ObjectiveTo investigate the value of different noninvasive diagnostic models in the diagnosis of esophageal and gastric varices since there is a high risk of esophageal and gastric varices in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis and significant portal hypertension， and to provide a basis for the early diagnosis of esophageal and gastric varices. MethodsA total of 108 patients with significant portal hypertension due to compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis who attended Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from November 2017 to November 2023 were enrolled， and according to the presence or absence of esophageal and gastric varices under gastroscopy， they were divided into esophageal and gastric varices group （GOV group） and non-esophageal and gastric varices group （NGOV group）. Related data were collected， including age， sex， imaging findings， and laboratory markers. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups； the least significant difference t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was plotted to evaluate the diagnostic value of five scoring models， i.e.， fibrosis-4 （FIB-4）， LOK index， LPRI， aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index （APRI）， and aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio （AAR）. The binary logistic regression method was used to establish a combined model， and the area under the ROC curve （AUC） was compared between the combined model and each scoring model used alone. The Delong test was used to compare the AUC value between any two noninvasive diagnostic models. ResultsThere were 55 patients in the GOV group and 53 patients in the NGOV group. Compared with the NGOV group， the GOV group had a significantly higher age （52.64±1.44 years vs 47.96±1.68 years， t=0.453， P<0.05） and significantly lower levels of alanine aminotransferase ［42.00 （24.00 — 17.00） U/L vs 82.00 （46.00 — 271.00） U/L， Z=-3.065， P<0.05］， aspartate aminotransferase ［44.00 （32.00 — 96.00） U/L vs 62.00 （42.50 — 154.50） U/L，Z=-2.351， P<0.05］， and platelet count ［100.00 （69.00 — 120.00）×10⁹/L vs 119.00 （108.50 — 140.50）×10⁹/L， Z=-3.667， P<0.05］. The ROC curve analysis showed that FIB-4， LOK index， LPRI， and AAR used alone had an accuracy of 0.667， 0.681， 0.730， and 0.639， respectively， in the diagnosis of esophageal and gastric varices （all P<0.05）， and the positive diagnostic rates of GOV were 69.97%， 65.28%， 67.33%， and 58.86%， respectively， with no significant differences in AUC values （all P>0.05）， while APRI used alone had no diagnostic value （P>0.05）. A combined model （LAF） was established based on the binary logistic regression analysis and had an AUC of 0.805 and a positive diagnostic rate of GOV of 75.80%， with a significantly higher AUC than FIB-4， LOK index， LPRI， and AAR used alone （Z=-2.773，-2.479，-2.206， and-2.672， all P<0.05）. ConclusionFIB-4， LOK index， LPRI， and AAR have a similar diagnostic value for esophageal and gastric varices in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis and significant portal hypertension， and APRI alone has no diagnostic value. The combined model LAF had the best diagnostic efficacy， which provides a certain reference for clinical promotion and application.

