ObjectiveTo investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of psittacosis cases in Fuyang District of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and to provide evidence for clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention and control of this disease. MethodsEpidemiological investigation data and clinical records of psittacosis cases residing in Fuyang District of Hangzhou from September 2020 to February 2025 were collected. Descriptive epidemiological methods were applied to analyze temporal-spatial-demographic distribution characteristics, exposure history, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and laboratory findings. Comprehensive analyses were further conducted incorporating environmental surveillance and case follow-up data. ResultsAmong the 16 psittacosis cases, the male-to-female ratio was 1∶1, with an incidence rate of 0.57/100 000 for both males and females. The mean age was (59.88±10.66) years old, and the highest incidence rates were in the 70‒79 years and 60‒69 years age groups, with an incidence rate of 1.41/100 000 and 1.30/100 000, respectively. Fourteen cases (87.50%) had a history of avian exposure. The predominant clinical symptoms included fever (15 cases, 93.75%), cough (11 cases, 68.75%), expectoration (9 cases, 56.25%), and fear of cold (8 cases, 50.00%). All cases showed elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), and the results of chest computed tomography (CT) indicated pneumonia in every case. Neutrophil percentage was elevated in 87.50% (14/16) of cases, while lymphocyte percentage was reduced in 93.75% (15/16) of cases. The median time from onset to first medical consultation was 4.00 days, the median time from onset to confirmed diagnosis was 9.50 days, and the median time of hospitalization was 9.00 days. Compared with non-severe cases, the severe group had significantly higher neutrophil percentage, CRP levels, and longer intervals from onset to confirmed diagnosis, onset to first antibiotic administration, and duration of hospitalization. All cases recovered and were discharged, and more than 50% were treated with omadacycline following confirmed diagnosis. ConclusionMost psittacosis cases reported definitive avian exposure history in Fuyang District of Hangzhou. Early diagnosis and treatment are critical for preventing disease progression to severe stages.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical efficacy of dapagliflozin in patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with left heart disease （PH-LHD） and its effect on prognosis， and to provide evidence for its clinical application. METHODS A total of 135 hospitalized patients with PH-LHD admitted to Wuxi No. 2 People’s Hospital from January 1， 2023 to June 30， 2025 were retrospectively included. According to the treatment regimen， the patients were divided into a control group （74 cases， receiving conventional treatment） and a dapagliflozin group （61 cases， receiving dapagliflozin in addition to conventional treatment）. Blood pressure [systolic blood pressure， diastolic blood pressure， and pulmonary artery systolic pressure （PASP）]， echocardiographic cardiac function parameters [cardiac output， cardiac index， left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF）， right ventricular ejection fraction （RVEF）， left atrial diameter， and left ventricular wall thickness]， inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 （IL-6） and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）]， brain natriuretic peptide （BNP）， and 6-minute walking distance （6MWD） were compared between the two groups before treatment and after 12 weeks of treatment. All-cause mortality and the frequency of rehospitalization due to worsening heart failure during follow-up were also compared. RESULTS After 12 weeks of treatment， systolic blood pressure， diastolic blood pressure， PASP， left atrial diameter， IL-6， hs-CRP， and BNP levels were significantly decreased or shortened in both groups， while cardiac index and 6MWD were significantly increased or prolonged compared with those before treatment （ P ＜0.05）. Cardiac output in the dapagliflozin group was significantly increased compared with that before treatment （ P ＜0.05）. Systolic blood pressure， PASP， left atrial diameter， IL-6， hs-CRP， and BNP levels in the dapagliflozin group were significantly lower or shorter than those in the control group， while cardiac output， cardiac index， and 6MWD were significantly higher or longer than those in the control group （ P ＜0.05）. There were no statistically significant differences in LVEF， RVEF， or left ventricular wall thickness between the two groups （ P ＞0.05）. The median follow-up times in the control group and dapagliflozin group were 17.9 months and 17.3 months， respectively. During follow-up， all-cause mortality in the dapagliflozin group was lower than that i n the control group， but the difference was not statistically significant （ P ＞0.05）； the frequency of rehospitalization due to worsening heart failure was significantly lower than that in the control group （ P ＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of conventional treatment， the addition of dapagliflozin can further reduce pulmonary artery pressure， inflammatory factor levels， and BNP levels in patients with PH-LHD， improve some cardiac function-related parameters and exercise tolerance， and reduce the frequency of rehospitalization due to worsening heart failure.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the potential molecular biological mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction in treating hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis by network pharmacology and molecular docking technology and preliminarily verify the mechanism through animal experiments. MethodsThe active ingredients and targets in the Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction were obtained by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP） and ETCM databases. The DisGeNET and GeneCards databases were utilized to acquire disease targets associated with hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis. These disease targets were then intersected with drug targets to identify key targets. The R language ClusterProfiler package and Python were employed for conducting gene ontology（GO） enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes（KEGG） enrichment analysis. The regulatory network diagram of the drug-key target-function-pathway was visualized using Cytoscape 3.9.1 software， and