BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses a major global health challenge, often foreshadowing poor patient outcomes. The C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) serves as a pivotal biomarker, demonstrating a strong correlation with adverse outcomes in cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study sought to examine the correlation between CAR and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with CKD stages 3-5. METHODS: This study utilized data of CKD patients from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2010, with follow-up to December 31, 2019. The optimal CAR cutoff value was identified utilizing the method of maximally selected rank statistics. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model, restricted cubic splines (RCS) model, and subgroup analysis were employed to assess the association between CAR and mortality among CKD patients. RESULTS: During a median (with interquartile range) follow-up period of 115 (112,117) months among 2,841 CKD individuals, 1,893 deaths were observed, including 692 deaths due to CVD events. Based on the RCS analysis, a non-linear correlation was observed between CAR and mortality. Using 0.3 as the optimal CAR cutoff value, the cohort was divided into high and low groups. In the fully adjusted model, CKD patients with high CAR values exhibited an elevated risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28-1.83, P < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.48, 95% CI 1.08-2.02, P = 0.014). Compared to the population aged >65 years (HR 1.32, 95% CI 0.99-1.76, P = 0.064), the risk of cardiovascular mortality was significantly higher in those aged ≤65 years (HR 2.19, 95% CI 1.18-4.09, P = 0.014) with elevated CAR levels. CONCLUSIONS A notable correlation exists between the elevation of CAR and increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, suggesting its potential as an independent indicator for evaluating the prognosis of patients with CKD stages 3-5.
Humans ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/epidemiology* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism* ; Aged ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Nutrition Surveys ; Adult ; United States/epidemiology* ; Serum Albumin/analysis*

BACKGROUND:The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease has been steadily rising,accompanied by a lack of definitive therapeutic strategies.Recent research endeavors have illuminated the promising potential of mesenchymal stem cells in mitigating the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease,offering a glimmer of hope for afflicted patients.OBJECTIVE:To review the mechanisms of action of mesenchymal stem cells derived from various sources in the management of inflammatory bowel disease,aiming to provide insights for future research endeavors.METHODS:Utilizing the keywords"mesenchymal stem cells,MSCs,exosomes,extracellular vesicles,EVs,inflammatory bowel disease,IBD,ulcerative colitis,UC,Crohn's disease,CD"in English and their Chinese equivalents in CNKI and PubMed databases,a total of 89 eligible articles were selected for this review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Currently,six types of mesenchymal stem cells are being explored for inflammatory bowel disease therapy:bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells,adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells,perinatal tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells,induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells,embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells,and gingival mesenchymal stem cells.Five administration routes have been adopted,with intravenous and intraperitoneal injections being the most prevalent,followed by local,mesenteric,and intra rectal injections.Their therapeutic mechanisms encompass differentiation,regeneration,anti-inflammatory effects,immune modulation,neuroprotection,antioxidant stress response,homing,modulation of gut microbiota,autophagy,ferroptosis,and endoplasmic reticulum stress.While sharing functional similarities,mesenchymal stem cells from different sources exhibit unique characteristics that confer them with distinct advantages and therapeutic potentials.Nevertheless,research into the specific properties of these mesenchymal stem cells remains limited,necessitating deeper exploration of their nuanced differences to optimize their therapeutic efficacy in inflammatory bowel disease.Additionally,the clinical safety of mesenchymal stem cells-based therapies warrants further observation and evaluation.

Objective To explore the syndrome differentiation rules of the Yin Dan and Yang Dan method,and summarize Professor Yang Zhimin's valuable experience in the treatment of insomnia.Methods The case data of 11390 insomnia patients treated by Professor Yang Zhimin was retrospectively analyzed,and the distribution of symptoms,signs,pathogenesis and syndrome differentiation rules of insomnia patients was examined based on latent structure analysis.Result A total of 44 symptoms and signs can explain the overall situation of insomnia patients,showing the characteristics of both excess and deficiency,cold and heat.A total of 36 hidden categories(symptom clusters and pathogenesis)was composed.Symptoms and signs such as fear of wind and cold can explain the overall situation of insomnia patients with cold syndrome due to weakness of Wei Qi,symptoms and signs such as pale eyelid can explain the overall situation of insomnia patients with heat syndrome due to weakness of Ying Xve,and established diagnostic criteria for insomnia patients with cold syndrome due to weakness of Wei Qi and heat syndrome due to weakness of Ying Xve.Conclusion Based on the Yang Dan and Yin Dan method to distinguish and treat insomnia from the perspective of disharmony between Ying and Wei,it is in line with the basic understanding of the pathogenesis of insomnia in the classics of traditional Chinese medicine.The pattern differentiation rules obtained through the latent structure analysis method are helpful to summarize valuable clinical experience and provide a certain reference and basis for clinical practice.

