Liver fibrosis is a vital cause of morbidity in patients with liver diseases and developing novel anti-fibrotic drugs is imperative. Isovalerylspiramycin I (ISP I) as a major component of carrimycin applied to upper respiratory infections, was first found to possess anti-fibrotic potential. The present study aims to evaluate the functions and mechanisms of ISP I in protecting against liver fibrosis. According to our results, ISP I not only reduced the expressions of fibrogenic markers in LX-2 cells but also appeared great protective effects on liver injury and liver fibrosis in bile duct ligation (BDL) rats and carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) mice. We proved that nucleotide-binding protein 2 (NUBP2) was the direct target of ISP I. ISP I through targeting NUBP2, increased the amount of vascular non-inflammatory molecule-1 (VNN1) on the cell membrane, which will inhibit oxidative stress and fibrosis. Simultaneously, the original carrimycin's protective effect on liver damage and fibrosis was verified. Therefore, our study provides potential agents for patients with liver fibrosis-related diseases, and the clear mechanism supports wide application in the clinic.

Objective:To explore the causal association between insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1)and colorectal cancer(CRC)based on two sample Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis.Methods:A bidirectional two sample MR analysis was conducted based on publicly aggregated data from the IEU OpenGWAS project.The inverse variance weighted(IVW)method was used as the main analysis model to assess the causal relationship between IGF-1 and CRC.Additional analyses were performed using weighted median(WM),MR-Egger regression,weighted mode estimator(WME),and simple mode(SM)methods.Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the robustness of the results.Results:A total of 386 single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)were selected as instrumental variables(IVs)with IGF-1 as the exposure factor.The MR analysis results revealed a positive causal association between IGF-1 and the risk of CRC[odds ratio(OR)=1.178,95％confidence interval(CI):1.092-1.272)](P＜0.001),and the association remained significant after adjusting for height[OR(95％CI)=1.214(1.111,1.327)](P＜0.001).Cochran's Q-test showed heterogeneity among the IVs(P＜0.05),while the horizontal pleiotropy of IV was not detected by the MR-Egger regression(P＞0.05).The leave-one-out analysis showed that the MR results were robust.Reverse MR analysis indicated no reverse causal relationship between IGF-1 and CRC[OR(95％CI):1.017(0.997,1.037)](P=0.103).Conclusion:There is a causal relationship between IGF-1 level and CRC,and elevated IGF-1 level could be a risk factor for CRC.

Liver fibrosis is a vital cause of morbidity in patients with liver diseases and developing novel anti-fibrotic drugs is imperative.Isovalerylspiramycin Ⅰ(ISP Ⅰ)as a major component of carrimycin applied to upper respiratory infections,was first found to possess anti-fibrotic potential.The present study aims to evaluate the functions and mechanisms of ISP Ⅰ in protecting against liver fibrosis.According to our results,ISP Ⅰ not only reduced the expressions of fibrogenic markers in LX-2 cells but also appeared great protective effects on liver injury and liver fibrosis in bile duct ligation(BDL)rats and carbon tetrachloride(CCl4)mice.We proved that nucleotide-binding protein 2(NUBP2)was the direct target of ISP Ⅰ.ISP Ⅰ through targeting NUBP2,increased the amount of vascular non-inflammatory molecule-1(VNN1)on the cell membrane,which will inhibit oxidative stress and fibrosis.Simultaneously,the original carri-mycin's protective effect on liver damage and fibrosis was verified.Therefore,our study provides po-tential agents for patients with liver fibrosis-related diseases,and the clear mechanism supports wide application in the clinic.

