AIM: To observe the characteristics of best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), microperimetry(MP), multifocal electroretinogram(mfERG), and optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA)parameters in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane(IERM), and conduct a comparative study and correlation analysis on these parameters.METHODS:This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 56 patients(56 eyes)diagnosed with IERM who visited our hospital between February 2021 and November 2024 were collected as IERM group, and 33 healthy individuals(33 eyes)undergoing physical examinations were included as control group. Parameters were compared between the IERM group and the control group, as well as among IERM subgroups at different stages. Additionally, correlations among visual function parameters and between these visual function parameters and vascular structural OCTA parameters were analyzed.RESULTS: The general data of patients in the control group and IERM group were comparable. In the IERM group, BCVA, retinal sensitivity(RS), P1 wave amplitude in ring 1, superficial capillary plexus parafoveal vessel density(SCPpfvd), deep capillary plexus parafoveal vessel density(DCPpfvd), and the foveal avascular zone(FAZ)area were significantly lower than the control group(all P<0.01). In contrast, central retinal thickness(CRT), superficial capillary plexus foveal vessel density(SCPfvd), and deep capillary plexus foveal vessel density(DCPfvd)were significantly increased(all P<0.001). When comparing different stages of IERM, significant differences were observed in BCVA, CRT, RS, SCPfvd, and FAZ(all P<0.01). In eyes affected by IERM, BCVA(LogMAR)was negatively correlated with RS; P1 wave amplitude in ring 1 positively correlated with P1 wave implicit time in ring 1; SCPfvd positively correlated with BCVA(LogMAR)and negatively correlated with RS; DCPfvd negatively correlated with P1 wave implicit time in ring 1; and DCPpfvd positively correlated with RS(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Eyes with IERM exhibit abnormalities in visual function parameters and vascular structure, with varying degrees of alteration in BCVA, CRT, RS, SCPfvd, and FAZ across different stages. Comprehensive evaluation of BCVA, MP, mfERG, and OCTA contributes to a deeper understanding of the nature of IERM and aids in formulating appropriate diagnosis and treatment plans.

This study investigated the role of the nuclear factor of activated T cells c3 (NFATc3) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) during aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD) progression and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Cytoplasmic and nuclear NFATc3 levels were elevated in human and mouse AAD. VSMC-NFATc3 deletion reduced thoracic AAD (TAAD) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) progression in mice, contrary to VSMC-NFATc3 overexpression. VSMC-NFATc3 deletion reduced extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and maintained the VSMC contractile phenotype. Nuclear NFATc3 targeted and transcriptionally upregulated matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and MMP2, promoting ECM degradation and AAD development. NFATc3 promoted VSMC phenotypic switching by binding to eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) and inhibiting its phosphorylation in the VSMC cytoplasm. Restoring eEF2 reversed the beneficial effects in VSMC-specific NFATc3-knockout mice. Cabamiquine-targets eEF2 and inhibits protein synthesis-inhibited AAD development and progression in VSMC-NFATc3-overexpressing mice. VSMC-NFATc3 promoted VSMC switch and ECM degradation while exacerbating AAD development, making it a novel potential therapeutic target for preventing and treating AAD.

We have isolated an intestinal probiotic strain, Pediococcus acidilactici HRQ-1. To improve its gastrointestinal fluid tolerance, transportation and storage stability, and slow-release properties, we employed the extrusion method to prepare the microcapsules with P. acidilactici HRQ-1 as the core material and sodium alginate and chitosan as the wall material. The optimal conditions for preparing the microcapsules were determined by single factor and orthogonal tests, and the optimal ratio was determined by taking the embedding rate, survival rate, storage stability, gastrointestinal fluid tolerance, and release rate as the evaluation indexes. The results showed that under the optimal embedding conditions, the embedding rate reached (89.60±0.02)%. Under the optimal formula of freeze-drying protective agent, the freeze-drying survival rate reached (76.42±0.13)%, and the average size of the microcapsules produced was (1.16±0.03) mm. The continuous gastrointestinal fluid simulation experiments confirmed that the microcapsules ensured the viable bacterial count and can slowly release bacteria in the intestinal fluid. The curve of the viable bacterial count during storage at 4 ℃ and room temperature indicated that the prepared microcapsules achieved strains' live number protection. The formula and preparation process of P. acidilactici microcapsules may provide a technological reserve for the preparation of more live bacterial drugs in the future.
Pediococcus acidilactici/chemistry* ; Probiotics/chemistry* ; Capsules/chemistry* ; Alginates/chemistry* ; Chitosan/chemistry* ; Drug Compounding/methods* ; Glucuronic Acid/chemistry* ; Hexuronic Acids/chemistry* ; Freeze Drying

