Objective To explore the changes in trace elements and amino acid profiles in serum of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) providing a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods A total of 104 patients with HCC who underwent surgical treatment in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of our hospital from January 2024 to April 2024 were selected as the study group, and 139 patients with benign biliary diseases during the same period were selected as the control group. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to detect the levels of six trace elements (copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, iron, and lead) in the serum of both groups, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure the concentrations of 21 amino acids.Results Compared with the control group, the serum copper level in the HCC group was significantly increased (P<0.05), while the levels of zinc and iron were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Amino acid profile analysis revealed that, compared with the control group, the concentrations of tyrosine, methionine, and phenylalanine in the HCC group were increased (P<0.05), while the concentrations of valine, leucine, isoleucine, glutamine, and arginine were decreased (P<0.05). Further analysis of the correlation between trace elements and amino acids with statistical differences between the groups showed that copper was negatively correlated with valine and leucine (P<0.05), while zinc and iron were positively correlated with valine, leucine, and isoleucine (P<0.01).Conclusions Imbalances in trace elements and amino acid metabolism changes are common in patients with HCC, and there may be an intrinsic connection between the two.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the mechanism of Pingchuanning Formula (PCN) for inhibiting airway inflammation in rats with asthmatic cold syndrome. METHODS: A total of 105 SD rats were randomized equally into 7 groups, including a control group, an asthmatic cold syndrome model group, 3 PCN treatment groups at high, medium and low doses, a Guilong Kechuanning (GLCKN) treatment group, and a dexamethasone (DEX) treatment group. In all but the control rats, asthma cold syndrome models were established and daily gavage of saline, PCN, GLCKN or DEX was administered 29 days after the start of modeling. The changes in general condition, lung function and lung histopathology of the rats were observed, and inflammatory factors in the alveolar lavage fluid (BALF), oxidative stress, lung tissue ultrastructure, cytokine levels, and expressions of the genes related to the HMGB1/Beclin-1 axis and autophagy were analyzed. RESULTS: The rat models had obvious manifestations of asthmatic cold syndrome with significantly decreased body mass, food intake, and water intake, reduced FEV_0.3, FVC, and FEV_0.3/FVC, obvious inflammatory cell infiltration in the lung tissue, and increased alveolar inflammation score and counts of neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, and leukocytes in the BALF. The rat models also had significantly increased MDA level and decreased SOD level and exhibited obvious ultrastructural changes in the lung tissues, where the expressions of HMGB1, Beclin-1, ATG5, TNF-α, IL-6,IL-1β, and IL-13 and the LC3II/I ratio were increased, while the levels of Bcl-2 and IFN-γ were decreased. PCN treatment significantly improved these pathological changes in the rat models, and its therapeutic effect was better than that of GLKCN and similar to that of DEX. CONCLUSIONS PCN can effectively alleviate airway inflammation in rat models of asthmatic cold syndrome possibly by modulating the HMGB1/Beclin-1 signaling axis to suppress cell autophagy, thereby attenuating airway inflammatory damages.