Objective To explore the role of long non-coding RNA smad7(Linc-smad7)in invasion and migration of pancreatic cancer(PC)cells and its mechanisms.Methods The expression level of Linc-smad7 in PC tissues and cell lines was detected by qRT-PCR assays.Transwell assays were performed to observe the effect of Linc-smad7 overexpression on the migration and invasion abilities of PaCa-2 cells.Luciferase reporter analysis was made to detect the direct binding effect of Linc-smad7 on miR-125b and miR-125b on Sirtuin1(SIRT1).qRT-PCR assays were used to detect the regulatory effect of Linc-smad7 on miR-125b expression in PaCa-2 cells.qRT-PCR and Western blotting assays were used to detect the regulatory effect of miR-125b on SIRT1 expression.Results Linc-smad7 was significantly increased in PC tissues and cell lines.Paca-2 cells with overexpressed Linc-smad7 showed higher migration and invasion abilities,while miR-125b expression was decreased.After the expression of miR-125b was increased,the expression of SIRT1 was decreased significantly.Luciferase reporter assays results suggested that Linc-smad7 directly targeted with miR-125b,and miR-125b directly bound with SIRT1.Increased Linc-Smad7 or decreased miR-125b could reverse the effect of SIRT1 inhibition on invasion and migration of PaCa-2 cells.Conclusion Linc-smad7 promotes invasion and migration of PaCa-2 cells through miR-125b/SIRT1 axis.

Objective:To discuss the clinical efficacy of recombinant human growth hormone(rhGH)in the treatment of the pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency(GHD)and idiopathic short stature(ISS),and to clarify its clinical application value in the pediatric patients with short stature of different etiologies.Methods:The clinical data of 132 children with short stature who treated with rhGH from January 2018 to January 2023 were collected.They were divided into GHD group(n=70)and ISS group(n=62)based on different etiologies.The bone age,target height(TH),body mass index(BMI),height standard deviation score(HtSDS),changes in height standard deviation scores(ΔHtSDS)before treatment and 6 months after treatment,and growth velocity(GV)of the pediatric patients were calculated.Propensity score matching(PSM)and inverse probability of treatment weighting(IPTW)were used to balance the confounding factors between the pediatric patients in two groups and the efficacy and safety of the pediatric patients in two groups were evaluated.Results:There were significant differences in whether children were full-term,bone age,bone age maturity,and TH of the pediatric patients between two groups(P<0.05).Compared with before treatment,the height and HtSDS of the pediatric patients in both GHD and ISS groups were significantly increased after treated for 6 months(P<0.05).Before matched by PSM,there were significant differences in full-term,bone age,bone age maturity,and TH of the pediatric patients between two groups(P<0.05).After matched by PSM,there were no significant differences in gender,region,term birth status,mode of delivery,feeding method,age,bone age,height,BMI,TH,and pretreatment HtSDS of the pediatric patients between two groups(P>0.05);the standardized mean difference(SMD)differences of covariates except for region were<0.2.After weighted by IPTW,there were no significant differences in gender,region,term birth status,mode of delivery,feeding method,age,bone age,height,BMI,TH,and pretreatment HtSDS of the pediatric patients between two groups(P>0.05);all SMD of covariates except for term birth status were<0.2.Before balancing covariates,after meatched by PSM matching,and after weighted by IPTW weighting compared with GHD group,the GV and ΔHtSDS of the pediatric patients in ISS group were slightly increased,but the difference was not significant(P>0.05).In terms of adverse reactions,2 cases(2.68%)of fasting hyperglycemia and 7 cases(10.00%)of hypothyroidism occurred in GHD group;3 cases(4.84%)of fasting hyperglycemia and 2 cases(3.23%)of hypothyroidism occurred in ISS group.Conclusion:rhGH can promote the height increase in the patients with GHD and ISS,and there is no significant difference in the height-increasing efficacy between GHD and ISS children.The incidence of adverse reactions is relatively low during treatment,indicating good overall safety.

