Objective:To explore the surgical technique and results of three-dimensional aortic valve anatomic repair for bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) with aortic regurgitation (AR).Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. From August 2021 to December 2023, 130 consecutive patients with BAV-AR underwent aortic valve anatomic repair at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University,and the data were retrospectively analyzed. There were 115 males and 15 females, aged (38.6±11.7) years (range: 15 to 67 years). All patients received modified aortic root reconstruction, to do three-dimensional root remodeling, including the basal ring, sinus of Valsalva and sino-tubular junction simultaneously. Perioperative and follow-up data were collected and analyzed. Comparisons between groups were performed using independent samples t-test, Wilcoxon paired signed-rank test, or χ2 test. Results:No patient transferred to valve replacement during the operation. The cardiopulmonary bypass time ( M(IQR)) was 109(34) minutes (range:67 to 247 minutes), and the aortic cross-clamp time was 76(26) minutes (range: 32 to 158 minutes). Preoperative transesophageal echocardiography showed 123 patients (94.6%) presented with moderate or severe regurgitation. Immediately postoperative transesophageal echocardiography showed no regurgitation in 22 patients (16.9%), trace regurgitation in 81 patients (62.3%) and mild regurgitation in 27 patients (20.8%). Follow up was completed in all patients, with a follow-up of 5.5(9.4) months (range: 0.1 to 27.6 months). No mortality was observed during follow-up. Echocardiography was obtained in 112 patients at the latest follow-up, including no regurgitation in 4 patients (3.6%), trace regurgitation in 58 patients (51.8%), mild regurgitation in 45 patients (40.2%), moderate regurgitation in 4 patients (3.6%), and severe regurgitation in 1 patient (0.9%). Conclusion:For patients with BAV-AR who have good valve quality and no severe aortic sinus dilation, the recent outcomes of three-dimensional anatomical repair technique, focusing on overall remodeling of the aortic root, are satisfactory.

Objective:To explore the surgical technique and results of three-dimensional aortic valve anatomic repair for bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) with aortic regurgitation (AR).Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. From August 2021 to December 2023, 130 consecutive patients with BAV-AR underwent aortic valve anatomic repair at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University,and the data were retrospectively analyzed. There were 115 males and 15 females, aged (38.6±11.7) years (range: 15 to 67 years). All patients received modified aortic root reconstruction, to do three-dimensional root remodeling, including the basal ring, sinus of Valsalva and sino-tubular junction simultaneously. Perioperative and follow-up data were collected and analyzed. Comparisons between groups were performed using independent samples t-test, Wilcoxon paired signed-rank test, or χ2 test. Results:No patient transferred to valve replacement during the operation. The cardiopulmonary bypass time ( M(IQR)) was 109(34) minutes (range:67 to 247 minutes), and the aortic cross-clamp time was 76(26) minutes (range: 32 to 158 minutes). Preoperative transesophageal echocardiography showed 123 patients (94.6%) presented with moderate or severe regurgitation. Immediately postoperative transesophageal echocardiography showed no regurgitation in 22 patients (16.9%), trace regurgitation in 81 patients (62.3%) and mild regurgitation in 27 patients (20.8%). Follow up was completed in all patients, with a follow-up of 5.5(9.4) months (range: 0.1 to 27.6 months). No mortality was observed during follow-up. Echocardiography was obtained in 112 patients at the latest follow-up, including no regurgitation in 4 patients (3.6%), trace regurgitation in 58 patients (51.8%), mild regurgitation in 45 patients (40.2%), moderate regurgitation in 4 patients (3.6%), and severe regurgitation in 1 patient (0.9%). Conclusion:For patients with BAV-AR who have good valve quality and no severe aortic sinus dilation, the recent outcomes of three-dimensional anatomical repair technique, focusing on overall remodeling of the aortic root, are satisfactory.

