BACKGROUND: The available evidence regarding the benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on patients receiving dialysis with coronary artery disease (CAD) is limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the association between PCI and clinical outcomes as compared with medical therapy alone in patients undergoing dialysis with CAD in China. METHODS: This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in 30 tertiary medical centers across 12 provinces in China from January 2015 to June 2021 to include patients on dialysis with CAD. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke. Secondary outcomes included all-cause death, the individual components of MACE, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria types 2, 3, or 5 bleeding. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between PCI and outcomes. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to account for potential between-group differences. RESULTS: Of the 1146 patients on dialysis with significant CAD, 821 (71.6%) underwent PCI. After a median follow-up of 23.0 months, PCI was associated with a 43.0% significantly lower risk for MACE (33.9% [ n  = 278] vs . 43.7% [ n  = 142]; adjusted hazards ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.45-0.71), along with a slightly increased risk for bleeding outcomes that did not reach statistical significance (11.1% vs . 8.3%; adjusted hazards ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval, 0.82-2.11). Furthermore, PCI was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities. Subgroup analysis did not modify the association of PCI with patient outcomes. These primary findings were consistent across IPTW, PSM, and competing risk analyses. CONCLUSION This study indicated that PCI in patients on dialysis with CAD was significantly associated with lower MACE and mortality when comparing with those with medical therapy alone, albeit with a slightly increased risk for bleeding events that did not reach statistical significance.
Humans ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Coronary Artery Disease/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Renal Dialysis/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; China ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Treatment Outcome

This study aims to explore whether Naoxintong Capsules improve multiple cerebral infarctions and myocardial injury via promoting angiogenesis, thereby exerting a simultaneous treatment effect on both the brain and heart. Male SD rats were randomly divided into six groups: sham-operated group, model group, high-dose, medium-dose, and low-dose groups of Naoxintong Capsules(440, 220, and 110 mg·kg~(-1)), and nimodipine group(10.8 mg·kg~(-1)). Rat models of multiple cerebral infarctions were established by injecting autologous thrombus, and samples were collected and tested seven days after modeling. Evaluations included multiple cerebral infarction model assessments, neurological function scores, grip strength tests, and rotarod tests, so as to evaluate neuromotor functions. Morphological structures of brain and heart tissue were observed using hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, Nissl staining, and Masson staining. Network pharmacology was employed to screen the mechanisms of Naoxintong Capsules in improving multiple cerebral infarctions and myocardial injury. Neuronal and myocardial cell ultrastructures were observed using transmission electron microscopy. Apoptosis rate in brain neuronal cells was detected by TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL) staining, and reactive oxygen species(ROS) levels in myocardial cells were measured. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1(CD31), antigen identified by monoclonal antibody Ki67(Ki67), hematopoietic progenitor cell antigen CD34(CD34), and hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α) in brain and myocardial tissue. Western blot, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) were used to detect the expression of HIF-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2(VEGFR2), sarcoma(Src), basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF), angiopoietin-1(Ang-1), and TEK receptor tyrosine kinase(Tie-2). Compared with the model group, the medium-dose group of Naoxintong Capsules showed significantly lower neurological function scores, increased grip strength, and prolonged time on the rotarod. Pathological damage in brain and heart tissue was reduced, with increased and more orderly arranged mitochondria in neurons and cardiomyocytes. Apoptosis in brain neuronal cells was decreased, and ROS levels in cardiomyocytes were reduced. The microvascular density and endothelial cells of new blood vessels in brain and heart tissue increased, with increased overlapping regions of CD31 and Ki67 expression. The relative protein and mRNA expression levels of HIF-1α, VEGF, VEGFR2, Src, Ang-1, Tie-2, and bFGF were elevated in brain tissue and myocardial tissue. Naoxintong Capsules may improve multiple cerebral infarctions and myocardial injury by mediating HIF-1α/VEGF expression to promote angiogenesis.
Animals ; Male ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Cerebral Infarction/genetics* ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/genetics* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/genetics* ; Capsules ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Humans ; Brain/metabolism* ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Apoptosis/drug effects*

