Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of tirofiban in the treatment of branch atheromatous disease(BAD)in elderly patients.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 215 elderly BAD patients admitted to our department from June 2021 to June 2023.According to their treatment,they were divided into tirofiban group 1(55 cases)and control group 1(160 ca-ses).Using propensity score matching in a ratio of 1∶1 algorithm for adjustment,the differences in baseline features between the two groups were eliminated,and there were finally 53 cases in the tirofiban group 2 and 53 cases in the control group 2 after matching.The NIHSS scores before treatment and at 24 h and 7 d after treatment were collected.All of them were followed up for 90 d,and modified Rankin scale(mRS)was applied to evaluate the prognosis.Results The tirofiban group 1 had significantly lower NIHSS score at 24 h and 7 d after treatment and shorter length of hospital stay than the control group 1(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),so were in the tirofiban group 2 than the control group[3(1,4)vs 3(2,6),1(0,3)vs 1(1,4),8(6,10)d vs 9(8,11)d,P＜0.05].The proportion of mRS score ≤1 was obviously larger in the tirofiban group 1 than the control group 1(P＜0.01).The tirofiban group 2 obtained notably larger proportions of mRS score≤1 and≤2(71.7％vs 43.4％,P=0.003;79.2％vs 60.4％,P=0.034),and smaller proportion of mRS≥4(5.7％vs 20.8％,P=0.045)when compared with the control group 2.Logistic regression analysis indicated that in the patients without diabetes and those non-smoking,tirofiban was associated with increased good outcomes(OR=0.266,95％CI:0.090-0.788,P=0.017;OR=0.341,95％CI:0.107-0.931,P=0.046).Conclusion Tirofiban may effectively improve the clinical outcomes in the elderly BAD patients.But further randomized controlled trials are needed for verification.

Objective To investigate the effects of different timing of initiation of rivaroxaban anti-coagulation therapy on the efficacy and bleeding risk of atrial fibrillation patients after stroke.Methods A total of 336 patients with atrial fibrillation and stroke admitted in our hospital be-tween January 2021 and December 2023 were consecutively enrolled,and randomly divided into an experimental group(165 cases)and a control group(171 cases).The experimental group received rivaroxaban treatment within 48 h of symptom onset,whereas the control group initiated oral ri-varoxaban treatment on the 3rd,6th,and 12th day post-stroke onset,respectively,depending on stroke severity(mild,moderate,and severe).Their baseline clinical data were collected,and all of them were followed up till 90 d after stroke.The incidences of recurrent ischemic stroke,symp-tomatic intracranial hemorrhage and extracranial hemorrhage,mortality,and proportion of pa-tients with mRS score≤ 2 and distribution of the score were observed and analyzed in the two groups.Results During a 90-day follow-up period,the patients with moderate stroke from the ex-perimental group of patients exhibited a significantly lower rate of recurrent ischemic stroke than those in the control group(5.4％vs 15.9％,P=0.037).However,for patients with mild and se-vere stroke,no obvious difference was observed in the primary endpoint of recurrent ischemic stroke between the experimental and control groups(3.0％vs 3.2％,12.5％vs 14.8％,P＞0.05).Though no statistical differences were observed,lower rates of symptomatic intracranial hemor-rhage(1.5％vs 3.2％,5.4％vs 9.8％),reduced incidence of extracranial hemorrhage(9.0％vs 14.5％,12.2％vs 15.9％),and lower mRS score[1(0,2)vs 1(1,2),3(1,4)vs 3(2,4)]were seen in the patients with mild and moderate stroke from the experimental group when compared with the control group(P＞0.05).Similarly,there were no statistically differences for the severe stroke patients between the experimental and control groups(P＞0.05)in the incidence of extracranial hemorrhage(20.8％vs 22.2％),rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage(20.8％vs 7.4％),mortality(8.3％vs 3.7％),and mRS score[4(3,4)vs 3(3,4)].Two patients from the experimen-tal group died,with one case due to secondary pulmonary infection and the other due to brainstem hemorrhage.In the control group,only one death occurred due to brainstem hemorrhage.Conclu-sion For atrial fibrillation patients,anticoagulation with rivaroxaban within 48 h after stroke has no significant increase in the risk of bleeding,reduces the proportion of recurrent ischemic stroke in patients with moderate stroke,and may improve the prognosis of patients.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of intravenous thrombolysis with tenecteplase in the treatment of CWS.Methods A prospective study was conducted on 136 CWS patients consecutively admitted in Department of Neurology of Zhengzhou People's Hospital from March 2019 to March 2024.They were randomly divided into a tenecteplase group(67 cases)and a control group(69 cases).NIHSS was used to evaluate the recovery of neurological function after treatment.mRS was employed to assess long-term prognosis.Results Significantly larger proportion of white matter lesions and higher baseline SBP level were observed in the tenecteplase group than the control group(P＜0.05).The tenecteplase group obtained obviously greater ratio of overall recovery than the control group,with notably lower NIHSS score,incidence of new CWS attacks and proportion of new acute cerebral infarction at 24 and 72 h and 7 d after treat-ment(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Moreover,the proportion of mRS score of 0-2 was notably greater,while that of the score of 3-6 was lower in the tenecteplase group than the Control group(P＜0.05).Intravenous thrombolysis with tenecteplase was an influencing factors for 90-day mRS score of 0-2 and of 3-6 in the CWS patients(OR=0.264,95％CI:0.089-0.813;OR=4.144,95％CI:1.184-14.506,P＜0.05).Conclusion Intravenous thrombolysis with tenecteplase for CWS significantly improves the proportion of patients with good prognosis.

