Objective: To characterize perioperative dynamic changes in immune-cell phenotypes and inflammatory cytokines in patients undergoing CPB (cardiopulmonary bypass) cardiac surgery, and to explore their associations with postoperative outcomes. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 120 adult patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery under CPB at West China Hospital from May 2022 to March 2023 were enrolled. Perioperative immune-cell phenotypes and concentrations of 40 inflammation-related cytokines were measured. The primary outcomes were the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score at 24 h after surgery and ΔSOFA (the peak SOFA score within 48 h after surgery minus the preoperative SOFA score). Secondary outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), acute kidney injury (AKI), respiratory failure, severe liver injury, and infection. Results: The mean age of enrolled patients was 57±10 years. Of these, 52% (62/120) were male and 90% (108/120) underwent valve surgery. During the rewarming to the end of CPB, neutrophil counts rapidly increased (7.39×10 /L vs preoperative 3.07×10 /L, P<0.001), with significant upregulation of CD11b (7.30×10 /L vs preoperative 3.05×10 /L, P<0.001) and CD54 (7.15×10 /L vs preoperative 2.99×10 /L, P<0.001). Lymphocyte counts increased at the end of CPB (1.75×10 /L vs preoperative 1.12×10 /L, P<0.001) but decreased significantly at 24 h after surgery (0.59×10 /L vs preoperative 1.12×10 /L, P<0.001). Plasma analysis showed that multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines increased during CPB and remained elevated up to 24 h after surgery; five chemokines and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 peaked at the end of CPB. The SOFA score increased from 1 (1, 2) preoperatively to 7 (5, 10) at 24 h after surgery, with a ΔSOFA of 6 (4, 8). Within 30 days after surgery, 48 patients (40.0%) developed AKI, 17 (14.2%) developed infection, 4 (3.3%) developed severe liver injury, 3 (2.5%) developed respiratory failure, and 3 (2.5%) experienced MACE. During the 2-year follow-up, 8 patients (6.7%) experienced MACE and 5 (4.2%) died. Conclusion: Multi-organ dysfunction is common after cardiac surgery under CPB (median ΔSOFA, 6), accompanied by perioperative activation of multiple immune-cell subsets and upregulation of pro-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and chemotactic mediators. This study provides data-driven evidence and research clues for further investigation of the associations between CPB-related immune perturbations and postoperative organ dysfunction and clinical outcomes.

ObjectiveTo investigate the uric acid-lowering effects and mechanisms of acacetin on hyperuricemia （HUA） in mice. MethodsOteracil potassium and adenine were used to establish the mouse model of HUA. Male Kunming mice （n=48） were randomized into six groups： control， model， low-dose （12.5 mg·kg^-1） acacetin， medium-dose （25 mg·kg^-1） acacetin， high-dose （50 mg·kg^-1） acacetin， and allopurinol （10 mg·kg^-1）. Each group received continuous gavage administration for 21 days. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to measure the levels of uric acid （UA）， creatinine （Cr）， urea nitrogen （BUN）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST）. Additionally， the activity of xanthine oxidase （XOD） in the liver and the levels of tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α， interleukin （IL）-1β， and IL-18 in the serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Pathological changes in the renal tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Western blot was employed to determine the levels of glucose transporter 9 （GLUT9）， urate transporter 1 （URAT1）， phospho-NF-κB p65 （p-NF-κB p65）， and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 （NLRP3） in the renal tissue. ResultsCompared with the control group， the model group showed elevated levels of UA， Cr， BUN， ALT， and AST， increased activity of XOD in the liver（P<0.01）， raised levels of TNF-α， IL-1β and IL-18 in the serum（P<0.01）， and significantly up-regulated expression of GLUT9， URAT1， p-NF-κB p65， and NLRP3 in the renal tissue（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， acacetin reduced the UA level in a dose-dependent manner， significantly improved liver and kidney functions， decreased the XOD activity in the liver， ameliorated the pathological changes in the renal tissue， down-regulated the expression of GLUT9， URAT1， p-NF-κB p65 and NLRP3 in the renal tissue（P<0.01）， and lowered the levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-18 in the serum（P<0.01）. ConclusionAcacetin can ameliorate HUA by decreasing uric acid production， increasing uric acid excretion， and inhibiting the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway. Therefore， acacetin may be a potential drug for the treatment of HUA.

