Objective This study aimed to evaluate whether the onset of the plateau phase of slow hepatitis B surface antigen decline in patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with intermittent interferon therapy is related to the frequency of dendritic cell subsets and expression of the costimulatory molecules CD40,CD80,CD83,and CD86. Method This was a cross-sectional study in which patients were divided into a natural history group(namely NH group),a long-term oral nucleoside analogs treatment group(namely NA group),and a plateau-arriving group(namely P group).The percentage of plasmacytoid dendritic cell and myeloid dendritic cell subsets in peripheral blood lymphocytes and monocytes and the mean fluorescence intensity of their surface costimulatory molecules were detected using a flow cytometer. Results In total,143 patients were enrolled(NH group,n = 49;NA group,n = 47;P group,n = 47).The results demonstrated that CD141/CD1c double negative myeloid dendritic cell(DNmDC)/lymphocytes and monocytes(%)in P group(0.041[0.024,0.069])was significantly lower than that in NH group(0.270[0.135,0.407])and NA group(0.273[0.150,0.443]),and CD86 mean fluorescence intensity of DNmDCs in P group(1832.0[1484.0,2793.0])was significantly lower than that in NH group(4316.0[2958.0,5169.0])and NA group(3299.0[2534.0,4371.0]),Adjusted P all<0.001. Conclusion Reduced DNmDCs and impaired maturation may be associated with the onset of the plateau phase during intermittent interferon therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Objective To explore characteristics of clinical parameters and cytokines in patients with drug-induced liver injury(DILI)caused by different drugs and their correlation with clinical indicators. Method The study was conducted on patients who were up to Review of Uncertainties in Confidence Assessment for Medical Tests(RUCAM)scoring criteria and clinically diagnosed with DILI.Based on Chinese herbal medicine,cardiovascular drugs,non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs),anti-infective drugs,and other drugs,patients were divided into five groups.Cytokines were measured by Luminex technology.Baseline characteristics of clinical biochemical indicators and cytokines in DILI patients and their correlation were analyzed. Results 73 patients were enrolled.Age among five groups was statistically different(P=0.032).Alanine aminotransferase(ALT)(P=0.033)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)(P=0.007)in NSAIDs group were higher than those in chinese herbal medicine group.Interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)in patients with Chinese herbal medicine(IL-6:P<0.001;TNF-α:P<0.001)and cardiovascular medicine(IL-6:P=0.020;TNF-α:P=0.001)were lower than those in NSAIDs group.There was a positive correlation between ALT(r=0.697,P=0.025),AST(r=0.721,P=0.019),and IL-6 in NSAIDs group. Conclusion Older age may be more prone to DILI.Patients with NSAIDs have more severe liver damage in early stages of DILI,TNF-α and IL-6 may partake the inflammatory process of DILI.

Three-dimensional graphene hydrogel(3DGH)was successfully prepared through a hydrothermal method,followed by its composition with gold nanoparticles(AuNPs)to construct a highly sensitive Au/3DGH graphene electrochemical transistor(GECT)dopamine(DA)sensor.AuNPs are efficient electrocatalytic materials.However,their tendency to aggregate during electrodeposition hinds the practical application.The porous and interconnected network structure of 3DGH provided abundant attachment sites,effectively preventing AuNPs aggregation.By modifying the sensor's gate with Au/3DGH,the excellent electrocatalytic performance of Au/3DGH towards DA and the high sensitivity of GECT were utilized to achieve highly sensitive detection of DA.The sensor exhibited a low detection limit of 20 nmol/L and a linear range of 20 nmol/L to 2.5 mmol/L.Remarkably,the sensor showed high sensitivity,excellent selectivity and strong stability,and hold great potnetial in highly sensitive portable detection of DA in disease prevention and clinical monitoring.