Animals ; Rats ; Autophagy/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Asthma/pathology* ; Beclin-1 ; HMGB1 Protein/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Male ; Lung/pathology* ; Inflammation

Objective:To explore the effects of Baduanjin and brisk walking on the sleep quality among fe-male college students.Methods:Ninety female college students with poor sleep quality[Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)≥ 8]were recruited randomly assigned to Baduanjin,brisk walking,and control groups,with 30 par-ticipants in each.The Baduanjin and brisk walking groups participated in 10-week intervention(five 45-minute ses-sions per week),while the control group did not receive any intervention.Baseline and post-intervention assessments were conducted using the PSQI,a lung capacity test,echocardiography,and the Fatigue Scale(FS-14).Results:Af-ter 10 weeks,participants in both the Baduanjin and brisk walking groups got significantly lower PSQI and FS-14 total scores compared to baseline(Ps＜0.001).Cardiopulmonary function indicators,including stroke volume(SV),forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1.0),the vital capacity-to-body mass index(VC/W),and maximum voluntary ventilation per minute(MVV),also significantly improved(Ps＜0.001).Furthermore,the Baduanjin group had significantly lower PSQI and FS-14 scores than both the brisk walking and control groups(P＜0.001),along with superior improvements in cardiopulmonary function(P＜0.001).Conclusion:This study in-dicates that Baduanjin is particularly effective in improving sleep quality,cardiopulmonary function,and reducing fatigue among female college students,showing advantages over brisk walking.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of different second-line treatment strategies in the real world after progression of first-line immunotherapy and its combination therapies in patients with driver gene-negative advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) .Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 93 driver gene-negative advanced NSCLC patients who received first-line immunotherapy and its combination therapies from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2023 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University and Xinxiang Central Hospital. Patients were categorized into immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) -resistant ( n=43) and ICIs-responsive ( n=50) groups according to whether progression free survival (PFS) exceeded 6 months after first-line treatment. Patients were categorized into ICIs-treated ( n=55) and non-ICIs-treated ( n=38), anti-angiogenic-treated ( n=51) and non-anti-angiogenic-treated ( n=42) groups according to the different second-line treatment strategies after progression of first-line immunotherapy and its combination therapies. The median PFS2 (mPFS2) and median overall survival (mOS) 2 after second-line treatment of each group were compared. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. Results:The mPFS2 and mOS2 of 93 advanced NSCLC patients who progressed after first-line ICIs treatment were 4.9 months (95% CI: 4.1-5.7 months) and 14.7 months (95% CI: 11.2-18.2 months). The mPFS2 of patients in the first-line ICIs-responsive and ICIs-resistant groups were 6.0 and 3.8 months, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2=2.00, P=0.157), and the mOS2 were 25.3 and 11.3 months, respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( χ2=12.13, P<0.001). The mPFS2 of patients in the second-line ICIs-treated group and the non-ICIs-treated group were 5.2 and 4.6 months, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2=0.16, P=0.687). The mOS2 were 15.1 and 12.7 months, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2=0.01, P=0.930). The mPFS2 of patients in the second-line anti-angiogenic-treated and non-anti-angiogenic-treated groups were 4.5 and 6.0 months, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2=0.41, P=0.525), the mOS2 were 14.7 and 16.8 months, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2=0.01, P=0.943) . Conclusions:After progression of first-line ICIs therapy in patients with driver gene-negative advanced NSCLC, first-line ICIs-responsive patients have significantly longer OS after second-line treatment compared with ICIs-resistant patients. The efficacy of second-line therapy in patients after progression of first-line ICIs therapy does not show significant differences due to the type of treatment strategies.

OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of electroacupuncture(EA)preconditioning at Tianshu(ST25)and Neiguan(PC6)on cardiac function and UCP1/BMP3b signaling pathway in brown adipose tissue(BAT)in mice with acute myocardial infarc-tion(AMI),so as to explore the potential mechanism of EA at different acupoints in improving myocardial infarction.METHODS Healthy adult mice and BAT excision mice were selected as the research objects,and they were divided into sham operation group,model group,PC6 group,and ST25 group.After one week of adaptive feeding,the mice in the intervention group were pretreated with bilateral EA at PC6 or ST25 for 20 minutes,respectively,and the AMI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery.In the BAT resection group,BAT resection of the scapular region was performed before EA,and the rest of the intervention remained the same as before.Echocardiography was used to detect the changes in cardiac function.TTC staining was used to observe the myocardial infarct size.ELISA was used to detect the serum levels of cTnT and BMP3b in each group.The qPCR was used to detect the relative expression of β3-AR,UCP1 and BMP3b mRNA in mouse BAT.The protein expression of BMP3b in BAT and p-Smad1/5 in the heart were detected by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the sham operation group,the left ven-tricular EF and FS of the model group mice were decreased(P<0.001),the white infarct area was increased(P<0.001),the cTnT level in serum was increased(P<0.001),the mRNA expression levels of β3-AR,UCP1,and BMP3b in BAT were increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),and the protein expression of BMP3b was increased(P<0.01).The BMP3b content in serum was increased(P<0.001),and the protein expression of p-Smad1/5 in the heart was increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the left ventricular EF and FS of mice in the ST25 and PC6 group were increased(P<0.001),the area of white infarction was reduced(P<0.001),and the cTnT level in serum was decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).The mRNA contents of β3-AR,UCP1,and BMP3b in BAT of the ST25 group were significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001),the protein expression of BMP3b was increased(P<0.01),and the protein expression of p-Smad1/5 in the heart was increased(P<0.01),while there was no significant change in the PC6 group.After BAT resection,compared with the model group,the left ventricular EF and FS of the mice in the PC6 group were increased(P<0.001),the area of white infarction was reduced(P<0.001),and the cTnT in serum was decreased(P<0.001),while there was no significant change in the ST25 group;there was no significant change in the protein expression of p-Smad1/5 in the heart and the BMP3b content in the serum of the PC6 and ST25 groups.CONCLUSION EA pretreatment at either ST25 or PC6 acupoints can produce myocardial protective effects.The protective effect of ST25 may be through influencing the UCP1/BMP3b signaling path-way in BAT,while PC6 does not depend on this pathway.

