Purpose: This study assessed the performance of the ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter (UGAP) in diagnosing and grading hepatic steatosis in patients with metabolic dysfunctionassociated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) served as the reference standard. Methods: Patients with hepatic steatosis were enrolled in this prospective study and underwent UGAP measurements. MRI-PDFF values of ≥5%, ≥15%, and ≥25% were used as references for the diagnosis of steatosis grades ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3, respectively. Spearman correlation coefficients and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were calculated. Results: Between July 2023 and June 2024, the study included 88 patients (median age, 40 years; interquartile range [IQR], 36 to 46 years), of whom 54.5% (48/88) were men and 45.5% (40/88) were women. Steatosis grades exhibited the following distribution: 22.7% (20/88) had S0, 50.0% (44/88) had S1, 21.6% (19/88) had S2, and 5.7% (5/88) had S3. The success rate for UGAP measurements was 100%. The median UGAP value was 0.74 dB/cm/MHz (IQR, 0.65 to 0.82 dB/ cm/MHz), and UGAP values were positively correlated with MRI-PDFF (r=0.77, P<0.001). The AUCs of UGAP for the diagnoses of ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3 steatosis were 0.91, 0.90, and 0.88, respectively. In the subgroup analysis, 98.4% (60/61) of patients had valid controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) values. UGAP measurements were positively correlated with CAP values (r=0.65, P<0.001). Conclusion Using MRI-PDFF as the reference standard, UGAP demonstrates good diagnostic performance in the detection and grading of hepatic steatosis in patients with MASLD.

Purpose: This study assessed the performance of the ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter (UGAP) in diagnosing and grading hepatic steatosis in patients with metabolic dysfunctionassociated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) served as the reference standard. Methods: Patients with hepatic steatosis were enrolled in this prospective study and underwent UGAP measurements. MRI-PDFF values of ≥5%, ≥15%, and ≥25% were used as references for the diagnosis of steatosis grades ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3, respectively. Spearman correlation coefficients and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were calculated. Results: Between July 2023 and June 2024, the study included 88 patients (median age, 40 years; interquartile range [IQR], 36 to 46 years), of whom 54.5% (48/88) were men and 45.5% (40/88) were women. Steatosis grades exhibited the following distribution: 22.7% (20/88) had S0, 50.0% (44/88) had S1, 21.6% (19/88) had S2, and 5.7% (5/88) had S3. The success rate for UGAP measurements was 100%. The median UGAP value was 0.74 dB/cm/MHz (IQR, 0.65 to 0.82 dB/ cm/MHz), and UGAP values were positively correlated with MRI-PDFF (r=0.77, P<0.001). The AUCs of UGAP for the diagnoses of ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3 steatosis were 0.91, 0.90, and 0.88, respectively. In the subgroup analysis, 98.4% (60/61) of patients had valid controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) values. UGAP measurements were positively correlated with CAP values (r=0.65, P<0.001). Conclusion Using MRI-PDFF as the reference standard, UGAP demonstrates good diagnostic performance in the detection and grading of hepatic steatosis in patients with MASLD.

Purpose: This study assessed the performance of the ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter (UGAP) in diagnosing and grading hepatic steatosis in patients with metabolic dysfunctionassociated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) served as the reference standard. Methods: Patients with hepatic steatosis were enrolled in this prospective study and underwent UGAP measurements. MRI-PDFF values of ≥5%, ≥15%, and ≥25% were used as references for the diagnosis of steatosis grades ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3, respectively. Spearman correlation coefficients and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were calculated. Results: Between July 2023 and June 2024, the study included 88 patients (median age, 40 years; interquartile range [IQR], 36 to 46 years), of whom 54.5% (48/88) were men and 45.5% (40/88) were women. Steatosis grades exhibited the following distribution: 22.7% (20/88) had S0, 50.0% (44/88) had S1, 21.6% (19/88) had S2, and 5.7% (5/88) had S3. The success rate for UGAP measurements was 100%. The median UGAP value was 0.74 dB/cm/MHz (IQR, 0.65 to 0.82 dB/ cm/MHz), and UGAP values were positively correlated with MRI-PDFF (r=0.77, P<0.001). The AUCs of UGAP for the diagnoses of ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3 steatosis were 0.91, 0.90, and 0.88, respectively. In the subgroup analysis, 98.4% (60/61) of patients had valid controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) values. UGAP measurements were positively correlated with CAP values (r=0.65, P<0.001). Conclusion Using MRI-PDFF as the reference standard, UGAP demonstrates good diagnostic performance in the detection and grading of hepatic steatosis in patients with MASLD.