Pharmacokinetics of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)is a discipline that adopts pharmacokinetic research methods and techniques under the guidance of TCM theories to elucidate the dynamic changes in the absorption,distribution,metabolism and excretion of active ingredients,active sites,single-flavour Chinese medicinal and compounded formulas of TCM in vivo.However,the sources and components of TCM are complex,and the pharmacodynamic substances and mechanisms of action of the majority of TCM are not yet clear,so the pharmacokinetic study of TCM is later than that of chemical medicines,and is far more complex than that of chemical medicines,and its development also confronts with challenges.The pharmacokinetic study of TCM originated in the 1950s and has experienced more than 70 years of development from the initial in vivo study of a single active ingredient,to the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of active ingredients,to the pharmacokinetic study of compound and multi-component of Chinese medicine.In recent years,with the help of advanced extraction,separation and analysis technologies,gene-editing animals and cell models,multi-omics technologies,protein purification and structure analysis technologies,and artificial intelligence,etc.,the pharmacokinetics of TCM has been substantially applied in revealing and elucidating the pharmacodynamic substances and mechanisms of action of Chinese medicines,research and development of new drugs of TCM,scientific and technological upgrading of large varieties of Chinese patent medicines,as well as guiding the rational use of medicines in clinics.Pharmacokinetic studies of TCM have made remarkable breakthroughs and significant development in theory,methodology,technology and application.In this paper,the history of the development of pharmacokinetics of TCM and the progress of cutting-edge research was reviewed,with the aim of providing ideas and references for the pharmacokinetics of TCM and related research.

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

A female infant,aged 11 days,was admitted due to dyspnea for 11 days after birth,with the main clinical manifestations of inspiratory dyspnea,feeding difficulties,and unusual facies (micrognathia,high palatal arch,cleft palate,glossoptosis,and oblique mouth to the right),and the preliminary diagnosis was Pierre-Robin syndrome. There was no marked improvement after treatment such as ventilator-assisted ventilation,nutrition,and surgical ligation of patent ductus arteriosus. Whole-exome sequencing of the family showed a heterozygous mutation of c.3082A>G (p.Ile1028 Val) in the CHD7 gene,which was a pathogenic mutation of CHARGE syndrome. The neonate was ultimately diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome,and the family decided to withdraw treatment due to concerns about poor prognosis. This article reports a case of CHARGE syndrome caused by a mutation in the CHD7 gene and the multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of this disease,in order to provide help for early disease identification and guide clinical decision-making.

Heart failure(HF)is the end stage of almost all cardiovascular diseases,including coronary heart disease and structural heart disease.For end-stage HF,medications and cardiac assist devices have limited therapeutic effects,and heart transplantation is associated with donor shortage and immune rejection.Alginate hydrogel has the ability to mechanically support and induce cardiac tissue regeneration and repair.In March 2021,we conducted the world's first transcatheter endocardial alginate-hydrogel implantation in patients with end-stage heart failure,and explored the safety and feasibility of the treatment.Given that patients with heart failure who had undergone cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator(CRT-D)were excluded from previous studies,this paper is the first to report a case of transcatheter endocardial alginate-hydrogel implantation in a patient with heart failure who did not respond to CRT-D,with a significant reduction in the number of visits to the doctor and a significant improvement in the quality of life during the post-procedure follow-up,which may expand the indications for the use of this technology.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation(TAVR).Methods This was a single-center,retrospective study enrolling a total of 30 patients with reduced LVEF undergoing TAVR from January 2020 to January 2024.Of these,12 patients underwent TAVR with ECMO.Baseline clinical characteristics,preprocedural echocardiographic and computed tomographic(CT)measurements,TAVR procedural details,and follow-up data at 60-day and 6-month were collected.Results Among the 30 patients,there were 20 males with an average age of(67.0±10.4)years,an average STS score of(8.2±1.8)points,and an average LVEF of(21.2±5.3)％.This study included 11 AR patients,all of whom were in the group without ECMO implantation,and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P=0.027).During the operation,there were 0 cases of circulatory collapse in the ECMO group,and 5 cases(5/18)of circulatory collapse in the non ECMO group.All 5 patients underwent emergency ECMO placement.There were statistically significant differences(P＜0.05)in the comparison of two groups with circulatory collapse and salvage ECMO implantation.The technical success rate of 30 patients was 76.7％(23/30),and the instrument success rate was 60.0％(18/30).Among them,the technical success rate and instrument success rate of the ECMO group were higher than those of the non ECMO group,but the differences were not statistically significant(both P＞0.05).During a 30 day follow-up,there were 0 all-cause deaths in the ECMO group and 9 all-cause deaths(9/18)in the non ECMO group.Among them,7 cases(7/18)died from cardiovascular causes.The differences in all-cause and cardiovascular cause deaths between the two groups were statistically significant(both P＜0.05).During a 6-month follow-up,one patient with ECMO died due to extensive cerebral infarction.The all-cause mortality rate during the 6-month follow-up was 1/12(8.3％),while the all-cause mortality rate without ECMO was 9/18(5.0％).The difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P=0.024).The incidence of stroke with ECMO was 1/12(8.3％),while without ECMO it was 0.There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups(P=0.978).Conclusions In patients with reduced LVEF undergoing TAVR,periprocedural ECMO support does seem to improve patient outcome.

