ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism by which Feixin decoction treats hypoxic pulmonary hypertension （HPH） by regulating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma （PPARγ）/nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB）/NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 （NLRP3） signaling pathway. MethodsForty-eight male SD rats were randomly allocated into normal， hypoxia， and low-， medium- and high-dose （5.85， 11.7， 23.4 g·kg^-1， respectively） Feixin decoction groups， with 8 rats in each group. Except the normal group， the remaining five groups were placed in a hypoxia chamber with an oxygen concentration of （10.0±0.5）% for 8 h per day， 28 days， and administrated with corresponding drugs during the modeling process. After 4 weeks of treatment， echocardiographic parameters ［pulmonary artery acceleration time （PAT）， pulmonary artery ejection time （PET）， right ventricular anterior wall thickness （RVAWd）， and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion （TAPSE）］ were measured for each group. The right ventricular systolic pressure （RVSP） was measured by the right heart catheterization method， and the right ventricular hypertrophy index （RVHI） was calculated by weighing the heart. The pathological changes in pulmonary arterioles were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The co-localization of α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） with NLRP3， N-terminal gasdermin D （N-GSDMD）， and cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-1 （Caspase-1） in pulmonary arteries was detected by immunofluorescence. The protein levels of PPARγ， NF-κB， NLRP3， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD （ASC）， N-GSDMD， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-18（IL-18）， and cleaved Caspase-1 in the lung tissue was determined by Western blot. The ultrastructural changes in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells （PASMCs） were observed by transmission electron microscopy. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the hypoxia group showed increased RVSP and RVHI （P<0.01）， decreased right heart function （P<0.01）， increased pulmonary vascular remodeling （P<0.01）， increased co-localization of α-SMA with NLRP3， N-GSDMD， and Caspase-1 in pulmonary arterioles （P<0.01）， up-regulated protein levels of NF-κB， NLRP3， ASC， N-GSDMD， IL-1β， IL-18， and cleaved Caspase-1 in the lung tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）， a down-regulated protein level of PPARγ （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and pyroptosis in PASMCs. Compared with the hypoxia group， Feixin decoction reduced RVSP and RVHI， improved the right heart function and ameliorated pulmonary vascular remodeling （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased the co-localization of α-SMA with NLRP3， N-GSDMD， and Caspase-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， down-regulated the protein levels of NF-κB， NLRP3， ASC， N-GSDMD， IL-1β， IL-18， and cleaved Caspase-1 in the lung tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）， up-regulated the protein level of PPARγ （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and alleviated pyroptosis in PASMCs. ConclusionFeixin decoction can ameliorate pulmonary vascular remodeling and right heart dysfunction in chronically induced HPH rats by regulating pyroptosis in PASMCs through the PPARγ/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway.

This paper reports a case of a patient with sleep-related painful erections treated by acupuncture combined with abdominal vibration therapy. The main symptom was repeated painful penile erections during nighttime sleep. The syndrome was differentiated as "water failing to nourish wood" and "liver qi stagnation". Acupuncture was applied at Baihui (GV20), Sishencong (EX-HN1), Guanyuan (CV4), and bilateral Neiguan (PC6), Hegu (LI4), Taichong (LR3), Taixi (KI3), Guilai (ST29), Yongquan (KI1), Yanglingquan (GB34), and Sanyinjiao (SP6). The treatment was combined with abdominal vibration therapy. Treatment was given once daily, five times per week. After the first treatment, the severity and duration of nocturnal erection pain were reduced, and sleep quality was improved. After two weeks of treatment, nocturnal erection pain persisted but became tolerable, with significantly shortened duration.
Humans ; Male ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Erectile Dysfunction/physiopathology* ; Penile Erection ; Sleep

