ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Huangqi Chifengtang （HQCFT） on rats with atherosclerosis （AS） by regulating the gut microbiota and their metabolites. MethodsA rat model of AS was induced through high-fat diet feeding and vitamin D₃ injection， and the modeling lasted for 12 weeks. Fifty eight-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups： A blank group， a model group， a group receiving a low dose of HQCFT at 1.53 g·kg^-1 （HQCFT-L group）， a group receiving a high dose of HQCFT at 3.06 g·kg^-1 （HQCFT-H group）， and a group receiving atorvastatin calcium tablets at 1.8 mg·kg^-1 （Ato group）， with 10 rats in each group. Oral gavage administration started on the day after model establishment， once daily for four weeks. The efficacy of HQCFT was verified using aortic hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and determination of lipid levels and hemorrheology. The real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used for detecting inflammatory factor levels in the aorta， high-throughput sequencing for analyzing the gut microbiota composition in intestinal contents， targeted metabolomics for detecting short-chain fatty acid （SCFA） levels， and non-targeted metabolomics for identifying metabolomic profiles of intestinal contents. ResultsCompared with that in the blank group， the aortic tissue of rats in the model group showed significant AS lesions， including endothelial damage， inflammatory infiltration， and formation of fibrous plaques and calcified foci. Moreover， serum triacylglycerol （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） levels were significantly elevated （P<0.05）， while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） levels were significantly reduced （P<0.05）. Significant increases were observed in whole blood viscosity， plasma viscosity， and the mRNA expression levels of NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 （NLRP3）， Caspase-1， interleukin （IL）-β， IL-6， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in aortic tissue （P<0.05）. Additionally， gut microbiota composition， SCFA levels， and metabolomic profiles were significantly altered. Compared with those in the model group， serum TC， TG， and LDL-C levels， as well as the whole blood viscosity and plasma viscosity， were significantly reduced in all groups treated with HQCFT （P<0.05）. Significant decreases were observed in NLRP3 mRNA expression levels in all groups treated with HQCFT， Caspase-1， IL-β， and IL-6 mRNA expression levels in the HQCFT-H group， and TNF-α mRNA expression levels in the HQCFT-L group （P<0.05）. HQCFT reversed the increase in the F/B ratio and dialled back the decrease in the relative abundance of Blautia and the increase in that of Desulfovibrio. HQCFT promoted the production of acetic acid， valeric acid， and propionic acid. Non-targeted metabolomics identified 39 differential metabolites， which were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways such as arachidonic acid metabolism and primary bile acid biosynthesis. ConclusionThe mechanism by which HQCFT ameliorates AS injury may be related to the improvement of dyslipidemia and body inflammatory responses by altering gut microbiota composition， promoting SCFA production， and regulating the levels of metabolites in intestinal contents.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Huangqi Chifengtang （HQCFT） on rats with atherosclerosis （AS） by regulating the gut microbiota and their metabolites. MethodsA rat model of AS was induced through high-fat diet feeding and vitamin D₃ injection， and the modeling lasted for 12 weeks. Fifty eight-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups： A blank group， a model group， a group receiving a low dose of HQCFT at 1.53 g·kg^-1 （HQCFT-L group）， a group receiving a high dose of HQCFT at 3.06 g·kg^-1 （HQCFT-H group）， and a group receiving atorvastatin calcium tablets at 1.8 mg·kg^-1 （Ato group）， with 10 rats in each group. Oral gavage administration started on the day after model establishment， once daily for four weeks. The efficacy of HQCFT was verified using aortic hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and determination of lipid levels and hemorrheology. The real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used for detecting inflammatory factor levels in the aorta， high-throughput sequencing for analyzing the gut microbiota composition in intestinal contents， targeted metabolomics for detecting short-chain fatty acid （SCFA） levels， and non-targeted metabolomics for identifying metabolomic profiles of intestinal contents. ResultsCompared with that in the blank group， the aortic tissue of rats in the model group showed significant AS lesions， including endothelial damage， inflammatory infiltration， and formation of fibrous plaques and calcified foci. Moreover， serum triacylglycerol （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） levels were significantly elevated （P<0.05）， while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） levels were significantly reduced （P<0.05）. Significant increases were observed in whole blood viscosity， plasma viscosity， and the mRNA expression levels of NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 （NLRP3）， Caspase-1， interleukin （IL）-β， IL-6， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in aortic tissue （P<0.05）. Additionally， gut microbiota composition， SCFA levels， and metabolomic profiles were significantly altered. Compared with those in the model group， serum TC， TG， and LDL-C levels， as well as the whole blood viscosity and plasma viscosity， were significantly reduced in all groups treated with HQCFT （P<0.05）. Significant decreases were observed in NLRP3 mRNA expression levels in all groups treated with HQCFT， Caspase-1， IL-β， and IL-6 mRNA expression levels in the HQCFT-H group， and TNF-α mRNA expression levels in the HQCFT-L group （P<0.05）. HQCFT reversed the increase in the F/B ratio and dialled back the decrease in the relative abundance of Blautia and the increase in that of Desulfovibrio. HQCFT promoted the production of acetic acid， valeric acid， and propionic acid. Non-targeted metabolomics identified 39 differential metabolites， which were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways such as arachidonic acid metabolism and primary bile acid biosynthesis. ConclusionThe mechanism by which HQCFT ameliorates AS injury may be related to the improvement of dyslipidemia and body inflammatory responses by altering gut microbiota composition， promoting SCFA production， and regulating the levels of metabolites in intestinal contents.

