Objective:To explore the cardioprotective effects of icariin (ICA) against radiation-induced cardiac disease (RICD) in C57BL/6 mice.Methods:A total of 48 female C57BL/6J mice aged 6-8 weeks were randomly divided into three groups: the control group (CON), the irradiation group (IR), and the irradiation combined with icariin group (IR+ ICA), with 16 mice in each group. The IR and IR+ ICA groups received a single cardiac irradiation at a dose of 30 Gy, while the CON group received no radiation treatment. The IR+ ICA group was treated with ICA (70 mg·kg -1·d -1) two weeks before irradiation until the end of the experiment through intragastric administration. In contrast, the CON and IR groups were treated with an equal volume of vehicle solution (0.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, NaCMC) via intragastric administration. The mice′s mental status, food intake, body weight, and survival rates were monitored during the experiment. At two weeks post-irradiation, the venous blood of the mice was collected and serum was separated for the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) of creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT/TNNT2). At 12 weeks post-irradiation, the cardiac function of the mice was assessed using echocardiography. After the mice were euthanized under anesthesia, the histopathological changes and fibrosis degree of their myocardial tissues were assessed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Masson′s trichrome staining, followed by the calculation of collagen volume fraction (CVF). The differential gene expression of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the cardiac tissues of the mice was detected using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Apoptosis-related proteins and proteins associated with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathway were determined using Western blotting. The survival curves of the mice were plotted using Kaplan-Meier, and the survival differences of the mice among various groups were compared using the log-rank test. Results:After irradiation, the mice in the IR group showed lethargy, as well as decreased food intake and activity, while these symptoms in the IR+ ICA group were significantly alleviated. At two weeks post-irradiation, the CK-MB and cTnT levels of the IR group were significantly elevated compared with the CON group ( t = 5.28, 8.89, P < 0.01). At 12 weeks post-irradiation, the mice in the IR group exhibited significantly decreased body weight ( t = 2.47, P < 0.05) and decreased survival rates ( HR = 8.25, 95% CI: 1.157-58.770, P < 0.05) compared with the CON group. Echocardiography revealed that the IR group featured decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), decreased fractional shortening (FS), and increased left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVDD) compared with the CON group ( t = 7.02, 4.45, P < 0.05). Histopathological examination revealed that the IR group suffered from cardiomyocyte edema, disordered arrangement, and increased fibrosis, with an elevated CVF. The IR group exhibited significantly upregulated gene expression of BNP, TGF-β, and IL-6 in cardiac tissues compared with the CON group ( t = 4.23, 6.39, 4.61, P < 0.05). After-irradiation, the IR group exhibited upregulated apoptosis-related proteins Cleaved Caspase-3 and Bax ( t = 6.29, 9.54, P < 0.05), decreased Bcl-2 expression ( t = 8.20, P < 0.001), and decreased phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt ( t = 6.47, 3.42, P < 0.001). The symptoms of the mice were partially ameliorated after treatment with ICA. Specifically, the mice in the IR+ ICA group exhibited higher body weight ( t = 5.13, P < 0.001) and significantly higher survival rates ( HR = 0.121, 95% CI: 0.017-0.864, P < 0.05) than the IR group. Compared to the IR group, the IR+ ICA group showed elevated cardiac function indicators EF and FS( t = 3.23, 3.05, P < 0.05), and reduced LVDD ( t = 3.02, P < 0.05). The histopathological analysis revealed mitigated edema and disordered arrangement of cardiomyocytes in the IR+ ICA group. Furthermore, the IR+ ICA group exhibited significantly lower BNP, TGF-β, and IL-6 expression levels than the IR group ( t = 2.83, 4.15, 2.96, P < 0.05). The expression of apoptosis-related proteins Cleaved Caspase-3 and Bax was lower ( t = 3.23, 3.24, P < 0.05), Bcl-2 expression was higher ( t = 5.92, P < 0.001), and restored phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt ( t = 2.89, 8.35, P < 0.001). Conclusions:Icariin has protective effects against the RICD. It alleviates cardiomyocyte apoptosis possibly by upregulating the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of body posture combined with pharmacotherapy and pharmacotherapy alone in the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma(CSDH).Methods:Firstly, retrospective case series study was conducted. Thirty cases of CSDH that had received body posture combined with pharmacotherapy at Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University from December 2016 to October 2020 were studied retrospectively. Twenty-seven patients were male, and 3 patients were female. The age of patients ( M(IQR)) was 66(16) years (range:28 to 84). Nineteen patients had unilateral hematoma, and 11 patients had bilateral hematoma. All patients received pharmacotherapy and body posture therapy that was to raise their lower limbs 20 to 30 cm with leg lift pad and get abdominal compressed with customized abdominal belt in supine position. Patients were required to maintain the body posture as much as possible, with the maximum to 16 to 18 hours per day. Patients with unilateral hematoma should tilt the head to the affected side and avoid tilting it to the opposite side. For patients with bilateral hematoma, there was no need for head lateralization. Patient were treated with oral dexamethasone and atorvastatin simultaneously. The preliminary efficacy of body posture combined with pharmacotherapy was determined by hematoma improvement rate which was analyzed by Clopper-Pearson method. Then, the multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial had carried out in 9 medical centers from August 2020 to November 2021. The stratified block randomization method was adopted. Patients were randomized in a ratio of 1∶1 to either receive pharmacotherapy alone(the control group) or body posture combined with pharmacotherapy(the experiment group) for 3 months and followed up for 6 months. Effective treatment was defined as complete absorption of hematoma, or the hematoma volume decreased by more than 10 ml and Markwalder grading scale score had improved by more than 1 point compared to the baseline. The efficacy rate and surgery conversion rate at 3 months and recurrence at 6 months were observed. Comparison between groups was performed with paired sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test, corrected χ2 test, or Fisher exact probability method. Logistic regression was used to compare the effective rate and operation rate between the two groups. Results:In the respective study, 30 patients completed follow-up 13 to 353 days after treatment. At the last follow-up, the incidence of almost complete absorption or significantly absorption of hematoma (hematoma volume was significantly reduced accompanied by symptom improvement) was 93.3%. The 95% CI for the incidence that analyzed by the Clopper-Pearson method was 77.9% to 99.2%. One hundred and six patients were enrolled in the multicenter study. Fifty-five patients underwent body posture combined with pharmacotherapy. The age was 74(17) years (range:26 to 92). Thirty-nine patients were males and 16 were females. Fifty-one patients underwent pharmacotherapy alone. The age was 69(12) years (range:48 to 84). Thirty-seven patients were males and 14 were females. The length of body posture recorded in diary card was (15.7±2.3) hours(range:7.6 to 19.3 hours). The efficacy rate in the body posture combined with pharmacotherapy group and pharmacotherapy alone group were 83.6% (46/55) and 56.9% (29/51), respectively at 3 months. The result of the logistic regression analysis showed that the efficacy of body posture combined with pharmacotherapy group was better than that of pharmacotherapy alone group ( OR=3.88,95% CI:1.57 to 9.58, P=0.003). Surgery rate in the body posture combined with pharmacotherapy group and pharmacotherapy alone group were 5.5% (3/55) and 21.6% (11/51) respectively. The result of Logistic regression showed that the pharmacotherapy alone group was more likely to be converted to surgery ( OR=0.21,95% CI:0.05 to 0.80, P=0.023). At the 6 months, no recurrence of cases was found in the body posture combined with pharmacotherapy group. However, the recurrence rate of pharmacotherapy alone group was 6.3% (3/48), there was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The effect of body posture combined with pharmacotherapy for chronic subdural hematoma is better than that of pharmacotherapy alone.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of"Five-Tiger Points"Acupuncture combined with Shaking-Traction-Thrusting Manipulation in treating acute ankle sprain.Methods A total of 142 patients diagnosed with acute ankle sprain at Guizhou Aerospace Hospital between January 2022 and March 2024 were enrolled.The patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group using a random number table method,with 71 cases in each group.The control group received RICE(Rest,Ice,Compression,Elevation)protocol plus Shaking-Traction-Thrusting Manipulation every 2 days for 8 sessions.The observation group received additional daily"Five-Tiger Points"Acupuncture for 3 consecutive days.After two weeks,clinical efficacy was assessed by comparing visual analogue scale(VAS)pain scores,Kofoed ankle function scores,swelling degree,and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores between groups.Results(1)After treatment,both groups of patients showed significant improvements in pain VAS scores,ankle swelling severity,and TCM syndrome scores(P＜0.05).The observation group demonstrated significantly superior improvements compared to the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,both groups of patients showed significant improvements in Kofoed scores(P＜0.05).The observation group demonstrated significantly superior improvements compared to the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).(3)The overall efficacy rate was 90.14％(64/71)in the observation group and 69.01％(49/71)in the control group.The observation group demonstrated superior efficacy compared to the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).Conclusion Combining"Five-Tiger Points"Acupuncture with Shaking-Traction-Thrusting Manipulation significantly alleviates pain,reduces swelling,and enhances ankle function in acute ankle sprain patients,demonstrating superior clinical efficacy.

