Objective To observe the value of left atrial strain combined with electrocardiogram(ECG)P-wave parameters for predicting recurrence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation(PAF)after pulmonary vein isolation(PVI)using radiofrequency catheter.Methods Totally 88 PAF patients who planned to receive the first PVI were prospectively enrolled and divided into recurrence group(n=30)and non-recurrence group(n=58)according to results of ECG within 6 months after PVI.The patients'basic data,the transthoracic echocardiography(TTE)parameters,including left atrial reservoir strain(LASr),left atrial conduct strain(LAScd)and left atrial contraction strain(LASct),as well as ECG parameters including P-wave duration,PR interval and P/PR(the ratio of P-wave duration to PR interval)were compared between groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed of parameters being statistically different between groups to screen independent predictors for recurrence of PAF after PVI.The receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under the curve(AUC)were used to evaluate the predicting efficacy of individual independent predictors alone and their combination,and DeLong test was used for comparison.Results No significant difference of patients'basic data was found between groups(all P＞0.05).Compared with those in non-recurrence group,LASr and LAScd decreased while P/PR increased in recurrent group(all P＜0.05).LASr(OR=0.805),LAScd(OR=0.850)and P/PR(OR=1.119)were all independent predictors for recurrence of PAF after PVI(all P＜0.05),with AUC of 0.755,0.643 and 0.771,respectively,all lower than their combination(AUC=0.869)(all P＜0.05).Conclusion TTE and ECG parameters could be used to predict recurrence of PAF after PVI.The predicting efficacy of the combination of LASr,LAScd and P/PR was better than that of each alone.

Objective To explore the action of Bufei Jianpi formula(BJF)on mitochondrial damage to skeletal muscle in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)rats via its regulation of the IRS-1/PI3K signaling axis.Methods 60 SPF SD rats were randomly divided into Control group,Model group(COPD stable stage group),aminophylline(Am)group,BJF group,pioglitazone(PIO)group and BJF+PIO group,with 10 rats per group.A stable COPD rat model was established via forced smoking and Klebsiella pneumoniae nasal drip method.Samples were taken from the 9th week to the end of the 20th week,and the weight of the rats was measured every week.Routine sectioning and HE staining were performed on lung and skeletal muscle tissue,and corresponding pathological changes were observed under a light microscope.The lung function of the rats was observed by whole-body plethysmography in weeks 0,8,and 20,including tidal VT,PEF,and EF50.The mRNA expression of IRS-1,leptin,PGC1-α,and PI3K in rat skeletal muscle was detected by qPCR.The expression of PGC-1α,TFAM,IRS-1,PI3K,AKT,p-AKT,and leptin in rat skeletal muscle tissue was detected by Western blot.Results The Model group,but not the Control group,showed a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrating the alveolar interstitium and bronchus,indicative of lung disease;some alveolar walls had broken and fused to form air cavities,and fiber networks were destroyed.After drug treatment,the rats showed improved alveolar wall and fiber network integrity and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration in the bronchus,especially those in the BJF and Am groups.In the drug treatment groups,the skeletal muscle pathology of each group showed improved spatial arrangement,the atrophy and fracturing of muscle fibers were ameliorated to different degrees,and cytoplasmic staining of muscle cells was uneven,and the BJF group showed the most significant effects.Compared with the Control group,the Model group's PEF,VT,and EF50 significantly decreased from week 8(P＜0.01),while the BJF,BJF+PIO and Am groups had significantly increased PEF and EF50(P＜0.01).Compared with Control group,the Model group's mRNA and protein expression levels of IRS-1,PGC-1α,and PI3K were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),the level of leptin was significantly increased(P＜0.01).Compared with the Model group,the mRNA and protein expressions of IRS-1,PGC-1α and PI3K in the BJF group were significantly increased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and the mRNA expression of IRS-1 in the PIO group was significantly increased(P＜0.01).The BJF+PIO group's mRNA levels of PGC-1α(P＜0.01)and mRNA and protein levels of IRS-1 and PI3K were significantly increased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The mRNA and protein expression levels of PI3K in the Am group were significantly increased(P＜0.01).The expression levels of leptin mRNA were significantly decreased in the four treatment groups(P＜0.01),and the expression of leptin protein was significantly decreased in all treatment groups except the Am group(P＜0.01).Compared with the Control group,the Model group's quadriceps femoris tissue showed a significant decrease in TFAM and p-AKT expression.TFAM and p-AKT expression in all the treatment groups showed an increasing trend,but the difference was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).Conclusions By regulating the IRS-1/PI3K signaling axis,Bufei Jiempi reduces mitochondrial damage to skeletal muscle,increases the expression of PGC-1α and mitochondrial transcription factor TFAM,enhances mitochondrial biosynthesis,and reduces pathological damage to lung and skeletal muscle tissue.