Purpose: This study assessed the performance of the ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter (UGAP) in diagnosing and grading hepatic steatosis in patients with metabolic dysfunctionassociated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) served as the reference standard. Methods: Patients with hepatic steatosis were enrolled in this prospective study and underwent UGAP measurements. MRI-PDFF values of ≥5%, ≥15%, and ≥25% were used as references for the diagnosis of steatosis grades ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3, respectively. Spearman correlation coefficients and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were calculated. Results: Between July 2023 and June 2024, the study included 88 patients (median age, 40 years; interquartile range [IQR], 36 to 46 years), of whom 54.5% (48/88) were men and 45.5% (40/88) were women. Steatosis grades exhibited the following distribution: 22.7% (20/88) had S0, 50.0% (44/88) had S1, 21.6% (19/88) had S2, and 5.7% (5/88) had S3. The success rate for UGAP measurements was 100%. The median UGAP value was 0.74 dB/cm/MHz (IQR, 0.65 to 0.82 dB/ cm/MHz), and UGAP values were positively correlated with MRI-PDFF (r=0.77, P<0.001). The AUCs of UGAP for the diagnoses of ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3 steatosis were 0.91, 0.90, and 0.88, respectively. In the subgroup analysis, 98.4% (60/61) of patients had valid controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) values. UGAP measurements were positively correlated with CAP values (r=0.65, P<0.001). Conclusion Using MRI-PDFF as the reference standard, UGAP demonstrates good diagnostic performance in the detection and grading of hepatic steatosis in patients with MASLD.

Purpose: This study assessed the performance of the ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter (UGAP) in diagnosing and grading hepatic steatosis in patients with metabolic dysfunctionassociated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) served as the reference standard. Methods: Patients with hepatic steatosis were enrolled in this prospective study and underwent UGAP measurements. MRI-PDFF values of ≥5%, ≥15%, and ≥25% were used as references for the diagnosis of steatosis grades ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3, respectively. Spearman correlation coefficients and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were calculated. Results: Between July 2023 and June 2024, the study included 88 patients (median age, 40 years; interquartile range [IQR], 36 to 46 years), of whom 54.5% (48/88) were men and 45.5% (40/88) were women. Steatosis grades exhibited the following distribution: 22.7% (20/88) had S0, 50.0% (44/88) had S1, 21.6% (19/88) had S2, and 5.7% (5/88) had S3. The success rate for UGAP measurements was 100%. The median UGAP value was 0.74 dB/cm/MHz (IQR, 0.65 to 0.82 dB/ cm/MHz), and UGAP values were positively correlated with MRI-PDFF (r=0.77, P<0.001). The AUCs of UGAP for the diagnoses of ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3 steatosis were 0.91, 0.90, and 0.88, respectively. In the subgroup analysis, 98.4% (60/61) of patients had valid controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) values. UGAP measurements were positively correlated with CAP values (r=0.65, P<0.001). Conclusion Using MRI-PDFF as the reference standard, UGAP demonstrates good diagnostic performance in the detection and grading of hepatic steatosis in patients with MASLD.

This paper aimed to use non-targeted urine metabolomics to reveal the potential biomarkers of toxicity in rats with hepatic injury induced by aqueous extracts of Dictamni Cortex(ADC). Forty-eight SD rats were randomly assigned to a blank group and high-dose, medium-dose, and low-dose ADC groups, with 12 rats in each group(half male and half female), and they were administered orally for four weeks. The hepatic injury in SD rats was assessed by body weight, liver weight/index, biochemical index, L-glutathione(GSH), malondialdehyde(MDA), and pathological alterations. The qPCR was utilized to determine the expression of metabolic enzymes in the liver and inflammatory factors. Differential metabolites were screened using principal component analysis(PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA), followed by a metabolic pathway analysis. The Mantel test was performed to assess differential metabolites and abnormally expressed biochemical indexes, obtaining potential biomarkers. The high-dose ADC group showed a decrease in body weight and an increase in liver weight and index, resulting in hepatic inflammatory cell infiltration and hepatic steatosis. In addition, this group showed elevated levels of MDA, cytochrome P450(CYP) 3A1, interleukin-1β(IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), as well as lower levels of alanine transaminase(ALT) and GSH. A total of 76 differential metabolites were screened from the blank and high-dose ADC groups, which were mainly involved in the pentose phosphate pathway, tryptophan metabolism, purine metabolism, pentose and glucuronic acid interconversion, galactose metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and other pathways. The Mantel test identified biomarkers of hepatotoxicity induced by ADC in SD rats, including glycineamideribotide, dIDP, and galactosylglycerol. In summary, ADC induced hepatotoxicity by disrupting glucose metabolism, ferroptosis, purine metabolism, and other pathways in rats, and glycineamideribotide, dIDP, and galactosylglycerol could be employed as the biomarkers of its toxicity.
Animals ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Metabolomics ; Biomarkers/metabolism* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Female ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/metabolism* ; Glutathione/metabolism* ; Humans