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of Erzhu Jiedu Decoction (EZJDD) Granules in treating mid-advanced hepatitis B virus-associated primary liver cancer (HBV-PLC) patients with Pi (Spleen)-deficiency and dampness-heat syndrome. METHODS: From January 2021 to June 2023, a cohort of 132 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to a control group or a EZJDD group according to the random numbers, with 66 patients in each group. The patients in the control group received conventional treatment for 3 months, followed by a 3-month follow-up. In addition to the conventional treatment, patients in the EZJDD group were administered EZJDD Granules (10.9 g/pack, 2 packs twice per day) orally for same duration. Progression-free survival (PFS) as primary outcome was evaluated by Kaplan Meier method. Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scores were used to assess the quality of life in two groups before and after treatment, and survival rates were determined as well. The efficacy of Chinese medicine syndrome was calculated with Nimodipine method. Liver function, tumor indicators and T lymphocyte subsets were measured, respectively. Safety indicators were recorded and assessed. RESULTS: Of the 116 patients who completed the study, 57 were in the control group and 59 in the EZJDD group. The median PFS was 3.53 months (106 days) in the EZJDD group compared to 2.33 months (70 days) in the control group (P=0.005). Six-month survival rate was 52.63% (30/57) in the control group and 69.49% (41/59) in the EZJDD group (P=0.039). The median KPS score in the EZJDD group [70(63, 90)] was higher than that in the control group [70(60, 80)] (P=0.013). The total effective rate of CM syndrome was 52.63% (30/57) in the control group and 77.97% (46/59) in the EZJDD group (P=0.005). The levels of alpha fetoprotein, alpha fetoprotein-L3, alpha-L-fucosidase and protein induced by Vitamin K absence or antagonist- II in the EZJDD group increased less than the control group (P>0.05). CD8⁺ levels were decreased, while CD3⁺ and CD4⁺ levels, as well as CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio were significantly increased in the EZZJD group (P<0.05). No treatment-related adverse reactions were observed during the study. CONCLUSION EZJDD Granules significantly prolonged the median PFS and improved 6-month survival rate in patients with mid-advanced HBV-PLC (Registration No. ChiCTR2200056922).
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Liver Neoplasms/complications* ; Hepatitis B virus/physiology* ; Hepatitis B/complications* ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult ; Spleen/drug effects* ; Quality of Life ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Aged ; Syndrome

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism of anti-colorectal cancer growth and metastasis-related effects of Astraga-lus mongholicus Bunge-Curcuma aromatica-Paridis Rhizoma(Qi-Zhu-Zao)pairing through PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 signaling pathway mediating endoplasmic reticulum stress.METHODS Twenty-four BALB/c male mice were randomly divided into sham-operated group,model group,5-FU(5-fluorouracil)group(25 mg·kg-1),and Qi-Zhu-Zao high dose group(5.85 g·kg-1),Qi-Zhu-Zao low dose group(2.925 g·kg-1)(n=6)to construct a mouse model of colorectal cancer in situ transplantation tumor,and the inter-vention effect of Qi-Zhu-Zao combination on tumor growth was assessed by the change of tumor volume size after 15 days of administra-tion;the intervention effect of Qi-Zhu-Zao combination on tumor growth was assessed by H&E.Pathological staining was used to eval-uate the effect of Qi-Zhu-Zao combination on the liver and tumor tissues of mice.The changes of MDA,SOD and GSH-Px levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA);the expression of PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 signaling pathway and EMT-related proteins were detected by protein immunoblotting(Western blot).RESULTS Compared with the model group,the tumor volume was significantly reduced(P＜0.000 1),liver and spleen metastases were less pronounced in the Qi-Zhu-Zao high-dose group,and his-topathological staining results of liver tissue and tumor produced changes in oxidative stress indicators SOD,MDA,and GSH-Px,up-regulation of ER stress-related proteins p-PERK,p-IF2α,and ATF4,etc.,upregulated the protein expression levels of E-Cadherin,downregulated N-Cadherin,Vimentin,and Snail,and inhibited the EMT process(P＜0.01 or P＜0.05).CONCLUSION In this paper,we investigated the regulatory mechanism related to the inhibition of colorectal cancer growth and metastasis by the combination of Qi-Zhu-Zao trigonal medicine,and demonstrated that it may inhibit the growth and metastasis of colorectal cancer by activating the PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 pathway to induce sustained ER stress and affect the EMT process of colorectal cancer.

