ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the effects of Linggui Zhugantang （LGZGT） on ventricular remodeling （VR） in mice with myocardial infarction （MI） and its impact on the Ras homologgene A （RhoA）/Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase （ROCK） signaling pathway. MethodsThe MI model of mice was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery （LAD）. They were divided into the sham-operated group， the model group， the low-dose， medium-dose， and high-dose groups of LGZGT （2.34， 4.68， 9.36 g·kg^-1）， and the captopril group （3.25 mg·kg^-1）， with 10 mice in each group. After four weeks of continuous drug administration by gavage， the level of cardiac function in each group of mice was examined using small animal Doppler ultrasound. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Masson staining was used to assess the morphological changes of myocardial tissue and calculate the rate of collagen fiber deposition in mouse myocardial tissue. Wheat germ agglutinin （WGA） staining was employed to compare the cross-sectional area of cardiomyocytes in each group of mice. The expression levels of α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， matrix metalloproteinase-2 （MMP-2）， type Ⅰcollagen （Col Ⅰ）， Col Ⅲ， tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1（TIMP1）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）-associated X protein （Bax）， Bcl-2， Caspase-3， and cleaved Caspase-3 were detected by Western blot. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to evaluate the mRNA levels of the pathway-related genes RhoA， ROCK1， and ROCK2. The protein expression levels of RhoA， ROCK1， and ROCK2 were tested by Western blot. ResultsThe level of cardiac function was markedly declined in the model group compared to the sham-operated group（P<0.01）. Myocardial tissue morphology changed significantly. The cross-sectional area of cardiomyocytes was significantly enlarged. The expression of α-SMA， MMP-2， Col Ⅰ， and Col Ⅲ was significantly upregulated（P<0.01）， and TIMP1 protein expression was significantly reduced（P<0.01）. The expressions of apoptosis-related proteins Bax were significantly up-regulated（P<0.01）， while the expression of Bcl-2 protein was significantly decreased（P<0.01）. The mRNA expression of RhoA， ROCK1， and ROCK2 were significantly upregulated （P<0.01）. Compared to the model group， the low-dose， medium-dose， and high-dose groups of LGZGT and the captopril group significantly reversed the experimental results of the model group in a dose-dependent manner （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionLGZGT significantly attenuated myocardial fibrosis， myocardial hypertrophy， and cardiomyocyte apoptosis after MI in mice and effectively reversed VR， the mechanism of which may be related to the modulation of the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway.

ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the effects of Linggui Zhugantang （LGZGT） on ventricular remodeling （VR） in mice with myocardial infarction （MI） and its impact on the Ras homologgene A （RhoA）/Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase （ROCK） signaling pathway. MethodsThe MI model of mice was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery （LAD）. They were divided into the sham-operated group， the model group， the low-dose， medium-dose， and high-dose groups of LGZGT （2.34， 4.68， 9.36 g·kg^-1）， and the captopril group （3.25 mg·kg^-1）， with 10 mice in each group. After four weeks of continuous drug administration by gavage， the level of cardiac function in each group of mice was examined using small animal Doppler ultrasound. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Masson staining was used to assess the morphological changes of myocardial tissue and calculate the rate of collagen fiber deposition in mouse myocardial tissue. Wheat germ agglutinin （WGA） staining was employed to compare the cross-sectional area of cardiomyocytes in each group of mice. The expression levels of α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， matrix metalloproteinase-2 （MMP-2）， type Ⅰcollagen （Col Ⅰ）， Col Ⅲ， tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1（TIMP1）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）-associated X protein （Bax）， Bcl-2， Caspase-3， and cleaved Caspase-3 were detected by Western blot. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to evaluate the mRNA levels of the pathway-related genes RhoA， ROCK1， and ROCK2. The protein expression levels of RhoA， ROCK1， and ROCK2 were tested by Western blot. ResultsThe level of cardiac function was markedly declined in the model group compared to the sham-operated group（P<0.01）. Myocardial tissue morphology changed significantly. The cross-sectional area of cardiomyocytes was significantly enlarged. The expression of α-SMA， MMP-2， Col Ⅰ， and Col Ⅲ was significantly upregulated（P<0.01）， and TIMP1 protein expression was significantly reduced（P<0.01）. The expressions of apoptosis-related proteins Bax were significantly up-regulated（P<0.01）， while the expression of Bcl-2 protein was significantly decreased（P<0.01）. The mRNA expression of RhoA， ROCK1， and ROCK2 were significantly upregulated （P<0.01）. Compared to the model group， the low-dose， medium-dose， and high-dose groups of LGZGT and the captopril group significantly reversed the experimental results of the model group in a dose-dependent manner （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionLGZGT significantly attenuated myocardial fibrosis， myocardial hypertrophy， and cardiomyocyte apoptosis after MI in mice and effectively reversed VR， the mechanism of which may be related to the modulation of the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway.

