BACKGROUND:Previous studies of the research group have found that icariin-containing serum can delay the progression of knee osteoarthritis,promote chondrocyte proliferation and stem cell cartilage differentiation in rats,but there is still a lack of sufficient basis for clinical application.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the repair effect of icariin-containing serum on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory damage of human chondrocytes.METHODS:The effect of icariin-containing serum on chondrocyte viability was detected by cell counting kit-8 method,and the optimal volume fraction and time of icariin-containing serum were screened.The cells were then divided into blank group,lipopolysaccharide group,icariin-containing serum group and lipopolysaccharide+icariin-containing serum group.After grouping,immunofluorescence was used to detect the secretion of type Ⅱ collagen in chondrocytes in each group.Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of related genes.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Icariin-containing serum showed good biosafety characteristics for human chondrocytes,and the cell viability reached the highest level after 48 hours of intervention when the icariin-containing serum volume fraction was 15％,and the follow-up experiments were carried out according to the conditions.(2)Compared with the blank group,lipopolysaccharide significantly inhibited the expression of type Ⅱ collagen in chondrocytes,while icariin-containing serum showed a positive mobilization effect,which could effectively promote the secretion of type Ⅱ collagen in chondrocytes under normal and inflammatory conditions.(3)The mRNA expression of type Ⅱ collagen and Aggrecan in chondrocytes decreased significantly under lipopolysaccharide stimulation,and the mRNA expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase 13 and a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-5 increased significantly.Icariin-containing serum promoted the mRNA expression of type Ⅱ collagen in human chondrocytes under inflammatory conditions and reduced the mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase 13 and a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-5 in chondrocytes after lipopolysaccharide intervention.Therefore,these findings indicate that the icariin-containing serum has good safety for human chondrocytes and plays an important role in maintaining the normal physiological functions of chondrocytes,promoting the synthesis of extracellular matrix,and inhibiting the secretion of inflammatory factors.

BACKGROUND:Previous studies of the research group have found that icariin-containing serum can delay the progression of knee osteoarthritis,promote chondrocyte proliferation and stem cell cartilage differentiation in rats,but there is still a lack of sufficient basis for clinical application.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the repair effect of icariin-containing serum on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory damage of human chondrocytes.METHODS:The effect of icariin-containing serum on chondrocyte viability was detected by cell counting kit-8 method,and the optimal volume fraction and time of icariin-containing serum were screened.The cells were then divided into blank group,lipopolysaccharide group,icariin-containing serum group and lipopolysaccharide+icariin-containing serum group.After grouping,immunofluorescence was used to detect the secretion of type Ⅱ collagen in chondrocytes in each group.Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of related genes.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Icariin-containing serum showed good biosafety characteristics for human chondrocytes,and the cell viability reached the highest level after 48 hours of intervention when the icariin-containing serum volume fraction was 15％,and the follow-up experiments were carried out according to the conditions.(2)Compared with the blank group,lipopolysaccharide significantly inhibited the expression of type Ⅱ collagen in chondrocytes,while icariin-containing serum showed a positive mobilization effect,which could effectively promote the secretion of type Ⅱ collagen in chondrocytes under normal and inflammatory conditions.(3)The mRNA expression of type Ⅱ collagen and Aggrecan in chondrocytes decreased significantly under lipopolysaccharide stimulation,and the mRNA expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase 13 and a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-5 increased significantly.Icariin-containing serum promoted the mRNA expression of type Ⅱ collagen in human chondrocytes under inflammatory conditions and reduced the mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase 13 and a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-5 in chondrocytes after lipopolysaccharide intervention.Therefore,these findings indicate that the icariin-containing serum has good safety for human chondrocytes and plays an important role in maintaining the normal physiological functions of chondrocytes,promoting the synthesis of extracellular matrix,and inhibiting the secretion of inflammatory factors.