the protein-protein interaction （PPI） network for key targets was depicted. Finally， the hub gene was determined through topological analysis. Auto Dock， PyMOL， and other software were used for molecular docking to explore the possible therapeutic mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction for hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis. In animal experiments， a composite rat model of hyperuricemia induced by intraperitoneal injection of oteracil potassium combined with gouty arthritis induced by the modified Coderre method was established. Through hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining， uric acid test， enzyme linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）， Western blot， and real-time polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）， the molecular mechanism and key targets of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction for treating hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis were observed. ResultsAfter screening and removing duplicate values， 76 active ingredients and 15 key targets were finally obtained. GO enrichment analysis yielded that the treatment of hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis with Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction was significantly associated with acute inflammatory response， astrocyte activation， regulation of interleukin （IL）-8 production， nuclear receptor activity， and binding of growth factor receptor. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis obtained that the key target genes were significantly associated with the IL-17 signaling pathway， advanced glycosylation end/receptor of advanced glycation endproducts（AGE/RAGE） signaling pathway， anti-inflammatory， and other pathways. PPI network indicated that albumin（ALB）， peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ （PPAR-γ）， IL-6， IL-1β， and C-reactive protein（CRP） were the key protein targets. The molecular docking results showed that ALB had the strongest binding force with beta-carotene （β-carotene）. Biochemical results showed that blood uric acid decreased in the Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction groups. HE staining results showed that the low-dose （7.76 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， medium-dose （15.53 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and high-dose （31.05 g·kg^-1·d^-1） groups of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction had different degrees of remission， and the remission of the high-dose group was the most obvious. Fibroblastic tissue hyperplasia in synovial joints accompanied with inflammatory cell infiltration， as well as inflammatory cell infiltration in renal tissue of the high-dose group was significantly reduced， followed by the medium-dose and low-dose groups， and the expression of ALB， PPAR-γ， IL-6， IL-1β， and CRP was down-regulated to different degrees. ConclusionBy regulating the targets such as ALB， PPAR-γ， IL-6， IL-1β， and CRP， inhibiting the PPAR-γ/nuclear transcription factor （NF）-κB pathway， and reducing AGEs/RAGE-mediated inflammation， Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction exerts anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and activates blood circulation and diuresis in the treatment of hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis.

Objective To compare the induction effects of direct treatment with low-temperature plasma(LTP)and treatment with plasma-activated medium(PAM)on immunogenic cell death(ICD)of melanoma cells.Methods After direct treatment of melanoma cell line B16F10 with LTP and treatment of it with PAM for 24 hours,cell viability was detected by MTT assay.Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis and the expression of calreticulin(CRT)on the cell surface.The adenosine triphosphate(ATP)content in the culture medium was detected by an ATP detection kit.The content of high-mobility group box 1(HMGB1)in the cell culture medium was detected by ELISA.B16F10 cells treated with LTP were co-cultured with immature dendritic cells(DC)DC2.4 cell line,and flow cytometry was used to detect DC surface molecules CD80 and CD86.Results Compared with the control group,both direct treatment and indirect treatment could lead to a decrease in the viability of B16F10 cells,an increase in the apoptosis rate,an increase in intracellular ROS,an increase in CRT expression,and an increase in the secretion of ATP and HMGB1(P＜0.05).At the same treatment time,the expression of CRT and the release of ATP in B16F10 cells directly treated with LTP were higher than those indirectly treated with PAM(P＜0.05).Compared with the DC2.4 group,the expression proportion of the DC cell maturation marker molecule CD80 was significantly increased in LTP-120s group,LTP-180s group,PAM-120s group,and PAM-180s group.The expression proportion of the DC cell maturation marker molecule CD86 was significantly increased in LTP-120s group,LTP-180s group,and PAM-180s group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Both direct treatment with LTP and indirect treatment with PAM can induce ICD in melanoma cells.The direct treatment with LTP has a better induction effect.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)is a metabolic disease characterized by abnormal deposition of lipid in hepatocytes.If not intervened in time,NAFLD may develop into liver fibrosis or liver cancer,and ultimately threatening life.NAFLD has complicated etiology and pathogenesis,and there are no effective therapeutic means and specific drugs.Currently,insulin sensitizers,lipid-lowering agents and hep-atoprotective agents are often used for clinical intervention,but these drugs have obvious side effects,and their effectiveness and safety need to be further confirmed.Adenosine monophosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK)plays a central role in maintaining energy homeostasis.Activated AMPK can enhance lipid degradation,alleviate insulin resistance(IR),suppress oxidative stress and inflammatory response,and regulate autophagy,thereby alleviating NAFLD.Natural herbal medicines have received extensive attention recently because of their regulatory effects on AMPK and low side effects.In this article,we reviewed the biologically active natural herbal medicines(such as natural herbal medicine formulas,extracts,polysaccharides,and monomers)that reported in recent years to treat NAFLD via regulating AMPK,which can serve as a foundation for subsequent development of candidate drugs for NAFLD.