Emerging evidences have indicated the role of ferroptosis in the progression of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD); thus, inhibiting ferroptosis is a promising strategy for the development of MAFLD therapeutics. Recent studies have demonstrated the antioxidative effect of the gut commensal bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muc); however, whether it can alleviate ferroptosis remains unclear. The current study indicates A. muc intervention efficiently reversed high-fat high-fructose diet (HFHFD)-induced lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis in the liver. These beneficial effects were mediated by activation of the hepatic AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α axis, as evidenced by the finding that AMPK deficiency abrogated the amelioration of lipid peroxidation in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were enriched upon A. muc treatment, and acetate was identified as a key activator of hepatic AMPK signalling. Mechanistically, microbiota-derived acetate was transported to the liver and metabolized to adenosine monophosphate (AMP), which triggered AMPK activation. Furthermore, a colonization assay in germ-free mice confirmed that A. muc mediated antiferroptotic effects in the absence of other microbes. These data indicated that A. muc exerts antiferroptotic effects against MAFLD, at least partially by producing acetate, which activates the hepatic AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α axis to alleviate ferroptosis via the inhibition of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) synthesis.

Objective:To construct and validate the best predictive model for 28-day death risk in patients with septic shock based on different supervised machine learning algorithms.Methods:The patients with septic shock meeting the Sepsis-3 criteria were selected from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-Ⅳ v2.0 (MIMIC-Ⅳ v2.0). According to the principle of random allocation, 70% of these patients were used as the training set, and 30% as the validation set. Relevant predictive variables were extracted from three aspects: demographic characteristics and basic vital signs, serum indicators within 24 hours of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and complications possibly affecting indicators, functional scoring and advanced life support. The predictive efficacy of models constructed using five mainstream machine learning algorithms including decision tree classification and regression tree (CART), random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), linear regression (LR), and super learner [SL; combined CART, RF and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost)] for 28-day death in patients with septic shock was compared, and the best algorithm model was selected. The optimal predictive variables were determined by intersecting the results from LASSO regression, RF, and XGBoost algorithms, and a predictive model was constructed. The predictive efficacy of the model was validated by drawing receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve), the accuracy of the model was assessed using calibration curves, and the practicality of the model was verified through decision curve analysis (DCA).Results:A total of 3?295 patients with septic shock were included, with 2?164 surviving and 1?131 dying within 28 days, resulting in a mortality of 34.32%. Of these, 2?307 were in the training set (with 792 deaths within 28 days, a mortality of 34.33%), and 988 in the validation set (with 339 deaths within 28 days, a mortality of 34.31%). Five machine learning models were established based on the training set data. After including variables at three aspects, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of RF, SVM, and LR machine learning algorithm models for predicting 28-day death in septic shock patients in the validation set was 0.823 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 0.795-0.849], 0.823 (95% CI was 0.796-0.849), and 0.810 (95% CI was 0.782-0.838), respectively, which were higher than that of the CART algorithm model (AUC = 0.750, 95% CI was 0.717-0.782) and SL algorithm model (AUC = 0.756, 95% CI was 0.724-0.789). Thus above three algorithm models were determined to be the best algorithm models. After integrating variables from three aspects, 16 optimal predictive variables were identified through intersection by LASSO regression, RF, and XGBoost algorithms, including the highest pH value, the highest albumin (Alb), the highest body temperature, the