reflecting the pathological changes such as increased blood lipid, abnormal coagulation function and myocardial ischemia in the model group. In addition, compared with the sham group, there were 26 up-regulated proteins and 8 down-regulated proteins in the platelets of the model group. Combined with bioinformatics analysis, it was found that differential proteins mainly involved in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pyruvate metabolism, lipid and atherosclerosis, Ras protein signal transduction. Among them, lactate dehydrogenase B (LDHB), alcohol dehydrogenase 5 (ADH5), neuroblastoma ratsarcoma viral oncogene homolog (NRAS) and Kirsten ratsarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) play a central role when interacting with other proteins and simultaneously participate in multiple action pathways. The results showed that LDHB, ADH5, NRAS, and KRAS may be the marker proteins in CHD with phlegm-stasis cementation syndrome by regulating glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pyruvate metabolism, lipid and atherosclerosis, Ras protein signal transduction and other biological processes.

The hyperacute stage of myocardial infarction refers to a period of time within 30 minutes after the occurrence of myocardial infarction, when the symptoms are not obvious and the diagnosis is difficult, and the related pathophysiological mechanism has received less attention. In this study, proteomics was used to investigate the pathological changes in the early hyperacute phase of myocardial infarction, aiming to provide experimental evidence for pathological mechanism of myocardial infarction hyperacute stage. Meanwhile, the intervention effect and related mechanism of salvianolate injection were discussed based on heat shock protein B6 (HSPB6), aiming to benefit the clinical rational use of salvianolate injection. The protein expression changes before and after myocardial infarction model establishment were detected by label-free proteomics via mass spectrometry and analyzed by bioinformatics method. Then the binding effect of salvianolate injection on the commonly differential protein HSPB6 was evaluated by molecular docking technology, which was finally verified by animal experiments. All animal experimental protocols were approved by the Ethics Committee of Xiyuan Hosptial (2022XLC041). The results of this study showed that a total of 2 166 proteins were quantified by lable-free proteomics, of which 194 shared differential proteins were involved in myocardial injury and body regulation in the hyperacute phase of myocardial infarction, mainly involving molecular functions such as protein homodimerization activity, oxygen binding and transport, and serine endopeptidase inhibitor activity. Among them, HSPB6 protein is involved in the regulation of myocardial function. Molecular docking results indicated that magnesium salvianolate acetate, which is the main component of salvianolate injection, had the lowest binding energy with HSPB6 protein: -14.53 kcal·mol^-1. Animal experiments showed that compared with the Sham group, the model group had significantly lower ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS) (P < 0.001), cardiac blood perfusion decreased significantly (P < 0.001). There were obvious pathological changes such as myocardial fiber disorder, cardiomyocyte edema and interstitial small blood vessel congestion; the injury of cardiac function of rats in the administration group was attenuated, and the FS of rats in the low-dose group was significantly improved (P < 0.05), the pathological injury of myocardial tissue was markedly mitigated, and the expression of HSPB6 protein was up-regulated to varying degrees (P < 0.01, P < 0.001). In conclusion, salvianolate injection could be able to improve the cardiac function and pathological morphology of rats in the early hyperacute stage of myocardial infarction, and its mechanism may be related to the promotion of expression of HSPB6.