Objective:To investigate the accuracy and reproducibility of diaphragmatic excursion (DE) measurements through hepato-renal/spleno-renal section as a novel method for assessing diaphragmatic function.Methods:Twelve healthy participants were recruited. Each participant underwent DE measurements performed by four operators with varying levels of experience using traditional methods (liver/spleen section) and novel methods (hepato-renal/spleno-renal section), respectively. Among them, two experienced operators were critical care clinicians, and diaphragmatic ultrasound was performed in more than 50 cases. The other two inexperienced operators were respiratory therapists, with less than 10 cases of diaphragmatic ultrasound operations, who received a 2-hour theoretical and operational training before the study. Operators initially used the conventional method with a 1.5-6.0 MHz convex probe in M-mode, placing the sampling line perpendicular to the diaphragm at the point of maximum excursion, and the liver/spleen section DE was determined during normal breathing of participant. Then, they used the novel method with a 1.6-4.5 MHz phased array probe to observe diaphragmatic movement cranio-caudally along the mid-axillary line, employing anatomic M-mode with the sampling line placed perpendicular to the diaphragm at the level of the renal midpoint, and the DE of the hepato-renal/spleno-renal section was measured during normal breathing. The liver and hepato-renal sections were used to assess the right diaphragm, and spleen and spleno-renal sections were used to assess the left diaphragm. Correlation analysis of DE measurements from different sections was conducted using the Deming method, while consistency was assessed using the Bland-Altman method. The consistency of clinical acceptability was defined as the absence of fixed and proportional bias, with a difference of two standard deviations less than 40% of the mean measurement value. Percentage consistency limit = two standard deviations of the differences between measurements/mean measurement value×100%.Results:Four operators performed image scans of DE in all four sections for each of the twelve subjects, with a high DE acquisition rate of 100% (48/48) for hepato-renal and spleno-renal sections, followed by the liver section [91.7% (44/48)] and the spleen section [66.7% (32/48)], particularly for the left diaphragm assessment, where the DE acquisition rate of spleno-renal section was significantly higher than that of traditional spleen section ( P < 0.01). The overall measurement results showed that no significant difference was found in DE determined via the hepato-renal and spleno-renal sections using the novel method (cm: 1.64±0.10 vs. 1.55±0.14, P > 0.05), and they were significantly higher than those determined via the conventional liver and spleen sections (cm: hepato-renal section vs. liver section was 1.64±0.10 vs. 1.44±0.09, spleno-renal section vs. spleen section was 1.55±0.14 vs. 1.09±0.14, both P < 0.01). Correlation analysis revealed good correlations of DE between hepato-renal section and spleno-renal section, between liver section and hepato-renal section, between liver section and spleno-renal section ( r values were 0.62, 0.59, and 0.42, all P < 0.01). Consistency analysis showed that the consistency in DE between hepato-renal section and spleno-renal section, as well as between liver section and hepato-renal section was good (both % consistency limits < 40%). However, the DE measured in the spleen section were not correlated with the other three sections, and there was no inconsistency (all % consistency limits > 40%). There was no statistically significant difference in DE measured by the four operators in the liver, spleen, hepato-renal, and spleno-renal sections (cm: 1.49±0.34, 1.44±0.37, 1.43±0.30, and 1.40±0.27 in liver section; 1.10±0.36, 1.05±0.18, 1.09±0.22, and 1.06±0.26 in spleen section; 1.67±0.43, 1.57±0.34, 1.63±0.32, and 1.66±0.36 in hepato-renal section; 1.45±0.33, 1.48±0.34, 1.50±0.24, and 1.65±0.26 in spleno-renal section; all P > 0.05). According to the clinically acceptable range of consistency limits, the DE measured by the four operators in all four sections showed good consistency (all % consistency limits < 40%). Conclusion:The novel method of measuring DE through hepato-renal/spleno-renal sections is accurate, highly reproducible, and has a high acquisition rate, serving as a viable alternative to the conventional method involving the liver/spleen section.