Objective To construct a prediction model for post-neoadjuvant therapy recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node(RLN LN)status via clinical and CT image data in esophageal cancer patients pre-neoadjuvant therapy.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 403 patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer who received neoadjuvant therapy and radical resection for esophageal cancer.All patients were divided into a training cohort(n=270)and a validation cohort(n=133)randomly according to a 2:1 ratio.Clinical and imaging features associated with positive RLN LN pathology were selected by univariate analysis.Multivariate logistic stepwise regression model was used to construct the prediction model.The prediction ability of the model was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results The basic model included neoadjuvant therapy and RLN LN short diameter,with an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.7(training cohort)and 0.65(validation cohort).The final prediction model included neoadjuvant therapy,human albumin,platelet count,largest lymph node enhancement characteristics,whether the largest lymph node was in the recurrent laryngeal region,and RLN LN short diameter,with AUC of 0.83[95％confidence interval(CI)0.768-0.899]and 0.76(95％CI 0.645-0.887)for the training and validation cohorts,respectively.Conclusion The model based on clinical data and imaging features pre-neoadjuvant therapy for esophageal cancer can assist in clinically predicting the post-neoadjuvant therapy RLN LN status.

Objective:To explore the application effect of immersive teaching combined with closed-loop assessment in respiratory medicine internship teaching.Methods:A total of 140 students who interned in the Department of Respiratory Medicine from August 2021 to August 2023 were selected as research subjects. They were assigned to a control group and an observation group based on the time of admission, with 70 students in each group. The control group received traditional teaching, while the observation group received immersive teaching combined with closed-loop assessment. After the internship, the theories, clinical diagnosis and treatment, operation skills, empathy ability, and teaching effectiveness of the two groups of students were compared and evaluated.Results:The scores of theories, clinical diagnosis and treatment, and operation skills were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group ( P<0.001). The observation group scored significantly higher on the empathy scale than the control group [(73.83±6.71) vs. (61.08±6.32); t=15.60, P<0.001]. The recognition rates of the observation group students were significantly higher in learning interest, self-learning ability, comprehensive analysis ability of diseases, clinical thinking ability, independent discovery, analysis, and problem-solving ability, and team collaboration ability, as compared with the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Immersive teaching combined with closed-loop assessment is beneficial for improving the theoretical and practical levels of respiratory medicine students, enhancing their empathy and comprehensive analysis abilities, and improving clinical teaching effectiveness.

