Acute lung injury (ALI) is a significant complication of sepsis, characterized by high morbidity, mortality, and poor prognosis. Neutrophils, as critical intrinsic immune cells in the lung, play a fundamental role in the development and progression of ALI. During ALI, neutrophils generate neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), and excessive NETs can intensify inflammatory injury. Research indicates that Taohe Chengqi decoction (THCQD) can ameliorate sepsis-induced lung inflammation and modulate immune function. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms by which THCQD improves ALI and its relationship with NETs in sepsis patients, seeking to provide novel perspectives and interventions for clinical treatment. The findings demonstrate that THCQD enhanced survival rates and reduced lung injury in the cecum ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced ALI mouse model. Furthermore, THCQD diminished neutrophil and macrophage infiltration, inflammatory responses, and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). Notably, subsequent experiments confirmed that THCQD inhibits NET formation both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, THCQD significantly decreased the expression of peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) protein, and molecular docking predicted that certain active compounds in THCQD could bind tightly to PAD4. PAD4 overexpression partially reversed THCQD's inhibitory effects on PAD4. These findings strongly indicate that THCQD mitigates CLP-induced ALI by inhibiting PAD4-mediated NETs.
Extracellular Traps/immunology* ; Acute Lung Injury/immunology* ; Animals ; Sepsis/immunology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Mice ; Neutrophils/immunology* ; Male ; Protein-Arginine Deiminase Type 4/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Humans ; Disease Models, Animal ; Cytokines/metabolism*

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis （NASH） is a chronic liver disease with the main pathological features of hepatic steatosis， inflammatory cell infiltration， and interstitial fibroplasia， and it is an important risk factor for liver fibrosis， liver cirrhosis， and hepatocellular carcinoma. NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome is the core of innate immunity， and the abnormal activation of NLRP3 inflammasome is closely associated with the development and progression of NASH， which involves multiple links such as inflammatory response and oxidative stress. A large number of studies have shown that the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and TCM compound prescriptions can improve oxidative stress， regulate lipid metabolism， and alleviate liver inflammation by regulating NLRP3 inflammasome. TCM treatment applied in clinical practice has achieved a good therapeutic effect， while inflammasome is one of the key pathways or targets for TCM in improving NASH. This article reviews the mechanism of action of NLRP3 inflammasome in NASH and the research advances in TCM intervention of NLRP3 inflammasome， in order to provide ideas for the clinical TCM treatment of NASH， as well as reference targets and research directions for the research and development of new TCM drugs.

