The liver has diverse functions such as metabolism， detoxification， and immune defense， and the maintenance of hepatic microenvironment homeostasis is crucial for overall bodily health. The hepatic microenvironment consists of the components such as parenchymal cells， non-parenchymal cells， and non-cellular components. Chronic inflammatory responses induced by various etiological factors may promote the formation and progression of liver fibrosis. During the dynamic progression of liver fibrosis， from the early to advanced stages， various components within the hepatic microenvironment undergo a series of changes， which can promote the malignant progression of liver fibrosis. An in-depth exploration of the mechanisms underlying such changes in each component of the liver fibrosis microenvironment is of great significance for understanding the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and discovering potential treatment strategies.

Objective: To investigate the biological effects of carvacrol on rats with stomach-heat and stomach-cold and its regulation on transient receptor potential(TRP) channels in rats with stomach-heat, and to study the cold and heat properties of carvacrol and its possible mechanism. Methods: According to the random number method, 100 SD rats were divided into stomach-heat blank group, stomach-heat model group, Coptidis Rhizoma group, stomach-heat low-dose and high-dose carvacrol group, stomach-cold blank group, stomach-cold model group, Baked ginger group, stomach-cold low-dose group and high-dose carvacrol group, 10 rats in each group. The rat model of stomach-heat was established by intragastric administration of pepper aqueous solution (0.80 g/kg) and anhydrous ethanol, and the rat model of stomach-cold was established by intragastric administration of water extract of Anemarrhena asphodeloides and sodium hydroxide (10.40 g/kg). On the day of modeling, the rats in the Baked ginger group were given Baked ginger decoction (0.78 g/kg), and the rats in the Coptidis Rhizoma group were given Coptidis Rhizoma decoction (0.43 g/kg).The stomach-cold and stomach-heat low-dose group of carvacrol was given carvacrol emulsion (40 mg/kg), high-dose group was given carvacrol emulsion (80 mg/kg).All rats of the blank and model groups were given the equal volume of emulsion prepared by 5% dimethyl sulfoxide, 1% Tween 80, 1% polyethylene glycol 400, and 93% normal saline, once a day, for 7 days. The general condition of rats was observed and the body mass was recorded. The pathological morphology of gastric tissue was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The changes of material and energy metabolism, cyclic nucleotide (cAMP), thyroid hormone and gastrointestinal hormone in each group were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression levels of transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1), transient receptor potential channel M8 (TRPM8) and uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) in rats with gastric fever were detected by Western blotting. Results: Compared with the stomach-heat blank group, the body mass of rats in the stomach-heat model group decreased at the fifth and seventh day (P<0.05). The contents (or ratio) of hepatic glycogen (HGlyc), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) were decreased (P<0.05), and Na+ -K+ -ATPase, Ca2+ -Mg2+ -ATPase, cytochrome C oxidase (COX), NADH dehydrogenase (ND), cyclic adenosine phosphate (cAMP), cAMP/cyclic guanosine phosphate (cGMP), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), gastrin (GAS), motilin (MTL), and α-amylase (α-AMS) all increased (P<0.05). Compared with the stomach-heat model group, the body mass of rats in the Coptidis Rhizoma group decreased at the third, fifth, and seventh day, the contents (or ratio) of HGlyc, TC, TG, VIP and α-AMS were increased, and Na+ -K+ -ATPase, COX, ND, cAMP, cAMP/cGMP, T3, T4, and GAS all decreased (P<0.05). The body mass of rats in the stomach-heat low-dose carvacrol group decreased at the seventh day. The contents (or ratio) of HGlyc, TC, and VIP were increased, Na+ -K+ -ATPase, COX, ND, cAMP, cAMP/cGMP, T3, T4, and MTL all decreased, the expression of TRPV1 and UCP1 in gastric tissue decreased, while TRPM8 increased (P<0.05) in rats of the stomach-heat low-dose and high-dose carvacrol groups. Compared with the stomach-cold blank group, the body mass of rats in the stomach-cold model group decreased at the third, fifth, and seventh day, the contents (or ratio) of HGlyc, TC, TG, α-AMS, and VIP all increased, while Na+ -K+ -ATPase, Ca2+ -Mg2+ -ATPase, COX, ND, cAMP, cAMP/cGMP, T3, T4, GAS, and MTL all decreased (P<0.05). Compared with the stomach-cold model group, the body mass of rats in the Baked ginger group was increased at the seventh day, and the contents (or ratio) of HGlyc, VIP, and α-AMS all decreased, while Na+ -K+ -ATPase, COX, ND, cAMP/cGMP, T3, T4, GAS, and