Objective To investigate the association between physical activity levels and blood lipids among college freshmen, and to provide scientific evidence for the health management of college freshmen. Methods An electronic questionnaire survey on physical activity was conducted on freshmen of a university, and fasting blood biochemical indicators were detected. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form was used to evaluate the physical activity levels of the participants. Dyslipidemia was defined as an abnormality in any one of the following serum lipid parameters: total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), or non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Binary logistic regression and stratified analyses were employed to explore the relationship between physical activity and blood lipids. Results A total of 3 401 participants were included, with an average age of 18.45 ± 0.92 years, and 60.5% were female. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was 17.7%, with a higher rate among males (22.1%) than females (14.8%). After adjusting for confounding factors related to blood lipids, high-intensity physical activity was negatively associated with the risk of elevated LDL-C among males (OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.13–0.99, P = 0.049). Conclusion Among freshmen at a medical college in Hubei Province, high-intensity physical activity is negatively associated with the risk of elevated LDL-C in males, but this association needs to be further confirmed by larger prospective cohort studies.

ObjectiveTo assess the predictive value of the bladder deformation index (BDI) in determining upper urinary tract (UUT) damage among patients with neurogenic bladder (NB). MethodsClinical data of 132 NB patients admitted to Beijing Bo'ai Hospital from January, 2015 to December, 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into UUT damage group and normal UUT group according to the presence or absence of hydronephrosis. The demographics, biochemical parameters and video-urodynamics (VUDS) findings were collected, and BDI was calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to evaluate the predictive capability. ResultsThere were 54 patients in UUT damage group and 33 in normal UUT group. The course of disease, creatinine level and BDI were siginificantly different between two groups (P < 0.05), while the area under the curve were 0.686, 0.836 and 0.928, respectively. ConclusionCourse of disease, creatinine level and BDI are associated with UUT damage in NB patients, and BDI demonstrates the highest sensitivity and specificity, which may play a role in diagnosis of UUT damage.

In 2022， Hainan provincial government launched the project for the prevention and control of viral hepatitis with the goals of a hepatitis B screening rate of 90%， a diagnostic rate of 90%， and a treatment rate of 80% among people aged 18 years and above by the year 2025， and the main intervention measures include population-based prevention， case screening， antiviral therapy， and health management. As of December 31， 2024， a total of 6.875 million individuals in the general population had been screened for hepatitis B， with a screening rate of 95.6%. A total of 184 710 individuals with positive HBsAg were identified， among whom 156 772 were diagnosed through serological reexamination， resulting in a diagnostic rate of 84.9%. A total of 50 742 patients with chronic hepatitis B were identified， among whom 42 921 had hepatitis B-specific health records established for health management， with a file establishment rate of 84.6%. A total of 31 553 individuals received antiviral therapy， with a treatment rate of 62.2%. A total of 2.503 million individuals at a high risk of hepatitis C were screened， among whom 4 870 tested positive for HCV antibody and 3 858 underwent HCV RNA testing， resulting in a diagnostic rate of 79.2%， and 1 824 individuals with positive HCV RNA were identified， among whom 1 194 received antiviral therapy， with a treatment rate of 65.5%. In addition， 159 301 individuals with negative HBsAg and anti-HBs and an age of 20 — 40 years were inoculated with hepatitis B vaccine free of charge. Through the implementation of the project for the prevention and control of viral hepatitis， a large number of hepatitis patients have been identified， treated， and managed in the province within a short period of time， which significantly accelerates the efforts to eliminate the crisis of viral hepatitis.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the protective effect and mechanism of saikosaponin C （SSC） on acute liver injury （ALI） in mice induced by carbon tetrachloride （CCl4） based on serum metabolomics. METHODS Forty mice were divided into blank group （water）， model group （water）， positive control drug group （Biphenyl diester drop pills， 150 mg/kg）， and SSC low- and high-dose groups （2.5， 10 mg/kg） using the random number table method， with 8 mice in each group. They were given water/ relevant drugs， once a day， for 7 consecutive days. One hour after the last administration， all mice were intraperitoneally injected with 0.2% CCl4 olive oil to induce ALI model， except for the blank group. After 17 hours of the modeling， the liver index of mice was calculated. The levels of aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and IL-1β in serum of mice were detected. The histopathological changes of liver tissue were observed. Meanwhile， the serum metabolomics of mice were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS Compared with the blank group， the levels of liver index， ALT， AST， LDH， TNF-α， IL-6， and IL-1β in the model group were significantly increased （P＜0.01）. Hepatocytes were edema， vacuolar degeneration， more necrosis， and a large number of inflammatory cells were infiltrated. Compared with the model group， liver index and serum index levels of mice were significantly decreased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， accompanied by marked improvement in histopathological damage to the liver tissue. The metabolomics results showed that compared with the model group， there were 63 up-regulated and 256 down-regulated differential metabolites in the serum of mice in the SSC high-dose group， including prostaglandin B2， 20-hydroxy-leukotriene B4， 5- hydroxy-L-tryptophan， 7α -hydroxycholesterol， etc.； these metabolites were primarily involved in metabolic pathways such as arachidonic acid metabolism， 5-hydroxytryptamine synapse， primary bile acid biosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS SSC exerts a protective effect against CCl4-induced ALI by down-regulating the level of key metabolites such as prostaglandin B2 and 20-hydroxy-leukotriene B4， and then ruducing metabolic pathways such as arachidonic acid metabolism， 5- hydroxytryptamine synapse， and primary bile acid biosynthesis.

