Objective Viral encephalitis is an infectious disease severely affecting human health.It is caused by a wide variety of viral pathogens,including herpes viruses,flaviviruses,enteroviruses,and other viruses.The laboratory diagnosis of viral encephalitis is a worldwide challenge.Recently,high-throughput sequencing technology has provided new tools for diagnosing central nervous system infections.Thus,In this study,we established a multipathogen detection platform for viral encephalitis based on amplicon sequencing. Methods We designed nine pairs of specific polymerase chain reaction(PCR)primers for the 12 viruses by reviewing the relevant literature.The detection ability of the primers was verified by software simulation and the detection of known positive samples.Amplicon sequencing was used to validate the samples,and consistency was compared with Sanger sequencing. Results The results showed that the target sequences of various pathogens were obtained at a coverage depth level greater than 20×,and the sequence lengths were consistent with the sizes of the predicted amplicons.The sequences were verified using the National Center for Biotechnology Information BLAST,and all results were consistent with the results of Sanger sequencing. Conclusion Amplicon-based high-throughput sequencing technology is feasible as a supplementary method for the pathogenic detection of viral encephalitis.It is also a useful tool for the high-volume screening of clinical samples.

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with alcoholic liver disease(ALD)of various traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome types.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted in 129 patients with alcoholic liver disease who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria in Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from 2018 to 2022.The general data of the patients as well as their TCM syndrome types and clinical information of liver and kidney function,blood lipid,liver transient elastography during the hospital visit were collected.The distribution of TCM syndrome types in ALD patients was analyzed,and the clinical characteristics of the ALD patients with various TCM syndrome types were explored.Results(1)Of the 129 patients,128(99.22%)were male and only one(0.78%)was female,the average age was(48.71±11.50)years old,and the average body mass index(BMI)was(23.82±3.98)kg·m-2.(2)Damp-heat accumulation syndrome was most common syndrome type in ALD patients,with a total of 70 cases(54.26%),and then came liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome(24 cases,18.60%),internal obstruction of phlegm-damp syndrome(22 cases,17.05%),liver-kidney sufficiency syndrome(7 cases,5.43%),phlegm interweaved with blood stasis syndrome(3 cases,2.33%),and internal accumulation of blood stasis syndrome(3 cases,2.33%).(3)The analysis of clinical characteristics by non-parametric rank sum test showed that there were no statistically significant differences in BMI,alcohol consumption,aspartate aminotransferase(AST),gamma-glutamyltransferase(GGT),total bilirubin(TBIL),alkaline phosphatase(ALP),triglyceride(TG),liver stiffness measurement(LSM),and controlled attenuation parameter(CAP)which reflects the fat content of liver in ALD patients with various TCM syndrome types(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The prominent features were as follows:patients with the 4 types of liver depression and spleen deficiency,internal obstruction of phlegm-damp,phlegm interweaved with blood stasis,and internal accumulation of blood stasis had a BMI exceeding the standard(＞24 kg·m-2),whereas patients with damp-heat accumulation syndrome and liver-kidney deficiency syndrome,which accounted for 54.26%of the sample size,had a BMI within the normal range(23.03 kg·m-2 and 21.42 kg·m-2,respectively),and the BMI of these two types differed from that(26.44 kg·m-2)of the internal obstruction of phlegm-damp syndrome(P＜0.01),suggesting that more than half of the ALD patients had the normal BMI;moreover,the patients with internal obstruction of phlegm-damp also had the highest values of serum TG(2.69 mmol/L)and CAP(292 db/m)except for the highest BMI,indicating that patients with internal obstruction of phlegm-damp syndrome had a more serious degree of obesity and hepatic fat infiltration than those with other syndrome types;the levels of AST and GGT,which separately reflect the chronic inflammatory injury of liver and bile duct cell injury,were significantly increased in the patients with damp-heat accumulation syndrome and liver-kidney deficiency syndrome,and the LSM value of these two types of patients was also the highest in all of the syndrome types,the differences being all statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Conclusion Damp-heat accumulation syndrome is the main TCM syndrome type of ALD patients,the degree of fatty infiltration of the liver and overweight of ALD patients are not corresponded to the severity of illness,and there are some differences in the clinical indicators of ALD patients with various TCM syndrome types.However,with cross reference to the data of the four diagnostic examinations of TCM and the clinical indicators,the accuracy of the TCM diagnosis of ALD is expected to be increased.

