This study aims to investigate the effects of Pulsatilla powder(PP)on colonic intestinal flora and tryptophan metabolism in piglets with diarrhea.Twenty-four weaned piglets were ran-domly divided into the normal control group,model group,self-healing group,and PP group.The model of piglet diarrhea was established by the compound factor of external evil+internal injury+epi-demic virus,and treated with PP.During the modeling period,the body weight,mental status and fecal patterns of piglets were monitored daily.After the experiment,the colon tissues were collect-ed for histopathological observation,and the inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-6 in the colon tis-sue was detected by ELISA,16S rRNA was used to analyze colonic intestinal flora and RT-qPCR was used to determine the expression of genes related to tryptophan metabolism in the colon.The results showed that,compared with the model group,PP significantly improved the pathological status of the colon in piglets with diarrhea,with elevated body mass and a significant increase in goblet cells(P＜0.05);and significantly reduced the levels of IL-1β and IL-6 in the colon of diar-rhea piglets(P＜0.05).The results of intestinal flora showed that PP increased the abundance of Firmicutes(P＜0.01),Spirochaeota(P＜0.01)and Lactobacillus(P＜0.05),reduced the abun-dance of Bacteroidota(P＜0.05)、Prevotella_NK3B31_group(P＜0.05)and Clostridium_sensu_stricto 1(P＜0.01).Meanwhile,PP significantly reduced the expression level of TPH1 mRNA(P＜0.05),increased the expression levels of AhR(P＜0.05)and IL-22 mRNA in the co-lon of diarrhea piglets.These results indicates that PP may alleviate diarrhea in piglets by regula-ting colonic intestinal flora and genes related to intestinal tryptophan metabolism.This study pro-vides data support for the subsequent investigation of piglet diarrhea prevention and treatment.

Objective To compare the application value of direct arteriovenous fistula(AVF),after ultrasound-guided percutaneous transluminal angioplasty(PTA)dilation of radial artery AVF formation and reverse"J"arteriovenous graft(AVG)in hemodialysis patients with small diameter vessels.Methods Totally 96 end-stage renal disease patients with distal radial artery＜1.5 mm and cephalic vein≥2.0 mm who planning to receive hemodialysis were retrospectively enrolled.The patients were divided into AVF group(n=30),PTA+AVF group(n=34)and AVG group(n=32)according to fistulization methods.The technical success rate,clinical success rate,primary patency rate and secondary patency rate were compared among groups.Results The technical success rate of AVF group,PTA+AVF group and AVG group was 80.00%,94.12%and 100%,respectively,and the clinical success rate was 30.00%,82.35%and 93.75%,respectively,with significant differences among 3 groups(both P＜0.05).The primary patency rate 1,3,6,9 and 12 months after fistulization in AVF group was 80.00%,30.00%,27.59%,27.59%and 24.14%,respectively,in PTA+AVF group was 94.12%,82.35%,78.79%,68.75%and 62.50%,respectively,while in AVG group was 100%,93.33%,83.33%,76.67%and 66.67%,respectively,all being significant different among 3 groups(all P＜0.05).The secondary patency rate 1,3,6,9 and 12 months after fistulization in AVF group was 83.33%,75.00%,75.00%,70.83%and 58.33%,respectively,in PTA+AVF group was 93.33%,93.33%,83.33%,83.33%and 80.00%,respectively,while in AVG group was 100%,100%,93.33%,90.00%and 80.00%,respectively,also being significant different among 3 groups(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Compared with direct and after ultrasound-guided PTA dilation of radial artery AVF formation,AVG formation was more valuable for hemodialysis patients with small diameter vessels.