Arenavirus infection in humans can lead to viral hemorrhagic fever,which is often fatal and poses a sig-nificant threat to public health.Currently,no effective therapeutic drugs or licensed vaccines are available for arenavirus infections,underscoring the urgency to strengthen the basic research on these viruses and develop novel antiviral therapies.This article summarizes the advancements of research on the structure,life cycle,pathogen-ic mechanisms,epidemiology,detection methods and newly discovered mammalian arenaviruses.Focusing on Las-sa virus,multiple candidate strategies for treatment of arenaviruses are explored,with expectations to provide ref-erences for the development of novel anti-arenaviral drugs.

Objective To investigate the effects of different timing of initiation of rivaroxaban anti-coagulation therapy on the efficacy and bleeding risk of atrial fibrillation patients after stroke.Methods A total of 336 patients with atrial fibrillation and stroke admitted in our hospital be-tween January 2021 and December 2023 were consecutively enrolled,and randomly divided into an experimental group(165 cases)and a control group(171 cases).The experimental group received rivaroxaban treatment within 48 h of symptom onset,whereas the control group initiated oral ri-varoxaban treatment on the 3rd,6th,and 12th day post-stroke onset,respectively,depending on stroke severity(mild,moderate,and severe).Their baseline clinical data were collected,and all of them were followed up till 90 d after stroke.The incidences of recurrent ischemic stroke,symp-tomatic intracranial hemorrhage and extracranial hemorrhage,mortality,and proportion of pa-tients with mRS score≤ 2 and distribution of the score were observed and analyzed in the two groups.Results During a 90-day follow-up period,the patients with moderate stroke from the ex-perimental group of patients exhibited a significantly lower rate of recurrent ischemic stroke than those in the control group(5.4％vs 15.9％,P=0.037).However,for patients with mild and se-vere stroke,no obvious difference was observed in the primary endpoint of recurrent ischemic stroke between the experimental and control groups(3.0％vs 3.2％,12.5％vs 14.8％,P＞0.05).Though no statistical differences were observed,lower rates of symptomatic intracranial hemor-rhage(1.5％vs 3.2％,5.4％vs 9.8％),reduced incidence of extracranial hemorrhage(9.0％vs 14.5％,12.2％vs 15.9％),and lower mRS score[1(0,2)vs 1(1,2),3(1,4)vs 3(2,4)]were seen in the patients with mild and moderate stroke from the experimental group when compared with the control group(P＞0.05).Similarly,there were no statistically differences for the severe stroke patients between the experimental and control groups(P＞0.05)in the incidence of extracranial hemorrhage(20.8％vs 22.2％),rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage(20.8％vs 7.4％),mortality(8.3％vs 3.7％),and mRS score[4(3,4)vs 3(3,4)].Two patients from the experimen-tal group died,with one case due to secondary pulmonary infection and the other due to brainstem hemorrhage.In the control group,only one death occurred due to brainstem hemorrhage.Conclu-sion For atrial fibrillation patients,anticoagulation with rivaroxaban within 48 h after stroke has no significant increase in the risk of bleeding,reduces the proportion of recurrent ischemic stroke in patients with moderate stroke,and may improve the prognosis of patients.