Purpose To assess the right atrial and right ventricular strain and right ventricular-pulmonary artery(RV-PA)coupling in rheumatoid arthritis(RA)via two-dimensional speckle tracking.Materials and Methods Sixty patients with RA in the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from June 2020 to June 2022 were prospectively selected,and all RA patients were divided into three groups according to pulmonary artery systolic pressure(PASP),including group A(n=20 cases)with PASP<33 mmHg,group B(n=20 cases)with PASP 33-39 mmHg as mild ePH,and group C(n=20 cases)PASP≥40 mmHg,twenty healthy individuals were selected as the control group.All subjects underwent transthoracic echocardiography,and right atrial and right ventricular systolic function was assessed by two-dimensional speckle tracking technique,and RV-PA coupling was assessed noninvasively by right ventricular free wall strain/pulmonary artery systolic pressure(RV FWS/PASP),pulmonary function was analyzed by pulmonary function instruments.Spearman's analysis was used to analyze the correlation between right heart function and RV-PA coupling to pulmonary diffusion function.Results There were statistical differences in right ventricular base diameter,right atrium diameter,tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion,inferior vena cava diameter,PASP,right ventricular global strain,RV FWS,right atrium strain-reservoi,right atrium strain-conduit(S-CD),RV FWS/PASP among the four groups(F/H=2.369-74.880,all P<0.05).Right atrium strain-reservoi[(36.0±7.9)%vs.(30.9±7.8)%],right atrium S-CD[(19.9±6.9)%vs.(15.3±4.7)%]and RV FWS/PASP(0.96±0.19 vs.0.56±0.13)in group B were significantly lower than those of group A(t=2.040,2.262,7.704,all P<0.05).There was a good correlation between diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide single-breathmethod and right ventricular global strain,RV FWS,right atrium S-CD and RV FWS/PASP in RA patients(r=0.392,0.472,0.431,0.572,all P<0.05).Conclusion The more increases of pulmonary artery pressures,the more decreases of right heart function in RA patients,and the more uncoupling in RV-PA.Right heart dysfunction and right ventricle-pulmonary artery uncoupling have developed in RA patients with PASP 33-39 mmHg,with association of pulmonary diffusion dysfunction.

Objective To investigate the predictive factors for death within 30 days after admission in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis and acute kidney injury(AKI),and to establish and validate a nomogram prediction model.Methods The Joint Medical Record Management System of The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University was used to obtain the patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis who were hospitalized in Department of Gastroenterology and Department of Infectious Diseases from January 2015 to December 2020,among whom 330 patients who met the 2015 International Club of Ascites diagnostic criteria for AKI were enrolled and divided into training group with 193 patients and validation group with 137 patients.A Cox regression analysis was used to investigate the predictive factors for death,and then a nomogram prediction model for the risk of death within 30 days after admission was established and validated.The independent-samples t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups,and a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups,while the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups;The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups,while the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison between multiple groups.The chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.Results The prevalence rate of AKI was 16.5%in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis.The 330 patients included in the study had a mean age of 53.6±12.4 years,and male patients accounted for 79.1%.The mortality rate was 50.0%within 30 days after admission,with a mortality rate of 46.6%in the training group and 54.7%in the validation group.The presence of acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF)on admission was an independent risk factor for the progression of AKI into stage 1(odds ratio=2.571,95%confidence interval:1.143-5.780,P=0.022).The nomogram based on white blood cell count,international normalized ratio,presence or absence of hepatic encephalopathy,and AKI stage on admission could well predict the risk of death with 30 days after admission,with a C-index of 0.680 in the training group and 0.683 in the validation group,and it was not inferior to CTP score and MELD score.Conclusion ACLF is an independent risk factor for the progression of AKI into stage 1.The nomogram prediction model established in this study can effectively predict the risk of death within 30 days after admission and thus has important guiding significance for the early identification and management of patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis and AKI.