Objective To explore the syndrome differentiation rules of the Yin Dan and Yang Dan method,and summarize Professor Yang Zhimin's valuable experience in the treatment of insomnia.Methods The case data of 11390 insomnia patients treated by Professor Yang Zhimin was retrospectively analyzed,and the distribution of symptoms,signs,pathogenesis and syndrome differentiation rules of insomnia patients was examined based on latent structure analysis.Result A total of 44 symptoms and signs can explain the overall situation of insomnia patients,showing the characteristics of both excess and deficiency,cold and heat.A total of 36 hidden categories(symptom clusters and pathogenesis)was composed.Symptoms and signs such as fear of wind and cold can explain the overall situation of insomnia patients with cold syndrome due to weakness of Wei Qi,symptoms and signs such as pale eyelid can explain the overall situation of insomnia patients with heat syndrome due to weakness of Ying Xve,and established diagnostic criteria for insomnia patients with cold syndrome due to weakness of Wei Qi and heat syndrome due to weakness of Ying Xve.Conclusion Based on the Yang Dan and Yin Dan method to distinguish and treat insomnia from the perspective of disharmony between Ying and Wei,it is in line with the basic understanding of the pathogenesis of insomnia in the classics of traditional Chinese medicine.The pattern differentiation rules obtained through the latent structure analysis method are helpful to summarize valuable clinical experience and provide a certain reference and basis for clinical practice.

BACKGROUND:The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease has been steadily rising,accompanied by a lack of definitive therapeutic strategies.Recent research endeavors have illuminated the promising potential of mesenchymal stem cells in mitigating the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease,offering a glimmer of hope for afflicted patients.OBJECTIVE:To review the mechanisms of action of mesenchymal stem cells derived from various sources in the management of inflammatory bowel disease,aiming to provide insights for future research endeavors.METHODS:Utilizing the keywords"mesenchymal stem cells,MSCs,exosomes,extracellular vesicles,EVs,inflammatory bowel disease,IBD,ulcerative colitis,UC,Crohn's disease,CD"in English and their Chinese equivalents in CNKI and PubMed databases,a total of 89 eligible articles were selected for this review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Currently,six types of mesenchymal stem cells are being explored for inflammatory bowel disease therapy:bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells,adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells,perinatal tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells,induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells,embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells,and gingival mesenchymal stem cells.Five administration routes have been adopted,with intravenous and intraperitoneal injections being the most prevalent,followed by local,mesenteric,and intra rectal injections.Their therapeutic mechanisms encompass differentiation,regeneration,anti-inflammatory effects,immune modulation,neuroprotection,antioxidant stress response,homing,modulation of gut microbiota,autophagy,ferroptosis,and endoplasmic reticulum stress.While sharing functional similarities,mesenchymal stem cells from different sources exhibit unique characteristics that confer them with distinct advantages and therapeutic potentials.Nevertheless,research into the specific properties of these mesenchymal stem cells remains limited,necessitating deeper exploration of their nuanced differences to optimize their therapeutic efficacy in inflammatory bowel disease.Additionally,the clinical safety of mesenchymal stem cells-based therapies warrants further observation and evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the outcome indexes of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture and moxibustion for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) so as to provide a reference for the protocol design and the construction of a core outcome set in relevant clinical trials of acupuncture and moxibustion for MCI. METHODS: From CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, and Web of Science, RCTs of acupuncture and moxibustion for MCI were searched, and the time duration was ranged from January 1st, 2018 to October 31th, 2023. The general information and outcome indexes of the included studies were collected and