To investigate the role of chamagogic polysaccharides (polysaccharides of Brassica rapa L., BRPs) against doxorubicin (DOX) cardiotoxicity and related mechanisms, H9c2 cells were selected for the study, and the effects of BRPs on DOX induced damage in H9c2 cells were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8); H9c2 cells were divided into the control group, the model group, and the drug group (0.5-3 mg·mL^-1); the control group was cultured under normal conditions, and the remaining groups were induced for 24 h by 1 μmol·L^-1 DOX after treatment. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry; the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured in each group; intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were detected. Western blot was used to detect the expression of proteins related to the apoptosis and transcription factor NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathway. Compared with the control group, DOX-induced H9c2 cell injury was characterized by decreased cell viability, increased apoptosis, elevated LDH and MDA levels, decreased SOD activity, significantly increased ROS levels, and significantly decreased MMP; the level of B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein decreased, and the level of Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax) increased significantly; In the model group, the expression levels of Nrf-2, HO-1, quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) were reduced, and the expression levels of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) and phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase were significantly increased, Moreover, BRPs (0.5-3 mg·mL^-1) increased the protein expression levels of Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1, and decreased the levels of Keap1 and phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. In summary, the ability of BRPs to protect H9c2 cells and inhibit apoptosis may be related to their regulation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway to antagonize oxidative stress.

Objective:The effect of bone marrow soluble B cell maturation antigen (sBCMA) expression on the efficacy and side effects of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) -modified T-cell-targeting B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) .Methods:This study involved 29 patients with relapsed or refractory MM (RRMM) who received humanized anti-BCMA CAR-T cell clinical trials from January 2018 to December 2021. The expression of sBCMA in bone marrow before and after anti-BCMA CAR-T cell treatment was detected by flow cytometry and compared.Results:①Two months after BCMA CAR-T cell treatment, 20 patients (68.97%) achieved an overall response (OR), whereas nine patients had stable disease (SD) or miner emission (MR). ②The expression of sBCMA in the bone marrow of 20 patients with OR was higher before treatment than after [26 926 (18 215, 32 488) ng/L vs 9 968 (6 634, 11 459) ng/L; P<0.001]; no significant difference was observed in patients with MR and SD [41 187 (33 816, 47 046) ng/L vs. 33 954 (31 569, 36 256) ng/L; P=0.145]; sBCMA expression in patients with OR before CAR-T cell treatment was lower than in patients with MR and SD ( P=0.005). ③No significant linear correlation was found between the peak value of CAR-T cells and sBCMA expression in the bone marrow of all 29 patients with RRMM ( R2=0.035, P=0.330). ④No significant difference in sBCMA expression was found between grades 0-1 CRS group (13 patients) and grades 2-4 CRS group [16 patients; 32 045 (18 742, 40 801) ng/L vs 29 102 (24 679, 38 776) ng/L, P=0.879], nor between grade 0 ICANS group (22 patients) and grade 1-3 ICANS group [seven patients; 30 073 (19 375, 40 065) ng/L vs 33 816 (22 933, 43 459) ng/L, P=0.763]. Conclusion:sBCMA expression in the bone marrow is related to the efficacy of BCMA CAR-T cell therapy in patients with RRMM, but is not significantly correlated with the severity of adverse events. It may serve as a predictive biomarker for the efficacy of BCMA CAR-T cell therapy in these patients.

In infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia(sBPD),severe pulmonary lobar emphysema may occur as a complication,contributing to significant impairment in ventilation.Clinical management of these infants is extremely challenging and some may require lobectomy to improve ventilation.However,prior to the lobectomy,it is very difficult to assess whether the remaining lung parenchyma would be able to sustain adequate ventilation postoperatively.In addition,preoperative planning and perioperative management are also quite challenging in these patients.This paper reports the utility of selective bronchial occlusion in assessing the safety and efficacy of lobectomy in a case of sBPD complicated by severe right upper lobar emphysema.Since infants with sBPD already have poor lung development and significant lung injury,lobectomy should be viewed as a non-traditional therapy and be carried out with extreme caution.Selective bronchial occlusion test can be an effective tool in assessing the risks and benefits of lobectomy in cases with sBPD and lobar emphysema.However,given the technical difficulty,successful application of this technique requires close collaboration of an experienced interdisciplinary team.

The aim of this study was to clarify the genetic diversity and population history of Ixodes persulcatus in some ar-eas of Inner Mongolia in order to provide accurate data for effective vector control programs and reveal the transmission mecha-nism.Samples were collected in 10 areas of Inner Mongolia during the active tick season(April 2021-July 2023)using the flag-dragging and manual sampling methods.The 16S rRNA and COI gene were sequenced to clarify genetic diversity of I.per-sulcatus.The positivity rates for the COI gene and 16S rRNA were 90.00％and 98.33％respectively.Overall,18 and 15 haplotypes were identified for the COI gene and 16S rRNA,respectively,with a total haplotype diversity＞0.762 and total nucleotide diversity＜0.005.The Tajima's values and Fu's Fs were negative for significance.A nucleotide mismatch map was shown as a single peak.The genetic differentiation index FST of the population indicates a small degree of genetic differ-entiation of the population,while analysis of molecular vari-ance indicates that the variation within populations was greater than between populations.Phylogenetic tree and haplotype network plots showed confounding distributions between hap-lotypes.I.persulcatus from the Hinggan League and Hulun-buir regions can adapt to environmental changes and possess abundant genetic diversity.Genetic differentiation is mainly concentrated within the population and no geographical isolation was observed.