lowest lactic acid (Lac), the highest Lac, the highest serum creatinine (SCr), the highest Ca 2+, the lowest hemoglobin (Hb), the lowest white blood cell count (WBC), age, simplified acute physiology score Ⅲ (SAPSⅢ), the highest WBC, acute physiology score Ⅲ (APSⅢ), the lowest Na +, body mass index (BMI), and the shortest activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) within 24 hours of ICU admission. ROC curve analysis showed that the Logistic regression model constructed with above 16 optimal predictive variables was the best predictive model, with an AUC of 0.806 (95% CI was 0.778-0.835) in the validation set. The calibration curve and DCA curve showed that this model had high accuracy and the highest net benefit could reach 0.3, which was significantly outperforming traditional models based on single functional score [APSⅢ score, SAPSⅢ score, and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score] with AUC (95% CI) of 0.746 (0.715-0.778), 0.765 (0.734-0.796), and 0.625 (0.589-0.661), respectively. Conclusions:The Logistic regression model, constructed using 16 optimal predictive variables including pH value, Alb, body temperature, Lac, SCr, Ca 2+, Hb, WBC, SAPSⅢ score, APSⅢ score, Na +, BMI, and APTT, is identified as the best predictive model for the 28-day death risk in patients with septic shock. Its performance is stable, with high discriminative ability and accuracy.

Background: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), caused by the PPR virus (PPRV), is an acute and fatal contagious disease that mainly infects goats, sheep, and other artiodactyls.Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are considered the primary innate immune cells. Objectives: PBMCs derived from goats were infected with PPRV and analyzed to detect the relationship between PPRV replication and apoptosis or the inflammatory response. Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to identify PPRV replication and cytokines expression. Flow cytometry was conducted to detect apoptosis and the differentiation of CD4+ and CD8+T cells after PPRV infection. Results: PPRV stimulated the differentiation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. In addition, PPRV induced apoptosis in goat PBMCs. Furthermore, apoptosis and the inflammatory response induced by PPRV could be suppressed by Z-VAD-FMK and Z-YVAD-FMK, respectively.Moreover, the virus titer of PPRV was attenuated by inhibiting caspase-1-dependent apoptosis and inflammation. Conclusions This study showed that apoptosis and the inflammatory response play an essential role in PPR viral replication in vitro, providing a new mechanism related to the cell host response.

Objective To explore and compare the efficacy of open reduction Kirschner-wire internal fixation and closed reduction Herbert screw internal fixation in the treatment of fresh unstable scaphoid lumbar fracture.Methods 72 patients with fresh unstable scaphoid lumbar fracture admitted to our hospital from January 2020 to January 2022 were selected and randomly divided into the experimental group(36 cases,open reduction Kirschberg wire internal fixation)and the control group(36 cases,closed reduction Herbert screw internal fixation).The operation time,fracture healing time,healing rate at 12 weeks,complication rate,scaphoid osteonecrosis rate,wrist functional recovery 6 months and 1 year after surgery were observed and compared within 2 groups,including wrist range of motion,improved Mayo wrist function score,pain index using visual analog scale(VAS).Results There were no significant differences in operation time,fracture healing time,healing rate and complication rate in 2 groups(P＞0.05).6 months after surgery,the wrist motion of ulnar deviation,radial deviation,dorsalis extension and palmaris flexion in 2 groups were significantly improved compared with before surgery(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in wrist motion in 2 groups after surgery(P＞0.05).Compared with 6 months after surgery,Mayo score of experimental group was significantly improved at 12 months after surgery(95.36± 3.34)vs.(78.52±5.62)(P＜0.05),and VAS was significantly decreased(1.04±2.24)vs.(3.25± 1.62)(P＜0.05),but there was no significant difference in Mayo score and VAS between 2 groups(P＞0.05).Conclusions Compared with closed reduction and Herbert screw internal fixation,open reduction and Kirschner wire internal fixation can also achieve satisfactory results.However,the operation cost and difficulty of Kirschner wire internal fixation are relatively low.