Objective To explore the primary patency rate and impact factors of autogenous arteriovenous fistula success after preop-erative ultrasound-guided percutaneous transluminal angioplasty(PTA)in patient with small-caliber artery on maintenance hemodialysis(MHD).Methods We included 128 end-stage renal disease patients with distal radial artery diameters＜1.5mm,treated with ultra-sound-guided percutaneous transluminal angioplasty(PTA)to establish an arteriovenous fistula(AVF)at Guizhou Medical University Affiliated Tumor Hospital between January 1,2019 and December 31,2021.Patients were classified into failure and patency groups based on AVF patency.We assessed the surgical technical success rate,clinical success rate,and primary patency rate,and analyzed factors af-fecting AVF failure.Results In these patients,the technical success rate of AVF creation after PTA was 91.4％,the clinical success rate was 83.6％,and the 12-month primary patency rate was 54.4％.Female gender,diabetes,and a preoperative radial artery diame-ter ≤ 1 mm were independent risk factors for AVF failure after PTA(P＜0.05).Conclusion Establishing AVF after PTA dilation of ar-teries in patients with small-caliber arteries undergoing maintenance hemodialysis has a high technical success rate and primary patency rate.Diabetes,female gender,and preoperative radial artery diameter ≤1.Omm are independent risk factors for AVF failure in these pa-tients.

BACKGROUND: The potential impact of pre-existing coronary artery stenosis (CAS) on right ventricular (RV) function during acute pulmonary embolism (PE) episodes remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the association between pre-existing CAS and RV dysfunction in patients with acute PE. METHODS: In this multicenter, case-control study, 89 cases and 176 controls matched for age were enrolled at three study centers (Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Fuwai Hospital, and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University) from January 2016 to December 2020. The cases were patients with acute PE with CAS, and the controls were patients with acute PE without CAS. Coronary artery assessment was performed using coronary computed tomographic angiography. CAS was defined as ≥50% stenosis of the lumen diameter in any coronary vessel >2.0 mm in diameter. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between CAS and RV dysfunction. RESULTS: The percentages of RV dysfunction (19.1% [17/89] vs. 44.6% [78/176], P <0.001) and elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) (19.3% [17/89] vs. 39.5% [68/176], P = 0.001) were significantly lower in the case group than those in the control group. In the multivariable logistic regression model, CAS was independently and negatively associated with RV dysfunction (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 0.367; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.185-0.728; P = 0.004), and elevated sPAP (OR: 0.490; 95% CI: 0.252-0.980; P = 0.035), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Pre-existing CAS was significantly and negatively associated with RV dysfunction and elevated sPAP in patients with acute PE. This finding provides new insights into RV dysfunction in patients with acute PE with pre-existing CAS.
Humans ; Pulmonary Embolism/complications* ; Case-Control Studies ; Male ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Right/physiopathology* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Coronary Stenosis/complications* ; Logistic Models ; Adult

Objective To analyze the epidemiological and pathogenic characteristics of acute respiratory in-fection in Yangpu District of Shanghai,and to provide scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of re-spiratory tract infection.Methods A total of 1 062 patients diagnosed with acute respiratory infection in the hospital from June 2023 to June 2024 were selected as the research objects.The nucleic acid of 13 pathogens in nasopharyngeal swabs of patients was detected and the positive rate was calculated.The positive rate of differ-ent age groups and seasons was analyzed.Results Among 1 062 patients,716 cases were detected positive,the total positive rate was 67.42%,of which 577 cases were single infection,the positive rate was 54.33%.The top five positive pathogens were Mycoplasma pneumoniae(MP,16.48%),human coronavirus(HCOV,9.42%),human rhinovirus(HRV,7.63%),human metapneumovirus(HMPV,5.46%)and parainfluenza vi-rus(HPIV,3.39%).A total of 139 cases were infected with multiple pathogens,with a positive rate of 13.09%.MP,HRV,and HCOV were the dominant pathogens,which were prone to multiple infections.A to-tal of 139 cases were infected with multiple pathogens,with a positive rate of 13.09%.MP,HRV,and HCOV were the dominant pathogens,which were prone to multiple infections.The total positive rate of respiratory pathogens in children was 86.38%,the positive rates of single infection and multiple infection were 65.12%and 21.26%,respectively,which were significantly higher than those in other age groups(P<0.05).Among the 577 children with single infection,MP and HRV were the main pathogens in children,MP and HCOV were the main pathogens in young and middle-aged patients,and HCOV and HRV were the main pathogens in the elderly patients.The total positive rate of pathogens was the highest in winter(69.88%),and the lowest in summer(49.54%).HRV had the highest positive rate in spring,HCOV had the highest positive rate in summer,MP had the highest positive rate in autumn,and influenza virus(including influenza A virus,influen-za A/H3N2 virus,influenza B virus)had the highest positive rate in winter(P<0.05).Conclusion MP,HCOV,HRV,HMPV and HPIV are the top five pathogens of acute respiratory tract infection in Yangpu dis-trict of Shanghai.The etiological characteristics were related to age and seasonality of patients.