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the first cohort of people in China treated with a responsive neurostimulation system (Epilcure TM , GenLight MedTech, Hangzhou, China) for focal drug-resistant epilepsy in this study. METHODS: This multicenter, before-and-after self-controlled study was conducted across 8 centers from March 2022 to June 2023, involving patients with drug-resistant epilepsy who were undergoing responsive neurostimulation (RNS). The study was based on an ongoing multi-center, single-blind, randomized controlled study. Efficacy was assessed through metrics including median seizure count, seizure frequency reduction (SFR), and response rate. Multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to explore the relationships of basic clinical factors and intracranial electrophysiological characteristics with SFR. The postoperative quality of life, cognitive function, depression, and anxiety were evaluated as well. RESULTS: The follow-up period for the 19 participants was 10.7 ± 3.4 months. Seizure counts decreased significantly 6 months after device activation, with median SFR of 48% at the 6th month (M6) and 58% at M12 ( P  <0.05). The average response rate after 13 months of treatment was 42%, with 21% ( n  = 4) of the participants achieving seizure freedom. Patients who have previously undergone resective surgery appear to achieve better therapeutic outcomes at M11, M12 and M13 ( β  <0, P  <0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in patients' scores of quality of life, cognition, depression and anxiety following stimulation when compared to baseline measurements. No serious adverse events related to the devices were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary findings suggest that Epilcure TM exhibits promising therapeutic potential in reducing the frequency of epileptic seizures. However, to further validate its efficacy, larger-scale randomized controlled trials are required. REGISTRATION Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (No. ChiCTR2200055247).
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Drug Resistant Epilepsy/therapy* ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; China ; Adolescent ; Treatment Outcome ; Quality of Life ; Single-Blind Method ; Seizures ; Electric Stimulation Therapy/methods*

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a cerebrovascular disease characterized by high morbidity, disability, and mortality, posing a significant threat to human health. Endovascular treatment has now been established as a key method for AIS management, in which stent retrievers that can mechanically remove blood clots play a key role in this technique. In recent years, stent retrievers have evolved in complexity and functionality to improve the ability of clot removing and surgical safety. However, the present instruments still have limitations on treatment efficiency, vascular adaptability, and operational precision, posing an urgent need for innovation in the design of stent retrievers. This paper systematically reviewed the structural features and working principles of AIS stent retrievers from the perspective of efficacy evaluation metrics, historical development, recent advancements in stent retrieval technology, and future prospects.
Humans ; Ischemic Stroke/surgery* ; Stents ; Endovascular Procedures/methods* ; Thrombectomy/methods* ; Device Removal/methods*

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ozone injection therapy for lumbar disc hemiation(LDH).Methods A computerized retrieval of academic papers concerning the randomized controlled trial(RCT)on ozone injection therapy for LDH from the databases of Embase,PubMed,Cochrane library and Web of science was conducted.The retrieval time period was from the establishment of the database to February 2023.The literature retrieval,screening,and data extraction were independently performed by two researchers.Cochrane bias risk assessment tool was used to assess the quality of the included literature.Stata 17.0 software was used to make meta-analysis.Results A total of 9 RCTs including 702 patients were finally included in this study.The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with radiofrequency thermocoagulation,percutaneous rotation and other treatments for LDH,the combination use of ozone injection could signifiicantly improve the effective rate based on Macnab efficacy evaluation criteria(RR=1.097,95％CI:1.038～1.159,P=0.001)and the excellent rate(RR=1.185～95％CI:1.074～1.309,P=0.001),and decrease the visual analog scale(VAS)pain score(WMD=-0.810～95％CI:-1.205～-0.414,P=0.000),and the differences in the above indexes were statistically significant.Conclusion Compared with the simple use of radiofrequency thermocoagulation,percutaneous rotation,and other treatment for LDH,the combination use of ozone injection therapy can significantly improve the effective rate and excellent rate based on Macnab efficacy evaluation criteria,decrease VAS score,with a high clinical safety.Limited by the quantity and quality of the original studies included in this study,the above conclusions need to be further verified by multi-center,large-sample and high-quality studies.

BACKGROUND:Traumatic spinal cord injury primarily relies on scale assessment and imaging examinations in clinical practice.However,there are limitations in predicting the prognosis of the injury.Therefore,the use of metabolomics technology for biomarker screening is significant for estimating the extent of damage,injury and recovery,as well as developing new therapies. OBJECTIVE:To characterize the metabolic features of patients with traumatic spinal cord injury using metabolomics technology and explore potential biomarkers and disrupted metabolic pathways. METHODS:Serum and urine samples were collected from 20 patients with traumatic spinal cord injury(observation group)and 10 healthy subjects(control group).Metabolites were analyzed and multivariate statistical analysis was then performed for data processing to screen differential metabolites.Metabolic pathway enrichment was performed using MetaboAnalyst software.Logistic regression was applied to construct a biomarker combination model,and its relationship with the American Spinal Injury Association grading was analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Significant differences in 160 and 73 metabolites were detected in the serum and urine samples of the two groups,respectively.Pathway enrichment analysis showed evident disturbances in lipid metabolism after traumatic spinal cord injury,including sphingolipid,arachidonic acid,α-linolenic acid,and arachidonic acid metabolism,as well as glycerophospholipid and inositol phosphate biosynthesis.The combination of two identified biomarkers,telmisartan and quercetin glycoside,showed a correlation with the American Spinal Injury Association grading in both serum and urine levels.Thus,metabolomics technology provides assistance in further understanding the pathological mechanisms of traumatic spinal cord injury and screening therapeutic targets.The identified metabolic biomarker combination may serve as a reference for assessing the severity of traumatic spinal cord injury.