MTL all increased (P<0.05). The contents of HGlyc, cAMP, α-AMS, and VIP of rats in the stomach-cold low and high-dose carvacrol group all decreased (P<0.05). TG in the stomach-cold low-dose carvacrol group was increased. TC, Ca2+ -Mg2+ -ATPase, and cGMP all increased, while cAMP/cGMP decreased (P<0.05) in the high-dose carvacrol group. Conclusion In this study, the rat model of stomach-cold and stomach-heat were successfully established by using cold and heat factors. The result showed that carvacrol had a certain inhibitory effect on body mass, material energy metabolism, cyclic nucleotide level, thyroid hormone and gastrointestinal function in rats with stomach-heat, indicating that the drug was cold. Carvacrol′s cold medicinal property could be biologically explained by TRPV1 activation, UCP1 induction, and TRPM8 suppression.

This review aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the etiology, epidemiology, pathology, and conventional treatment of heterotopic ossification (HO), especially emerging potential therapies. HO is the process of ectopic bone formation at non-skeletal sites. HO can be subdivided into two major forms, acquired and hereditary, with acquired HO predominating. Hereditary HO is a rare and life-threatening genetic disorder, but both acquired and hereditary form can cause severe complications, such as peripheral nerve entrapment, pressure ulcers, and disability if joint ankylosis develops, which heavily contributes to a reduced quality of life. Modalities have been proposed to treat HO, but none have emerged as the gold standard. Surgical excision remains the only effective modality; however, the optimal timing is controversial and may cause HO recurrence. Recently, potential therapeutic strategies have emerged that focus on the signaling pathways involved in HO, and small molecule inhibitors have been shown to be promising. Moreover, additional specific targets, such as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and non-coding RNAs, could be used to effectively block HO or develop combinatorial therapies for HO.
Humans ; Ossification, Heterotopic/genetics*

Objective:To analyze the hearing outcomes of high-risk children of diabetic mothers, especially in the subtypes of pre-pregnancy diabetes and gestational diabetes, in order to provide some reference for clinical practice. Methods:The basic characteristics and hearing levels of children whose mothers had a history of diabetes during pregnancy and underwent audiological diagnosis and evaluation at our hospital's Children's Hearing Diagnosis Center from January 2003 to June 2024 were analyzed. T-tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and chi-square tests were used for inter-group comparisons, with a significance level set at P<0.05. Results:A total of 285 children（570 ears） of diabetic mothers were included. Hearing loss was found in 310 ears, and the incidence of hearing loss was 54.39%（310/570）. The mean ABR threshold in the pregestational diabetes group was（50.01±29.29） dB HL, while that in the gestational diabetes group was（44.13±26.19） dB HL. The degree of hearing loss in the pregestational diabetes group was more severe than that in the gestational diabetes group（χ²=10.000, P=0.019）. Conclusion:Maternal history of diabetes may be one of the risk factors for hearing loss in their offspring, and the risk of hearing loss in children whose mothers had diabetes before pregnancy may be higher than that in the gestational diabetes group. It is suggested that the clinical practice should pay attention to the monitoring and follow-up management of the hearing status of such children, so as to improve the auditory outcomes of children born to diabetic mothers.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Diabetes, Gestational ; Hearing Loss/etiology* ; Child ; Pregnancy in Diabetics ; Risk Factors ; Child, Preschool ; Mothers ; Male

OBJECTIVE To observe the clinical efficacy and effect on serum thymic stromal lymphopoietin(TSLP)levels of pa-tients with advanced liver cancer of qi deficiency and toxic stasis type by Jiawei Yupingfeng San.METHODS Using random double blind method,120 patients with advanced liver cancer of qi deficiency and toxic stasis type were randomly divided into 3 groups:Jiawei Yupingfeng San group,Yupingfeng San group,and placebo group,each consisting of 40 cases.All patients in the 3 groups were given conventional treatment such as radiotherapy,chemotherapy,interventional or targeted therapy;Jiawei Yupingfeng San group was given Jiawei Yupingfeng San granules,Yupingfeng San group was given Yupingfeng San granules,and placebo group was given placebo.The course of treatment was 2 months.The changes of Karnofsky functional status score(KPS score),TCM syndrome score,tumor size and serum TSLP level in the 3 groups were observed before and after treatment,and the correlation between the changes of tumor size and TSLP was