Objectives:QT interval prolongation during treadmill test exercise is one of the clinical feature of patients with long QT syndrome(LQTS).This study aimed to explore the feasibility and efficacy of treadmill exercise testing as an auxiliary diagnosis tool for LQTS in clinical practice.Methods:We enrolled normal healthy individuals,common cardiovascular disease patients,and clinically diagnosed or suspected LQTS patients,who underwent treadmill exercise test from July 2023 to July 2024 at Fuwai Hospital.A special treadmill exercise testing procedure was designed to record the QT interval correction(QTc)intervals of the twelve lead electrocardiogram at 6 time points when performing the exercise tablet,including supine,sitting,standing,peak exercise,and recovery at 1-minute and 4-minute.The differences in QTc intervals among healthy group,cardiovascular diseases group,and suspected LQTS group were compared.Results:A total of 80 cases were consecutively enrolled,including 37 normal healthy controls,25 patients with common cardiovascular disease,and 18 patients with suspected LQTS.The QTc intervals at 6 points did not differ significantly between normal healthy controls and patients with cardiovascular disease,with QTc intervals less than 480 ms at all measurement.For patients with suspected LQTS,67.7%(12/18)of these patients presented a QTc interval≥480 ms at the 4-minute during recovery period.Among them,5 cases were confirmed to have pathogenic gene mutations of LQTS by genetic testing(including 1 case with a lying electrocardiogram QTc interval of 489 ms diagnosed with LQTS 1 type and a QTc interval of 636 ms during the 4-minute recovery period after exercise);5 clinically diagnosed patients(negative or undetectable in genetic testing)with a Schwartz score≥4,and the remaining 2 patients had a Schwartz score of 3.The remaining 5/18 patients,include 2 patients with clinical Schwartz scores≥4 and 3 patients with clinical suspicion(Schwartz scores 2-3)had a 4 min QTc interval of 445-480 ms during exercise recovery.Another patient with clinical suspicion(Schwartz score 3)had a 4 min QTc interval of<445 ms during exercise recovery and a negative genetic test at a later stage.Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed a sensitivity of 83.3%and specificity of 98.4%for QTc interval≥482 ms during the 4-minute recovery period of exercise as the LQTS diagnostic cutoff.Conclusions:This study results suggest that this special treadmill exercise testing protocol is effective in identifying LQTS and has strong feasibility and generalizability for clinical practice.