Objective To investigate the changes in plasma amyloid-β (Aβ) level and their relationship with white matter microstructure in the patients with amnesic mild cognitive impairment(aMCI) and vascular mild cognitive impairment (vMCI).Methods A total of 36 aMCI patients,20 vMCI patients,and 34 sex and age matched healthy controls (HC) in the outpatient and inpatient departments of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were enrolled in this study.Neuropsychological scales,including the Mini-Mental State Examination,the Montreal Cognitive Assessment,and the Activity of Daily Living Scale,were employed to assess the participants.Plasma samples of all the participants were collected for the measurement of Aβ42 and Aβ40 levels.All the participants underwent magnetic resonance scanning to obtain diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data.The DTI indexes of 48 white matter regions of each individual were measured (based on the ICBM-DTI-81 white-matter labels atlas developed by Johns Hopkins University),including fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD).The cognitive function,plasma Aβ42,Aβ40,and Aβ42/40 levels,and DTI index were compared among the three groups.The correlations between the plasma Aβ42/40 levels and DTI index of aMCI and vMCI patients were analyzed.Results The Mini-Mental State Examination and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores of aMCI and vMCI groups were lower than those of the HC group (all P<0.001).There was no significant difference in the Activity of Daily Living Scale score among the three groups (P=0.654).The plasma Aβ42 level showed no significant difference among the three groups (P=0.227).The plasma Aβ40 level in the vMCI group was higher than that in the HC group (P=0.014),while it showed no significant difference between aMCI and HC groups (P=1.000).The plasma Aβ42/40 levels in aMCI and vMCI groups showed no significant differences from that in the HC group (P=1.000,P=0.105),while the plasma Aβ42/40 level was lower in the vMCI group than in the aMCI group (P=0.016).The FA value of the left anterior limb of internal capsule in the vMCI group was lower than those in HC and aMCI groups (all P=0.001).The MD values of the left superior corona radiata,left external capsule,left cingulum (cingulate gyrus),and left superior fronto-occipital fasciculus in the vMCI group were higher than those in HC (P=0.024,P=0.001,P=0.003,P<0.001) and aMCI (P=0.015,P=0.004,P=0.019,P=0.001) groups,while the MD values of the right posterior limb of internal capsule (P=0.005,P=0.001) and left cingulum (hippocampus) (P=0.017,P=0.031) in the aMCI and vMCI groups were higher than those in the HC group.In the aMCI group,plasma Aβ42/40 level was positively correlated with FA of left posterior limb of internal capsule (r=0.403,P=0.015) and negatively correlated with MD of the right fonix (r=-0.395,P=0.017).In the vMCI group,plasma Aβ42/40 level was positively correlated with FA of the right superior cerebellar peduncle and the right anterior limb of internal capsule (r=0.575,P=0.008;r=0.639,P=0.002),while it was negatively correlated with MD of the right superior cerebellar peduncle and the right anterior limb of internal capsule (r=-0.558,P=0.011;r=-0.626,P=0.003).Conclusions Plasma Aβ levels vary differently in the patients with aMCI and vMCI.The white matter regions of impaired microstructural integrity differ in the patients with different dementia types in the early stage.The plasma Aβ levels in the patients with aMCI and vMCI are associated with the structural integrity of white matter,and there is regional specificity between them.
Humans ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; White Matter/diagnostic imaging* ; Cognitive Dysfunction ; Outpatients ; Cognition ; Amyloid beta-Peptides

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and clinical significance of soluble Fas (sFas) and sFasL in patients with secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (sHLH). METHODS: From September 2015 to December 2020, 86 sHLH patients who met the HLH2004 diagnostic criteria were collected. They were divided into 55 cases in the MAHLH group and 31 cases in the NonMAHLH group according to the etiology. Thirty healthy persons were chosen as the normal control group, and 20 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were chosen as the disease control group. The expression levels of sFas and sFasL in the serum of patients with each group were detected by ELISA, and the clinical data were collected for statistical analysis. The significance of sFas and sFasL in sHLH was analyzed by ROC curve. RESULTS: Serum levels of sFas and sFasL in patients with newly diagnosed sHLH were significantly higher than those in disease control group and normal control group (P<0.01). The levels of sFas and sFasL in MAHLH group were significantly higher than those in nonMAHLH (infection related HLH and autoimmune disease related HLH) group (P<0.01). The serum levels of sFas and sFasL in 17 newly treated patients with sHLH (17/86) after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.01). The serum sFas level in newly diagnosed sHLH patients was positively correlated with SF(r=0.35), sCD25(r=0.79) and sFasL(r=0.73). The serum sFasL level was positively correlated with SF(r=0.39), sCD25(r=0.64) and sFas(r=0.73). Compared with the NonMAHLH group, the area under the ROC curve was 0.707 (95% CI: 0.593-0.821) (P=0.0015). The optimal critical value for diagnosing MAHLH by sFas level was 12 743 pg/ml, and the sensitivity and specificity were 70.9% and 71% respectively. Compared with the NonMAHLH group, the area under the ROC curve was 0.765(95% CI: 0.659-0.87)(P<0.01). The median OS time of sFas high expression group (≥16798.5 pg/ml) and sFasL high expression group (≥4 785 pg/ml) was significantly shorter than that of the low expression group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION Serum levels of sFas and sFasL can be used for the early diagnosis and differential diagnosis of sHLH disease, and are the factor related to the poor prognosis of sHLH.
Humans ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic ; Clinical Relevance ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic

Objective:To investigate the types, incidences, and clinical characteristics of shock in polytrauma patients at different stages after polytrauma.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on polytrauma patients admitted to multiple trauma centers from June 2020 to December 2021. The inclusion criteria were patients >18 years old and treated due to polytrauma. Exclusion criteria included an admission time of more than 48 h after trauma, a history of malignancy, or metabolic, consumptive, and immunological diseases. The early stage was defined as the period of ≤48 h after polytrauma, and the middle stage was defined as the period between 48 h and 14 days. The patient’s medical history, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, imaging examination, injury severity score (ISS), and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) were collected. The types, incidences, and clinical characteristics of shock in different stages after polytrauma were analyzed, according to the diagnostic criteria of each type of shock. The differences between the groups were compared by Student’s t test, χ2 test or Mann-Whitney U test. Results:The incidence of the early and middle stage shock after polytrauma were 73.1% and 36.4%, respectively, with statistically significant difference between stages ( P<0.01). There were significant differences in the incidence of hypovolemic shock (83.6% vs. 28.4%), distributed shock (13.7% vs. 80.9%) and cardiogenic shock (3.5% vs. 6.6%) between stages (all P<0.05). The incidence of obstructive shock (8.4% vs. 9.7%, P>0.05) was similar between stages. The incidence of undifferentiated shock was 1.6% and 1.2%, respectively. There were 9.5% patients with multifactorial shock in the early stage and 14.4% in the middle stage. Totally 7 combinations of multifactorial shock were found in different stages after polytrauma. In the early stage, the combination of HS and DS accounted the highest ratio (42.3%) and followed by HS and OS for 28.8%. In the middle stage, the combination of HS and DS was the most common (48.6%) and followed by DS and OS (24.3%). Conclusions:The incidence of shock in polytrauma patients is high. Different types of shock can occur simultaneously or sequentially. Therefore a comprehensive resuscitation strategy is significant to improve the success rate of treatment.

We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of single-course initial regimens in patients with low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN). In this trial (NCT01823315), 276 patients were analyzed. Patients were allocated to three initiated regimens: single-course methotrexate (MTX), single-course MTX + dactinomycin (ACTD), and multi-course MTX (control arm). The primary endpoint was the complete remission (CR) rate by initial drug(s). The primary CR rate was 64.4% with multi-course MTX in the control arm. For the single-course MTX arm, the CR rate was 35.8% by one course; it increased to 59.3% after subsequent multi-course MTX, with non-inferiority to the control (difference -5.1%,95% confidence interval (CI) -19.4% to 9.2%, P = 0.014). After further treatment with multi-course ACTD, the CR rate (93.3%) was similar to that of the control (95.2%, P = 0.577). For the single-course MTX + ACTD arm, the CR rate was 46.7% by one course, which increased to 89.1% after subsequent multi-course, with non-inferiority (difference 24.7%, 95% CI 12.8%-36.6%, P < 0.001) to the control. It was similar to the CR rate by MTX and further ACTD in the control arm (89.1% vs. 95.2%, P =0.135). Four patients experienced recurrence, with no death, during the 2-year follow-up. We demonstrated that chemotherapy initiation with single-course MTX may be an alternative regimen for patients with low-risk GTN.
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects* ; Dactinomycin/adverse effects* ; Female ; Gestational Trophoblastic Disease/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Methotrexate/therapeutic use* ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies

In vitro studies have established the prevalent theory that the mitochondrial kinase PINK1 protects neurodegeneration by removing damaged mitochondria in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, difficulty in detecting endogenous PINK1 protein in rodent brains and cell lines has prevented the rigorous investigation of the in vivo role of PINK1. Here we report that PINK1 kinase form is selectively expressed in the human and monkey brains. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deficiency of PINK1 causes similar neurodegeneration in the brains of fetal and adult monkeys as well as cultured monkey neurons without affecting mitochondrial protein expression and morphology. Importantly, PINK1 mutations in the primate brain and human cells reduce protein phosphorylation that is important for neuronal function and survival. Our findings suggest that PINK1 kinase activity rather than its mitochondrial function is essential for the neuronal survival in the primate brains and that its kinase dysfunction could be involved in the pathogenesis of PD.