Spleen-stomach damp-heat syndrome is currently the most prevalent TCM pattern in patients with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG), with internal damp-heat accumulation regarded as a key factor contributing to its prolonged and refractory course. This syndrome represents a critical stage in the progressive pathogenesis of CAG, characterized by a deepening pathological evolution. Modern TCM practitioners generally agree that its core pathogenesis lies in "deficiency in root and excess in superficiality, with internal damp-heat retention", and emphasize a treatment strategy that combines eliminating pathogenic factors and reinforcing the body's healthy qi through dynamic syndrome differentiation. Chinese materia medica used in treating CAG with spleen-stomach damp-heat syndrome can effectively relieve clinical symptoms, improve the internal damp-heat environment, mitigate gastric mucosal atrophy and intestinal metaplasia, and delay the inflammation-to-cancer transformation. Its mechanisms may involve eradication of Helicobacter pylori, repair of gastric mucosal injury, regulation of immune inflammatory response and other aspects, which has the advantages of multi-channel and multi-target.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture of bilateral Yifeng(SJ17)points penetrating Lianquan(RN23)points combined with electromyographic biofeedback therapy(shortened as EMG biofeedback)in the treatment of post-stroke dysphagia.Methods A total of 94 cases of patients admitted to the wards and outpatient clinics of Handan Mingren Hospital with a definitive diagnosis of post-stroke dysphagia from April 2022 to May 2023 were selected for the study.The patients were randomly divided into observation group and control group according to the random number table method,with 47 cases in each group.Both groups of patients were given basic treatment,the control group was treated with EMG biofeedback,and the observation group was treated with electroacupuncture of bilateral Yifeng points penetrating Lianquan points on the basis of the treatment of the control group.The course of treatment covered four consecutive weeks.After one month of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated,and the changes in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores and Kubota Water Swallowing Test scores,Standardized Swallowing Assessment(SSA)scores,Functional Oral Intake Scale(FOIS)scores,and Swallowing-Quality of Life(SWAL-QOL)scores before and after treatment were observed in the patients of the two groups.The changes of tongue pressure before and after treatment were compared between the two groups.The safety and the incidence of adverse reactions in the two groups were evaluated.Results(1)The total effective rate was 95.74%(45/47)in the observation group and 76.60%(36/47)in the control group.The efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).(2)After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores and Kubota Water Swallowing Test scores of the patients in the two groups were improved significantly(P<0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).(3)After treatment,SSA and FOIS scores of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P<0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).(4)After treatment,the peak tongue pressure,mean tongue pressure,duration of tongue pressure of the two groups were improved significantly(P<0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).(5)After treatment,the quality of life scores of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P<0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).(6)No obvious adverse reactions occurred during the treatment of the two groups of patients,the difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups of patients being not statistically significant(P>0.05).Conclusion Electroacupuncture of bilateral Yifeng points penetrating Lianquan points combined with EMG biofeedback in the treatment of post-stroke dysphagia exerts certain efficacy,which can improve the swallowing function and tongue muscle strength,reduce TCM syndrome scores,and enhance patients'quality of life.

Objective To identify independent predictors of prognosis in MMNS and to examine the expression of CD4,CD8,CD20 and their relationship with prognosis.Methods 87 patients with MMNS were retrospectively an-alyzed to summarize their clinicopathologic characteristics;the expression of CD4,CD8,and CD20 in MMNS were observed by EnVision immunohistochemical staining(IHC)to analyze the relationship between the expression of these markers and prognosis.Results MMNS with sinus,surrounding tissue invasion,larger tumor and higher AJCC stage showed a worse prognosis.No significant correlation was found among sex,age,histological type,melanin granules,mitotic figures and survival rate.The counts of CD4+,CD8+and CD20+TILs in intra-tumoral stroma were positively correlated with the density of TILs at the base of the tumor.CD20+B cells did not have a central tendency to aggregate to form tertiary lymphoid structures,whether in the intratumoral stroma or in the basal stroma of the tumor,the three cell subsets were admixed.There was no statistically significant difference in OS be-tween CD4+,CD8+,and CD20+subsets.Conclusions The number of CD20+B cells was significantly less than that of CD4+and CD8+T cells in both the intratumoral stroma and the basal stroma of the tumor,and tertiary lymphoid structures fail to be formed,which,unlike cutaneous malignant melanoma,might be a cause of the poor prognosis of MMNS.

Objective To compare the safety of laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy(LPD)and open pancreatoduodenectomy(OPD)and analyze the learning curve and safety at different stages of LPD.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 50 LPD patients and 54 OPD patients in the Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery of Suzhou Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from January 2020 to June 2024,and intraoperative and postoperative conditions were compared.The Cumulative Sum(CUSUM)analysis method was used to analyze the technical nodes of the LPD learning curve.Results There were no significant differences in operation time and intraoperative blood loss between the LPD group and the OPD group(P＞0.05).There was also no significant difference in the incidence rates of pancreatic fistula(grade B and C),delayed gastric emptying,postoperative bleeding,biliary fistula and intra-abdominal infection between the LPD group and the OPD group(P＞0.05).A time series plot of operation time was drawn based on the patient's operation time and surgical sequence,yielding a fitted curve.Curve analysis showed initial stage and stable stage were finished at the 17th and 24th cases.The LPD learning curve could be divided into three stages:stage Ⅰ characterized as the initial stage(cases 1 to 17),stage Ⅱ characterized as the stable stage(cases 18 to 24),and stage Ⅲ characterized as the proficient stage(cases 25 to 50).The operation time in stages Ⅱ and Ⅲ was significantly shorter than that in stage Ⅰ,and the intraoperative blood loss in stage Ⅰ was significantly higher than that in stage Ⅲ(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications among the three stages(P＞0.05).Conclusion LPD and OPD show no significant differences in indications and safety.The LPD learning curve can be divided into three stages.As the number of surgeries completed increa-ses,the operation time of physicians gradually shortens,and the incidence of complications of patients gradually decreases.