Objective:To investigate the genetic characteristics of fetuses carrying a small supernumerary marker chromosome (sSMC) derived from chromosome 15.Methods:This was a retrospective study involving three fetuses who were diagnosed with microdeletions or microduplications by non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and confirmed to carry sSMC derived from chromosome 15 through prenatal diagnosis at the Center of Prenatal Diagnosis, Jinan Maternity and Child Care Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University from June to October 2023. Clinical data, including NIPT results and ultrasound findings, were collected. Genetic tests for the fetuses and their parents were performed using genetic karyotype analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and single nucleotide polymorphisms array (SNP-array). All data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results:(1) The mothers of the three fetuses were aged 36, 37, and 41 years, and all of them were multiparous with no family history of genetic disorders. The fetuses exhibited duplications of 8.80, 8.17, and 8.80 Mb in the 15q11.2q13.3 region, respectively. Amniotic fluid karyotyping revealed a 47,XN,+mar karyotype in all three cases. The abnormal sSMC contained two centromeres. One of them was pycnotic, deeply stained, but remained active, while the other was enlarged and formed a band, losing its activity. Both were pseudo-dicentric structures. (2) FISH was not performed on Fetus 1. FISH results for both Fetus 2 and Fetus 3 were ish idic(15)( D15Z1++, SNRPN++, PML-), indicating the presence of two copies of the D15Z1 and SNRPN probes on the sSMC, with no PML probe signal. The D15Z1 probe was located at both ends of the sSMC, while the SNRPN probe was near the center. (3) SNP-array results were arr[GRCh37] 15q11.2q13.2(22 770 422-31 098 691)×4 for Fetus 1, covering 29 OMIM genes including UBE3A and 38 protein-coding genes; arr[GRCh37] 15q11.2q13.3(22 770 422-32 915 723)×4 for Fetus 2, covering 36 OMIM genes including UBE3A and 50 protein-coding genes; and arr[GRCh37] 15q11.2q13.1 (22 770 422-28 560 664)×4 and arr[GRCh37] 15q13.1q13.3(29 009 041-32 444 043)×3 for Fetus 3, covering 24 OMIM genes including UBE3A and 20 protein-coding genes. Additionally, Fetus 3 had a 3.435 Mb duplication in 15q13.1q13.3, covering 11 OMIM genes including CHRNA7 and 20 protein-coding genes. (4) No significant abnormalities were found in the peripheral blood karyotyping for the parents of Fetus 1 or in the SNP-array analysis for the parents of Fetus 3. (5) All three families opted for pregnancy termination. There were no obvious abnormalities in the appearance of Fetus 1 and Fetus 3 after induction, while details of Fetus 2 were unavailable. Conclusion:The three fetuses carried a psu idic(15)(q13)-derived sSMC, leading to increased copy numbers in the 15q11q13 region.

Objective:To investigate the impact of tumor origin (ventral pancreatic origin and dorsal pancreatic origin) on prognosis in patients with pancreatic head cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 150 patients with pancreatic head cancer who received surgical treatment at the First Affiliated Hospital of the Naval Medical University from October 2014 to December 2017. Among these patients, 92 were male and 58 were female, aged (61.2±8.8) years. The 150 patients were divided into two groups based on tumor origin: the ventral pancreatic cancer group ( n=72) and the dorsal pancreatic cancer group ( n=78). A comparative analysis of clinical, pathological, and imaging charac-teristics was conducted between the two groups. Univariate and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the association between pancreatic head cancer origin and overall survival (OS). Results:Patients with pancreatic head carcinoma arising from the ventral and dorsal pancreas accounted for 48%(72/150) and 52%(78/150) of the study cohort, respectively. Pancreatic head carcinoma arising from the dorsal pancreas were more likely to show pathological features of pancreatic parenchymal atrophy [73.1%(57/78) vs. 47.2%(34/72), χ2=10.49, P=0.001] and pancreatitis [44.9%(35/78) vs. 29.2%(21/72), χ2=3.95, P=0.047]. In contrast, patients with pancreatic head carcinoma arising from the ventral pancreas was more frequently associated with contact with the superior mesenteric artery [25.0%(18/72) vs. 1.3%(1/78), χ2=19.04, P<0.001], perineural invasion [100%(72/72) vs. 88.5%(69/78), χ2=8.84, P=0.003], and positive surgical margins [15.3%(11/72) vs. 2.6%(2/78), χ2=7.65, P=0.006], with all differences statistically significant. The ventral pancreatic cancer group demonstrated cumulative survival rates of 33.2% and 0 at 1-year and 2-year postoperative intervals, respectively, while the dorsal pancreatic cancer group exhibited rates of 56.7% and 24.8% at the corresponding timepoints. Comparison of Kaplan-Meier survival curves between the two groups showed a statistically significant difference ( χ2=6.00, P=0.014). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis identified dorsal pancreatic origin pancreatic head cancer as an independent predictor of increased mortality risk compared to ventral origin tumors ( HR=2.75, 95% CI: 1.52-4.98, P=0.001). Conclusion:The embryonic origin of pancreatic head cancer determines its clinical, pathological, and imaging heterogeneity, and pancreatic head cancer arising from the ventral pancreas demonstrates significantly worse prognostic outcomes compared to dorsal pancreatic origin.