analyzed through literature screening and data extraction. RESULTS: A total of 46 studies were eligible, with 2 072 samples and 18 diagnostic criteria involved. The outcome indexes were categorized into 7 domains according to functional attributes, including clinical symptoms/signs, TCM symptoms/syndromes, physical and chemical examination, quality of life, psychiatric and mental health, safety assessment, and patient satisfaction. Eighty-four outcome indexes were reported, with the use frequency of 237. Currently, RCTs of acupuncture and moxibustion for MCI were limited in the big difference in neuropsychological assessment tool, the inadequate reports on educational degree/educational years, the diversity of physical and chemical detection indexes, the inconsistency of the time points for outcome evaluation, the insufficient application of primary and secondary outcomes, the lack of the application of TCM diagnosis, pattern/syndrome differentiation and outcomes, and the shortage in long-term prognosis and economic assessment. CONCLUSION It is recommended to specify and develop the core outcome set of acupuncture and moxibustion for MCI to advance the standardization of related research design, the rational selection of outcome indexes, and the reliability of the research results.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Cognitive Dysfunction/therapy* ; Moxibustion ; Quality of Life ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE To investigate the modulating effect of neotropics on form deprivation myopia(FDM)in guinea pigs.METHODS Tricolour guinea pigs were randomly divided into normal control group,FDM model group,FDM+saline group,FDM+atropine group,and FDM+neotropine group,with eight animals in each group.Except for the normal control group,the right eyes of the guinea pigs were covered for 14 d to establish a guinea pig FDM model.The drug administration groups were injected with 10 μL of saline,1%atropine,or 1%neotropine into the vitreous cavity once every other day.The changes in the refractive error and axial length of both eyes were recorded for 1 d before the intervention and for 14 d after the intervention.Then,the eyeballs of guinea pigs were taken from the right eyes.HE staining was used to evaluate the histopathological structure of the sclera while sirius red staining was used to detect the collagen protein content in the sclera.RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expressions of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),matrix metalloproteinase(MMP-2)and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase(TIMP-2)in guinea pigs'sclera.The protein expression levels of collagen type Ⅰ(Col-Ⅰ)and TGF-β1 in guinea pig sclera were detected by Western blotting while those of MMP-2,TIMP-2 and Ki-67 were detected by immunohistochemical staining.RESULTS Compared with the nor-mal control group,eyes of guinea pig in the FDM model group showed a significantly lower refractive error(P<0.01),significant elongation of the ocular axis(P<0.01),scattered distribution of scleral fibre bundles,sparse collagen cells,reduced scleral thickness(P<0.01),and a significantly lower collagen protein content(P<0.01).The mRNA and protein expressions of TIMP-2 and TGF-β1 were lower(P<0.05,P<0.01),and MMP-2 was higher(P<0.01)in scleral tissue.The protein expression level of Col-Ⅰwas lower(P<0.05)while that of Ki-67 was elevated(P<0.01)in scleral tissue.Compared with the FDM model group,there were no significant changes in any of the indexes in the FDM+saline group.The refractive error of the right eyes of guinea pigs in the FDM+neotropium group and the FDM+atropium group were significantly higher(P<0.05),the length of the ocular axis was significantly shorter(P<0.05),the collagen fibres were arranged more tightly,the fibre bundles were distributed more orderly,the distribution of the collagen cells was more uniform,and the thickness of the sclera was significantly increased(P<0.01).Collagen protein contents were significantly higher(P<0.05,P<0.01),the mRNA and protein expressions of TIMP-2 and TGF-β1 were significantly higher(P<0.01),MMP-2 mRNA and protein expressions were significantly lower(P<0.05,P<0.01).The protein expression level of Col-Ⅰwas higher(P<0.05,P<0.01),and that of Ki-67 was lower(P<0.05,P<0.01)in scleral tissue.CONCLU-SION The muscarinic antagonist neotropine inhibits the development of myopia in guinea pigs in the FDM model by reversing both the down-regulation of TGF-β1 and the up-regulation of MMP-2 in scleral tissues and inhibiting the remodeling of the scleral extracellular matrix.