Crigler-Najjar syndrome (CNS) and Gilbert syndrome (GS; OMIM: 143500) are rare autosomal recessive diseases that cause unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia due to decreased UGT1A1 enzyme activity. Crigler-Najjar syndrome type 2 (CNS2; OMIM: 606785) increases the risk of gallbladder stone formation and cholecystitis, while GS seldom causes health issues. We found a 28-year-old male patient with recurring right upper abdomen pain who experienced persistent jaundice from birth. CNS2 with gallbladder stones and cholecystitis was diagnosed after genetic testing revealed rare double homozygous mutations A(TA)₇TAA (rs3064744) and P229Q (rs35350960) in the UGT1A1 gene. After pedigree investigation, we found that the patient's parents with modestly increased bilirubin had compound heterozygous mutations A(TA)₇TAA and P229Q, which were GS. Bioinformatics analysis showed that A(TA)₇TAA is in the TATA-box region of the gene UGT1A1 promoter, affecting gene transcriptional initiation, whereas P229Q modifies protein three-dimensional structure and may be harmful. In this pedigree, double homozygous mutations have a more severe phenotype than compound heterozygous mutations. Inherited causes of hyperbilirubinemia should be suspected after ruling out biliary obstruction, and early bilirubin reduction (< 103 µmol/L (6 mg/dL)) may reduce the risk of complications like cholecystitis in CNS2 patients, though further studies with longer follow-up are needed to confirm this observation.
Humans ; Male ; Glucuronosyltransferase/genetics* ; Adult ; Crigler-Najjar Syndrome/complications* ; Cholecystitis/etiology* ; Homozygote ; Mutation ; Pedigree