BACKGROUND: Preclinical studies have indicated that Angong Niuhuang Pills (ANP) reduce cerebral infarct and edema volumes. This study aimed to investigate whether ANP safely reduces cerebral infarct and edema volumes in patients with moderate to severe acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial included patients with acute ischemic stroke with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores ranging from 10 to 20 in 17 centers in China between April 2021 and July 2022. Patients were allocated within 36 h after onset via block randomization to receive ANP or placebo (3 g/day for 5 days). The primary outcomes were changes in cerebral infarct and edema volumes after 14 days of treatment. The primary safety outcome was severe adverse events (SAEs) for 90 days. RESULTS: There were 57 and 60 patients finally included in the ANP and placebo groups, respectively for modified intention-to-treat analysis. The median age was 66.0 years, and the median NIHSS score at baseline was 12.0. The changes in cerebral infarct volume at day 14 were 0.3 mL and 0.4 mL in the ANP and placebo groups, respectively (median difference: -7.1 mL; interquartile range [IQR]: -18.3 to 2.3 mL, P = 0.30). The changes in cerebral edema volume of the ANP and placebo groups on day 14 were 11.4 mL and 4.0 mL, respectively ( median difference: 3.0 mL, IQR: -1.3 to 9.9 mL, P = 0.15). The rates of SAE within 90 days were similar in the ANP (3/57, 5%) and placebo (7/60, 12%) groups ( P = 0.36). Changes in serum mercury and arsenic concentrations were comparable. In patients with large artery atherosclerosis, ANP reduced the cerebral infarct volume at 14 days (median difference: -12.3 mL; IQR: -27.7 to -0.3 mL, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: ANP showed a similar safety profile to placebo and non-significant tendency to reduce cerebral infarct volume in patients with moderate-to-severe stroke. Further studies are warranted to assess the efficacy of ANP in reducing cerebral infarcts and improving clinical prognosis. TRAIL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov , No. NCT04475328.
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Ischemic Stroke/drug therapy* ; Pilot Projects ; Stroke/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To understand the incidence and spatial-temporal distribution characteristics of hepatitis B among residents in a county of western Liaoning province from Jan 2011 to Dec 2021.Methods:Data on hepatitis B incidence were obtained from the Disease Prevention and Control Center of the county,and its crude incidence and standardized incidence were calculated.ArcGIS software was used to analyze the global spatial autocorrelation analysis and local spatial autocorrelation analysis of hepatitis B incidence in the county.A space-time scan analysis was performed using SaTScan software to identify the case distribution and spatiotemporal clustering patterns of hepatitis B incidence.Results:From Jan 2011 to Dec 2021,there were 2 978 cumulative cases of hepatitis B in the county,with a crude incidence of 69.25 per 100 000 and a standardized incidence of 70.13 per 100 000.Among different regions,Toutai Manchu Town had the highest crude incidence of hepatitis B,followed by Gaotaizi Town and Chengguan Street.The global autocorrelation showed an aggregated distribution in 2014,2016,2019,and 2021.The local autocorrelation hotspots were clustered in the central and western parts of the county,the H-H clustering areas included Toutai Manchu Town and Jiudaoling Town from 2014 to 2016,Toudaohe Manchu Town,Yizhou Street and Chengguan Street from 2017 to 2019,and Qianyang Town and Yizhou Street from 2020 to 2021.The L-L clustering areas were mostly concentrated in the southwest of the county,including Dizangsi Manchu Township,Dadingbao Manchu Township and Liulonggou Manchu Township.A total of 4 clustering areas were obtained by temporal-spatial scanning analysis,the first-level area was Zhangjiapu Township in 2017,the second-level area included Qianyang Town and Chengguan Street from 2011 to 2015,the third-level area was Gaotaizi Town from 2013 to 2016,and the fourth-level area was Toutai Manchu Town from 2014 to 2017.Conclusions:From Jan 2011 to Dec 2021,the incidence of hepatitis B among residents in a county in western Liaoning Province is mainly concentrated in the central and northwest regions.The hepatitis B cases are clustered in the central and western areas of the county,and has a trend of gradually spreading to the northern areas over time.It is necessary to pay attention to the townships with high incidence of hepatitis B and carry out effective prevention and surveillance.

Objective To explore the clinical features,imaging and pathological characteristics of the patients with congenital liver fibrosis(CHF).Methods The medical case data of 6 patients with pathological-ly diagnosed CHF in this hospital from January 2011 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed,and the clini-cal menifastations,laboratory indicators,imaging characteristics,pathological manifestations,treatment and outcomes were summarized.Results The clinical classification in 6 cases of CHF was mainly portal hyperten-sion(66.67％),and the most common clinical manifestations and signs were hepatosplenomegaly(83.33％),melena(50.00％)and abdominal distension(33.33％).Total bil irubin was normal,and only 2 cases(33.33％)were mildly elevated.The prothrombin time was in the normal range in 4 cases(66.67％),and mild abnormality in 2 cases(33.33％).Imaging showed abnormal liver morphology in 6 cases,spleen enlarge-ment in 5 cases(83.33％),portal vein widening in 3 cases(50.00％),diffuse dilatation of intrahepatic bile ducts in 2 cases(33.33％),and complicating Caroli disease in 1 case(16.67％).The pathological manifesta-tions were normal liver parenchymal cells,periportal fibrosis,and manifold-manifold bridging-like fibrosis.Six cases received the conventional liver protection therapy,3 cases underwent splenectomy+pericardia vascular dissection,the median follow-up time was 68.2 months,1 case died due to liver failure,and 5 cases were rela-tively stable.Conclusion The patients with hepatic disease whose portal hypertension is inconsistent to the degree of hepatic function damage,especially those complicating polycystic kidney disease should perfect the liver puncture pathological examination and genetic testing to clarify the diagnosis,and conduct the genetic counseling and intervention treatment as soon as possible.