Wogonin, extracted from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, has been shown to suppress collagen deposition in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). This study was performed to investigate the role and mechanism of wogonin underlying vascular remodeling in SHRs. After injection of SHRs with 40 mg/kg of wogonin, blood pressure in rats was measured once a week. Masson's trichrome staining was conducted to observe the changes in aortas and mesenteric arteries.Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) isolated from rat thoracic aortas were treated with Angiotensin II (Ang II; 100 nM) in the presence or absence of varying concentrations of wogonin. The viability and proliferation of VSMCs were examined using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine assay, respectively. The migration of VSMCs was examined using wound healing assay and transwell assay. We found that wogonin administration alleviated hypertension, increased lumen diameter, and reduced the thickness of the arterial media in SHRs. Ang II treatment enhanced the viability of VSMCs, which was inhibited by wogonin in a concentration-dependent manner. Wogonin reversed Ang II-induced increases in the viability, proliferation, and migration of VSMCs. Moreover, wogonin inhibited Ang II-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in VSMCs. Overall, wogonin repressed the proliferative and migratory capacity of VSMCs by regulating the MAPK signaling pathway, thereby attenuating vascular remodeling in hypertensive rats, indicating that wogonin might be a therapeutic agent for the treatment of vascular diseases.

AIM: To investigate the application value of Worst lacrimal probe combined with modified lacrimal duct intubation in anastomosis of complex canalicular laceration.METHODS: Retrospective study. A total of 68 cases(68 eyes)with complex traumatic canalicular laceration treated in the ophthalmology department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from March 1, 2019 to March 31, 2021 were selected. They were divided into two groups according to the surgical methods, with 36 patients(36 eyes)who were treated with the Worst lacrimal probe to find the broken end of lacrimal duct combined with improved lacrimal duct threading intubation in group A, and 32 patients(32 eyes)who were treated with microscope to find the broken end of lacrimal duct and two-way intubation anastomosis canaliculus intubation in group B. The clinical efficacy, success rate of intraoperative search for the broken end of lacrimal duct, searching time, operation time, the degree of pain, postoperative ocular foreign body sensation and complications were compared between the two groups.RESULTS: The total effective rate of clinical efficacy in patients of group A was higher than that in group B(94% vs. 38%), the success rate of intraoperative search for broken end of lacrimal duct was higher than that in group B(100% vs. 47%), the searching time and operation time were shorter than those in group B, and the score of pain degree was lower than that in group B(all P<0.05). The postoperative follow-up for 6mo-1a showed that the ocular foreign body sensation score, the incidence of lacrimal punctum rupture and morphological change, and the degree of tear overflow in group A were all lower than those in group B(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Worst lacrimal probe combined with modified lacrimal duct intubation for the treatment of complex traumatic canalicular laceration can find the broken end of lacrimal duct more accurately, shorten the operation time, reduce the pain and foreign body sensation of patients, improve clinical efficacy and reduce the incidence of complications.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy and advantages of Tianji orthopedic robot assisted cannulated screw internal fixation for femoral neck fracture. METHODS: The clinical data of 41 patients with femoral neck fracture who underwent internal fixation with cannulated screws from January 2019 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to different surgical methods, they were divided into Tianji robot group and traditional cannulated screw fixation group (traditional operation group). Among them, there were 18 patients in Tianji robot group including 8 males and 10 females with age of (56.00±4.22) years old, Garden typeⅠ (4 cases), type Ⅱ (11 cases), type Ⅲ (2 cases), and type Ⅳ (1 case). There were 23 patients in the traditional operation group, including 10 males and 13 females, aged (54.87±4.81) years old;there were 5 cases of Garden typeⅠ, 14 cases of type Ⅱ, 3 cases of type Ⅲ and 1 case of type Ⅳ. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, fluoroscopy times, guide needle placement times, operation costs and other indicators were observed and compared between two groups. Harris score was used to evaluate hip joint function 12 months after operation. RESULTS: The wounds of all patients healed in Grade A without complications. There were significant differences between two groups in terms of operation time, times of intraoperative fluoroscopy, times of guide needle placement, amount of intraoperative bleeding, and operation cost (P<0.05). All 41 patients were followed up for at least 12 months. The fractures of both groups were healed. There was no infection, screw loosening, fracture displacement and femoral head necrosis in Tianji robot group during follow-up;Screw loosening occurred in 2 patients in the traditional operation group during follow-up. At 12 months after operation, Harris hip joint function score of Tianji robot group was higher than that of traditional operation group in daily activity, lameness, joint activity score and total score (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Tianji robot assisted nail placement is a better method for the treatment of femoral neck fracture, which improves the surgical efficiency, is more accurate, has higher success rate of one-time nail placement, shorter operation time, less radiation, and has better hip joint function recovery after surgery.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Robotics ; Retrospective Studies ; Femoral Neck Fractures/surgery* ; Bone Screws ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods* ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at investigating the carrier rate of, and molecular variation in, α- and β-globin gene mutations in Hunan Province. METHODS: We recruited 25,946 individuals attending premarital screening from 42 districts and counties in all 14 cities of Hunan Province. Hematological screening was performed, and molecular parameters were assessed. RESULTS: The overall carrier rate of thalassemia was 7.1%, including 4.83% for α-thalassemia, 2.15% for β-thalassemia, and 0.12% for both α- and β-thalassemia. The highest carrier rate of thalassemia was in Yongzhou (14.57%). The most abundant genotype of α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia was -α ^3.7/αα (50.23%) and β ^IVS-II-654/β ^N (28.23%), respectively. Four α-globin mutations [CD108 (ACC>AAC), CAP +29 (G>C), Hb Agrinio and Hb Cervantes] and six β-globin mutations [CAP +8 (C>T), IVS-II-848 (C>T), -56 (G>C), beta nt-77 (G>C), codon 20/21 (-TGGA) and Hb Knossos] had not previously been identified in China. Furthermore, this study provides the first report of the carrier rates of abnormal hemoglobin variants and α-globin triplication in Hunan Province, which were 0.49% and 1.99%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates the high complexity and diversity of thalassemia gene mutations in the Hunan population. The results should facilitate genetic counselling and the prevention of severe thalassemia in this region.
Humans ; beta-Thalassemia/genetics* ; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Hemoglobinopathies/genetics* ; China/epidemiology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing

The study investigated the effect of Buyang Huanwu Decoction(BYHWD) on endogenous biomarkers in the urine of rats with chronic inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS) using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), aiming to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of BYHWD on chronic inflammation from a metabolomics perspective. Male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, and low-, medium-, and high-dose BYHWD groups(7.5, 15, and 30 g·kg~(-1)). The model group and BYHWD groups received tail intravenous injection of LPS(200 μg·kg~(-1)) on the first day of each week, followed by oral administration of BYHWD once a day for four consecutive weeks. Urine samples were collected at the end of the administration period, and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was used to analyze the metabolic profiles of the rat urine in each group. Multivariate statistical analysis methods such as principal component analysis(PCA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA), and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were used to analyze the effect of BYHWD on endogenous metabolites. One-way ANOVA and variable importance for the projection(VIP) were used to screen for potential biomarkers related to chronic inflammation. The identified biomarkers were subjected to pathway and enrichment analysis using MetaboAnalyst 5.0. A total of 25 potential biomarkers were screened and identified in the rat urine in this experiment. Compared with the normal group, the model group showed significant increases in the levels of 14 substances(P<0.05) and significant decreases in the levels of 11 substances(P<0.05). BYHWD was able to effectively reverse the trend of most endogenous biomarkers. Compared with the model group, BYHWD significantly down-regulated 13 biomarkers(P<0.05) and up-regulated 10 biomarkers(P<0.05). The metabolic products were mainly related to the biosynthesis of pantothenic acid and coenzyme A, tryptophan metabolism, retinol metabolism, and propionate metabolism. BYHWD has therapeutic effect on chronic inflammation induced by LPS, which may be related to its ability to improve the levels of endogenous metabolites, enhance the body's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capabilities, and restore normal metabolic activity.