Objective:To explore the correlation between mechanical complications and paraspinal muscle degeneration following posterior single-segment osteotomy corrective surgery for chronic osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 80 patients who underwent surgery between January 2008 and January 2021 at Peking University Third Hospital. These patients, who developed kyphotic deformity following OVCF, included 17 males and 63 females with a mean age of 63.21±8.07 years (range, 47-77 years). Postoperative mechanical complications included proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK), screw loosening, adjacent segment degeneration (ASD), and distal junctional kyphosis or failure. Patients were compared based on the occurrence of mechanical complications in relation to fat infiltration (FI), relative gross cross-sectional area (rGCSA), and relative functional cross-sectional area (rFCSA) of the paraspinal muscles. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for postoperative complications.Results:Among the 80 patients, 19 developed PJK, while 61 did not. The PJK group exhibited significantly higher paraspinal muscle FI (0.44±0.05) compared to the non-PJK group (0.38±0.10, P<0.05). Screw loosening occurred in 7 cases, with 73 cases remaining stable. Those with screw loosening demonstrated higher paraspinal muscle FI (0.47±0.05) than those without (0.38±0.09, P<0.05). Thirty patients experienced ASD, while 50 did not. The ASD group had higher paraspinal muscle FI (0.45±0.07) and lower rFCSA (0.09±0.03) compared to the non-ASD group (0.36±0.10 and 0.13±0.06, respectively, P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis indicated that paraspinal muscle FI and rFCSA were not independent risk factors for developing ASD. Twenty-three patients experienced distal junctional kyphosis or failure, while 57 did not; those with complications exhibited higher paraspinal muscle FI (0.48±0.08) and lower rGCSA (0.16±0.04) and rFCSA (0.09±0.03) compared to those without complications (0.37±0.09, 0.20±0.09, and 0.13±0.06, respectively, P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis suggested that paraspinal muscle FI, rGCSA, and rFCSA were not independent risk factors for developing distal junctional kyphosis or failure. Conclusion:Mechanical complications following corrective surgery for chronic OVCF-related kyphosis may be associated with increased paraspinal muscle FI. Additionally, the occurrence of ASD and distal junctional kyphosis or failure may correlate with reduced paraspinal muscle rFCSA

PiT2 is an inorganic phosphate (Pi) transporter whose mutations are linked to primary familial brain calcification (PFBC). PiT2 mainly consists of two ProDom (PD) domains and a large intracellular loop region (loop7). The PD domains are crucial for the Pi transport, but the role of PiT2-loop7 remains unclear. In PFBC patients, mutations in PiT2-loop7 are mainly nonsense or frameshift mutations that probably cause PFBC due to C-PD1131 deletion. To date, six missense mutations have been identified in PiT2-loop7; however, the mechanisms by which these mutations cause PFBC are poorly understood. Here, we found that the p.T390A and p.S434W mutations in PiT2-loop7 decreased the Pi transport activity and cell surface levels of PiT2. Furthermore, we showed that these two mutations attenuated its membrane localization by affecting adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)- or protein kinase B (AKT)-mediated PiT2 phosphorylation. In contrast, the p.S121C and p.S601W mutations in the PD domains did not affect PiT2 phosphorylation but rather impaired its substrate-binding abilities. These results suggested that missense mutations in PiT2-loop7 can cause Pi dyshomeostasis by affecting the phosphorylation-regulated cell-surface localization of PiT2. This study helps understand the pathogenesis of PFBC caused by PiT2-loop7 missense mutations and indicates that increasing the phosphorylation levels of PiT2-loop7 could be a promising strategy for developing PFBC therapies.
Humans ; Cell Membrane ; Mutation, Missense ; Phosphates/metabolism* ; Sodium-Phosphate Cotransporter Proteins, Type III/genetics*

Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder mainly characterized by progressive calcium deposition bilaterally in the brain, accompanied by various symptoms, such as dystonia, ataxia, parkinsonism, dementia, depression, headaches, and epilepsy. Currently, the etiology of PFBC is largely unknown, and no specific prevention or treatment is available. During the past 10 years, six causative genes (SLC20A2, PDGFRB, PDGFB, XPR1, MYORG, and JAM2) have been identified in PFBC. In this review, considering mechanistic studies of these genes at the cellular level and in animals, we summarize the pathogenesis and potential preventive and therapeutic strategies for PFBC patients. Our systematic analysis suggests a classification for PFBC genetic etiology based on several characteristics, provides a summary of the known composition of brain calcification, and identifies some potential therapeutic targets for PFBC.
Animals ; Brain Diseases/therapy* ; Xenotropic and Polytropic Retrovirus Receptor ; Brain/pathology*

Objective To study the mechanism of Chaihu Guizhi Decoction(CGD)in the treatment of influenza and staphylococcus aureus co-infection.Methods The co-infection model of influenza and staphylococcus aureus was established and CGD was used to intervene.The chemical components of CGD were qualitatively analyzed by UPLC-Q-Exactive/MS technology.The potential action targets of chemical components in CGD and the related targets of influenza Staphylococcus aureus co-infection were mined by network pharmacology method.The"component target disease"network was constructed.Core targets were selected according to degree ranking.Core action pathways were enriched by KEGG analysis and GO annotation analysis.The core target was verified by RT-qPCR,and the interaction between the core component and the key target was verified by molecular docking.Results CGD could significantly improve the decrease of body weight and thymus index(P<0.05)caused by co-infection.The lung index(P<0.05),relative amount of MmRNA expression(P<0.05)and bacterial load(P<0.05)were decreased,and the survival rate was improved.51 chemical constituents were identified from CGD.Through network pharmacological analysis,107 related targets corresponding to CGD treatment of bacterial pneumonia secondary to influenza were excavated.TNF,AKT1,ALB,VEGFA,MAPK3,PTGS2,STAT3,EGFR and other targets with strong correlation,mainly involved Fc epsilon RI signal pathway,GnRH signal pathway,NF-κB signal path,etc.Molecular docking study showed that the main active component of CGD,including oroxyloside,baicalein and wogonin have strong affinity with TNF,PTGS2 and EGFR targets.Compared with co-infection model group,in CGD group TNF-α、EGFR and PTGS2 increased significantly(P<0.05).Conclusion The main active ingredient of CGD is oroxyloside,baicalein and wogonin.TNF-α,PTGS2,EGFR and other targets to played a role in the treatment of influenza staphylococcus aureus co-infection.

Objective To investigate the expression level of calcitonin gene-related peptide-receptor component protein (CRCP) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue and adjacent tissue and its association with the clinicopathological features and prognosis of patients. Methods HCC and adjacent tissue samples were collected from 79 HCC patients who underwent surgical resection in Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Navy Medical University, from June 2003 to September 2009. Tissue microarray was prepared, and immunohistochemistry was used for quantitative analysis. Related proteins were extracted and measured by Western blot, and the expression of CRCP was compared between HCC tissue and adjacent tissue. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to obtain the area under the ROC curve (AUC), and goodness of fit was evaluated. Youden index was used to determine the optimal cut-off value. and the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to analyze the association of CRCP expression with the recurrence and prognosis of HCC, and the log rank test was used for comparison between the two groups. Results Among the 79 HCC patients, there were 67 male patients and 12 female patients, with an age of 10-72 years, and 20 patients had portal vein tumor thrombus. As for pathological grade, 1 had grade 4 HCC, 61 had grade 3 HCC, and 17 had grade 2 HCC; as for BCLC stage, 5 had BCLC stage 0 HCC, 55 had BCLC stage A HCC, 11 had BCLC stage B HCC, and 8 had BCLC stage C HCC. Western blot showed that the expression level of CRCP in HCC tissue was lower than that in adjacent tissue in 4 patients, and immunohistochemistry showed that the expression level of CRCP in HCC tissue was significantly lower than that in adjacent tissue in 75.9% of the patients. Low CRCP expression was associated with CK19 positivity, incomplete tumor capsule, presence of portal vein tumor thrombus, and high pathological grade ( χ 2 =6.410, 4.829, 9.319, and 9.083, all P < 0.05). Compared with the low CRCP expression group, the high CRCP expression group had a significantly longer overall survival time and a significantly lower recurrence rate ( P < 0.001 and P =0.009). Conclusion Patients with low CRCP expression in HCC tissue tend to have a poorer prognosis than those with high CRCP expression, and CRCP may participate in the development, progression, and metastasis of HCC, suggesting that this molecule can be used as a potential biomarker to predict the prognosis of HCC patients.