Objective: To develop and validate a clinically actionable prediction model for postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in cardiac surgery patients, focusing on modifiable preoperative risk factors amenable to targeted optimization. Methods: In this prospective observational cohort study, 492 adults undergoing open-chest cardiac surgery between August 15, 2023 and December 31, 2023 were analyzed. Prespecified predictors included gas exchange variables, pulmonary function, inspiratory muscle strength, and physical performance. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to develop the prediction model. Discrimination was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: A total of 90 patients (14.1%) developed PPCs after surgery. Five independent predictors were identified: elevated arterial PaCO2 (odds ratio [OR] 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00–1.26), oxygen desaturation (SpO2<93%) (OR 12.47, 95% CI 3.51–48.13), reduced gait speed (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.04–0.71), lower FEV1/FVC ratio (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.92–1.00), and diminished inspiratory muscle strength (MIP % predicted) (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.92–0.99). The model demonstrated good discriminative ability with an AUC of 0.86 (95% CI 0.80–0.93) in the training cohort and 0.87 (95% CI 0.74–0.93) in the validation cohort. Conclusion This parsimonious model achieved high predictive accuracy using five modifiable physiological variables. By targeting abnormalities in gas exchange, pulmonary mechanics, muscle strength, and functional reserve, the model offers a practical tool to guide individualized prehabilitation strategies for reducing PPC risk in cardiac surgery patients.

Objective To examine the potential causal associations between different dietary taste preferences and the risk of prostatitis, so as to provide reference for the primary prevention of this disease. Methods Summary-level genome-wide association study(GWAS)data on five taste preferences-sweet, sour, salty, bitter and spicy—were obtained from the GWAS, and GWAS data for prostatitis were sourced from the FinnGen database. The potential causal associations between the dietary taste preferences and risk of prostatitis were analyzed with MR. The inverse variance weighted(IVW)method served as the primary analytical approach. Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q test. Horizontal pleiotropy was evaluated via the MR-Egger intercept and Mendelian randomization pleiotropy residual sum and outlier(MR-PRESSO)tests. Leave-one-out analysis was performed to evaluate the influence of individual single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)on the causal estimates. Results Preferences for sweet(OR=1.338, 95%CI:1.024-1.748, P=0.033)and salty(OR=1.356, 95%CI:1.092-1.684, P=0.006)tastes showed positive causal associations with the risk of prostatitis, whereas a preference for bitter taste was negatively associated(OR=0.638, 95%CI:0.416-0.978, P=0.039). No significant causal links were observed for sour or spicy taste preferences(P＞0.05). Sensitivity analyses and reverse MR analyses further supported the robustness of the findings.Conclusion Sweet and salty taste preferences may be potential dietary risk factors for prostatitis, while bitter taste preference could play a protective role. Further research is needed to elucidate these causal relationships, which may contribute to developing tailored dietary intervention strategies for prostatitis prevention.

Objective:To construct a Harvard cancer index-based risk predictive model for perioperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) in elderly patients with femoral neck fracture and assess its predictive effectiveness.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 610 elderly patients with femoral neck fracture admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2013 and December 2022, including 193 males and 417 females, aged 60-99 years [(77.3±9.0)years]. The patients were divided into VTE group ( n=125) and non-VTE group ( n=485) according to occurrence of VTE during the perioperative period. The two groups were compared in terms of gender, age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption, time from fracture to admission, surgical waiting time, comorbidities, perioperative electrolyte disorders, past or present history of malignancy, past history of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE), and preoperative use of oral anticoagulants. Univariate analysis and multivariable stepwise Logistic regression analysis were conducted to evaluate and identify independent risk factors for perioperative VTE in elderly patients with femoral neck fracture. A perioperative VTE risk predictive model for elderly patients with femoral neck fracture was constructed using the Harvard cancer index: (1) assigning a risk score to each variable according to the corresponding conversion criteria of the Harvard cancer index and risk score, based on the magnitude of their ORs; (2) determining the exposure rate of each risk factor based on the population distribution observed in this study; (3) calculating the average population risk score; (4) computing the individual