Morphea alopecia is a rare secondary cicatricial alopecia, often caused by linear scleroderma of the scalp. When hair loss appears as the only symptom of morphea, it is easily confused with other localized alopecia. The diagnosis of morphea alopecia depends on histopathologic and dermoscopic examinations. In order to improve the understanding of morphea alopecia among clinicians, this review summarizes research progress in its pathogenesis, clinical and pathological characteristics, diagnosis and treatment.

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy of visual dilated sheath combined with needle nephroscope percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) with traditional PCNL for renal calculi，so as to enhance the intraoperative safety and puncture accuracy. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 100 patients with renal calculi treated on hospital during Sep.2022 to Sep.2023.Based on the surgical approaches，patients were divided into the needle nephroscope group (PCNL with visual dilator sheath and needle nephroscope，n=52) and traditional group (traditional PCNL，n=48).Clinical characteristics，surgical parameters，and outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups in baseline data，total operation time and hospital stay (P>0.05).The needle nephroscope group had a longer channel establishment time compared to the traditional group [20.0(17.0-22.0) min vs.16.0 (15.0-21.0) min，P=0.002]，but significantly shorter puncture time [2.0 (1.0-2.6) min vs. 2.8(2.0-3.5) min，P<0.001]，and fewer adjustments of the puncture needle (9.6% vs. 64.6%，P<0.001).The channel was successfully established on the first attempt in all patients in the needle nephroscope group，while only 41 of patients in the traditional group achieved success on the first attempt，6 cases needed 2 attempts，and 1 case needed 3 attempts.Postoperative complications were absent in the needle nephroscope group，whereas postoperative bleeding requiring interventional treatment occurred in 1 case in the traditional group.There was no significant difference in the first-stage stone-clearance rate between the two groups (88.4%vs. 85.4%，P=0.872). Conclusion: PCNL using a visual dilator sheath combined with a needle nephroscope achieves a comparable first-stage stone-clearance rate to traditional PCNL.However，it offers significant advantages in terms of shorter puncture time，fewer adjustments of the puncture needle，and lower postoperative complication rate.These findings suggest superior safety and precision，making it a valuable technique for clinical application.