Objective To explore the relationship between hyperkalemia and adverse outcomes in elderly maintenance hemodialysis(MHD)patients.Methods A retrospective cohort trial was conducted on 177 MHD patients aged≥60 years in the hemodialysis center of Beijing Shijitan Hospital,Capital Medical University.Baseline data were collected.The mean age was(77.28±14.25)years,among them 109 cases were males(61.6%).According to the peak serum potassium within 4 months,patients were divided into the K+＜5.0 mmol/L group(38 cases,21.5%),the 5.0-5.5 mmol/L group(42 cases,23.7%)and the K+≥5.5 mmol/L group(97 cases,54.8%).Based on the frequency of hyperkalemia within 4 months,patients were divided into the 0,1-2 and 3-4 frequency groups.All of patients were followed up for 1 year.The end point events were all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease(CVD)mortality.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the cumulative survival rate between the 3 groups.A multivariate Cox regression model was employed to analyze the relationship between the degree and frequency of hyperkalemia with all-cause and CVD mortality.Results The mean follow-up time of 177 patients was 12(1-12)months,20(11.3%)patients died of all-cause death and 14(7.9%)of CVD death.Kaplan Meier survival curve showed cardiovascular mortality rate and all-cause mortality were significantly increased in the K+5.0-5.5 mmol/L group and the K+≥5.5 mmol/L group(both P＜0.05).Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that,as a continuous variable,peak potassium levels were independently associated with an increased risk of all-cause death and CVD death(P＜0.001).As a categorical variable,the all-cause mortality risk and CVD mortality risk were significantly higher in both the K+5.0-5.5 mmol/L group and the K+≥5.5 mmol/L group than those in the K+＜5.0 mmol/L group(P＜0.05),and those were significantly higher in the 1-2 and 3-4 frequency groups than those in the 0 frequency group of hyperkalemia(P＜0.05).Conclusion Serum potassium>5.0 mmol/L in elderly MHD patients is an independent risk factor for all-cause and CVD mortality.It is recommended to adjust the upper limit of the normal range of serum potassium to 5.0 mmol/L.

The basement membrane is a specialized extracellular matrix between the epithelium and the mesenchyme.In stratified epithelium,only the basal cells in contact with the basement membrane exhibit the apical-basal polarity,whereas the epithelial cells do being not in contact with the basement membrane do not exhibit the apical-basal polarity.The basement membrane plays an important role in epithelial cell polarization.It is an important extracellular matrix(ECM)structure in the multicellular organisms,is situated between the epithelium and the mesenchyme,and is produced jointly by the epithelial cells and mesenchymal cells.Its components mainly include Laminin,type Ⅳ collagen(Col-Ⅳ),nidogen(NDG),and heparan sulfate proteoglycans(HSPG),and each component plays the different role in influencing the epithelial cell polarity.The network scaffold formed by Col-Ⅳ and Laminin is the main structure of the basement membrane,and the integrity of the structure affects the epithelial cell polarization.This review summarizes the composition and structure of the basement membrane,focuses on its role in epithelial cell polarization and its mechanism,and compiles the current status of biomimetic basement membrane materials that promotes the epithelial cell polarization,and provides the theoretical foundation for further exploration of the establishment and maintenance of epithelial cell polarity.

Purpose To observation the relationship be-tween the β-catenin/Slug signal specific inhibitor FH535 and EMT,and to explore the role of LPCAT1 in regulating the inva-sion,metastasis,and growth of cervical cancer cells.Methods Hela cells were transfected with sh-NC and sh-LPCAT1,and SiHa cells were transfected with Vector group and LPCAT1 over-expression plasmid.SiHa cells were divided into control group(Con),LPCAT1 group,LPCAT1+FH535 group and FH535 group.The proliferation of cervical cancer cells was detected by CCK-8 analysis and colony formation test.The metastasis and invasion ability of cervical cancer cells were detected by wound healing test and Transwell test.Western blot was used to analyze the expression of LPCAT1,β-catenin/Slug signaling pathway and EMT-related proteins in cells.Results Compared with Vector group,the cell viability,colony number,migration and invasion number of SiHa cells in LPCAT1 group increased signif-icantly(P＜0.05).Compared with sh-NC group,the cell via-bility,colony number,migration and invasion number of Hela cells in sh-LPCAT1 group decreased significantly(P＜0.05).Compared with LPCAT1 group,the levels of Wnt4(1.18±0.05 vs 0.80±0.06),β-catenin(1.05±0.08 vs 0.77±0.05),Slug(1.13±0.06 vs 0.28±0.02),Cyclin D1(0.99±0.06 vs 0.44±0.02),N-cadherin(0.91±0.07 vs 0.46±0.03)and vimentin(0.95±0.06 vs 0.49±0.03)in SiHa cells in LPCAT1+FH535 group decreased significantly(P＜0.05),and the level of E-cadherin(0.44±0.03 vs 0.58±0.03)in-creased significantly(P＜0.05).In addition,compared with LPCAT1 group,the number of colonies(224±15 vs 146±11),migration(85±3vs51±4)and invasive(166±10 vs 90±5)cells of SiHa cells in LPCAT1+FH535 group decreased signifi-cantly(P＜0.05).Conclusion The increase of LPCAT1 ex-pression may promote the metastasis and progress of CC by acti-vating β-catenin/Slug signaling pathway,and LPCAT1 may be a potential marker for predicting CC metastasis.