VTE risk score; (5) deriving the ratio (X) of each individual ′s VTE risk score to the population average. Based on the Harvard cancer index classification criteria for disease risk levels, individual VTE risk categories were determined. The predictive performance of the risk stratification was evaluated by comparing the incidence of VTE across different risk levels. The predictive performance of the model was evaluated based on sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). The calibration of the model was assessed using the Hosmer-Lemeshow (H-L) test and internal validation was performed using the bootstrap resampling method with 1000 iterations. Results:Univariate analysis showed that gender, age, time from fracture to admission, surgical waiting time, previous cerebral infarction, stroke within the past month, Alzheimer′s disease, primary Parkinson′s syndrome, hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy, perioperative electrolyte disorders, history of DVT or PE, and preoperative use of oral anticoagulant drug were moderately associated with the occurrence of VTE in elderly patients with femoral neck fracture ( P<0.10). Multivariable stepwise logistic regression analysis demonstrated that female gender ( OR=2.26, 95% CI 1.34, 3.80, P<0.01), time from fracture to admission>1 day ( OR=3.70, 95% CI 2.24, 6.12, P<0.01), surgical waiting time>70 hours ( OR=2.06, 95% CI 1.29, 3.30, P<0.01), previous cerebral infarction ( OR=3.78, 95% CI 1.04, 13.76, P<0.05), stroke within the past month ( OR=11.57, 95% CI 1.21, 110.44, P<0.05), Alzheimer′s disease ( OR=3.26, 95% CI 1.12, 9.49, P<0.05), primary Parkinson ′s syndrome ( OR=3.47, 95% CI 1.22, 9.85, P<0.05), previous hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy ( OR=4.75, 95% CI 2.09, 10.80, P<0.01), perioperative electrolyte disorders ( OR=2.73, 95% CI 1.39, 5.35, P<0.01), and preoperative oral anticoagulant use ( OR=3.86, 95% CI 1.18, 12.67, P<0.05) were significantly associated with the occurrence of perioperative VTE in elderly patients with femoral neck fracture. Based on the above 10 risk factors, a perioperative VTE risk predictive model for elderly patients with femoral neck fracture was constructed with the Harvard cancer index. The formula was as follows: X=[10×(female gender)+25×(time from fracture to admission>1 day)+10×(surgical waiting time>70 hours)+25×(previous cerebral infarction)+50×(stroke within the past month)+25×(Alzheimer′s disease)+25×(primary Parkinson′s disease)+25×(previous hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy)+10×(perioperative electrolyte disorders)+25×(preoperative use of oral anticoagulant drug)]/33. Individualized VTE risk was classified into five levels: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high, with corresponding VTE rates of 4.8%, 11.8%, 14.9%, 32.3%, and 73.5%, respectively ( χ2=87.71, P<0.01). The VTE risk predictive model demonstrated an AUC of 0.74 (95% CI 0.69, 0.79, P<0.01), with a sensitivity of 63.2% and specificity of 74.8%. The H-L goodness-of-fit test indicated satisfactory model calibration ( P>0.05). The internal validation with the bootstrap method confirmed that the AUC remained 0.74. Conclusions:Female gender, time from fracture to admission>1 day, surgical waiting time>70 hours, previous cerebral infarction, stroke within the past month, Alzheimer′s disease, primary Parkinson′s syndrome, hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy, perioperative electrolyte disorders, and preoperative use of oral anticoagulant drug are independent risk factors for perioperative VTE in elderly patients with femoral neck fracture. Based on these factors, the perioperative VTE risk predictive model constructed using the Harvard cancer index demonstrates good clinical predictive value. Individualized VTE risk stratification can effectively identify high-, intermediate-, and low-risk populations, providing a valuable reference for tailoring anticoagulant prophylaxis strategies and enhancing postoperative surveillance.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of autologous adipose-derived stem cell gel (SVF-gel) grafting in the treatment of depressed acne scars.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on data collected from 28 patients who underwent SVF-gel grafting treatment for depressed acne scars in the Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University from October 2018 to May 2021. There were 17 males and 11 females, aged 17 - 38 (26 ± 4.86) years. As for clinical types, 8 patients were diagnosed with boxcar acne scars, 14 with rolling acne scars, and 6 with acne scars with characteristics of the two types. The clinical acne scar weighted scale (ECCA scale) was used to evaluate the appearance improvement after the treatment, and patients′ subjective satisfaction scores and incidence of adverse reactions were recorded.Results:After the SVF-gel grafting, the facial appearance of patients with depressed acne scars significantly improved, and the ECCA scores significantly decreased 6 months after surgery (before surgery: 52.5 ± 15.8 points; 6 months after surgery: 23.8 ± 10.2 points; t = 11.68, P < 0.001). The subjective satisfaction rate of patients was 82.14% (23/28), the incidence rate of adverse reactions was 17.86% (5/28), and 5 patients experienced mild inflammatory reactions after surgery, including 2 with subcutaneous nodules. The secondary grafting rate was 67.86% (19/28) . Conclusion:The SVF-gel grafting was markedly effective for the treatment of depressed acne scars, which is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

