Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression. Methods: USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes. Results: USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5. Conclusions USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression. Methods: USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes. Results: USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5. Conclusions USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression. Methods: USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes. Results: USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5. Conclusions USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the key features of facial and tongue images associated with anemia in female populations, establish anemia risk-screening models, and evaluate their performance. METHODS: A total of 533 female participants (anemic and healthy) were recruited from Shuguang Hospital. Facial and tongue images were collected using the TFDA-1 tongue and face diagnosis instrument. Color and texture features from various parts of facial and tongue images were extracted using Face Diagnosis Analysis System (FDAS) and Tongue Diagnosis Analysis System version 2.0 (TDAS v2.0). Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was used for feature selection. Ten machine learning models and one deep learning model (ResNet50V2 + Conv1D) were developed and evaluated. RESULTS: Anemic women showed lower a-values, higher L- and b-values across all age groups. Texture features analysis showed that women aged 30-39 with anemia had higher angular second moment (ASM)and lower entropy (ENT) values in facial images, while those aged 40-49 had lower contrast (CON), ENT, and MEAN values in tongue images but higher ASM. Anemic women exhibited age-related trends similar to healthy women, with decreasing L-values and increasing a-, b-, and ASM-values. LASSO identified 19 key features from 62. Among classifiers, the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model achieved the best performance [area under the curve (AUC): 0.849, accuracy: 0.781]. The ResNet50V2 model achieved comparable results [AUC: 0.846, accuracy: 0.818]. CONCLUSION Differences in facial and tongue images suggest that color and texture features can serve as potential TCM phenotype and auxiliary diagnostic indicators for female anemia.
Humans ; Female ; Tongue/diagnostic imaging* ; Adult ; Anemia/diagnosis* ; Middle Aged ; Face/diagnostic imaging* ; Young Adult ; Machine Learning

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the short-to-medium-term clinical efficacy of total hip arthroplasty(THA) with Pinnacle ES constrained liner in the treatment of femoral neck fractures(FNF) associated with lower limb neuromuscular disorders. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 16 patients who underwent primary THA using Pinnacle ES constrained liner for FNF with lower limb neuromuscular disorders and had complete follow-up data, treated between January 2020 and January 2023. There were 7 males and 9 females, with a mean age of (68.42±3.58) years old ranging from 61 to 75 years old. Among them, 10 cases had left-sided fractures and 6 had right-sided fractures;based on the Garden classification, 11 cases were type Ⅲ and 5 cases were type Ⅳ. The affected limbs were complicated with sequelae of poliomyelitis (2 cases), Parkinson's disease (2 cases), and sequelae of cerebral infarction (12 cases). All operations were performed via a posterolateral approach. Prosthesis position was evaluated using imaging data. Hip function was assessed by the Harris hip score(HHS) and Merle D'Aubigne hip score. During the follow-up period, the occurrence of complications such as prosthetic dislocation, loosening, and infection was recorded. RESULTS: One patient died of advanced tumor 2 years after surgery, and the remaining 15 patients were followed up for 24 to 64 months with a mean of (34.8±5.5) months. The operation time ranged from 50 to 90 minutes with a mean of (75.56±8.15) minutes, and the blood loss ranged from 150 to 200 ml with a mean of (170.32±12.56) ml. All patients achieved primary wound healing after surgery. Intraoperatively, femoral calcar splitting occurred in 2 cases, which were treated with titanium cable binding;no neurovascular injuries were observed in any case. The mean HHS increased from (18.95±2.25) preoperatively to (88.02±2.42) at the last follow-up, and the mean Merle D'Aubigne Score increased from (3.05±0.06) preoperatively to (16.65±0.93) at the last follow-up. Postoperative follow-up X-rays showed good prosthetic position, and no complications such as dislocation, prosthetic loosening, periprosthetic fracture, or deep infection occurred during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION Total hip arthroplasty with Pinnacle ES constrained liner is effective in the treatment of femoral neck fractures associated with lower limb neuromuscular disorders. It can significantly improve hip function, reduce the postoperative prosthetic dislocation rate, provide good initial stability, and achieve satisfactory short-to-medium-term clinical efficacy.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip/methods* ; Femoral Neck Fractures/complications* ; Retrospective Studies ; Neuromuscular Diseases/surgery* ; Lower Extremity ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To analyze the clinical and cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR)characteristics of patients with Fabry disease(FD)and evaluate the application value of CMR in the early diagnosis of cardiac involvement in FD.Methods This retrospective study involved nine patients with FD confirmed by renal biopsy pathology and genetic testing at our hospital between January 2021 and October 2024.Their clinical baseline data,laboratory test reuslts,and CMR images were collected.CMR images were analyzed using CVI42 software to generate functional,morphological,and structural parameters.Results In this study,78％of the patients were male,and a high proportion(67％)had a family history of FD.Electrocardiographic abnormalities were observed in eight patients(89％),while 33％reported acroparesthesia and 22％exhibited cornea verticillata,a characteristic ocular manifestation of FD.Left ventricular hypertrophy was present in four patients,with one case also showing right ventricular hypertrophy.Late gadolinium enhancement(LGE)was positive in one patient,presenting as intermural enhancement.The mean left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)was within the normal range.T1 mapping demonstrated that both global and segmental native T1 values in the left ventricular myocardium were below 1 200 ms.Conclusion Multimodal CMR imaging provides crucial imaging evidence for the diagnosis of FD,with native T1 mapping showing significant clinical potential for disease staging.