Objective:To investigate long-term auditory changes and characteristics of Alport syndrome（AS） patients with different degrees of renal injury. Methods:Retrospectively analyzing clinical data of patients diagnosed AS from January 2007 to September 2022, including renal pathology, genetic detection and hearing examination. A long-term follow-up focusing on hearing and renal function was conducted. Results:This study included 70 AS patients, of which 33（25 males, 8 females, aged 3.4-27.8 years） were followed up, resulting in a loss rate of 52.9%.The follow-up period ranged from 1.1to 15.8 years, with 16 patients followed-up for over 10 years. During the follow-up, 10 patients presenting with hearing abnormalities at the time of diagnosis of AS had progressive hearing loss, and 3 patients with new hearing abnormalities were followed up, which appeared at 5-6 years of disease course. All of which were sensorineural deafness. While only 3 patients with hearing abnormalities among 13 patients received hearing aid intervention. Of these patients,7 developed end-stage renal disease（ESRD）, predominantly males （6/7）. The rate of long-term hearing loss was significantly different between ESRD group and non-ESRD group（P=0.013）. There was no correlation between the progression of renal disease and long-term hearing level（P>0.05）. kidney biopsies from 28 patients revealed varying degrees of podocyte lesion and uneven thickness of basement membrane. The severity of podocyte lesion was correlated with the rate of long-term hearing loss（P=0.048）, and there was no correlation with the severity of hearing loss（P>0.05）. Among 11 cases, theCOL4A5mutationwas most common （8 out of 11）, but there was no significant correlation between the mutation type and hearing phenotype（P>0.05）. Conclusion:AS patients exhibit progressive hearing loss with significant heterogeneity over the long-term.. THearing loss is more likely to occur 5-6 years into the disease course. Hearing abnormalities are closely related to renal disease status, kidney tissue pathology, and gene mutations, emphasizing the need for vigilant long-term hearing follow-up and early intervention.
Male ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Nephritis, Hereditary/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Kidney ; Deafness ; Hearing Loss/genetics* ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/pathology* ; Mutation