analyzed.RESULTS After treatment,the KPS scores of Yupingfeng San group and Jiawei Yupingfeng San group were sig-nificantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),TCM syndrome score were decreased(P<0.01),tumor growth(P<0.05,P<0.01)was de-layed,and serum TSLP levels(P<0.05,P<0.01)were decreased.Furthermore,there was a slight positive correlation between chan-ges in tumor size and changes in TSLP(P<0.05).In terms of improving tumor size,the curative effect of Jiawei Yupingfeng San group was better than that of Yupingfeng San group(P<0.05).During the treatment period,no obvious adverse reactions were observed in the 3 groups of patients.CONCLUSION Combined with conventional treatment,Jiawei Yupingfeng San can significantly delay tumor growth in patients with advanced liver cancer of qi deficiency and toxic stasis type and improve patients'TCM syndromes and their qual-ity of survival.The therapeutic mechanism is related to reducing the expression of serum TSLP and improving the immune status of pa-tients,thereby delaying the growth of tumors.

BACKGROUND:Currently,there have been a variety of conservative and surgical treatment plans for spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee,achieving excellent results.However,a broad consensus on indication and guide of surgical treatment has not been announced.In clinical practice,there is still a misunderstanding that unicondylar replacement or total knee arthroplasty should be performed upon the discovery of spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee,while an urgent need for universal access to the concept of stepwise therapy. OBJECTIVE:To summarize and find the factors leading to the poor effect of conservative treatment in spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee,which occurred on the medial femoral condyle,from the literature and clinical cases,at the same time,combined with the Koshino stage,to propose the strategy of stepwise spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee treatment on the medial femoral condyle. METHODS:A systematic search of the literature database was conducted to summarize the factors leading to poor outcomes of conservative treatment in spontaneous osteonecrosis of the medial femoral condyle.Meanwhile,according to the Clinical&Health Records for analytics&Sharing system,the cases receiving conservative and surgical treatment in spontaneous osteonecrosis of the medial femoral condyle in the Department of Orthopedics of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine from January 2017 to January 2023 were analyzed retrospectively,then the causes of success and failure in typical cases were summarized and analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Early diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee were very important for prognosis.For sudden knee pain in some patients,if no obvious abnormality was found in the X-ray examination,and the symptoms persisted and could not be relieved for more than 1 week,an MRI examination was recommended to detect early spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee.(2)The X-ray images of Koshino stage 1 and stage 2 of spontaneous osteonecrosis of the medial femoral condyle were difficult to be distinguished,which needed to be probed by MRI.MRI images of Koshino stage 1 were mainly characterized by bone marrow edema,and an osteonecrosis area with a clear boundary was not formed,while MR images of Koshino stage 2 showed a necrotic area with a clear boundary.(3)Five factors leading to the poor effect of conservative treatment on spontaneous osteonecrosis of the medial femoral condyle were summarized:a.The necrotic area was＞5 cm2;b.The necrotic area accounted for more than 40%of the condyle;c.relative compression percentage of medial meniscus≥33%(with or without medial meniscus injury and subchondral bone marrow edema);d.MRI depth of necrotic area(anterior-posterior diameter of sagittal necrotic area)＞20 mm;e.varus deformity of lower limb＞6°.(4)Conservative treatment of spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee in Koshino stage 1 was good.For spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee in Koshino stage 2,conservative treatment was preferred or combined with drilling decompression.If there was no relief or improvement of symptoms or in MRI after 3 months,while the patient had any of the previous five factors,then knee preservation surgery should be considered.For spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee in Koshino stage 3 and stage 4,knee preservation surgery should be selected based on the previous five factors,including age,gender and activity level of the patient.Total knee arthroplasty was used for spontaneous osteonecrosis in Koshino stage 4,which was associated with symptomatic patellofemoral arthritis,valgus alignment,or necrotic area,which greatly affected the stability of unicondyle prosthesis.