Gouty arthritis （GA） is a metabolic disease caused by disorders of purine metabolism and/or abnormal excretion of uric acid in the body. Its pathogenesis is mostly related to dietary structure as well as excessive intake of protein， sugar and fat， and the clinical manifestations are joint redness， swelling， heat and pain， which seriously affect the daily life of patients. Therefore， it is urgent to carry out research on anti-GA drugs. Western drugs for the treatment of GA， such as colchicine， can relieve pain in the short term， but with obvious side effects in long-term treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine has definite efficacy and high safety in the treatment of GA and is more acceptable to patients than western medicine. Modern medical research has concluded that inflammatory factors， oxidative stress， apoptosis and intestinal dysbacteriosis are closely related to the pathogenesis of GA. In-depth research has found that single traditional Chinese medicine and its compounds can regulate Toll-like receptors/myeloid differentiation factor 88 （TLRs/MyD88） signaling pathway， NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome， nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB） and other inflammatory signaling pathways， and further intervene in the downstream cytokines such as interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-2 （IL-2）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ （PPARγ）， nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor-α（IκB-α） and aspartate-specific cysteine protease 1 （Caspase-1） to reduce inflammatory factors and increase anti-inflammatory factors， thereby exerting the anti-GA role. Therefore， this paper summarized and elaborated the experiments of inflammatory response mediated by traditional Chinese medicines and their compounds via regulating inflammatory signaling pathways in recent years， which provides new ideas and theoretical basis for finding more related anti-inflammatory traditional Chinese medicines for the treatment of GA.

【Objective】 To evaluate the efficacy and safety of plasma-derived human coagulation factor Ⅷ (FⅧ) in the treatment of patients with hemophilia A. 【Methods】 A multi-center and open, SAT(single-arm trials) clinical study was conducted. A total of 54 subjects with hemophilia A were enrolled in 5 research centers. FⅧ was injected according to the subjects' weight, severity of disease and other factors, and the transfusion efficiency of FⅧ activity at 10 min after the first infusion of the first bleeding event was taken as the main efficacy indexes. The improvement scores of bleeding symptoms and signs within 24 h after the first infusion of the first bleeding event were the secondary efficacy indexes. The pathogenic microbial indexes and FⅧ inhibitors were detected on 90(th) and 180(th) day after treatment. 【Results】 The transfusion efficiency of FⅧ activity of 54 subjects at 10 min after the first infusion was 171.9% on average, with median of 169.5%, both higher than the target value of 100%. Within 24 h after the first infusion, the improvement of bleeding symptoms and signs of the subjects were scored, among which 19 cases (35.2%) were "obvious", 35 cases (64.8%) were "good", and the total clinical effective rate reached 100%. Five subjects (9.3%) had six drug-related adverse events. On 90(th) and 180(th) day after treatment, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C antibody, HIV antibody, treponema pallidum antibody and FⅧ inhibitors were detected, and no negative to positive cases were found. 【Conclusion】 After infusion, the FⅧ preparation can significantly improve the FⅧ activity level in hemophilia A patients in a short period of time, which has high infusion efficiency and can achieve better treatment efficacy, and can also effectively control and relieve bleeding symptoms and signs, with good overall safety.

Objective:To analyze the distribution characteristics of plasma renin concentration (PRC) in patients with aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and its impact on diagnosis.Methods:In this retrospective case series, clinical data from 200 patients with APA (80 men and 120 women; mean age 45.6 years) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from November 2013 to January 2022 were evaluated. PRC was determined by automated chemiluminescence immunoassay. The distribution characteristics of PRC were analyzed, and 8.2 mU/L was used as the low renin cutoff to evaluate whether renin was suppressed.Results:The median PRC was 1.6 mU/L (range, 0.4-41.5 mU/L). There were 116 patients with APA with PRC of ≤2 mU/L, 41 patients with 28.2 mU/L) in 8.0% (16/200) of the patients with APA. And PRC was not suppressed in 2.5% (5/200) of the patients with APA, resulting in a primary aldosteronism negative screening outcome.Conclusions:Although most patients with APA have low PRC, there are a small number (8%) of patients whose PRC has not been fully suppressed, which can lead to missed diagnoses during primary aldosteronism screening. While primary aldosteronism is highly suspected, further investigations are required to determine the diagnosis, even if PRC is not fully suppressed at screening.

Pulmonary blast injury has become the main type of trauma in modern warfare, characterized by externally mild injuries but internally severe injuries, rapid disease progression, and a high rate of early death. The injury is complicated in clinical practice, often with multiple and compound injuries. Currently, there is a lack of effective protective materials, accurate injury detection instrument and portable monitoring and transportation equipment, standardized clinical treatment guidelines in various medical centers, and evidence-based guidelines at home and abroad, resulting in a high mortality in clinlcal practice. Therefore, the Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association and the Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized military and civilian experts in related fields such as thoracic surgery and traumatic surgery to jointly develop the Clinical treatment guideline for pulmonary blast injury ( version 2023) by combining evidence for effectiveness and clinical first-line treatment experience. This guideline provided 16 recommended opinions surrounding definition, characteristics, pre-hospital diagnosis and treatment, and in-hospital treatment of pulmonary blast injury, hoping to provide a basis for the clinical treatment in hospitals at different levels.