Background With the events reporting on odors in drinking water, odorous substances in water have become a hot topic in water quality analysis. Due to the low concentration of the odor threshold and the complexity of the odor components in water, it is difficult to make accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis. So it is necessary to develop a highly sensitive and accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis method. Objective To establish a method for simultaneous determination of four odorous substances, including dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, 2-methylisoborneol, and geosmin in water by purge and trap-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Methods A certain amount of water sample was stored in the sample vial of a purge and trapinstrument. Through nitrogen purging, the odorous substances in water were purged out and enriched in the trap. Subsequently, the odorous substances were rapidly released at high temperatures after heating the trap, and then carried by carrier gas into gas chromatograph. After temperature programming, the substances were separated by an Agilent DB-624 capillary chromatographic column (30 m×0.25 mm, 1.4 μm) and determined by tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring modes, with internal standard method for quantification. The current project optimized purge time, sodium chloride concentration in water sample, desorption temperature, desorption time, and split ratio during the experimental process. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the standard curve, detection limit, and quantification limit were validated. Recovery tests with spiking concentrations of 5.0, 10.0, 30.0, 80.0 ng·L⁻¹ and precision tests were conducted on water samples. Finally, the established method was applied to detect odorous substances in source water, finished water, and pipeline water in Deqing County of Huzhou City. Result After the optimization, the purge time was 20 min, the desorption temperature was 280 ℃, the desorption time was 2 min, the split ratio was 10∶1, and no sodium chloride was added during the purge process. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the calibration curves for the four odorous substances showed an excellent linearity in the range of 1 to 100 ng·L⁻¹ (R>0.999), with 0.3 ng·L⁻¹ limit of detection and 1.0 ng·L⁻¹ limit of quantitation. The average recoveries were from 85.5% to 102.4% and relative standard deviations (RSD) from 1.6% to 5.2%. After applying this method to detect local source water, finished water, and pipeline water, it was found that the positive rates of 2-methylisoborneo, and geosmin were relatively high, while the positive rates of dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide were relatively low. Only one sample of source water tested positive for dimethyl disulfide, and all samples were negative for dimethyl trisulfide. Conclusion Combined with the superiority of purge and trap and tandem mass spectrometry, the method has the advantages of easy to perform, strong anti-interference ability, good accuracy and precision, which meet the limit requirements of the four odorous substances in the expanded indices and reference indices of Hygienic standards for drinking water (GB 5749-2022). It also provides technical support for water quality assessment and analysis of odorous substances.

Objective To compare the effect of routine speech training and computer-assisted training on post-stroke dysarthria. Methods From March,2021 to April,2023,72 patients with post-stroke dysarthria in Beijing Bo'ai Hospital were ran-domly divided into control group(n=36)and experimental group(n=36).Both groups received routine rehabili-tation,while the control group received routine speech training,and the experimental group received computer-assisted training,for four weeks.They were assessed with modified Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment(m-FDA)and Speech Intelligibility(SI)before and after intervention. Results Eight cases in the control group and one case in the experimental group dropped down.The scores of m-FDA and SI improved in both groups after treatment(|Z|＞4.183,P＜0.001),and there was no significant difference between two groups(|Z|＜1.598,P＞0.05).Noninferiority of m-FDA was found between two groups(|t|＞3.656,P＜0.001). Conclusion Computer-assisted training could improve the speech function of patients with post-stroke dysarthria,simi-lar to routine speech training.

Objective:To evaluate pulmonary hypertension (PH) in Chinese people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) receiving long-term anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and those who had not received ART for HIV infection, and to analyze the risk factors for PH in HIV infected individuals, so as to provide evidence for the monitoring and management of cardiovascular diseases in people living with HIV in China.Methods:HIV infected individuals who received long-term ART were from the NCT04463810 study cohort. In addition, using propensity score matching method, gender matched HIV infected individuals who had not received ART were selected as controls from the NCT00872417 and NCT01844297 studies. This study was a retrospective and observational clinical study. Basic data, clinical visit and cardiac Doppler ultrasonography data were collected to analyze the prevalence of PH and risk factors for PH in people living with HIV. Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression were used for statistical analysis.Results:Among the 318 HIV infected individuals, 159 underwent long-term ART and 159 did not receive ART, which were divided into long-term ART group and ART-na?ve group, respectively. Among 318 HIV infected individuals, 30 cases (9.4%) experienced PH, including 23 cases (7.2%) with critical PH, six cases (1.9%) with mild PH, one case (0.3%) with moderate PH, and there was no severe PH. The prevalence of PH in the long-term ART group was 5.0%(8/159), which was lower than that in the ART-na?ve group (13.8%, 22/159). The difference was statistically significant ( χ2=7.21, P=0.012). Multivariate analysis showed that older age (odds ratio ( OR)=1.064, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.019 to 1.111, P=0.016) and unsuppressed HIV status ( OR=2.660, 95% CI 1.041 to 6.797, P=0.041) were independent risk factors for PH of people living with HIV. Conclusions:The prevalence of PH in people living with HIV with long-term ART is lower than that of ART-na?ve people living with HIV. Older age and unsuppressed HIV status are independent risk factors for PH in people living with HIV. Cardiac Doppler ultrasonography is helpful for the early screening of PH in people living with HIV. ART should be actively performed to reduce the incidence of PH in people living with HIV.

