Myocardial fibrosis (MF) is a common pathological hallmark of cardiovascular diseases, reflecting shared mechanisms in their progression. However, the lack of reliable MF models that accurately mimic its pathogenesis has hindered drug discovery, highlighting the urgent need for more effective therapeutic agents. Herein, a novel contractile three-dimensional (3D) myocardial tissue model integrating cardiomyocytes, cardiac-fibroblasts, and bone marrow-derived macrophages in collagen hydrogel was developed to simulate the fibrotic changes of cardiovascular disease, and facilitate the screening of anti-MF compounds. The 3D myocardial tissue model exhibited precise, visualizable, and quantifiable contractile characteristics under hypoxia and drug interventions. 76 compounds extracted from the resins of Toxicodendron vernicifluum, a traditional Chinese medicine with clear clinical benefits for fibrotic diseases, were screened for anti-fibrotic activity. Using an in vitro 3D oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-treated myocardial tissue model instead of a two-dimensional transforming growth factor-β treated cardiac-fibroblasts model, two candidates including LQ-40 and SQ-3 exert impressive anti-MF activity, which was further validated in left anterior descending coronary artery ligation-induced MF mouse model. The current results demonstrate the feasibility and advantage of the novel contractile 3D tissue model with multi-cell types in discovering candidates for MF, further stressing the great potential of regulating macrophages in the treatment of MF.

Objective To observe the clinical effect of Xiaotan Zhitong gel on heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis.Methods A total of 72 patients diagnosed with plantar fasciitis heel pain were randomly divided into observation group(36 cases)and control group(36 cases).Patients in the control group were treated with local application of diclofenac diethylamine emulgel twice a day and those in the treatment group were treated with Xiaotan Zhitong gel twice a day,with both treatments lasting for 28 d.The visual analogue scale(VAS)score of heel pain,the quantitative scale score of heel pain symptom grading,and the American Foot and Ankle Society(AOFAS)ankle-hindfoot score were evaluated before and after treatment.The changes of plantar fascia thickness were examined ultrasonographically before and after treatment in the 2 groups.The effective rates of treatment and the 3-month relapse rates were observed in the 2 groups.Results Before treatment,there were no significant differences in heel pain VAS score,heel pain symptom grading quantitative scale score,AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score,or plantar fascia thickness between the 2 groups(all P＞0.05).After treatment,the above indexes were improved in both groups compared with those before treatment(all P＜0.05);and the pain VAS score,heel pain symptom grading quantitative scale total score,heel pain symptom grading quantitative scale pain score,heel pain symptom grading quantitative scale pressure score,heel pain symptom grading quantitative scale dysfunction score,and AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score in the observation group were significantly improved compared with those in the control group(all P＜0.05).The thickness of plantar fascia was significantly thinner than that of the control group(P＜0.05),and the insomnia scores on the heel pain symptom grading quantitative scale were not significantly different between the 2 groups(P＞0.05).The effective rate of the observation group(80.6%,29/36)was significantly higher than that of the control group(55.6%,20/36)(P＜0.05),and the 3-month recurrence rate in the observation group(16.7%,6/36)was significantly lower than that of the control group(41.7%,15/36)(P＜0.05).Conclusion Xiaotan Zhitong gel can reduce heel pain,improve foot function,and reduce plantar fascia thickness in patients with plantar fasciitis,also with low recurrence rate after treatment.