Objective:To observe the effects of early energy intake and early enteral nutrition on prognosis of patients during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).Methods:Patients who received ECMO treatment in the emergency intensive care unit (EICU) of the Jiangsu Provincial Hospital (First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University) from January 2021 to June 2022 were selected as subjects to summarize the early energy intake of ECMO patients. Logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis were used to determine the relationship between early energy intake and prognosis of ECMO patients. According to the results of RCS analysis, the patients were divided into energy-deficient group and energy-sufficient group. And according to whether early enteral nutrition (EEN) was initiated, the patients were divided into EEN group and non-EEN group. The differences of clinical outcomes between energy-deficient group and energy-sufficient group, EEN group and non-EEN group were compared.Results:There was no significant difference in age, sex, BMI, primary disease and ECMO pattern between energy-deficient group and energy-sufficient group, EEN group and non-EEN group. The ECMO conversion time (days) and hospitalization time (days) in the energy-deficient group were significantly lower than those in the energy-sufficient group, and the survival rate in the energy-deficient group was significantly lower than that in the energy-sufficient group [43.2% (19/44) vs. 66.0% (31/47), P=0.029]. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the 28-day survival rate in the energy-deficient group was significantly lower than that in the energy-sufficient group, and the risk of death was 2.595 times higher than that in the energy-sufficient group. The conversion time (days), hospital stay (days) and average daily energy intake [kcal/(kg·d)] in the EEN group were higher than those in the non-EEN group ( P<0.05), and the survival rate in the non-EEN group was significantly higher than that in the non-EEN group [66.1% (41/62) vs. 31.0% (9/29), P<0.002]. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the 28-day survival rate in the non-EEN group was significantly lower than that in the EEN group, and the risk of death was 2.981 times higher than that in the EEN group ( P<0.001). Conclusions:The energy intake of patients with ECMO above 16.94 kcal/ (kg·d) is a protective factor for prognosis. EEN helps to increase early energy intake and improve prognosis in patients during ECMO.

This article reported the management and outcome of a pregnant woman diagnosed with massive subchorionic thrombohematoma at the umbilical cord insertion. The patient was found to have a large placental hematoma below the insertion site of the umbilical cord at 28 weeks of gestation by ultrasound and MRI. Fetal growth and the condition of the placenta were closely monitored thereafter. The patient was delivered with good maternal and infant outcomes through emergency cesarean section at 33 +5 weeks of gestation due to a significantly enlarged hematoma with abnormal umbilical blood flow.

Objective:To investigate the prenatal diagnosis and prognostic factors of fetal sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT).Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 41 pregnant women who were diagnosed with fetal SCT by prenatal ultrasound at the Women′s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2014 to September 2021. The prenatal imaging features and pregnancy outcomes, including tumor volume to fetal weight ratio (TFR), proportion of solid tumor, tumor growth rate (TGR), fetal hydrops, placentomegaly and polyhydramnios were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the critical values of TFR and TGR for predicting adverse fetal outcomes.Results:(1) Among the 41 pregnant women with fetal SCT, the diagnostic gestational week of ultrasound was (24.2±2.9) weeks (range: 18-28 weeks). Among them, 1 case progressed to fetal hydrops and induced labor at 22 weeks of gestation, 1 case developed intrauterine death and induced labor at 29 weeks of gestation, and 39 pregnancies continued until delivery. Among the 39 cases of continued pregnancy, 1 case underwent cesarean section at 31 weeks of gestation due to malignant polyhydramnios and increased fetal cardiothoracic ratio in the third trimester, 1 case underwent cesarean section at 32 weeks of gestation due to fetal heart failure, and 1 case underwent cesarean section at 32 weeks of gestation due to fetal heart failure and hydrops. The other 36 cases underwent surgical resection of tumor within 3 weeks after birth with good prognosis. (2) TFR>0.12 before 28 weeks of gestation could predict poor fetal prognosis, with a sensitivity of 100.0%, a specificity of 86.1% and an area under curve (AUC) of 0.922 ( P<0.01). Among the fetuses with TFR>0.12, 5/10 had poor prognosis, while the fetuses with TFR≤0.12 all had good prognosis (100%,31/31), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.001). (3) TGR>48 cm 3/week could predict poor fetal prognosis with a sensitivity of 100.0%, a specificity of 78.3% and an AUC of 0.880 ( P<0.05). (4) Among the 28 SCT fetuses delivered in our hospital, the incidence rate of poor fetal prognosis was 0 (0/20) in those with solid tumor component<50%, and 5/8 in those with solid tumor component ≥50%, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.01). The incidence rate of poor fetal prognosis was 2/2 in those with placentomegaly (all with fetal hydrops), and 12% (3/26) in those without placentomegaly. The risk of poor fetal prognosis was 8.67 times higher in those with placentomegaly than those without placentomegaly, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.05). The incidence rate of poor fetal prognosis in those with polyhydramnios was 3/7, and 10% (2/21) in those without polyhydramnios, but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:TFR combined with solid tumor morphology, TGR, and presence of placentomegaly could predict the adverse pregnancy outcomes of fetal SCT.