Arenavirus infection in humans can lead to viral hemorrhagic fever,which is often fatal and poses a sig-nificant threat to public health.Currently,no effective therapeutic drugs or licensed vaccines are available for arenavirus infections,underscoring the urgency to strengthen the basic research on these viruses and develop novel antiviral therapies.This article summarizes the advancements of research on the structure,life cycle,pathogen-ic mechanisms,epidemiology,detection methods and newly discovered mammalian arenaviruses.Focusing on Las-sa virus,multiple candidate strategies for treatment of arenaviruses are explored,with expectations to provide ref-erences for the development of novel anti-arenaviral drugs.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI) and the risk of nephrolithiasis. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 78 438 Chinese adults who underwent ultrasound examinations during health screening at the Health Examination Center of Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University. Participants were divided into quartiles (Q1-Q4 groups) based on CVAI. Multivariate logistic regression models were utilized to evaluate the association between CVAI and nephrolithiasis risk, followed by subgroup analyses to further explore potential relationships. The performance of CVAI in predicting the risk of nephrolithiasis was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Increased CVAI was significantly associated with a higher risk of nephrolithiasis, with prevalence rising from 3.36% in the Q1 group to 10.67% in the Q4 group (P<0.01). In adjusted models, CVAI was positively correlated with the prevalence rate of nephrolithiasis (OR=1.002, 95%CI: 1.001-1.004, P<0.01). The risks of nephrolithiasis in the Q2, Q3, and Q4 groups were 1.196-fold (95%CI: 1.069-1.338, P<0.01), 1.260-fold (95%CI: 1.109-1.433, P<0.01), and 1.316-fold (95%CI: 1.125-1.539, P<0.01) higher than in the Q1 group, respectively. Subgroup analysis revealed that CVAI was positively associated with the risk of nephrolithiasis in male participants, individuals aged <60 years, the hypertension group, populations with or without diabetes mellitus, and the normal body mass index subgroup. Genders and age had an interaction effect on the correlation between CVAI and the risk of nephrolithiasis development (both P<0.05). The ROC curve analysis demonstrated that CVAI exhibited superior predictive efficacy compared to waist circumference, body mass index, visceral adiposity index, weight-adjusted waist index, cardiometabolic index and body shape index, with an area under the curve of 0.622. CONCLUSIONS In Chinese adults, CVAI is positively associated with the risk of nephrolithiasis development, which may serve as a potential predictive marker for nephrolithiasis.
Humans ; Nephrolithiasis/etiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology* ; Adiposity ; Aged ; Logistic Models ; Obesity, Abdominal/epidemiology* ; East Asian People