Objective:In this study, we aimed to compare the short-term safety of two digestive tract reconstruction techniques, laparoscopic total abdominal overlap anastomosis and laparoscopic-assisted end-to-side anastomosis, following radical resection of Siewert Type II adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction.Methods:In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed relevant clinical data of 139 patients who had undergone radical surgery for Siewert Type II esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma. These included 89 patients treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from November 2021 to July 2023, 36 patients treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from December 2020 to June 2021, and 14 patients treated at the Yuncheng Central Hospital in Shanxi Province from September 2021 to November 2022. The group consisted of 107 men (77.0%) and 32 women (23.0%) of mean age 62.5±9.3 years. Forty-eight patients underwent laparoscopic total abdominal overlap anastomosis (overlap group), and 91 laparoscopic-assisted end-to-side anastomosis (end-to-side group). Clinical data, surgical information, pathological findings, postoperative recovery, and related complications were compared between the two groups.Results:There were no significant differences in general clinical data between the overlap and end-to-side anastomosis groups (all P>0.05), indicating comparability. There was no significant difference in operation time (267.2±60.1 minutes vs. 262.8±70.6 minutes, t=0.370, P=0.712). However, the intraoperative blood loss in the overlap group (100 [50, 100] mL) was significantly lower compared to the end-to-side group (100[50, 175] mL, Z=2.776, P=0.005). Compared to the end-to-side group, longer distances between the tumor and distal resection margin proximal(1.7±1.0 cm vs. 1.3±0.9 cm, t=2.487, P=0.014) and the tumor and distal resection margin (9.5±2.9 cm vs. 7.9±3.5 cm, t=2.667, P=0.009) were achieved in the overlap group. Compared with the end-to-side group, the overlap group achieved significantly earlier postoperative ambulation (1.0 [1.0, 2.0] days vs. 2.0 [1.0, 3.0] days, Z=3.117, P=0.002), earlier time to first drink (4.7±2.6 days vs. 6.2±3.0 days, t=2.851, P=0.005), and earlier time to first meal (6.0±2.7 days vs. 7.1±3.0 days, t=2.170, P=0.032). However, the hospitalization costs were higher in the overlap group (113, 105.5±37, 766.3) yuan vs. (97, 250.2±27, 746.9) yuan; this difference is significant ( t=2.818, P=0.006). There were no significant differences between the two groups in postoperative hospital stay, total number of lymph nodes cleared, or time to first postoperative flatus (all P>0.05). The incidence of surgery-related complications was 22.9%(11/48) in the overlap group and 19.8% (18/91) in the end-to-side group; this difference is not significant (χ2=0.187, P=0.831). Further comparison of complications using the Clavien-Dindo classification also showed no significant differences ( Z=0.406, P=0.685). Conclusions:Both laparoscopic total abdominal overlap anastomosis and laparoscopic-assisted end-to-side anastomosis are feasible for radical surgery for Siewert Type II esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma. Laparoscopic total abdominal overlap anastomosis achieves longer proximal and distal resection margins and better postoperative recovery; however, end-to-side anastomosis is more cost-effective.

This paper reports the maternal and fetal outcomes of three twin pregnancies with chronic hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) who were treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). All three women with twin pregnancies were diagnosed with chronic hypertension. Furthermore, symptoms such as snoring and apnea assisted the diagnosis of OSAHS through polysomnography monitoring. Case 1 was treated with CPAP at 28 gestational weeks. The blood pressure increased gradually after the first month of CPAP treatment, with an elevated urine protein concentration. At 34 gestational weeks, the pregnant woman underwent a cesarean section due to the development of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet syndrome. Case 2 was treated with CPAP at 11 gestational weeks, with stable blood pressure throughout the pregnancy, and was delivered through cesarean section at 37 weeks of pregnancy. Case 3 started CPAP at 13 gestational weeks for four months, and increased blood pressure and urine protein were observed. Medication brought the blood pressure down, and urine protein became negative. At 32 gestational weeks, a cesarean section was performed because of premature rupture of the membrane. Her CPAP treatment continued till delivery with good maternal and infant outcomes. The treatment outcomes of the three cases suggest that CPAP may prolong the time of blood pressure rise among twin pregnancies where chronic hypertension and OSAHS coexist, which potentially reduces the occurrence of adverse maternal and infant outcomes.

Objective To construct and identify a patient-derived organoid model,and to investigate the sensitivity of chemotherapy drugs using this model.Methods Pancreatic cancer cells were obtained from the surgical specimens of two female patients with a confirmed diagnosis of pancreatic cancer after tumor tissue digestion,and then the cells were inoculated into a culture dish using matrigel for three-dimensional culture.Paraffin sections were prepared for HE staining and immunohistochemical staining and were compared with the parent tumor tissue to determine whether the histopathological features of the tumor in vivo were preserved.The pancreatic cancer organoids were treated with seven chemotherapy drugs at different concentrations;Cell Titer-Glo?3D reagent was used to measure cell viability,and the results of drug sensitivity were analyzed.Results Two patient-derived pancreatic cancer organoids were successfully constructed,and HE staining and immunohistochemical staining showed that the pancreatic cancer organoids had consistent histopathological features with the tumors of the corresponding patient.Both pancreatic cancer organoids were more sensitive to gemcitabine monotherapy and the combination of oxaliplatin+SN38+fluorouracil,and patient 1 was more sensitive than patient 2.There were individual differences in the response to drugs between the organoids from different patients.Conclusion The pancreatic cancer organoid model successfully constructed in this study can reflect the histological classification of parent pancreatic tumors and can be used for in vitro chemotherapy drug sensitivity test,which is expected to provide a reference for clinical medication.