BACKGROUND:Soft tissue damage induced by cobalt nanoparticles is currently the most noticeable complication in patients with artificial joint prostheses.Therefore,an effective therapeutic strategy is needed to limit the toxicity of cobalt nanoparticles.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the protective effect of a ferroptosis inhibitor on cobalt nanoparticles-induced cytotoxicity.METHODS:To evaluate the detoxification effect of ferroptosis inhibitor on mouse fibroblasts(Balb/3T3),Balb/3T3 cells were treated with cobalt nanoparticles and ferroptosis inhibitor for 24 hours.The cell viabilities were measured by cell viability assay.Based on the results of the cell viability assay,the concentrations of cobalt nanoparticles and deferiprone were determined.The experiment was divided into four groups:the cobalt nanoparticles group(400 μmol/L cobalt nanoparticles),the cobalt nanoparticles+deferiprone group(400 μmol/L cobalt nanoparticles and 25 μmol/L deferiprone),the deferiprone group(25 μmol/L deferiprone),and the control group.The expressions of glutathione peroxidase 4 and solute carrier family 7 member 11 protein were examined by western blot assay.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The cell viability assay results showed that as the exposure time or the drug concentration increased,cell viability decreased further,indicating that the cytotoxic effect of cobalt nanoparticles was time-and dose-dependent.Additionally,after 24 hours of exposure,cobalt nanoparticles significantly reduced cell viability and glutathione levels compared with the control group(P＜0.05).At the same time,compared with the control group,there was an increase in reactive oxygen species production,intracellular iron levels,and the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor α,interleukin-1β,and interleukin-6.After the addition of deferiprone,compared with the cobalt nanoparticles group,cell viability significantly improved,and reactive oxygen species production,intracellular iron levels,and the expression of inflammatory cytokines(tumor necrosis factor α,interleukin-1β,and interleukin-6)significantly decreased(P＜0.05).This demonstrated that deferiprone had a protective effect on cells exposed to cobalt nanoparticles.(2)Western blot assay results showed that cobalt nanoparticles reduced the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 and solute carrier family 7 member 11 protein(P＜0.05),while deferiprone inhibited this effect(P＜0.05).(3)The above findings verify that cobalt nanoparticles are highly cytotoxic and ferroptosis inhibitor deferiprone has a detoxification effect on cytotoxicity induced by cobalt nanoparticles.Ferroptosis plays an important role in the process by which cobalt nanoparticles induce cytotoxicity.The inhibitory effect of ferroptosis inhibitors on the toxicity of cobalt nanoparticles may provide valuable insights for further research into the mechanisms of cobalt nanoparticle toxicity and potential detoxification strategies.

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and risk factors of an outbreak of influenza A H1N1 in a specialized psychiatric hospital in Shantou City,Guangdong Province,provide scientific basis for the pre-vention and control of respiratory infectious diseases in psychiatric health institutions.Methods Data of infection cases in this hospital in May 1-27,2024 were collected with on-site epidemiological investigation method,and were analyzed with descriptive epidemiological methods.The specimens of the cases were performed nucleic acid testing by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)method.Results A total of 43 influenza-like cases in this outbreak have been reported,with an incidence of 16.67％,including 42 hospitalized patients and 1 healthcare worker.Among the 42 hospitalized patients,there were 41 males,with an incidence of 35.04％and 1 female with an incidence of 2.22％,there was a statistically significant difference in incidence between hospitalized patients of different genders(x2=18.23,P＜0.001).The epidemic curve shows that after the first case appeared on May 8,2024,the number of cases increased significantly from May 13,and reached its peak on May 17(n=17).31 pa-tients' throat swab specimens were collected,out of which 29(93.55％)were positive for influenza A H1N1 virus nucleic acid and 2(6.45％)were negative.Conclusion This epidemic is an outbreak of influenza A H1N1 in a psy-chiatric health institution,the epidemic curve shows a point source human-to-human transmission mode.Failure to effectively identify and isolate cases in the early stage can lead to the spread of the epidemic across floors and wards.It is necessary to regularly organize hospitalized patients and healthcare workers to receive influenza vaccines,strict-ly implement the health monitoring system,strengthen the control of external personnel,and enhance the early de-tection and emergency response capabilities for infectious disease outbreaks.