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of articular compression molding techniques in the surgery for acetabular posterior wall fracture. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted of the 28 patients (28 hips) with fracture of acetabular posterior wall plus comminuted compression of articular surface who had been treated using the articular compression molding techniques at Department of Orthopedics, The Hospital of 81 Group Army of PLA from January 2014 to January 2018. They were 25 males and 3 females, aged from 26 to 63 years (average, 49.3 years). The time from injury to surgery ranged from 4 to 12 days (average, 7.8 days). According to the Letournel-Judet classification, all were single element (simple) posterior wall fractures combined with posterior dislocation of the femoral head and articular compression of different degrees; transient sciatic nerve injury was complicated in 12 cases. The posterior hip dislocations were timely and successful reset at emergency treatment. The compression fractures of the posterior wall and hip joint were treated by open reduction and internal fixation via the acetabular posterior (K-L) approach. The articular compression was treated by 4 stabilization techniques: absorbable screwing and blocking technique in 10 cases, indwelling screwing in 12 cases, indwelling Kirschner wiring in 2 cases and die push and squeeze tamping in 4 cases. The operation time, intraoperative bleeding and complications were recorded. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by the modified Merle d’Aubigne & Postel scoring criteria at the final follow-up. Results: The operation time lasted from 76 to 118 minutes (average, 94.2 minutes); the intraoperative bleeding ranged from 100 to 320 mL (average,220.8 mL). No incision liquefaction, infection or other complications occurred. The 28 patients were followed up for 10 to 36 months (average, 17.6 months). According to the Matta scoring criteria, 24 cases achieved anatomical reduction but 4 dissatisfactory reduction. By the modified Merle d’Aubigne & Postel scoring criteria at the final follow-up, the efficacy was evaluated as excellent in 26 cases and as good in 2. Heterotopic ossification was observed in 3 cases and microscopic free dense shadow in the joint cavity (about 2 mm in the round ligament) in 3 cases. There were no cases of obvious traumatic arthritis or osteoarthritis, femoral head necrosis, walking pain, lameness or hip abduction weakness. The 12 patients complicated with preoperative transient sciatic nerve injury recovered within 3 months after surgery. Conclusion The articular compression molding techniques can effectively treat severely comminuted articular compression in the acetabular posterior wall fracture and improve reduction of articular surface and hip joint matching, leading to stability and good joint function.

Objective To analyze the distribution and influential factors of exam results in medical students' general surgery theory course.Methods 171 medical students were selected as subjects by cluster sampling,and the distribution and influential factors of exam results were analyzed.SPSS 17.0 software was used for statistical analysis,measurement data with (-x) ± s,and normality test with Kolmogorov-Smirnov test.Those quantitative data which do not meet the normal distribution were compared with Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H test.Rank transformation univariate multi-factor variance of LSD (Levene test equal error variance between groups) or Tamhane method (Levene test range error variance between groups) were compared between two groups(3-4) and the influence factors of whether the grade was good was analyzed by single factor and multi factor non conditional Logistic regression model,with the test level of alpha=0.05.Results The distribution of total exam results was normal.77 score was outlier,and the scores of female students were higher than those of male students.Scores of total exam results,multiple-choice questions and essay questions in different classes were significantly different.Data from multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that male students(OR=0.212,95％CI:0.077-0.584) were unfavorable factor for good exam results,while higher scores in noun explanation (OR=12.160,95％CI:1.985-74.495),multiple-choice questions (OR=9.887,95％CI:2.997-32.617),essay questions(OR=18.323,95％CI:6.593-50.928) were favorable factors.Conclusion The cause analysis of score's outlier and sex difference should be strengthened,and the influence of examination items on score should be emphasized.