Objective To assess the mid-term clinical prognosis and radiological outcomes of a novel expandable PEEK(polyetheretherketone)vertebral replacement device used for anterior and middle column recon-struction in the thoracolumbar spine of osteoporotic patients.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 52 patients with single-segment osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures who underwent vertebral body replacement surgery between January 2020 and December 2023.The surgical procedures included either a thoracoscopic or minimally invasive anterior approach,combined with posterior short-segment cement-augmented screw fixation.According to the type of replacement material used,patients were categorized into two groups:the novel PEEK group and the titanium Mesh cage group.Data on surgical time,intraoperative blood loss,and postoperative complications were collected.The Visual Analogue Score(VAS),Oswestry Disability Index(ODI),local kyphotic angle(LKA),fusion segment height(D-line),anterior vertebral body height(AVBH),and posterior vertebral body height(PVBH)were assessed at three stages:preoperatively,immediately postoperatively,and during the final follow-up.Results All patients were successfully discharged.In the PEEK group,the average operative time was(235.28±58.69)minutes,and intraoperative blood loss was(680.00±163.30)mL.The mean follow-up duration was(14.12±2.44)months.The VAS score decreased significantly from(7.44±0.87)preoperatively to(2.24±0.93)at the final follow-up,and the ODI score also decreased significantly from(42.64±4.86)preoperatively to(11.84±3.73)at the final follow-up,indicating substantial improvement in symptoms and function(P<0.05).At the final follow-up,LKA,D-line,and AVBH exhibited partial loss compared to immediate postoperative values(P>0.05),but they remained significantly improved compared to preoperative values(P<0.05).The postoperative complication rate was 12.00%(3/25),and the fusion rate at the final follow-up was 100.00%.Similarly,the Mesh group effectively improved patient symptoms,function,and vertebral height(P<0.05).However,at the final follow-up,the PEEK group demonstrated significantly better LKA,D-line,and AVBH values compared to the Mesh group(P<0.05).Conclusion The short-segment cement-augmented internal fixation in combination with the novel expandable PEEK replacement device represents a viable solution for anterior column reconstruction in osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures,as evidenced by its mid-term outcomes of effective pain relief,significant functional improvement,sustained maintenance of vertebral height,and successful deformity correction.

With changes in lifestyle,the incidence of osteoporotic vertebral burst fractures is increasing.These fractures are prone to being underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed.In severe cases,they can lead to nonunion,kyphotic deformity,and even neurological injury.The best treatment plan for such unstable fractures has always been controversial.On the one hand,the fracture degree is severe and the morphology is complex,and there is no unified classification standard.On the other hand,the general condition and bone quality of the patients are poor,which affects the surgical decision.This article reviews the progress in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporotic lumbar body blowout fractures.

With changes in lifestyle,the incidence of osteoporotic vertebral burst fractures is increasing.These fractures are prone to being underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed.In severe cases,they can lead to nonunion,kyphotic deformity,and even neurological injury.The best treatment plan for such unstable fractures has always been controversial.On the one hand,the fracture degree is severe and the morphology is complex,and there is no unified classification standard.On the other hand,the general condition and bone quality of the patients are poor,which affects the surgical decision.This article reviews the progress in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporotic lumbar body blowout fractures.

Morphea alopecia is a rare secondary cicatricial alopecia, often caused by linear scleroderma of the scalp. When hair loss appears as the only symptom of morphea, it is easily confused with other localized alopecia. The diagnosis of morphea alopecia depends on histopathologic and dermoscopic examinations. In order to improve the understanding of morphea alopecia among clinicians, this review summarizes research progress in its pathogenesis, clinical and pathological characteristics, diagnosis and treatment.