BackgroundExecutive function deficits constitute a core problem in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder （ADHD）. Previous assessments of executive function in children with ADHD have predominantly relied on performance-based neuropsychological tests conducted in laboratory settings， though their predictive validity for real-world functional outcomes remains limited. In contrast， ecological executive function emphasizes the evaluation of complex task management in naturalistic contexts， demonstrating a stronger predictive power for functional adaptation in daily living among children with ADHD， such as multitasking performance， social interactions and so on. However， current empirical evidence regarding ecological executive function in this population remains insufficient. ObjectiveTo investigate the executive function characteristics of children with ADHD from an ecological perspective， thereby providing references for developing targeted interventions. MethodsA case control study was conducted， including 277 ADHD children who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fourth edition （DSM-IV） criteria and were selected at the Child Health Care and Mental Health Center of Shenzhen Children's Hospital from June 2017 to December 2020， as well as 98 healthy controls were recruited from primary and secondary schools in Shenzhen. All participants were assessed using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children， fourth edition （WISC-IV） and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function （BRIEF）. Differences in WISC-IV and BRIEF scores were compared between ADHD group and control groups， followed by the comparison of BRIEF scores by gender and ADHD subtypes. ResultsAmong the 277 children with ADHD， 136 cases （49.10%） had predominantly inattentive type （ADHD-I）， 6 cases （2.17%） had predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type （ADHD-HI）， and 135 cases （48.73%） had combined type （ADHD-C）. ADHD group demonstrated significantly lower scores on both the WISC-IV total IQ and four index scores （verbal comprehension， perceptual reasoning， working memory and processing speed） than control group （t=3.698~9.335， P<0.01）. After controlling for WISC-IV total IQ as a covariate， the scores of each factor in the dimensions of behavioral regulation index （inhibition， shifting， emotional control） and metacognition index （task initiation， working memory， planning， monitoring and organization） were all higher in ADHD group than in control group， and the differences were statistically significant （F=46.563~290.475， P<0.01）. In terms of gender， no statistically significant difference was found in BRIEF composite scores （behavioral regulation index or metacognition index） of children with ADHD （t=0.105~1.190， P>0.05）. In terms of ADHD subtypes， children with ADHD-C reported significantly higher scores than those with ADHD-I on the scores of inhibition， emotional control， organization and monitoring in BRIEF （t=2.481~7.343， P<0.05 or 0.01）. ConclusionChildren with ADHD have multidimensional deficits in ecological executive function， which vary across different subtypes. ［Funded by Shenzhen Excellent Science and Technology Innovation Talent Training Project （number， RCYX20221008092849069）； the Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen］