Objective To explore the therapeutic mechanism of berberine in atopic dermatitis(AD)rats based on PI3K/Akt/NF-kappa B signaling pathway.Methods Sixty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the blank group(normal rats),the control group(AD model,50 mg/kg berberine treatment)and the experimental group(AD model,200 mg/kg berberine treatment),with 20 rats in each group.The levels of interleukin-4(IL-4),interleukin-13(IL-13)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)at 1 d,7 d and 14 d of intervention.The protein levels of PI3K,p-PI3K,Akt,p-Akt and NF-κB p65 were detected by Western blot assay.Pathological changes of rat skin tissue were analyzed by HE staining.Results After intervention for 1 d,7 d and 14 d,serum levels of IL-4,IL-13,TNF-α and PI3K,p-PI3K,Akt,p-Akt and NF-kappa B p65 were higher in the control group than those in the blank group(P＜0.05).After intervention for 7 d and 14 d,the levels of the above indicators were lower in the experimental group than those in the control group(P＜0.05).After 14 days of intervention,compared with the blank group,the skin tissue of rats in the control group and the experimental group showed obvious pathological changes,including thickening of epidermis layer,excessive keratinization of the stratum comeum,thickening of spinous layer and a large infiltration of inflammatory cells in dermis.The pathological damage of rat skin tissue was significantly alleviated in the experimental group.Conclusion Berberine can inhibit the activation of PI3K/Akt/NF-kappa B signaling pathway,reduce serum level of inflammatory factors and reduce pathological damage of skin tissue in AD rats.

Objective:To explore patterns of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Jiangsu Province, China from 2019 to 2023.Methods:Using data from the IBD health data platform of the National Healthcare Big Data (Eastern) Center, a retrospective cohort study was conducted. We performed descriptive analyses on hospitalised patients diagnosed with IBD between 2019 and 2023, who received TCM treatment.Results:The study included 11 095 case records from 4 760 patients, with TCM diagnoses primarily indicating diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Ulcerative colitis (UC) accounted for 4 782 hospitalizations (3 103 patients), while Crohn's disease (CD) accounted for 6 313 hospitalizations (1 657 patients). Patient demographics showed a trend towards younger age and a higher proportion of males. Treatment utilisation was highest in southern Jiangsu compared with the central and northern regions. In terms of disease burden, all treatment costs showed a downward trend. In terms of external TCM therapies, UC patients tend to prefer plasters and enemas, while CD patients are more inclined to use acupuncture. Regarding herbal medicine, licorice, white atractylodes, and white peony root are commonly used single herbs for IBD patients.Conclusions:The number of IBD patients treated with TCM in Jiangsu Province has steadily increased from 2019 to 2023. It is important to identify effective TCM treatment methods to reduce the burden of patients.