Objective:To compare the prevalence of frailty and related factors in middle-aged and elderly people aged ≥45 years in island and mountainous areas of Taizhou, Zhejiang Province.Methods:Based on cross-sectional design, stratified cluster sampling and quota sampling methods were adopted. One administrative district was randomly selected from each of six coastal and three inland administrative districts in Taizhou during July to August, representing two different geographical terrains. In the island area (Jiaojiang District), all residents aged ≥45 years were included by cluster sampling. In the mountainous area (Xianju County), participants were selected through quota sampling, with same gender and age distributions. Data about their demographic characteristics, lifestyle and health-related factors were collected through questionnaire surveys and laboratory examinations. The prevalence of frailty was assessed using the Fried frailty phenotype scale. Hierarchical analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to compare the influencing factors of frailty.Results:A total of 1 011 local residents were studied, in whom island and mountainous residents accounted for 48.1% (486/1 011) and 51.9% (525/1 011) respectively; men and women accounted for 45.9% (464/1 011) and 54.1% (547/1 011) respectively. Middle-aged (45-49 years), younger elderly (60-74 years), and older elderly (≥75 years) residents accounted for 38.6% (390/1 011), 44.6% (451/1 011), and 16.8% (170/1 011) respectively. The overall prevalence rate of frailty was 3.6% (36/1 011), the prevalence rate was 3.7% (17/464) in men and 3.5% (19/547) in women. The prevalence rates in age groups 45-59,60-74 years and ≥75 years were 0.3% (1/390), 2.2% (10/451), and 14.7% (25/170), respectively. The prevalence rates of frailty and pre-frailty in island area were 6.0% (29/486) and 39.1% (190/486), respectively, which was higher than those in mountainous area (1.3%, 7/525) and (30.9%, 162/525). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the risk for frailty in island residents was significantly higher than that in mountainous residents (a OR=1.55,95% CI: 1.07-2.25, P=0.019). In island area, older age (60-74 years:a OR=2.52,95% CI: 1.56-4.13; ≥75 years:a OR=11.65,95% CI:5.38-26.70), being women (a OR=1.94,95% CI: 1.20-3.17), suffering from depression (a OR=1.09,95% CI:1.02-1.17) were associated with frailty symptoms. In mountainous area, older age was also associated with an increased risk of frailty symptoms, but the OR value was lower than those in island area (60-74 years: a OR=1.74,95% CI:1.04-2.94;≥75 years: a OR=4.78,95% CI:2.45-9.50). Polydrug use (a OR=2.08,95% CI: 1.14-3.80) and suffering from depression (a OR=1.10,95% CI: 1.02-1.18) had significant positive association with frailty symptoms. Higher education level had significant negative association with frailty symptoms (junior high school: a OR=0.40,95% CI: 0.21-0.75; senior high school and technical secondary school: a OR=0.29,95% CI: 0.15-0.53; college or above:a OR=0.22,95% CI: 0.11-0.42). Conclusions:The prevalence of frailty in middle-aged and elderly community residents was significantly higher in island area than in mountainous area in Taizhou. The frailty-related factors varied with area. The elderly people (≥75 years) and women in island area had higher risk for frailty. Older age and suffering from depression were the independent risk factors for frailty. It is necessary to pay attention to the health risk factors and special environment in island area, and take comprehensive intervention measures to delay the process of debilitation and improve the quality of life of middle-aged and elderly people.