Background::Genetic variants of dopaminergic transcription factor-encoding genes are suggested to be Parkinson’s disease (PD) risk factors; however, no comprehensive analyses of these genes in patients with PD have been undertaken. Therefore, we aimed to genetically analyze 16 dopaminergic transcription factor genes in Chinese patients with PD.Methods::Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed using a Chinese cohort comprising 1917 unrelated patients with familial or sporadic early-onset PD and 1652 controls. Additionally, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed using another Chinese cohort comprising 1962 unrelated patients with sporadic late-onset PD and 1279 controls.Results::We detected 308 rare and 208 rare protein-altering variants in the WES and WGS cohorts, respectively. Gene-based association analyses of rare variants suggested that MSX1 is enriched in sporadic late-onset PD. However, the significance did not pass the Bonferroni correction. Meanwhile, 72 and 1730 common variants were found in the WES and WGS cohorts, respectively. Unfortunately, single-variant logistic association analyses did not identify significant associations between common variants and PD. Conclusions::Variants of 16 typical dopaminergic transcription factors might not be major genetic risk factors for PD in Chinese patients. However, we highlight the complexity of PD and the need for extensive research elucidating its etiology.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of visualized precise lung expansion for determining the intersegmental plane in thoracoscopic segmentectomy.Methods:Sixty-four American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification Ⅰ or Ⅱ patients, regardless of gender, aged 33-77 yr, with body mass index of 16-34 kg/m 2, undergoing elective thoracoscopic segmentectomy under general anesthesia, were included. They were preoperatively reconstructed with 3D CT bronchovascularization to reconstruct the pulmonary vasculature, bronchus, and the virtual intersegmental planes of the lungs. The patients were divided into 2 groups ( n=32 each) using a random number table method: visualized precise lung expansion group (group V) and modified expansion and atrophy group (group E). Group V used visualized precision lung expansion to determine the intersegmental planes, and group E used the modified expansion and atrophy method to determine the intersegmental planes. The intraoperative intersegmental plane determination time, target segmental bronchus identification and treatment time, anesthesia time, operation time, postoperative air leakage, pulmonary atelectasis, fever, occurrence of lung infection, postoperative 24 h drainage volume, drain removal time and hospitalization time were recorded in the two groups. Results:Compared with group E, the intersegmental plane determination time, target segment bronchial identification and treatment time, anesthesia time and operation time were significantly shortened in group V( P<0.05).There were no significant differences between groups in the 24 h postoperative drainage volume, drain removal time, hospitalization time or incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Compared with the modified expansion and atrophy method, visualized precise lung expansion can effectively shorten the intersegmental plane determination time in thoracoscopic segmentectomy.

Objective:To conduct quality evaluation and content analysis of adult postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) guidelines, so as to provide reference for management of clinical PONV.Methods:Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, UpToDate, SinoMed, Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, domestic and foreign clinical practice guidelines and related professional association websites were systematically searched, and the search period was from database establishment to May 6, 2022. Four researchers independently evaluated the guidelines that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria using a clinical guideline research and evaluation system, and summarized the recommendations of the guidelines.Results:Finally, a total of 15 guidelines were included in this study. The overall quality evaluation of the guide was 3 A-level recommendations and 12 B-level recommendations. The average standardization percentages for 6 areas were 81.57% for scope and purpose, 49.91% for participants, 65.38% for rigor, 89.54% for clarity, 34.86% for applicability and 55.42% for independence. A total of 18 recommendations were summarized from five aspects, such as team and organizational management, PONV risk assessment, baseline risk reduction, multimodal prevention of PONV and effectiveness evaluation and monitoring.Conclusions:The guidelines for PONV management mainly come from foreign countries. It is recommended that clinical personnel should learn from foreign guidelines and combine them with domestic clinical situations to localize the recommended opinions and guide the development of clinical practice.