OBJECTIVE To explore the neuroprotective effect and possible mechanism of celastrol （Cel） and its derivatives （Cel-1， Cel-2） in terms of neuroinflammation and oxidative damage. METHODS Neuroinflammation model of microglial BV2 cells was induced by 1 μg/mL lipopolysaccharide （LPS）； oxidative damage model of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells was induced by 200 μmol/L hydrogen peroxide （H2O2）. The toxicity of different concentrations of Cel， Cel-1 and Cel-2 （0.625-20 μmol/L） to the two types of cells was investigated. The levels of nitric oxide （NO）， tumor necrosis factor α （TNF-α）， interleukin 1β （IL-1β）， and IL-6 in BV2 cells induced by LPS at safe concentrations （0.039-0.625 μmol/L） were all detected. The survival rate of SH-SY5Y cells induced by H2O2 was also determined. The expression levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K）， p-PI3K， protein kinase B （Akt）， p-Akt， cystatinase 3 （caspase-3）， B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2） and Bcl-2-related X protein （Bax） in SH- SY5Y cells induced by H2O2 at 0.156， 0.313， 0.625 μmol/L of active compound 2 were all detected. RESULTS In the concentration gradient range between 0.039 and 0.625 μmol/L， the results of neuroinflammation model experiments showed that Cel， Cel-1 and Cel-2 could reduce the contents of NO， TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 in culture medium of BV2 cells （P＜0.05 or P＜ 0.01）； their IC50 values for neuroinflammation were （0.25±0.04）， （0.61±0.14） and （0.11±0.02） μmol/L respectively. Meanwhile， all of them could reverse the phenomenon of decreased cell survival rate after H2O2 treatment in the oxidative damage experiments at a certain concentration （P＜ 0.05 or P＜0.01）， with neuroprotective EC50 values of （0.43± XJC2023009） 0.08）， （0.45±0.04） and （0.28±0.03） μmol/L， respectively.Induced by H2O2， the phosphorylation of PI3K and Akt protein， protein expressions of Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax ratio were all increased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， while the protein expressions of caspase-3 and Bax were decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Cel， Cel-1， and Cel-2 all have significant neuroprotective activities at certain concentrations， and Cel-2 shows the most significant protective effect. The mechanism of action of Cel-2 may be related to regulating the PI3K/Akt and caspase-3/Bcl-2/Bax signaling pathways， reducing the inflammatory response， oxidative stress damage and inhibiting neuronal apoptosis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the strategy of pregnancy-preserving and maternal- fetal management in patients with primary gynecologic neuroendocrine tumors (gNETs) during pregnancy. METHODS: We performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) for analyzing maternal and fetal somatic and germline single nucleotide variations (SNVs) and small insertions and deletions (InDels) for a 29-year-old pregnant woman diagnosed with stage IB2 large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and adenocarcinoma in the cervix. A systematic literature review was performed to explore the strategies for treatment of such rare histological type while maintaining pregnancy. RESULTS: Global case analysis of cervical NETs during pregnancy suggested that negative lymph node metastasis and an early FIGO stage were potentially associated with a good prognosis of the patients. In the case presented herein, a pregnancy-preserving strategy was adopted and favorable maternal-fetal outcomes were achieved after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, radical surgery and postoperative systemic chemotherapy. At 35 CONCLUSIONS Although gNETs in pregnancy are rare and highly risky, pregnancy-preserving managements of gNETs can still be considered and favorable maternalfetal outcomes are possible with proper assessment of the clinical indications and implementation of multimodal treatments. Precise treatment and follow-up strategies based on the results of WGS for risk-reducing intervention of cancer recurrence or occurrence can potentially benefit the patient and the neonate.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adult ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine/genetics* ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Pregnancy ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/genetics*

Advances in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) have fostered rapid developments in the field of microbiome research, and massive microbiome datasets are now being generated. However, the diversity of software tools and the complexity of analysis pipelines make it difficult to access this field. Here, we systematically summarize the advantages and limitations of microbiome methods. Then, we recommend specific pipelines for amplicon and metagenomic analyses, and describe commonly-used software and databases, to help researchers select the appropriate tools. Furthermore, we introduce statistical and visualization methods suitable for microbiome analysis, including alpha- and beta-diversity, taxonomic composition, difference comparisons, correlation, networks, machine learning, evolution, source tracing, and common visualization styles to help researchers make informed choices. Finally, a step-by-step reproducible analysis guide is introduced. We hope this review will allow researchers to carry out data analysis more effectively and to quickly select the appropriate tools in order to efficiently mine the biological significance behind the data.