Objective To investigate the potential effect and mechanism of curcumin in inhibiting synaptic injury in the cortex of rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham-operated group, model group, low-dose curcumin (50 mg/kg) group, and high-dose curcumin (100 mg/kg) group. A model of middle cerebral artery occlusion for 2 hours and reperfusion for 24 hours was constructed, and curcumin was administered. Based on the neurological function score, the effects of curcumin on cerebral infarct volume, synaptic ultrastructure changes, inflammatory cell infiltration, and the expression of NLRP3, Caspase-1, Synapsin1, and CAMKⅡ were observed after the end of the animal treatment. Results The neurological function scores were 0, 3.25±0.43, 2.50±0.50, and 1.50±0.50 for the sham-operated group, model group, low-dose curcumin group, and high-dose curcumin group, respectively. The percentage of cerebral infarct volume was 0, (38.89±2.21)%, (33.48±1.77)%, and (23.69±2.19)%, respectively. Compared with the sham operation group, the model group had severe synaptic ultrastructure damage, extensive inflammatory cell infiltration, significantly increased expression of Caspase-1 and NLRP3 (P < 0.5), and significantly decreased expression of Synapsin1 and CAMKⅡ (P < 0.5). Curcumin treatment significantly inhibited synaptic damage, reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, decreased the expression of Caspase-1 and NLRP3 (P < 0.5), and increased the expression of Synapsin1 and CAMKII (P < 0.5), when compared with the model group. Conclusion Ischemia-reperfusion-mediated synaptic injury in rat brain triggers an inflammatory response in cortical nerve cells, and curcumin alleviates synaptic damage and reduces brain injury by inhibiting inflammatory factor levels.

ObjectiveTo investigate the influencing factors for rebleeding after endoscopic therapy and the effect of the number of sequential treatment sessions on postoperative rebleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis receiving secondary prevention of gastroesophageal varices （GOV）. MethodsA total of 1 717 patients with liver cirrhosis who received secondary prevention of GOV and attended The 960th Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistice Support Force from January 2017 to December 2021 were enrolled， and according to the presence or absence of bleeding after endoscopic therapy， they were divided into non-bleeding group and rebleeding group. The influencing factors for rebleeding were analyzed， as well as the association between the number of endoscopic treatment sessions and rebleeding. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups； the independent-samples t test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between the two groups； the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison bertween multiple groups， and the Wilcoxon test was used for further comparison between two groups. The Cox regression model was used to investigate the influencing factors for rebleeding， and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves， while the Log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. ResultsOf all patients， 286 （16.7%） experienced rebleeding after endoscopic therapy， and 1 431 （83.3%） did not experience bleeding. There were significant differences between the two groups in history of smoking and drinking， etiology of liver cirrhosis， hemoglobin （Hb）， prothrombin time （PT）， prothrombin activity （PTA）， international normalized ratio （INR）， albumin （Alb）， fasting blood glucose， blood urea nitrogen， Child-Pugh class， aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index （APRI） score， albumin-bilirubin （ALBI） score， use of non-selective beta-blocker （NSBB） before surgery， treatment modality， type of varices， and maximal varicose vein diameter （all P<0.05）. The univariate Cox regression analysis showed that in the patients with liver cirrhosis who received secondary prevention of GOV， rebleeding was associated with history of smoking and drinking， etiology of liver cirrhosis， use of NSBB before surgery， treatment modality， maximal varicose vein diameter， Hb， platelet count， PT， PTA， INR， Alb， total bilirubin （TBil）， alkaline phosphatase （ALP）， gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase， blood glucose， Child-Pugh class， and ALBI score （all