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs), describe a group of nanoparticles released by plants. These particles are characterized by a lipid bilayer structure containing various proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and unique metabolites. Although the study on PDEVs is relatively new, having only been around for ten years, they have shown promising development prospects in both basic research and clinical transformation areas. Evidence suggests that PDEVs have excellent application prospects in regulating inflammation and treating tumors. Their distinctive, vesicle-mimicking architecture and stellar biocompatibility render them prime candidates for ferrying various anti-cancer agents, including RNA, proteins, and conventional chemotherapy drugs. Increasingly, studies have shown that PDEVs can be engineered as an innovative platform for combination cancer immunotherapy. Consequently, this paper provides an extensive summary of current developments in engineering methods and strategies for PDEVs in cancer treatment and combined cancer immune therapeutics. The essential characteristics of PDEVs, including the biogenesis process and components, as well as their anti-tumor activity and mechanism, are summarized. Finally, the in vivo safety of PDEVs as delivery vectors and the challenges of scale-up production and clinical transformation are discussed.

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

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic disease characterized by abnormal deposition of lipid in hepatocytes. If not intervened in time, NAFLD may develop into liver fibrosis or liver cancer, and ultimately threatening life. NAFLD has complicated etiology and pathogenesis, and there are no effective therapeutic means and specific drugs. Currently, insulin sensitizers, lipid-lowering agents and hepatoprotective agents are often used for clinical intervention, but these drugs have obvious side effects, and their effectiveness and safety need to be further confirmed. Adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a central role in maintaining energy homeostasis. Activated AMPK can enhance lipid degradation, alleviate insulin resistance (IR), suppress oxidative stress and inflammatory response, and regulate autophagy, thereby alleviating NAFLD. Natural herbal medicines have received extensive attention recently because of their regulatory effects on AMPK and low side effects. In this article, we reviewed the biologically active natural herbal medicines (such as natural herbal medicine formulas, extracts, polysaccharides, and monomers) that reported in recent years to treat NAFLD via regulating AMPK, which can serve as a foundation for subsequent development of candidate drugs for NAFLD.