Objective To explore the mechanism of Pingchuanning Formula(PCN)for inhibiting airway inflammation in rats with asthmatic cold syndrome.Methods A total of 105 SD rats were randomized equally into 7 groups,including a control group,an asthmatic cold syndrome model group,3 PCN treatment groups at high,medium and low doses,a Guilong Kechuanning(GLCKN)treatment group,and a dexamethasone(DEX)treatment group.In all but the control rats,asthma cold syndrome models were established and daily gavage of saline,PCN,GLCKN or DEX was administered 29 days after the start of modeling.The changes in general condition,lung function and lung histopathology of the rats were observed,and inflammatory factors in the alveolar lavage fluid(BALF),oxidative stress,lung tissue ultrastructure,cytokine levels,and expressions of the genes related to the HMGB1/Beclin-1 axis and autophagy were analyzed.Results The rat models had obvious manifestations of asthmatic cold syndrome with significantly decreased body mass,food intake,and water intake,reduced FEV0.3,FVC,and FEV0.3/FVC,obvious inflammatory cell infiltration in the lung tissue,and increased alveolar inflammation score and counts of neutrophils,eosinophils,lymphocytes,macrophages,and leukocytes in the BALF.The rat models also had significantly increased MDA level and decreased SOD level and exhibited obvious ultrastructural changes in the lung tissues,where the expressions of HMGB1,Beclin-1,ATG5,TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β,and IL-13 and the LC3II/I ratio were increased,while the levels of Bcl-2 and IFN-γ were decreased.PCN treatment significantly improved these pathological changes in the rat models,and its therapeutic effect was better than that of GLKCN and similar to that of DEX.Conclusion PCN can effectively alleviate airway inflammation in rat models of asthmatic cold syndrome possibly by modulating the HMGB1/Beclin-1 signaling axis to suppress cell autophagy,thereby attenuating airway inflammatory damages.

Background and Aims:Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy(LPD)has become a preferred approach for periampullary tumors,yet delayed gastric emptying(DGE)remains a frequent complication that hampers postoperative recovery.The nasojejunal feeding tube(NJT)is commonly used for early enteral nutrition,but its impact on DGE is controversial.This study aimed to evaluate whether intraoperative NJT placement increases the risk of DGE after LPD and to assess its influence on postoperative recovery outcomes.Methods:A retrospective cohort of 319 patients who underwent LPD at Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University from April 2017 to November 2023 was analyzed.Patients were divided into two groups based on intraoperative NJT placement(NJT group,n=200;non-NJT group,n=119).The incidence of DGE and postoperative outcomes were compared.Multivariate logistic regression and propensity score matching(PSM)were performed to identify independent risk factors for DGE.Results:The incidence of grade B/C DGE was significantly higher in the NJT group than in the non-NJT group(36.5%vs.21.8%,P=0.006).NJT placement was associated with longer postoperative hospital stay and higher hospitalization costs(both P<0.05).Multivariate analysis revealed intraoperative NJT placement(OR=1.960,95%CI=1.142-3.363,P=0.015)and intraoperative blood loss>400 mL(OR=1.921,95%CI=1.155-3.194,P=0.012)as independent risk factors for DGE.These findings were consistent after PSM.Conclusions:Prophylactic intraoperative NJT placement confers no additional benefit for postoperative recovery after LPD and is associated with a higher risk of DGE,prolonged hospitalization,and increased medical costs.Routine NJT placement should therefore be avoided,and individualized strategies should be adopted to minimize postoperative complications and enhance recovery.