P<0.05）. The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that Hb （hazard ratio ［HR］=0.989， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 0.983‍ ‍—‍ ‍0.994， P<0.001）， TBil （HR=1.020， 95%CI： 1.006‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.034， P=0.005）， Alb （HR=0.868， 95%CI： 0.758‍ ‍—‍ ‍0.994， P=0.041）， treatment modality （sclerosing agent： HR=2.158， 95%CI： 1.342‍ ‍—‍ ‍3.470， P=0.002； tissue adhesive： HR=2.709， 95%CI： 1.343‍ ‍—‍ ‍5.462， P=0.005； ligation+sclerosing agent： HR=3.181， 95%CI： 1.522‍ ‍—‍ ‍6.645， P=0.002； sclerosing agent+tissue adhesive： HR=1.851， 95%CI： 1.100‍ ‍—‍ ‍3.113， P=0.020）， ALP （HR=1.003， 95%CI： 1.001‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.004， P=0.002）， and maximal varicose vein diameter （HR=1.346， 95%CI： 1.119‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.618， P=0.002） were independent influencing factors for rebleeding after endoscopic therapy. Comparison of rebleeding rate after different numbers of sequential treatment sessions showed that the patients treated for three sessions had a significantly lower rebleeding rate than those treated for one or two sessions （χ²=8.643 and 5.277， P=0.003 and 0.022）. The survival analysis showed that with the increase in the number of treatment sessions， there was a significantly longer interval between rebleeding （P=0.006） and a significantly lower mortality rate （P<0.001）. ConclusionThe levels of TBil， ALP， Hb， and Alb on admission， endoscopic treatment modality， and maximal varicose vein diameter were the main predictive factors for rebleeding after endoscopic therapy for GOV in liver cirrhosis， and such predictive factors should be closely monitored in clinical practice. Regular endoscopic therapy can reduce the rebleeding and mortality rates of patients with liver cirrhosis and GOV and prolonmg the interval between rebleeding.

Objective:To investigate the prevalence and potential classification of symptoms after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and to analyze the differences in demographic characteristics and surgical data, compare the different potential subgroups, in order to provide a basis for clinical symptom management plans.Methods:This study was a multicenter cross-sectional survey. Through convenience sampling, patients with KOA undergoing TKA in the orthopaedic wards of four tertiary hospitals in Urumqi were selected as the study from November 2023 to February 2024. The study subjects were surveyed using a general information questionnaire, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Pitts Burgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the degree of postoperative joint swelling and size of ecchymosis were measured. Latent class analysis was performed using Mplus 8.3 software, and Logistic regression analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0 software to explore the influencing factors of the latent classes.Results:Totally 337 effective questionnaires were collected, and the recovery rate was 94.7% (337/356), and the age distribution ranged from 47 to 85 (65.19 ± 6.99) years old, with 90 (26.7%) males and 247 (73.3%) females. There were 92.3% (311/337) of TKA patients with postoperative symptom cluster. The symptom cluster of patients with TKA were identified as 3 classes. They were named as "high level pain-psychological disorder group"(12.5%, 39/311), "high bruises-moderate psychological disorders group"(25.4%, 79/311) and "low symptom burden group" (62.1%, 193/311). The results of the unordered multi-class logistic regression analysis showed that age 45-59 years ( OR = 2.367), body mass index 24.0-27.9 kg/m 2 ( OR = 0.207), living with children/parents ( OR = 6.473), and this being the second joint surgery ( OR = 0.040) were the factors influencing the "high level pain-psychological disorders group" (all P<0.05). The factors influencing the "high bruises-moderate psychological disorders group" were living with children/parents ( OR = 4.023), comorbid chronic diseases ( OR = 1.979, 3.842), and intraoperative blood loss ≤100 ml ( OR = 2.342) (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The postoperative symptom cluster of TKA patients have a relatively high incidence, and there is heterogeneity within the symptom cluster, so nurses need to identify at-risk patients early according to the characteristics of different categories and give interventions.