Objective:To explore the potential clinical value of 99Tc m-methoxyisobutylisonitrile(MIBI) SPECT/CT muscle imaging in the diagnosis of cervical dystonia (CD). Methods:From January 2021 to April 2022, 50 patients with CD (14 males, 36 females; age (45.8±12.5) years) who were treated in Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were prospectively included. The 99Tc m-MIBI SPECT/CT muscle imaging results of 400 pieces of muscle (bilateral sternocleidomastoid, musculus scapulae, splenius capitis and musculus trapezius; each of 100 pieces) in 50 patients were analyzed and divided into the dystonic muscle group and normal muscle group according to the electromyography (EMG). Toronto western spasmodic torticollis rating scale (TWSTRS) score, SUV max and target-to-background ratio (TBR) of single superficial cervical muscle and total cervical muscle, and EMG diagnosis results were obtained before botulinum toxin injection. ROC curves of SUV max and TBR of dystonic muscles were constructed to determine AUCs and the difference was compared by Delong test. Differences of SUV max and TBR between 2 groups were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation of SUV max, TBR and TWSTRS scores of total cervical muscle. Results:There were 205 pieces of muscle in dystonic muscle group and 195 pieces of muscle in normal muscle group. The uptake of 99Tc m-MIBI in dystonic muscle was significantly increased in CD patients, and the non-whole uptake of 99Tc m-MIBI was increased in some dystonic muscles, which was manifested as uneven uptake of the whole muscle. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of visual analysis were 95.12%(195/205), 75.90%(148/195), 85.75%(343/400), 85.58%(195/242) and 93.67%(148/158), respectively. There were significant differences of SUV max (1.74(1.42, 2.12) vs 0.92(0.81, 0.99)) and TBR (2.55(1.92, 3.27) vs 1.44(1.22, 1.73)) between the dystonic muscle group and the normal muscle group ( z value: -15.29, -12.69, both P<0.001). The diagnostic efficiency of SUV max in dystonic muscle was better than TBR (AUC: 0.942 vs 0.867; z=5.03, P<0.001). SUV max, TBR and TWSTRS score in the neck muscles of patients with CD showed positive correlation ( rs values: 0.44, 0.45, both P<0.001). Conclusion:99Tc m -MIBI SPECT/CT muscle imaging is a good diagnostic method for dystonic muscle in patients with CD.

Objective:To identify new prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for gastric adenocarcinoma.Methods:The public datasets of gastric adenocarcinoma collected from GEO database (GSE33335 and GSE63089) were downloaded for analysis. There were 70 GC tissues and paired normal tissues in the two profile datasets. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between GC tissues and normal stomach tissues were selected by the R software. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) of these DEGs were visualized by the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING). The key gene sets were analyzed by Cytoscape and Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE). The mRNA and protein expression levels of prognosis related genes identified by public database were confirmed by using GC tissues and paired normal tissues collected from July 2019 to September 2019 in Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University.Results:DEGs were identified in the two datasets by using R software. A total of 128 DEGs were detected, including 85 up-regulated genes ( log2FC>1.2 and FDR<0.01) and 43 down-regulated genes ( log2FC<-1.2 and FDR<0.01) in the GC tissues. PPI network model and MCODE model were established by using the Online String tool and Cytoscape software, and 27 key genes were obtained, including 25 genes related with prognosis of GC patients ( P<0.05). We identified 14 significant DEGs in GC tissues, including cyclin B1 (CCNB1), polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) and pituitary-tumor transforming gene (PTTG1), which were significantly enriched in the cell cycle pathway through KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The positive expression rate of PTTG1 in GC tissues was 68.8% (22/32), significantly higher than 18.8% (6/32) in normal gastric tissues ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The expression of PTTG1 is different in GC and gastric tissues, implicates it is the key gene in gastric carcinogenesis. The prognoses of GC patients with higher PTTG1 expression are worse. PTTG1 might participate in the development of gastric adenocarcinoma by regulating cell cycle.