Myocardial fibrosis is a serious cause of heart failure and even sudden cardiac death. However, the mechanisms underlying myocardial ischemia-induced cardiac fibrosis remain unclear. Here, we identified that the expression of sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (SARM1), was increased significantly in the ischemic cardiomyopathy patients, dilated cardiomyopathy patients (GSE116250) and fibrotic heart tissues of mice. Additionally, inhibition or knockdown of SARM1 can improve myocardial fibrosis and cardiac function of myocardial infarction (MI) mice. Moreover, SARM1 fibroblasts-specific knock-in mice had increased deposition of extracellular matrix and impaired cardiac function. Mechanically, elevated expression of SARM1 promotes the deposition of extracellular matrix by directly modulating P4HA1. Notably, by using the Click-iT reaction, we identified that the increased expression of ZDHHC17 promotes the palmitoylation levels of SARM1, thereby accelerating the fibrosis process. Based on the fibrosis-promoting effect of SARM1, we screened several drugs with anti-myocardial fibrosis activity. In conclusion, we have unveiled that palmitoylated SARM1 targeting P4HA1 promotes collagen deposition and myocardial fibrosis. Inhibition of SARM1 is a potential strategy for the treatment of myocardial fibrosis. The sites where SARM1 interacts with P4HA1 and the palmitoylation modification sites of SARM1 may be the active targets for anti-fibrosis drugs.

Deactivation of the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is important for the metabolic switching of cancer cell from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis. Studies examining PDC activity regulation have mainly focused on the phosphorylation of pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1), leaving other post-translational modifications largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that the acetylation of Lys 488 of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex component X (PDHX) commonly occurs in hepatocellular carcinoma, disrupting PDC assembly and contributing to lactate-driven epigenetic control of gene expression. PDHX, an E3-binding protein in the PDC, is acetylated by the p300 at Lys 488, impeding the interaction between PDHX and dihydrolipoyl transacetylase (E2), thereby disrupting PDC assembly to inhibit its activation. PDC disruption results in the conversion of most glucose to lactate, contributing to the aerobic glycolysis and H3K56 lactylation-mediated gene expression, facilitating tumor progression. These findings highlight a previously unrecognized role of PDHX acetylation in regulating PDC assembly and activity, linking PDHX Lys 488 acetylation and histone lactylation during hepatocellular carcinoma progression and providing a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for further development.
Humans ; Acetylation ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics* ; Liver Neoplasms/genetics* ; Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Animals ; Mice ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Protein Processing, Post-Translational ; Histones/metabolism* ; Disease Progression

Gene synthesis is an enabling technology that supports the development of synthetic biology. The existing approaches for de novo gene synthesis generally have tedious operation, low efficiency, high error rates, and limited product lengths, being difficult to support the huge demand of synthetic biology. The assembly and error correction are the keys in gene synthesis. This study first designed the oligonucleotide sequences by reasonably splitting the virus genome of approximately 10 kb by balancing the parameters of sequence design software ability, PCR amplification ability, and assembly enzyme assembly ability. Then, two-step PCR was performed with high-fidelity polymerase to complete the de novo synthesis of 3.0 kb DNA fragments, and error correction reactions were performed with T7 endonuclease Ⅰ for the products from different stages of PCR. Finally, the virus genome was assembled by 3.0 kb DNA fragments from de novo synthesis and error correction and then sequenced. The experimental results showed that the proposed method successfully produced the DNA fragment of about 10 kb and reduced the probability of large fragment mutations during the assembly process, with the lowest error rate reaching 0.36 errors/kb. In summary, this study developed an efficient de novo method for synthesizing a viral genome of about 10 kb with T7 endonuclease Ⅰ-mediated error correction. This method enabled the synthesis of a 10 kb viral genome in one day and the correct plasmid of the viral genome in five days. This study optimized the de novo gene synthesis process, reduced the error rate, simplified the synthesis and assembly steps, and reduced the cost of viral genome assembly.
Genome, Viral/genetics* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; DNA, Viral/genetics* ; Bacteriophage T7/enzymology* ; Synthetic Biology/methods*