Objective To analyze the metabolic changes of myocardial tissue in rats under acute exposure to macleaya cordata by gas chromatography mass spectrometry(GC-MS),explore forensic identifications of its characteristic metabolites,and verify its toxicological mechanism in poisoning cases.Methods The rats in the exposure group were given 382 mg/kg macleaya extract solution by gavage,and the rats in the control group were given the same dose of solvent.The myocardial samples were analyzed by GC-MS,and pattern recognition was conducted through partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLSDA).The differential metabolites with characteristic changes were identified by variable importance projection(VIP value＞1)and Student's t test(P＜0.01).Results Compared with the control group,21 potential characteristic metabolites were identified.Through KEGG pathway enrichment analysis,it was found that these metabolites were mainly involved in the pathways of glycine,serine and threonine metabolism;pyruvate metabolism and glycerolipid metabolism.Conclusion Through the study of myocardial metabolism in rats exposed to macleaya cordata,we found the information on metabolites closely related to poisoning,which provides new insight and reference for studies on the mechanisms of macleaya cordata poisoning in the field of forensic medicine.

Objective To explore the relationship between geriatric nutritional risk index(GNRI)and adverse outcomes in elderly patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis(MHD).Methods A prospective cohort trial was conducted on 337 MHD patients aged ≥60 years in hemodialysis centers of 11 hospitals in Beijing from April to June 2017.Their baseline data were collected,and they were divided into non-malnutrition(GNRI≥98,226 cases),mild malnutrition(92≤GNRI＜98,81 cases),and major malnutrition groups(GNRI＜92,30 cases).All of them were followed up until June 2018.The endpoint events were all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease(CVD)mortality.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the cumulative survival rate among the 3 groups.Multivariate Cox regression model was employed to analyze the relationship of GNRI with all-cause and CVD mortality.Results The mild and major malnutrition groups had significantly lower BMI,serum albumin level and GNRI(P＜0.01).During the median follow-up of 52(4.4-52.0)weeks,56(16.6％)patients died of all-cause death and 25(44.6％)of CVD death.Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed significant differences in all-cause mortality(x2=30.484,P＜0.01)and CVD mortality(x2=22.398,P＜0.01)in the 3 groups.Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that,as a continuous variable,elevated GNRI was a protective factor for all-cause mortality(HR=0.910,95％CI:0.870-0.952,P=0.000)and CVD mortality(HR=0.895,95％CI:0.852-0.940,P=0.000),and as a categorical variable,mild and major malnutri-tion were independently correlated with all-cause and CVD mortality(P＜0.05).Conclusion GNRI is an independent risk factor for all-cause and CVD mortality in elderly MHD patients.Mo-nitoring the nutritional status using GNRI can predict the risk of adverse prognosis.

Rapid and living guidelines are those developed in response to public health emergencies in a short period of time using a scientific and standardized approach. Subsequently， they provide timely and credible recommendations for decision makers through regular and frequent updates of clinical evidence and recommendations. In this paper， we introduced the definition of rapid and living guideline as well as analyzed the basic characteristics of eight rapid and living guidelines in the field of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） published till 2023 June， summarizing three core methodological issues in relation to how to rapidly develop guidelines， how to formulate recommendations when there is lack of evidence， and how to ensure the timeliness of guidelines. Based on the analysis of current rapid and living guidelines， it is implicated that there is necessity to carry out rapid and living guideline in the field of TCM， and the methodology of rapid integration of multivariate evidence in the field of TCM needs to be further explored； furthermore， it is necessary to further explore the obstacles of implementation of guidelines and promote timely updating， all of which provide certain theoretical references for relevant guideline developers and researchers.