Genomic studies of cancer cell alterations,such as mutations,copy number variations(CNVs),and translocations,greatly promote our understanding of the genesis and development of cancers.However,the 3D genome architecture of cancers remains less studied due to the complexity of cancer genomes and technical difficulties.To explore the 3D genome structure in clin-ical lung cancer,we performed Hi-C experiments using paired normal and tumor cells harvested from patients with lung cancer,combining with RNA sequenceing analysis.We demonstrated the feasibility of studying 3D genome of clinical lung cancer samples with a small number of cells(1×104),compared the genome architecture between clinical samples and cell lines of lung cancer,and identified conserved and changed spatial chromatin structures between normal and cancer sam-ples.We also showed that Hi-C data can be used to infer CNVs and point mutations in cancer.By integrating those different types of cancer alterations,we showed significant associations between CNVs,3D genome,and gene expression.We propose that 3D genome mediates the effects of cancer genomic alterations on gene expression through altering regulatory chromatin structures.Our study highlights the importance of analyzing 3D genomes of clinical cancer samples in addition to cancer cell lines and provides an integrative genomic analysis pipeline for future larger-scale studies in lung cancer and other cancers.

Objective:To identify new prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for gastric adenocarcinoma.Methods:The public datasets of gastric adenocarcinoma collected from GEO database (GSE33335 and GSE63089) were downloaded for analysis. There were 70 GC tissues and paired normal tissues in the two profile datasets. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between GC tissues and normal stomach tissues were selected by the R software. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) of these DEGs were visualized by the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING). The key gene sets were analyzed by Cytoscape and Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE). The mRNA and protein expression levels of prognosis related genes identified by public database were confirmed by using GC tissues and paired normal tissues collected from July 2019 to September 2019 in Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University.Results:DEGs were identified in the two datasets by using R software. A total of 128 DEGs were detected, including 85 up-regulated genes ( log2FC>1.2 and FDR<0.01) and 43 down-regulated genes ( log2FC<-1.2 and FDR<0.01) in the GC tissues. PPI network model and MCODE model were established by using the Online String tool and Cytoscape software, and 27 key genes were obtained, including 25 genes related with prognosis of GC patients ( P<0.05). We identified 14 significant DEGs in GC tissues, including cyclin B1 (CCNB1), polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) and pituitary-tumor transforming gene (PTTG1), which were significantly enriched in the cell cycle pathway through KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The positive expression rate of PTTG1 in GC tissues was 68.8% (22/32), significantly higher than 18.8% (6/32) in normal gastric tissues ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The expression of PTTG1 is different in GC and gastric tissues, implicates it is the key gene in gastric carcinogenesis. The prognoses of GC patients with higher PTTG1 expression are worse. PTTG1 might participate in the development of gastric adenocarcinoma by regulating cell cycle.

Objective: To compare the similarities and differences of four telemedicine diagnostic projects, for providing evidence-based policy-making advice for the development of telemedicine diagnostic projects in China. Methods: Four projects led by the government, close medical alliances, loose medical alliances and companies were selected from November 2018 to June 2019. Through semi-structured interviews with different leaders, the authors analyzed the characteristics, problems and difficulties of different projects from three dimensions of organizational system, working conditions and operational effects. Results: A total of 18 people were interviewed. Projects were different from each other in leaders, connection mechanism and effectiveness, participants and timeliness as well. The projects led by the government and close medical alliances had limited local participants with strong connection, clear but limited sources of diagnostic doctors and relatively large workload. While the projects led by loose medical alliances and companies had a wide range of participants, relatively weak connection efficiency and long response time. Conclusions Different types of telemedicine diagnostic projects have supplemented the manpower shortage of diagnosis physicians at primary medical institutions, introduced new service participants, as well as improved the medical service system.