Objective:To assess the preliminary efficacy and safety of modified Société Internationale d′Oncologie Pédiatrique Epithelial Liver Tumor Study Group (SIOPEL)-4 protocol for pediatric hepatoblastoma (HB) with lung metastases.Methods:This prospective cohort study enrolled 27 newly diagnosed pediatric HB with lung metastases who received the modified SIOPEL-4 protocol at Shanghai Children′s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and Shanghai Children′s Hospital between January 2020 to December 2023. Clinical characteristics, lung response rates to induction chemotherapy, treatment outcomes, prognostic factors and sever chemotherapy toxicities at different stages were analyzed. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate prognostic analysis was conducted by Log-Rank test.Results:Of the 27 patients, there were 17 males and 10 females, with the age of 21 (15, 33) months. During the follow-up of 31 (12, 45) months for 17 continuous complete remission patients, 4 cases disease progression (2 cases death) and 6 cases relapse were observed. The 2-year event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) rate was (58±11)% and (89±7)%, respectively. All the 27 patients had response to block 1-3 induction chemotherapy (cisplatin+doxorubicin), with 14 cases (52%) achieving complete response and 13 cases (48%) achieving partial response of lung metastatic lesions, the 2-year EFS rate was (81±12)% and (34±14)%, respectively ( χ 2=6.76, P=0.009), the 2-year OS rate was 100% and (79±13)%, respectively ( χ2=2.12, P=0.145). Patients with caudate lobe tumors or ≥10 pulmonary metastatic nodules had significantly lower EFS rates ( χ2=5.36, 7.84, P=0.021, 0.005, respectively). The incidence of grade 3/4 neutropenia after block 1-3 induction chemotherapy, CD (carboplatin+doxorubicin), and VI (vincristine+irinotecan) consolidation chemotherapy was 90% (73/81), 75% (58/77), and 31% (11/35), respectively. The incidence of grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia was 77% (62/81), 69% (53/77), and 14% (5/35), respectively. The incidence of grade 3/4 infections was 64% (52/81), 25% (19/77), and 20% (7/35), respectively. The differences between the groups were statistically significant ( χ2=43.51, 42.69, 33.00, all P<0.001). Two patients (10%) of the 20 evaluable patients for ototoxicity occurred grade 3 and higher hearing impairment, with 1 patient requiring a hearing aid. Conclusions:The modified SIOPEL-4 regimen shows good preliminary efficacy and safety in treating pediatric HB with lung metastases. The prognosis for patients with residual lesions in the lungs after induction chemotherapy needs to be improved. Attention should be given to the ototoxicity induced by high-dose cisplatin chemotherapy.

Objective To explore the therapeutic mechanism of berberine in atopic dermatitis(AD)rats based on PI3K/Akt/NF-kappa B signaling pathway.Methods Sixty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the blank group(normal rats),the control group(AD model,50 mg/kg berberine treatment)and the experimental group(AD model,200 mg/kg berberine treatment),with 20 rats in each group.The levels of interleukin-4(IL-4),interleukin-13(IL-13)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)at 1 d,7 d and 14 d of intervention.The protein levels of PI3K,p-PI3K,Akt,p-Akt and NF-κB p65 were detected by Western blot assay.Pathological changes of rat skin tissue were analyzed by HE staining.Results After intervention for 1 d,7 d and 14 d,serum levels of IL-4,IL-13,TNF-α and PI3K,p-PI3K,Akt,p-Akt and NF-kappa B p65 were higher in the control group than those in the blank group(P＜0.05).After intervention for 7 d and 14 d,the levels of the above indicators were lower in the experimental group than those in the control group(P＜0.05).After 14 days of intervention,compared with the blank group,the skin tissue of rats in the control group and the experimental group showed obvious pathological changes,including thickening of epidermis layer,excessive keratinization of the stratum comeum,thickening of spinous layer and a large infiltration of inflammatory cells in dermis.The pathological damage of rat skin tissue was significantly alleviated in the experimental group.Conclusion Berberine can inhibit the activation of PI3K/Akt/NF-kappa B signaling pathway,reduce serum level of inflammatory factors and reduce pathological damage of skin tissue in AD rats.

Objective:To explore patterns of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Jiangsu Province, China from 2019 to 2023.Methods:Using data from the IBD health data platform of the National Healthcare Big Data (Eastern) Center, a retrospective cohort study was conducted. We performed descriptive analyses on hospitalised patients diagnosed with IBD between 2019 and 2023, who received TCM treatment.Results:The study included 11 095 case records from 4 760 patients, with TCM diagnoses primarily indicating diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Ulcerative colitis (UC) accounted for 4 782 hospitalizations (3 103 patients), while Crohn's disease (CD) accounted for 6 313 hospitalizations (1 657 patients). Patient demographics showed a trend towards younger age and a higher proportion of males. Treatment utilisation was highest in southern Jiangsu compared with the central and northern regions. In terms of disease burden, all treatment costs showed a downward trend. In terms of external TCM therapies, UC patients tend to prefer plasters and enemas, while CD patients are more inclined to use acupuncture. Regarding herbal medicine, licorice, white atractylodes, and white peony root are commonly used single herbs for IBD patients.Conclusions:The number of IBD patients treated with TCM in Jiangsu Province has steadily increased from 2019 to 2023. It is important to identify effective TCM treatment methods to reduce the burden of patients.