Objective:To investigate the effects of down-regulation of p21 activated kinase 1(PAK1)on the proliferation,differentiation,and apoptosis of myeloproliferative neoplasm(MPN)cells(6133/MPL)with thrombopoietin receptor MPL mutation at codon 515(MPLW515L)and survival of 6133/MPL mice.Methods:Interference with the protein level of PAK1 in 6133/MPL cells was assessed using lentivirus-mediated shRNA transfection technology.CCK-8 assay was used to detect the effect of down-regulation of PAK1 on the proliferation viability of 6133/MPL cells,and colony-forming ability was measured by cell counting.Flow cytometry was used to detect the PAK1 kinase activity on the ability of polyploid DNA formation and cell apoptosis in 6133/MPL cells.The expression of cyclin D1,cyclin D3 and apoptosis-related protein Bax was detected by Western blot.The infiltration of tumor cells in spleen and bone marrow of 6133/MPL mice were detected by HE staining.Results:Down-regulation of PAK1 inhibited the proliferation and reduced the ability of cell colony formation of 6133/MPL cells.After knocking down PAK1,the content of polyploid DNA in 6133/MPL cells increased from 31.8 to 57.5％and 48.0％,and the proportion of apoptosis increased approximately to 10.8％.Down-regulation of PAK1 led to a reduction of infiltration of tumor cells in liver and bone marrow of 6133/MPL mice,thereby prolonging survival time.Conclusion:Down-regulation of PAK1 can significantly inhibit the growth of 6133/MPL cells,promote the formation of polyploid DNA,induce 6133/MPL cell apoptosis,and prolong the survival time of 6133/MPL mice.

Objective:To investigate the effect of feeder layer cells expressing interleukin(IL)-21 on the amplification of NK cells in vitro.Methods:The K562 cell line with IL-21 expression on its membrane was constructed by electroporation,and co-cultured with NK cells after inactivation.The proliferation of NK cells was observed.The killing function of the amplified NK cells in vitro was evaluated by the lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)and interferon-γ(IFN-y)release assay.A colorectal cancer xenograft model in NOD/SCID mice was established,and a blank control group,a NK cell group and an amplified NK cell group were set up to detect the tumor killing effect of amplified NK cells in vivo.Results:K562 cells expressing IL-21 on the membrane were successfully constructed by electroporation.After co-culturing with K562 cells expressing IL-21 on the membrane for 17 days,the NK cells increased to 700 times,which showed an enhanced amplification ability compared with control group(P＜0.001).In the tumor cell killing experiment in vitro,there was no significant difference in the killing activity on tumor cells between NK cells and amplified NK cells,and there was also no significant difference in mice in vivo.Conclusion:K562 cells expressing IL-21 on the membrane can significantly increase the amplification ability of NK cells in vitro,but do not affect the killing function of NK cells in vitro and in vivo.It can be used for the subsequent large-scale production of NK cells in vitro.