Objective To study the relationship between irisin and the risk of sarcopenia in elderly patients with hyperhomocysteine-mia of different genders.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 180 elderly patients with hyperhomocysteinemia who were ad-mitted to the Geriatrics Department of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University between January 2021 and January 2023.The study partici-pants were categorized into the male sarcopenia group(n=43)and the male non-sarcopenia group(n=57),the female sarcopenia group(n=44),and the female non-sarcopenia group(n=36)according to the《2019 Consensus Update on the Diagnosis and Treat-ment of Sarcopenia》.Serum irisin levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and the clinical data of patients in sar-copenia and non-sarcopenia groups were compared under different genders.Serum irisin concentrations were grouped into quartiles,and the differences in the indicators related to sarcopenia[appendicular skeletal muscle mass index(ASMI),grip strength,and step speed]were statistically assessed among the four groups using analysis of ANOVA or the Kruskal-Wallis test.Multifactorial Logistic regression a-nalysis was used to evaluate the influencing factors of sarcopenia in elderly patients with hyperhomocysteinemia of different genders.Results Among elderly male patients,there were statistically significant differences in age,irisin,hemoglobin,total protein,albumin,triglycerides,High-density lipoprotein cholesterol,ASMI and percent body fat between the sarcopenia group and the non-sarcopenia group(P＜0.05).Among elderly female patients,there were statistically significant differences in irisin,C-reactive protein,platelets count,uric acid,ASMI and percent body fat between the sarcopenia group and the non-sarcopenia group(P＜0.05).After statistical a-nalysis,it was found that the ASMI was significantly different between the irisin quartile groups of elderly male patients with hyperhomo-cysteinemia(P＜0.001);grip strength and step speed were significantly different between the irisin quartile groups of elderly female pa-tients with hyperhomocysteinemia(P=0.016,0.020).Multiple Logistic regression analysis showed that serum irisin(OR=0.951,95％CI:0.905-0.999)and percent body fat(OR=0.741,95％CI:0.641-0.857)were independent influences on the development of sarcopenia in elderly male patients with hyperhomocysteinemia(P＜0.05).Serum irisin(OR=0.942,95％CI:0.892-0.994),per-cent body fat(OR=0.698,95％CI:0.576-0.846),and platelet count(OR=1.013,95％CI:1.002-1.024)were independent influencing factors for sarcopenia in the elderly female patients with hyperhomocysteinemia(P＜0.05).Conclusion Elevated serum iri-sin and body fat percentage are independent protective factors against sarcopenia in elderly male and female patients with hyperhomocys-teinemia;elevated platelet count is an independent risk factor for sarcopenia in elderly female patients with hyperhomocysteinemia.

Objective To study the relationship between irisin and the risk of sarcopenia in elderly patients with hyperhomocysteine-mia of different genders.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 180 elderly patients with hyperhomocysteinemia who were ad-mitted to the Geriatrics Department of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University between January 2021 and January 2023.The study partici-pants were categorized into the male sarcopenia group(n=43)and the male non-sarcopenia group(n=57),the female sarcopenia group(n=44),and the female non-sarcopenia group(n=36)according to the《2019 Consensus Update on the Diagnosis and Treat-ment of Sarcopenia》.Serum irisin levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and the clinical data of patients in sar-copenia and non-sarcopenia groups were compared under different genders.Serum irisin concentrations were grouped into quartiles,and the differences in the indicators related to sarcopenia[appendicular skeletal muscle mass index(ASMI),grip strength,and step speed]were statistically assessed among the four groups using analysis of ANOVA or the Kruskal-Wallis test.Multifactorial Logistic regression a-nalysis was used to evaluate the influencing factors of sarcopenia in elderly patients with hyperhomocysteinemia of different genders.Results Among elderly male patients,there were statistically significant differences in age,irisin,hemoglobin,total protein,albumin,triglycerides,High-density lipoprotein cholesterol,ASMI and percent body fat between the sarcopenia group and the non-sarcopenia group(P＜0.05).Among elderly female patients,there were statistically significant differences in irisin,C-reactive protein,platelets count,uric acid,ASMI and percent body fat between the sarcopenia group and the non-sarcopenia group(P＜0.05).After statistical a-nalysis,it was found that the ASMI was significantly different between the irisin quartile groups of elderly male patients with hyperhomo-cysteinemia(P＜0.001);grip strength and step speed were significantly different between the irisin quartile groups of elderly female pa-tients with hyperhomocysteinemia(P=0.016,0.020).Multiple Logistic regression analysis showed that serum irisin(OR=0.951,95％CI:0.905-0.999)and percent body fat(OR=0.741,95％CI:0.641-0.857)were independent influences on the development of sarcopenia in elderly male patients with hyperhomocysteinemia(P＜0.05).Serum irisin(OR=0.942,95％CI:0.892-0.994),per-cent body fat(OR=0.698,95％CI:0.576-0.846),and platelet count(OR=1.013,95％CI:1.002-1.024)were independent influencing factors for sarcopenia in the elderly female patients with hyperhomocysteinemia(P＜0.05).Conclusion Elevated serum iri-sin and body fat percentage are independent protective factors against sarcopenia in elderly male and female patients with hyperhomocys-teinemia;elevated platelet count is an independent risk factor for sarcopenia in elderly female patients with hyperhomocysteinemia.