Objective To investigate the knowledge,attitude and practice(KAP)of medical staff and parents of children on the risk of using traditional Chinese patent medicine,analyze the similarities and differences between the two groups of people in their knowledge of traditional Chinese patent medicine,medication attitudes and medication behaviors,and analyze the influencing factors of traditional Chinese patent medicine medication risk from the perspective of"doctor-patient",so as to better guide clinical work.Methods From July to November 2023,the medical staff of Children's Hospital Affiliated to the Capital Institute of Pediatrics(hereinafter referred to as"our hospital")and other hospitals,as well as the parents of children who had visited our hospital and taken traditional Chinese patent medicine were taken as the subjects of the survey.The questionnaires were distributed and collected by Questionnarie Stars to analyze the KAP scores of medical staff and parents of children on the risk of children using traditional Chinese patent medicine,and the factors influencing the scores of KAP of taking traditional Chinese patent medicine were analyzed using Logistic regression analysis.And Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation among knowledge,attitude and practice.Results A total of 339 valid questionnaires(the effective recovery rate of 98.83%)were collected from the medical staff version of the questionnaire.The medical staff with excellent knowledge,attitude and practice scores accounted for 16.22%,7.08%and 83.19%,respectively.A total of 336 valid questionnaires(the effective recovery rate of 98.82%)were collected from the parents'version.The parents of the children with excellent knowledge,attitude and practice scores accounted for 25.87%,3.57%and 30.65%,respectively.Logistic regression analysis showed that different hospital locations and educational levels were important influencing factors for the KAP of medical personnel,while the age,education level,work status,occupation,and monthly income of parents were important influencing factors for their KAP(P<0.05).The Spearman correlation analysis results showed a significant positive correlation among medication knowledge,attitude,and behavior(P<0.01).Conclusion Medical staff and parents of children need to further improve their knowledge and attitude towards the use of traditional Chinese patent medicine.Parents need to pay special attention to standardizing drug use practice,so as to reduce the risk of children using traditional Chinese patent medicine.Physicians and pharmacists can carry out appropriate traditional Chinese patent medicine knowledge popularization and science popularization for parents of children combined with the results of this study.

Objective:To explore the impact of sleep disorders on the therapeutic effects of different inhaled medications in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods:A prospective observational study was conducted on 393 patients with stable COPD who visited the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from December 2020 to September 2021. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate the sleep quality of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and patients were divided into a non sleep disorder group and a sleep disorder group. The Berlin questionnaire was used to assess the risk of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in patients, and the hospital anxiety and depression questionnaire (HADS) was used to assess the presence of anxiety and depression in patients. The improvement of symptoms [minimum clinically significant difference (MCID)] and the deterioration of symptoms [clinical significant symptom deterioration (CID)] within six months of patient follow-up were evaluated. The moderate to severe acute exacerbation of the patient was recorded during the one-year follow-up period. The clinical characteristics of two groups of patients were compared, and multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between sleep quality and the prognosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as the impact of sleep disorders on the treatment efficacy of different inhaled drugs.Results:The average age of 393 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was (62.9±8.3)years old, with a median percentage of forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1%) of 53.7%(30.7%) and a mean PSQI score of (5.7±3.4)points. 186 cases (47.3%) of patients had sleep disorders. Compared with patients in the non sleep disorder group, patients in the sleep disorder group had a higher proportion of middle school education and below, lower FEV 1 and FEV 1/forced vital capacity (FVC), higher baseline COPD Assessment Test (CAT), modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) and Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) scores, and a higher proportion of comorbid anxiety (all P<0.05). Compared with patients without sleep disorders, patients with sleep disorders had a lower incidence of MCID ( P=0.030) and a higher incidence of CID ( P=0.005). During the one-year follow-up period, patients with sleep disorders experienced a higher proportion of moderate to severe acute exacerbation ( P=0.001), severe acute exacerbation ( P=0.003), and frequent acute exacerbation ( P=0.009). The results of multiple regression analysis showed that patients with sleep disorders had a lower likelihood of developing MCID ( OR: 0.288, 95% CI: 0.145-0.379, P<0.001), and an increased risk of developing CID ( OR: 3.150, 95% CI: 2.011-4.388, P<0.001) and acute exacerbation ( OR: 1.659, 95% CI: 1.162-2.368, P=0.005). Compared with patients using long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) or inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)+ long-acting β2-agonist (LABA), patients in the sleep disorder group who used LABA+ LABA were more likely to develop MCID ( OR: 1.420, 95% CI: 1.021-2.751, P=0.010; OR: 1.976, 95% CI: 1.123-2.227, P=0.023). Conclusions:Compared with patients without sleep disorders, COPD patients with sleep disorders have a lower likelihood of symptom improvement, and a higher risk of symptom deterioration and acute exacerbation.Patients with COPD with sleep disorders are more likely to achieve symptom improvement by using LABA+ LAMA.