Objective:To analyze the fail mode of neoadjuvant therapy combined with surgery for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after long-term follow-up.Methods:Clinical data of consecutive 238 patients with locally advanced resectable ESCC who underwent neoadjuvant therapy combined with surgery in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from September 2012 to October 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The failure mode in the whole cohort was analyzed after long-term follow-up. The overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) rates were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method. Survival differences were determined by log-rank test.Results:The pathological complete response (pCR) rate was 42.0% in 238 patients. After a median follow-up of 46.1 months, tumor progression occurred in 96 patients (40.3%), including 25 patients (10.5%) with local recurrence, 61 patients (25.6%) with distant metastases, and 10 patients (4.2%) with simultaneous local recurrence and distant metastases. The median OS and DFS were 64.7 months and 49.9 months. And the 3-, 5-, and 7-year OS and DFS rates were 70.0%, 52.8%, 36.4% and 63.5%, 42.5%, and 30.0%, respectively. The 3-, 5-, and 7-year locoregional recurrence-free survival rates and distant metastasis-free survival rates were 86.0%, 71.4%, 61.2% and 70.6%, 55.9%, 43.0%. Compared with non-pCR patients, the overall progression rate and distant metastasis rate of pCR patients were lower (26.0% vs. 50.7%, 16.0% vs. 32.6%, both P<0.05). And the 3-, 5-, and 7-year OS (83.0% vs. 60.2%, 69.7% vs. 41.7%, 50.4% vs. 27.7%, all P<0.001) and DFS rates (80.4% vs. 51.4%, 63.9% vs. 31.2%, 45.9% vs. 20.3%, all P<0.001) were significantly better in pCR patients. Conclusions:Distant metastasis is the main failure mode of patients with locally advanced ESCC after neoadjuvant therapy. Patients with postoperative pCR can achieve better long-term survival.

Objective:To study the effect of Shuangshen Xionglian （SSXL） granules on vasculopathy and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase （PI3K）/serine threonine kinase （Akt）/nitrogen oxide synthase （eNOS） signal in hyperhomocysteinemia chronic kidney disease rats. Method:Rats were randomly divided into 5 groups： sham operation group， model group， and high， medium and low-dose （8， 4， 2 g·kg^-1） SSXL groups. The model of hyperhomocysteinemia chronic kidney disease in rats was established with high methionine feed combined with 5/6 nephrectomy. After 5/6 nephrectomy， continuous intragastric administration lasted for four weeks. Arterial blood pressure was measured at the 4^th and 8^th weeks after operation. At the end of the 8^th week after the operation， blood was collected to determine serum creatinine， urea nitrogen， homocysteine （Hcy）， methionine and blood lipid. Western blot was used to detect the expressions of PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway-related proteins， such as p-p85， p-Akt and p-Ser177 in thoracic aorta， and serum NO and eNOS were measured. The changes of endothelium-dependent relaxation and non-endothelium-dependent relaxation were measured by the method of isolated thoracic aorta ring. Pathological htoxylin eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the changes of renal tissue and thoracic aorta. Result:At the 8^th week of the experiment， compared with the sham operation group， arterial systolic blood pressure， serum urea nitrogen， creatinine， Hcy， methionine， total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein of the model group were significantly increased. Four weeks later after administration， arterial systolic blood pressure， serum urea nitrogen， Hcy， methionine， serum total cholesterol and serum low-density lipoprotein were significantly reduced in each dose group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The creatinine in the SSXL 8， 4 g·kg^-1 group was significantly reduced （P<0.05）. The nitric oxide content of SSXL in each dose groups were increased compared with that in the model group （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the serum eNOS activity of the SSXL in the SSXL 8 g·kg^-1 group was significantly increased compared with that in the model group （P<0.05）. The endothelium dependent and non-endothelium dependent vasodilation of thoracic aortic rings in the model group were significantly damaged. The cumulative concentration of acetylcholine （1×10^-5.5~1×10^-4 mmo1·L^-1） in the SSXL 8 g·kg^-1 group was significantly improved （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The diastolic degree of the vascular ring in the SSXL 8 g·kg^-1 group was significantly higher than that in the model group （P<0.05）. Western blot results showed that the expressions of p-85， p-Akt and p-Ser177 in blood vessels increased in the sham group compared with those in the model group （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the phosphorylation level of this pathway was increased in the SSXL groups， and the expressions of p-Akt and p-Ser177 in the SSXL 8 g·kg^-1 group were significantly increased （P<0.05）. The pathological results showed that the pathological changes of thoracic aorta and renal tissue in the dosages of SSXL were significantly reduced compared with those in the model group. Conclusion:SSXL granules can improve hyperhomocysteine and dyslipidemia in rats of chronic kidney disease with hyperhomocysteine， reduce serum creatinine， urea nitrogen levels and arterial systolic blood pressure， and improve vascular morphology and diastolic function， which may be related to the regulation of the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.