Objective To investigate the relationship between interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and miR-185-5p in the process of joint injury in acute gouty arthritis (AGA). Methods The serum miR-185-5p levels of 89 AGA patients and 91 healthy volunteers were detected by real-time quantitative PCR. The correlation between miR-185-5p expression level and VAS score or IL-1β expression level was evaluated by Pearson correlation coefficient method. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of miR-185-5p in AGA. THP-1 cells were induced by sodium urate (MSU) to construct an in vitro acute gouty inflammatory cell model. After the expression level of miR-185-5p in THP-1 cells was upregulated or downregulated by transfection of miR-185-5p mimics or inhibitors in vitro, inflammatory cytokines of THP-1 cells, such as IL-1β, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), were detected by ELISA. The luciferase reporter gene assay was used to determine the interaction between miR-185-5p and the 3'-UTR of IL-1β. Results Compared with the healthy control group, the expression level of serum miR-185-5p in AGA patients was significantly reduced. The level of serum miR-185-5p was negatively correlated with VAS score and IL-1β expression level. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.905, the sensitivity was 80.17% and the specificity was 83.52%. Down-regulation of miR-185-5p significantly promoted the expression of IL-1β, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), while overexpression of miR-185-5p showed the opposite results. Luciferase reporter gene assay showed that IL-1β was the target gene of miR-185-5p, and miR-185-5p negatively regulated the expression of IL-1β. Conclusion miR-185-5p alleviates the inflammatory response in AGA by inhibiting IL-1β.
Humans ; 3' Untranslated Regions ; Arthritis, Gouty/genetics* ; Interleukin-1beta/genetics* ; Interleukin-8 ; Luciferases ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Objective:This study aimed to compare the audiological characteristics between children with unilateral auditory neuropathy (UAN) and single-sided deafness (SSD) to establish a valid basis for the differential diagnosis of children with UAN.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on audiological and imaging evaluations of children with UAN and SSD who were treated at Beijing Children′s Hospital of Capital Medical University between May 2015 and June 2023. There were 17 children with UAN, comprising 10 males and 7 females, with an average age of 4.7 years. Additionally, there were 43 children with SSD, consisting of 27 males and 16 females, with an average age of 6.5 years. Audiological assessments included Auditory brainstem response (ABR), Steady-state auditory evoked potential (ASSR), Behavioural audiometry, Cochlear microphonic potential (CM), Distortino-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), and acoustic immittance test. The results of the audiological assessment and imaging phenotypic between the two groups of children were compared and analyzed by applying SPSS 27.0 statistical software.Results:(1) The UAN group (77.8%) had a significantly higher rate of ABR wave III L than the SSD group (20.9%) ( P<0.01). The PA thresholds at 500 Hz and 1 000 Hz of children with SSD were higher than those of children with UAN, while the ASSR thresholds at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2 000 Hz, and 4 000 Hz of children with SSD were significantly higher than those of children with UAN ( P<0.05). (2) The degree of hearing loss in both UAN and SSD children was predominantly complete hearing loss. The percentage of complete hearing loss was significantly higher (χ2=4.353, P=0.037) in the SSD group (93.0%, 40/43) than in the UAN group (63.6%, 7/11). However, the percentage of profound hearing loss was significantly higher in the UAN group (27.3%, 3/11) than in the SSD group (2.3%, 1/43) ( Fisher′s exact test, P=0.023). In terms of hearing curve configuration, the percentage of flat type was significantly higher in the SSD group (76.7%, 33/43) than in the UAN group (36.4%, 4/11). The proportion of the UAN group (27.3%, 3/11) was significantly higher than that in the SSD group (2.3%, 1/43) in ascending type ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the hearing curves of the declining type and other types between the two groups ( P>0.05). (3) The proportion of imaging assessment without abnormality was significantly more common in the UAN group (81.8%) than in the SSD group (37.1%) (χ2=6.695, P=0.015). Conclusions:Compared to children with SSD, the occurrence of wave III L on the ABR test was significantly more common in children with UAN. The percentage of ascending hearing curves was significantly higher in children with UAN than in children with SSD. ASSR thresholds were significantly lower in children with UAN. The normal imaging phenotype was significantly more common in children with UAN than in children with SSD.

Objective To investigate the reliability and validity of the assessment tools of Brief ICF Core Sets for Arthroplasty of Knee Osteoarthritis in Perioperative Period(ICSAKOPP). Methods From May,2022 to April,2023,320 patients undergoing knee arthroplasty were selected in Peking University Third Hospital,China-Japan Friendship Hospital,Peking University First Hospital and Chinese PLA General Hospital.Trained assessors used Brief ICSAKOPP to evaluate all enrolled patients before arthroplasty,three days(±one day)after arthroplasty,three weeks(±one week)after arthroplasty,and three months(±one month)after ar-throplasty.Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index(WOMAC)scores were recorded at the same time.Five professionals were asked to score all the items of Brief ICSAKOPP,and the content validity index(CVI)was caculated. Results A total of 64 cases were dropped down.CVI of all the items of the Brief ICSAKOPP were above 0.8,with a av-erage CVI of the scale of 0.938.The Cronbach's α coefficient of the Brief ICSAKOPP was 0.813.There was a moderate correlation(r=0.681,P<0.001)between the overall Brief ICSAKOPP and WOMAC scores,as well as body functional dimension score(r=0.668,P<0.001)and activities and participation dimension score(r=0.657,P<0.001). Conclusion Brief ICSAKOPP is good in content validity,internal consistency reliability and criterion validity.