Objective:To observe the clinical outcomes of living related kidney transplantation (LRKT) recipients with hyperuricemia.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 212 cases of LRKTs performed between Jan. 2015 and Dec. 2021. All cases involved children who received a kidney transplant donated by their parents. Based on the average blood uric acid levels (>420 μmol/L) between 1 to 12 months postoperatively, the patients were divided into two groups: the hyperuricemia group (HUA, n=43) and the non-hyperuricemia group (non-HUA, n=169) . Demographic information, the incidence of adverse events within one year after the operation, serum creatinine (Scr) levels, and the survival rate of the transplanted kidney at 1, 3, and 5 years after the operation were compared between the groups. Results:The non-HUA group had a significantly shorter preoperative dialysis duration compared to the HUA group (median 350 days vs 484 days) . The incidence of delayed graft function and acute rejection within 1 year postoperatively was significantly higher in the HUA group compared to the non-HUA group (14.0% vs 4.7% and 11.6% vs 2.4%) . At 1, 3, and 5 years after surgery, the serum creatinine levels in the HUA group were significantly higher than those in the Non HUA group, which were (131.1±31.2) vs (116.3±32.1) mmol, (133.6±34.7) vs (119.9±31.9) mmol/L, and (137.3±32.4) vs (115.4±30.3) mmol/L. The survival rate of kidney transplantation was slightly lower in the HUA group compared to the non-HUA group, but the difference was not statistically significant.Conclusions:Hyperuricemia in kidney transplant recipients who received a donor kidney from their parents is associated with increased incidences of delayed graft function and acute rejection, as well as compromised graft kidney function.

AIM:From the perspective of regulating mitochondrial complex I activity by DJ-1 protein,this study aims to explore the mechanism of DJ-1-mediated resveratrol(RES)preconditioning in protecting against oxidative stress injury induced by myocardial ischemia-reperfusion(I/R)in rats.METHODS:After intramyocardial injection of lentivirus carrying DJ-1 shRNA(sh-DJ-1)or negative control(NC)shRNA,the myocardial I/R model was constructed by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the rat coronary artery.Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided in-to 6 groups:sham group,I/R group,RES+I/R group,NC+RES+I/R group,sh-DJ-1+RES+I/R group,and IACS-010759(mitochondrial complex I inhibitor)+RES+I/R group,with 10 rats in each group.The rats in RES treatment groups were given RES(20 mg/kg)via gavage for 7 d prior to the myocardial I/R modeling,once daily.Moreover,the rats in sham and I/R groups received an equivalent volume of normal saline via gavage.Myocardial infarction area and cardiac function were assessed by TTC staining and echocardiography,respectively.The MitoSOX fluorescent probe was used to detect levels of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species(ROS)in the myocardium.The levels of malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dis-mutase(SOD)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)in the serum were detected using kits.Western blot and co-immunopre-cipitation assays were used to observe the interaction between DJ-1 and the two subunits,ND-1 and NDUFA4,of the mito-chondrial complex I.RESULTS:Compared with I/R group,RES pretreatment significantly reduced the myocardial in-farction area,mitochondrial ROS levels,serum LDH activity,and serum MDA content(P＜0.01).It also elevated left ventricular ejection fraction,left ventricular fractional shortening and serum SOD activity(P＜0.01).Pretreatment with RES increased the expression and mitochondrial translocation of DJ-1(P＜0.01),promoted the interaction between DJ-1 and ND-1/NDUFA4,which in turn protected the activity of mitochondrial complex I(P＜0.01).However,when the ex-pression of DJ-1 was suppressed,the protective effects of RES against myocardial I/R injury were significantly inhibited compared with RES+I/R group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).CONCLUSION:Pretreatment with RES increases the expression and mitochondrial translocation of DJ-1,and facilitates the interaction of DJ-1 with ND1 and NDUFA4 subunits of mito-chondrial complex I,thus preserving the activity of mitochondrial complex I and attenuating myocardial I/R-induced oxida-tive stress damage.