Objective To analyze the impact of the basic medical insurance outpatient mutual aid policy on the utilization of medical services.Methods Data indicators related to the utilization of medical services from a tertiary hospital in Wuhan,Hubei Province,from January 2022 to December 2023 were collected.Interrupted time series analysis was used to examine the changing trends of outpatient visits,hospitalizations,and average cost per outpatient visit before and after the implementation of the outpatient mutual aid policy.The Granger causality test and vector autoregressive model were also used to analyze the association between outpatient and inpatient services.Results The outpatient mutual aid policy significantly increased the number of outpatient visits,hospitalizations,and day surgeries in the sample medical institutions(P＜0.05),but had limited impact on the average cost per outpatient visit and hospitalization.Conclusion Outpatient mutual aid can effectively promote the utilization of outpatient services,but attention needs to be paid to potential moral hazard issues and strengthen the supervision of medical insurance funds.

OBJECTIVE To understand the drug resistance among the acquired immune deficiency syndrome(AIDS)population who failed in the antiviral therapy from 2022 to 2023 and analyze the molecular network.METHODS The plasma specimens were collected from the population with viral load no less than 1000 cps/ml who received antiviral therapy for more than 6 months in Aksu area from 2022 to 2023,which were delivered to Aksu Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention for test.MEGA5 and the Stanford University drug resistance database were employed to determine the subtypes and drug resistance after the sequences of human immunodefi-ciency virus type Ⅰ polymerase gene region(HIV-1pol)were obtained,and the molecular network was established by HIV-trace.RESULTS Totally 648 sequences of HIV-1pol region were obtained,CRF07_BC(97.69％)was the major subtype,and the drug resistance rate was 58.33％;the drug resistance rates to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor(NNRTI),nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor(NRTI)and protease inhibitor(PI)were 51.70％,19.75％and8.64％,respectively.The univariate analysis showed that year(x2=6.341),age(x2=18.455)and route of infection(x2=14.061)had remarkable effects on the drug resistance among the population with failed ART(P＜0.05).Multivariate regression analysis indicated that the drug resistance rate was higher in 2022 than in 2023(95％CI:1.132 to 2.191),and the drug resistance rate was higher among the population aged less than 60 years old than among the population more than 6 years old(95％CI:3.647 to 70.268,95％CI:1.435 to 8.235,95％CI:1.061 to 6.164,re-spectively).With 1.5％of the genetic distance set as the threshold,the molecular network was established,the network access rate was 49.07％,77.14％of the clusters had drug-resistant mutation sites,and the male population was at higher risk of network access than the female population.CONCLUSIONS The drug resistance rate is relatively high among the AIDS population with failed ART,and the drug-resistant strains appear in clusters in the molecular network.It is neces-sary to further strengthen the monitoring of drug resistance and improve the quality of the follow-up so as to reduce the occurrence of drug resistance and transmission of virulent strains.

Objective To analyze the clinical and cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR)characteristics of patients with Fabry disease(FD)and evaluate the application value of CMR in the early diagnosis of cardiac involvement in FD.Methods This retrospective study involved nine patients with FD confirmed by renal biopsy pathology and genetic testing at our hospital between January 2021 and October 2024.Their clinical baseline data,laboratory test reuslts,and CMR images were collected.CMR images were analyzed using CVI42 software to generate functional,morphological,and structural parameters.Results In this study,78％of the patients were male,and a high proportion(67％)had a family history of FD.Electrocardiographic abnormalities were observed in eight patients(89％),while 33％reported acroparesthesia and 22％exhibited cornea verticillata,a characteristic ocular manifestation of FD.Left ventricular hypertrophy was present in four patients,with one case also showing right ventricular hypertrophy.Late gadolinium enhancement(LGE)was positive in one patient,presenting as intermural enhancement.The mean left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)was within the normal range.T1 mapping demonstrated that both global and segmental native T1 values in the left ventricular myocardium were below 1 200 ms.Conclusion Multimodal CMR imaging provides crucial imaging evidence for the diagnosis of FD,with native T1 mapping showing significant clinical potential for disease staging.

Objective To analyze the impact of the basic medical insurance outpatient mutual aid policy on the utilization of medical services.Methods Data indicators related to the utilization of medical services from a tertiary hospital in Wuhan,Hubei Province,from January 2022 to December 2023 were collected.Interrupted time series analysis was used to examine the changing trends of outpatient visits,hospitalizations,and average cost per outpatient visit before and after the implementation of the outpatient mutual aid policy.The Granger causality test and vector autoregressive model were also used to analyze the association between outpatient and inpatient services.Results The outpatient mutual aid policy significantly increased the number of outpatient visits,hospitalizations,and day surgeries in the sample medical institutions(P＜0.05),but had limited impact on the average cost per outpatient visit and hospitalization.Conclusion Outpatient mutual aid can effectively promote the utilization of outpatient services,but attention needs to be paid to potential moral hazard issues and strengthen the supervision of medical insurance funds.