Objective:To investigate the clinical significance of the acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ (APACHEⅡ) combined with different systematic inflammation markers (SIMs) including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR)-in adult patients with venous-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO).Methods:A total of 89 adult patients with VA-ECMO ( ≥ 3 d) in the Emergency Department of Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital from January 2017 to June 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups: survivors ( n=39) and non-survivors ( n=50). The baseline APACHE Ⅱscore and PLR, NLR, LMR before ECMO implantation and at 1, 2, 3 day after ECMO were recorded. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of 28-day mortality in patients with VA-ECMO. The utility of APACHEⅡ score and SIMs alone or combination for predicting clinical prognosis was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The patients were divided into the high risk group and the low risk group according to the best cut-off value, and the difference of ECMO-related complications between the two groups was compared. Results:When combined APACHEⅡ score with SIMs, APACHEⅡ + PLR 48 h + LMR 24 h + LMR 72 h demonstrated the greatest predictive ability with an AUC of 0.833. Compared with the high-risk group, the low-risk group has a lower incidence of acute renal injury, infection, bleeding complications, the use of continuous renal replacement therapy, mechanical ventilation, and a higher hospital survival rate.Conclusions:The combination of APACHEⅡ score and SIMs-PLR, LMR- is better than a single one for death prediction, and it is expected to be a new predictive model for early identification of the risk of death or poor prognosis in patients with VA-ECMO.

Objective:To study the treatment outcomes of transjugular intrahepatic portal shunt (TIPS) on refractory hepatic sinus obstruction syndrome (HSOS) caused by Gynura segetum.Methods:The clinical data of 15 patients with refractory HSOS caused by Gynura segetum treated at the Department of Vascular Surgery, Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2017 to April 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 7 males and 8 females, with ages ranging from 30 to 85 years, mean ± s. d. (61.2±14.1) years. Albumin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, glutamyl transferase, and portal vein pressure were compared before and after TIPS. The liver function and renal function of these patients were followed up.Results:When compared with pre-operation, the albumin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and other indexes were significantly improved after TIPS (all P<0.05). The portal vein pressure of 15 patients significantly decreased from the preoperative volume of (41.7±3.5) cmH 2O (1 cmH 2O=0.098 kPa) to (28.3±4.4) cmH 2O ( t=10.41, P<0.001). The preoperative liver function was Child-Pugh grade A in 1 patient, grade B in 8 patients, grade C in 6 patients. The postoperative Child-Pugh grading was grade A in 14 patients and grade B in 1 patient. Ascites, gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal pain, abdominal distention and spontaneous peritonitis all disappeared in these 15 patients. Postoperative hepatic encephalopathy developed in 2 patients and hepatic myelopathy in 1 patient. Conclusion:TIPS for treatment of HSOS caused by Gynura segetum resulted in a rapid recovery of liver function, rapid symptomatic relief, with a low incidence of hepatic encephalopathy/hepatic myelopathy.