Surgical technique of lung transplantation exerts significant impact on clinical prognosis of the recipients.Choosing an appropriate surgical incision determines the exposure of intraoperative visual field,which is the first step of surgical success and directly affects subsequent surgical procedures.Lung transplantation incision is usually considered as primary closure.Nevertheless,for patients with high-risk factors such as oversized lung allografts and primary graft failure after lung transplantation,primary closure cannot be achieved.Hence,delayed chest closure is an effective strategy.The selection of incisions and the adoption of delayed chest closure of lung transplantation exert profound impact upon perioperative prognosis,long-term quality of life and surgical complications of the recipients.Therefore,the development and research status of Clamshell incision,anterolateral incision,posterolateral incision and median sternal incision in lung transplantation were reviewed,highlighting the effect of incision patterns on clinical prognosis of lung transplantation and providing reference for the selection of incisions in clinical lung transplantation.

Objective:In this study, we aimed to compare the short-term safety of two digestive tract reconstruction techniques, laparoscopic total abdominal overlap anastomosis and laparoscopic-assisted end-to-side anastomosis, following radical resection of Siewert Type II adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction.Methods:In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed relevant clinical data of 139 patients who had undergone radical surgery for Siewert Type II esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma. These included 89 patients treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from November 2021 to July 2023, 36 patients treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from December 2020 to June 2021, and 14 patients treated at the Yuncheng Central Hospital in Shanxi Province from September 2021 to November 2022. The group consisted of 107 men (77.0%) and 32 women (23.0%) of mean age 62.5±9.3 years. Forty-eight patients underwent laparoscopic total abdominal overlap anastomosis (overlap group), and 91 laparoscopic-assisted end-to-side anastomosis (end-to-side group). Clinical data, surgical information, pathological findings, postoperative recovery, and related complications were compared between the two groups.Results:There were no significant differences in general clinical data between the overlap and end-to-side anastomosis groups (all P>0.05), indicating comparability. There was no significant difference in operation time (267.2±60.1 minutes vs. 262.8±70.6 minutes, t=0.370, P=0.712). However, the intraoperative blood loss in the overlap group (100 [50, 100] mL) was significantly lower compared to the end-to-side group (100[50, 175] mL, Z=2.776, P=0.005). Compared to the end-to-side group, longer distances between the tumor and distal resection margin proximal(1.7±1.0 cm vs. 1.3±0.9 cm, t=2.487, P=0.014) and the tumor and distal resection margin (9.5±2.9 cm vs. 7.9±3.5 cm, t=2.667, P=0.009) were achieved in the overlap group. Compared with the end-to-side group, the overlap group achieved significantly earlier postoperative ambulation (1.0 [1.0, 2.0] days vs. 2.0 [1.0, 3.0] days, Z=3.117, P=0.002), earlier time to first drink (4.7±2.6 days vs. 6.2±3.0 days, t=2.851, P=0.005), and earlier time to first meal (6.0±2.7 days vs. 7.1±3.0 days, t=2.170, P=0.032). However, the hospitalization costs were higher in the overlap group (113, 105.5±37, 766.3) yuan vs. (97, 250.2±27, 746.9) yuan; this difference is significant ( t=2.818, P=0.006). There were no significant differences between the two groups in postoperative hospital stay, total number of lymph nodes cleared, or time to first postoperative flatus (all P>0.05). The incidence of surgery-related complications was 22.9%(11/48) in the overlap group and 19.8% (18/91) in the end-to-side group; this difference is not significant (χ2=0.187, P=0.831). Further comparison of complications using the Clavien-Dindo classification also showed no significant differences ( Z=0.406, P=0.685). Conclusions:Both laparoscopic total abdominal overlap anastomosis and laparoscopic-assisted end-to-side anastomosis are feasible for radical surgery for Siewert Type II esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma. Laparoscopic total abdominal overlap anastomosis achieves longer proximal and distal resection margins and better postoperative recovery; however, end-to-side anastomosis is more cost-effective.