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disease. The diagnosis of schizophrenia so far relies heavily on subjective evidence, including self-reported experiences by patients, manifestations described by relatives, and abnormal behaviors assessed by psychiatrists. The diagnosis, monitoring of the disease progression and therapy efficacy assessment are challenging due to the lack of established laboratory biomarkers. Based on the current literature, clinical consensus, guidelines, and expert recommendations, this review highlighted evidence-based potential laboratory biomarkers for the diagnosis of schizophrenia, including genetic biomarkers, neurotransmitters, neurodevelopmental-related proteins, and intestinal flora, and discussed the potential future directions for the application of these biomarkers in this field, aiming to provide an objective basis for the use of these biomarkers in the early and accurate diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis and rehabilitation assessment of schizophrenia.

Objective:To explore the clinical features and risk factors of in-hospital mortality in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) patients.Results:We retrospectively analyzed clinical records of polymyositis (PM), classic dermatomyositis (CDM) and clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University from February 2011 to February 2019. The deceased group was defined as the patients who died in hospital or within 2 weeks after hospital discharge, while the survival group was defined as the survival patients. The clinical features were described. Risk factors for deceased patients were identified by logistic regression analysis.Results:The in-hospital mortality rate of IIM patients ( n=424) was 9.4%. The hospitalization time was longer in deceased group ( n=40) [0.9(0.5, 1.0) m vs 0.6(0.4, 1.0) m, Z=-2.159, P<0.05]. Ferritin [1170.8(757.6, 3 759.9) μg/L vs 374.9(182.1, 993.4) μg/L, Z=-4.665], red blood cell distribution width (RDW) [15.2(14.5, 16.3)% vs 14.4(13.5, 15.2)%, Z=-3.066], CRP con-centrations [11.3(4.4, 36.9) mg/L vs 5.1(1.8, 17.2) mg/L, Z=-2.667] and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) [10.1(5.5, 18.9) vs 4.2(2.6, 6.5), Z=-5.108] were higher in deceased group ( P<0.05). Proportion of patients with high levels of CEA (45.0% vs 12.5%, χ2=15.745), glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT) (55.0% vs 23.8%, χ2=11.578), fucosidase (AFU) (35.0% vs 10.0%, χ2=10.902) and with complications [including pro-gressive in-terstitial lung disease (ILD) (60.0% vs 16.3%, χ2=23.934), pulmonary infection (72.5% vs 20.0%, χ2=31.360), hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (35.0% vs 1.3%, χ2=27.771) and low T3 syndrome (50.0% vs 17.5%, χ2=16.644) were higher in deceased group ( P<0.05). Steroid pulse therapy and intravenous immuno-globulin therapy were more common in deceased group. Higher on-admission disease activity [ OR=1.593, 95% CI(1.255, 2.022), P<0.001], progressive ILD [ OR=5.600, 95% CI(1.510, 20.772), P=0.010] and pulmonary infection [ OR=6.771, 95% CI(2.031, 22.574), P=0.002] were independent risk factors for death in IIM patients. In su-bsection analysis, pulmonary infection and respiratory failure were short-term adverse prognostic factors for IIM patients with progressive ILD, while heliotrope rash, progressive ILD and increased steroid dose therapy were short-term adverse prognostic factors for IIM patients with pulmonary infection. Conclusion:High disease activity at admission, progressive ILD and pulmonary infection are the independent risk factors for death in IIM patients. Therefore, it is necessary to closely monitor above indicators during hospitalization.