Rats ; Male ; Animals ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Metabolomics/methods* ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Biomarkers/urine*

Objective:To investigate the effects of exogenous hydrogen sulfide on myocardial fibrosis and apoptosis in rats after myocardial infarction and the underlying mechanisms.Methods:Forty-three Sprague Dawley(SD)rats were divided into 4 groups according to the random number table method: a control group(n=12), a myocardial infarction group(MI group, n=13), an hydrogen sulfide(H 2S)group(n=6)and an MI+ H 2S group(n=12). The rat model of acute myocardial infarction was established by intraperitoneal injections of isoproterenol(50 mg/kg, once a day, for 2 days). Electrocardiogram and troponin changes were recorded 48 h after the last drug administration to determine whether the rat model was successfully constructed.After successful establishment of the model, rats in the MI group and the MI+ H 2S group were intraperitoneally injected with sodium hydrosulfide(56 μmol/kg, once a day, for 6 weeks).6 weeks later, echocardiogram and Masson's trichrome staining were performed to assess changes in cardiac function and collagen volume fraction in each group.Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase(TdT)dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL)was used to detect the myocardial apoptosis rate in each group, and Western-blot was used to detect protein expression of Yes-related protein 1(YAP1), WW domain containing transcriptional regulator1(TAZ), mammalian Ste20-like kinase 2(MST2), Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax), cysteine protease 3(caspase-3), the ratio of matrix metalloproteinase 3(MMP3)/matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor 2(TIMP2), and B-cell lymphoma factor(Bcl-2). Results:Compared with the control group, myocardial collagen volume fraction was increased( P<0.05), the myocardial cell apoptosis rate was increased( P<0.05), and myocardial YAP1, TAZ, MST2, Bax, caspase-3 protein expression and MMP3/TIMP2 ratio were increased in the MI group(all P<0.05), while the expression of Bcl-2 protein was decreased( P<0.05). Compared with the MI group, collagen volume fraction and the cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate were significantly decreased in the MI+ H 2S group( P<0.05). Also, protein expression of YAP1(2.406±0.024 vs.2.830±0.063), TAZ(0.964±0.090 vs.1.329±0.018), MST2(0.780±0.082 vs.1.788±0.097), Bax(1.500±0.008 vs.0.613±0.003)and caspase-3(0.620±0.024 vs.0.780±0.012)and the MMP3/TIMP2 ratio were decreased(all P<0.05), while protein expression of Bcl-2 was increased( P<0.05)in myocardial tissue. Conclusions:H 2S can mitigate myocardial fibrosis after myocardial infarction, through inhibiting the activation of the YAP1/TAZ signaling pathway, thus reducing apoptosis of cardiomyocytes.

Myocardial fibrosis is a key link in the occurrence and development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Its etiology is complex, and the effect of drugs is not good.Cardiomyocyte apoptosis is an important cause of myocardial fibrosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of gaseous signal molecule sulfur dioxide (SO2 ) on diabetic myocardial fibrosis and its internal regulatory mechanism. Masson and TUNEL staining, Western-blot, transmission electron microscopy, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence staining, and flow cytometry were used in the study, and the interstitial collagen deposition, autophagy, apoptosis, and changes in phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathways were evaluated from in vivo and in vitro experiments. The results showed that diabetic myocardial fibrosis was accompanied by cardiomyocyte apoptosis and down-regulation of endogenous SO2 -producing enzyme aspartate aminotransferase (AAT)1/2 . However, exogenous SO2 donors could up-regulate AAT1/2 , reduce apoptosis of cardiomyocytes induced by diabetic rats or high glucose, inhibit phosphorylation of PI3K/AKT protein, up-regulate autophagy, and reduce interstitial collagen deposition. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the gaseous signal molecule SO2 can inhibit the PI3K/AKT pathway to promote cytoprotective autophagy and inhibit cardiomyocyte apoptosis to improve myocardial fibrosis in diabetic rats. The results of this study are expected to provide new targets and intervention strategies for the prevention and treatment of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effect of maximal oxygen pulse (O ₂P _max) on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and confirmed the predictive effect on acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). METHODS: This retrospective study included 91 participants who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), lung function testing, a dyspnea scale assessment, and a 3-year follow-up. The participants were divided into two groups according to the O ₂P _max value. Exercise capacity, ventilatory conditions, gas exchange efficiency, and dyspnea symptoms were compared, and the correlations between O ₂P _max and these indices were evaluated. The ability of O ₂P _max to predict AECOPD was examined. RESULTS: Exercise capacity, ventilatory conditions, and gas exchange efficiency were lower, and dyspnea symptom scores were higher in the impaired O ₂P _max group ( P < 0.05). O ₂P _max was positively correlated with forced vital capacity (FVC)%, forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV ₁)%, FEV ₁/FVC%, anaerobic threshold (AT), work rate (WR)%, aximal oxygen uptake (V̇O _2max)%, V̇O ₂/kg _max, V̇O ₂/kg _max%, WR _AT, WR _max, V̇O _2AT, V̇O _2max, and V̇ _Emax, and was negatively correlated with EqCO _2AT, and EqCO _2max ( P < 0.05). Most importantly, O ₂P _max could be used to predict AECOPD, and the best cut-off value was 89.5% (area under the curve, 0.739; 95% CI, 0.609-0.869). CONCLUSION O ₂P _max reflected exercise capacity, ventilation capacity, gas exchange capacity, and dyspnea symptoms in patients with COPD and may be an independent predictor of AECOPD.
Dyspnea/etiology* ; Exercise Tolerance ; Humans ; Oxygen ; Oxygen Consumption ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Retrospective Studies