Objective:To utilize routinely available clinical parameters to uncover the clinical features of different clusters in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyp (CRSwNP) through unsupervised clustering analysis.Methods:The clinical data from 155 CRSwNP patients undergoing nasal endoscopic surgery at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from 2021 to 2023 were prospectively collected, including 112 males and 43 females, aged from 7 to 87 years. Unsupervised clustering analysis was conducted using various clinical parameters, including age, gender, smoking and drinking history, local eosinophil (EOS) and neutrophil (NEU) counts, comorbid allergic rhinitis (AR), comorbid asthma, recurrence status, serum-specific IgE, total IgE, cytokine levels, peripheral blood EOS count and percentage, Lund-Mackay CT score, the ratio of CT scores for the maxillary sinus and ethmoid sinus (E/M ratio), visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Lund-Kennedy endoscopic score, and other common clinical indicators to elucidate the clinical characteristics of each cluster. Statistical analysis was conducted using GraphPad Prism 9.5 software.Results:Hierarchical clustering analysis identified four main clusters (Cluster A1-A4), showcasing distinct characteristics such as mild nasal polyps with higher peripheral blood cytokines levels, nasal polyps accompanied by allergies and asthma, a subtype of nasal polyps with high recurrence rates dominated by neutrophils, and nasal polyps with high eosinophil levels. Further subset clustering revealed two clusters of mild polyps (Cluster B1-B2) featuring high cytokine expression and comorbid AR; and two clusters of severe polyps (Cluster B3-B4) presented with severe symptoms, high Lund-Mackay CT score, and high Lund-Kennedy endoscopic score. Variations between Cluster B3 and B4 included symptom complexity, the degree of eosinophil infiltration, and the probability of comorbid asthma. Further clustering analysis for eosinophilic nasal polyps revealed a cluster characterized by highly neutrophilic infiltration and recurrent nasal polyps. The comprehensive analysis of multi-index correlations demonstrated valuable insights into the relationships between common clinical parameters of nasal polyps, providing valuable information for a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of CRSwNP.Conclusion:The clustering analysis in this study categorizes CRSwNP patients into different clusters based on clinical features and disease outcomes, providing a new perspective for more precise clinical treatment strategies.

Objective:To explore the facilitators and barriers in implementing the orthokeratology lens-wearing education guidance program from the perspectives of children, their families, and medical and nursing staff.Methods:Based on phenomenological research, purposive sampling was used to select five medical workers, 18 children wearing orthokeratology lenses and family members from the Optometry Center of Peking University Third Hospital as interviewees for semi-structured interviews. Colaizzi's 7-step method was used to analyze interview data.Results:Two themes (facilitators and barriers) were extracted, among which facilitators included two sub-themes (strong demand for educational guidance, trust in medical and nursing staff), and barriers consisted of two sub-themes (patient factors, external support factors) .Conclusions:In promoting the educational guidance intervention program for wearing orthokeratology lenses, medical and nursing staff need to fully play the role of facilitators, analyze and solve barriers, and ultimately promote the smooth implementation of the intervention program.

AIM:To evaluate the effect of astaxanthin(AST)on cognitive function of intestinal ischemia/re-perfusion(I/R)injury in rats and the role of autophagy.METHODS:Eight-week-old SPF-grade male Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided into sham group,I/R group,AST group and AST+3-methyladenine(3-MA)group,with 12 animals in each group.The superior mesenteric artery(SMA)of the rats in sham group was only exposed without clamping.The SMA in other 3 groups was clamped for 90 min,and then the arterial clamp was released to restore blood supply and perform reperfusion,thus establishing the intestinal I/R model.The rats in AST group were intraperitoneally in-jected with AST(45 mg·kg-1·d-1)3 d before modeling,and those in AST+3-MA group were intraperitoneally injected with AST(45 mg·kg-1·d-1)+3-MA(1.5 mg·kg-1·d-1)3 d before modeling.Morris water maze was used to evaluate the cogni-tive function of rats 48 h after surgery.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was used to evaluate intestinal tissue damage.Nissl staining of the frontal cortex was used to evaluate neuronal damage.The levels of interleukin-6(IL-6),IL-1β and tu-mor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in the frontal cortex and hippocampus were measured by ELISA kits.The protein levels of beclin-1,microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)and P62 in the frontal cortex and hippocampus were detected by Western blot.RESULTS:Compared with sham group,the swimming distance of rats in I/R group was increased,with prolonged latency,elevated Chiu's score and decreased number of neurons(P<0.01),while the levels of IL-6,IL-1β and TNF-α in the frontal cortex and hippocampus were increased(P<0.01).Beclin-1 expression and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio in the frontal cortex and hippocampus were increased(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Compared with I/R group,the swimming distance and latency of rats in AST group were shortened,with decreased Chiu's score,increased neuronal number(P<0.01),de-creased IL-6,IL-1β and TNF-α levels in the frontal cortex and hippocampus(P<0.01),and increased beclin-1 expres-sion and decreased of P62 expression in the frontal cortex and hippocampus(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Compared with AST group,the swimming distance of rats in AST+3-MA group was increased,with prolonged latency,elevated Chiu's score,decreased number of neurons(P<0.05),increased levels of IL-6,IL-1β and TNF-α in the frontal cortex and hippocam-pus,and decreased beclin-1 expression and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio and increased P62 expression in the frontal cortex and hip-pocampus(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Astaxanthin alleviates intestinal I/R-induced cognitive impairment in rats by pro-moting autophagy and inhibiting neuroinflammation.