The genome tagging project (GTP) plays a pivotal role in addressing a critical gap in the understanding of protein functions. Within this framework, we successfully generated a human influenza hemagglutinin-tagged sperm-specific protein 411 (HA-tagged Ssp411) mouse model. This model is instrumental in probing the expression and function of Ssp411. Our research revealed that Ssp411 is expressed in the round spermatids, elongating spermatids, elongated spermatids, and epididymal spermatozoa. The comprehensive examination of the distribution of Ssp411 in these germ cells offers new perspectives on its involvement in spermiogenesis. Nevertheless, rigorous further inquiry is imperative to elucidate the precise mechanistic underpinnings of these functions. Ssp411 is not detectable in metaphase II (MII) oocytes, zygotes, or 2-cell stage embryos, highlighting its intricate role in early embryonic development. These findings not only advance our understanding of the role of Ssp411 in reproductive physiology but also significantly contribute to the overarching goals of the GTP, fostering groundbreaking advancements in the fields of spermiogenesis and reproductive biology.
Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Spermatids/metabolism* ; Spermatogenesis/physiology* ; Spermatozoa/metabolism* ; Thioredoxins/genetics*

Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) is one of the most commonly occurring pathogens associated with genital tract infections in infertile males, but the impact of seminal UU infection in semen on intrauterine insemination (IUI) outcomes is poorly understood. We collected data from 245 infertile couples who underwent IUI at The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC (Hefei, China) between January 2021 and January 2023. The subjects were classified into two groups according to their UU infection status: the UU-positive group and the UU-negative group. We compared semen parameters, pregnancy outcomes, and neonatal birth outcomes to investigate the impact of UU infection on IUI outcomes. There were no significantly statistical differences in various semen parameters, including semen volume, sperm concentration, total and progressive motility, sperm morphology, leukocyte count, the presence of anti-sperm antibody, and sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), between the UU-positive and UU-negative groups of male infertile patients (all P > 0.05). However, the high DNA stainability (HDS) status of sperm differed between the UU-positive and UU-negative groups, suggesting that seminal UU infection may affect sperm nuclear maturation ( P = 0.04). Additionally, there were no significant differences in pregnancy or neonatal birth outcomes between the two groups (all P > 0.05). These results suggest that IUI remains a viable and cost-effective option for infertile couples with UU infection who are facing infertility issues.
Humans ; Male ; Ureaplasma Infections/complications* ; Female ; Infertility, Male/therapy* ; Ureaplasma urealyticum/isolation & purification* ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Semen Analysis ; Insemination, Artificial ; Semen/microbiology* ; China

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression of soluble factor-related apoptosis ligand (sFasL) in peripheral blood and microRNA-147b (miR-147b) in monocytes in children with sepsis and their value in assessing prognosis. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on 124 children with sepsis (sepsis group), 60 children with common infections (infection group), and 60 healthy children undergoing physical examinations (healthy control group). The independent risk factors for poor prognosis in children with sepsis were analyzed, and the value of serum sFasL and monocyte miR-147b in predicting poor prognosis in children with sepsis was assessed. RESULTS: The serum level of sFasL and the relative expression of miR-147b in monocytes were highest in the sepsis group, followed by the infection group and the healthy control group (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the serum level of sFasL and the relative expression of miR-147b in monocytes were closely associated with the poor prognosis of children with sepsis (P<0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the combination of serum sFasL level and relative expression of miR-147b in monocytes had a larger area under the curve compared to each indicator alone in predicting the prognosis of children with sepsis (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There are significant increases in the level of sFasL in peripheral blood and the relative expression of miR-147b in monocytes in children with sepsis. The combined use of these two indicators has relatively high clinical value in assessing the prognosis of children with sepsis.
Humans ; Sepsis/diagnosis* ; MicroRNAs/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Monocytes/metabolism* ; Prognosis ; Child, Preschool ; Prospective Studies ; Child ; Infant ; TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/blood* ; Logistic Models