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and risk factors of an outbreak of influenza A H1N1 in a specialized psychiatric hospital in Shantou City,Guangdong Province,provide scientific basis for the pre-vention and control of respiratory infectious diseases in psychiatric health institutions.Methods Data of infection cases in this hospital in May 1-27,2024 were collected with on-site epidemiological investigation method,and were analyzed with descriptive epidemiological methods.The specimens of the cases were performed nucleic acid testing by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)method.Results A total of 43 influenza-like cases in this outbreak have been reported,with an incidence of 16.67％,including 42 hospitalized patients and 1 healthcare worker.Among the 42 hospitalized patients,there were 41 males,with an incidence of 35.04％and 1 female with an incidence of 2.22％,there was a statistically significant difference in incidence between hospitalized patients of different genders(x2=18.23,P＜0.001).The epidemic curve shows that after the first case appeared on May 8,2024,the number of cases increased significantly from May 13,and reached its peak on May 17(n=17).31 pa-tients' throat swab specimens were collected,out of which 29(93.55％)were positive for influenza A H1N1 virus nucleic acid and 2(6.45％)were negative.Conclusion This epidemic is an outbreak of influenza A H1N1 in a psy-chiatric health institution,the epidemic curve shows a point source human-to-human transmission mode.Failure to effectively identify and isolate cases in the early stage can lead to the spread of the epidemic across floors and wards.It is necessary to regularly organize hospitalized patients and healthcare workers to receive influenza vaccines,strict-ly implement the health monitoring system,strengthen the control of external personnel,and enhance the early de-tection and emergency response capabilities for infectious disease outbreaks.

BACKGROUND:Soft tissue damage induced by cobalt nanoparticles is currently the most noticeable complication in patients with artificial joint prostheses.Therefore,an effective therapeutic strategy is needed to limit the toxicity of cobalt nanoparticles.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the protective effect of a ferroptosis inhibitor on cobalt nanoparticles-induced cytotoxicity.METHODS:To evaluate the detoxification effect of ferroptosis inhibitor on mouse fibroblasts(Balb/3T3),Balb/3T3 cells were treated with cobalt nanoparticles and ferroptosis inhibitor for 24 hours.The cell viabilities were measured by cell viability assay.Based on the results of the cell viability assay,the concentrations of cobalt nanoparticles and deferiprone were determined.The experiment was divided into four groups:the cobalt nanoparticles group(400 μmol/L cobalt nanoparticles),the cobalt nanoparticles+deferiprone group(400 μmol/L cobalt nanoparticles and 25 μmol/L deferiprone),the deferiprone group(25 μmol/L deferiprone),and the control group.The expressions of glutathione peroxidase 4 and solute carrier family 7 member 11 protein were examined by western blot assay.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The cell viability assay results showed that as the exposure time or the drug concentration increased,cell viability decreased further,indicating that the cytotoxic effect of cobalt nanoparticles was time-and dose-dependent.Additionally,after 24 hours of exposure,cobalt nanoparticles significantly reduced cell viability and glutathione levels compared with the control group(P＜0.05).At the same time,compared with the control group,there was an increase in reactive oxygen species production,intracellular iron levels,and the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor α,interleukin-1β,and interleukin-6.After the addition of deferiprone,compared with the cobalt nanoparticles group,cell viability significantly improved,and reactive oxygen species production,intracellular iron levels,and the expression of inflammatory cytokines(tumor necrosis factor α,interleukin-1β,and interleukin-6)significantly decreased(P＜0.05).This demonstrated that deferiprone had a protective effect on cells exposed to cobalt nanoparticles.(2)Western blot assay results showed that cobalt nanoparticles reduced the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 and solute carrier family 7 member 11 protein(P＜0.05),while deferiprone inhibited this effect(P＜0.05).(3)The above findings verify that cobalt nanoparticles are highly cytotoxic and ferroptosis inhibitor deferiprone has a detoxification effect on cytotoxicity induced by cobalt nanoparticles.Ferroptosis plays an important role in the process by which cobalt nanoparticles induce cytotoxicity.The inhibitory effect of ferroptosis inhibitors on the toxicity of cobalt nanoparticles may provide valuable insights for further research into the mechanisms of cobalt nanoparticle toxicity and potential detoxification strategies.