Objective:To investigated the clinical, biochemical, and immunohistological characteristics of patients with aldosterone producing adenoma(APA)and different gene mutations.Methods:The clinical and biochemical data of 206 patients with APA who received unilateral adrenalectomy were collected. Sanger sequencing was used to identify the mutation in the hot-point of KCNJ5 and other genes. The tumor samples were stained by 11β-hydroxylase(CYP11B1)and aldosterone synthase(CYP11B2), which was quantified by McCarty′s H-score system.Results:The gene mutations were identified in 166 out of 206(80.6%)patients with APA, of which 158 cases were KCNJ5 mutation, 2 ATP1A1 mutation, 5 ATP2B3 mutation, and 1 CTNNB1 mutation. Age, duration of hypertension, and serum potassium in APA patients with genetic mutant were significantly lower than those without genetic mutation( P<0.05) while the proportion of female, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, aldosterone/renin ratio(ARR), and plasma aldosterone concentration(PAC)post saline infusion test(SIT)were significantly higher( P<0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that age, duration of hypertension, systolic blood pressure, and proportion of left ventricular hypertrophy in APA patients with ATP1A1 and ATP2B3 mutations were significantly higher than those with KCNJ5 mutation( P<0.05)while the PAC post SIT and tumor diameter were significantly lower( P<0.05). The positive rates of CYP11B2 in APA with different mutations were not significantly different. The H-score of CYP11B1 was significantly higher [160.0(127.5, 193.5) vs 80.0(27.5, 152.3), P=0.020] and the H-score of CYP11B2 was significantly lower [155.0(123.0, 190.0) vs 240.0(140.0, 270.0), P<0.01] in APA with KCNJ5 mutation compared with those with ATPase mutation. Conclusion:The types of genetic mutation are closely correlated with the clinical, biochemical, and immunohistological phenotypes in patients with APA.

Objective: To compare the predictive value of 10 prehospital assessment scales for large vessel occlusion in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: From January 2016 to December 2018, patients with acute ischemic stroke within 24 h of onset admitted to the Department of Neurology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University were enrolled retrospectively. The scores of various scales were calculated based on clinical data, including the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Los Angeles Motor Scale (LAMS), and 3-item stroke scale (3I- SS), Prehospital Acute Stroke Severity Scale (PASS), Ambulance Clinical Triage For Acute Stroke Treatment (ACT-FAST), and Stroke Vision, Aphasia, and Neglect Assessment Scales (VAN), etc. The predictive threshold of the NIHSS score was determined, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the effectiveness of various prehospital scales to predict large vessel occlusion. Results: A total of 705 patients with acute ischemic stroke within 24 h of onset were enrolled, including 252 (35.7%) with large vessel occlusion. The best predictive cutoff value for judging large vessel occlusion by the NIHSS score was 9, sensitivity was 81.7%, specificity was 79.7%, positive likelihood ratio was 4.851, and negative likelihood ratio was 0.260. LAMS score ≥4 (sensitivity 88.1%, specificity 81.0%, positive likelihood ratio 4.640, and negative likelihood ratio 0.247), VAN positive (sensitivity 83.7%, specificity 82.3%, positive likelihood ratio 4.741, and negative likelihood ratio 0.198) and NIHSS score ≥9 were more accurate in identifying large vessel occlusion. The AUC values of the 8 quantitative scores were all > 0.7, and the AUC of LAMS was the largest (0.852, 95% confidence interval 0.825-0.878). Conclusions In patients with acute ischemic stroke within 24 h of onset, the NIHSS score ≥9 can be used as the best cutoff value for predicting large vessel occlusion events. LAMS, VAN, and NIHSS scales are more accurate in predicting large vessel occlusion. The predictive power of the 8 quantitative scales is higher, and the AUC of LAMS is the largest, which can be used for clinical prediction of large vessel occlusion in patients with acute ischemic stroke.