ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of Huayu Tongluo Formula （化瘀通络方， HTF） in patients with mid-stage diabetic kidney disease of blood stasis syndrome and explore its potential mechanisms. MethodsA multi-center， randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted. Ninety patients of mid-stage diabetic kidney disease of blood stasis syndrome were divided into a control group of 46 cases and a treatment group of 44 cases. Both groups received conventional western medicine treatment， the treatment group additionally taking HTF， while the control group taking a placebo of the formula. The treatment was administered once daily for 24 weeks. The primary outcomes included 24-hour urine total protein （24 h-UTP）， serum albumin （Alb）， glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c）， and serum creatinine （Scr）.The secondary outcomes included changes in levels of endothelin-1 （ET-1）， nitric oxide （NO）， vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores before and after treatment. Clinical efficacy was evaluated based on TCM syndrome scores and overall disease outcomes. Adverse reactions and endpoint events were recorded. ResultsIn the treatment group after treatment， 24 h-UTP， ET-1， and VEGF levels significantly decreased （P＜0.05）， Alb and NO levels significantly increased （P＜0.05）； while the TCM syndrome scores for edema， lumbar pain， numbness of limbs， dark purple lips， dark purple tongue or purpura， and thin， rough pulse all significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. In the control group， no significant changes were observed in any of the indicators after treatment （P＞0.05）.Compared with the control group， the treatment group showed significant reductions in 24 h-UTP， ET-1， and VEGF levels， and increases in Alb and NO levels （P＜0.05）. The TCM syndrome scores for edema， lumbar pain， dark purple tongue or purpura， and thin， rough pulse were all lower in the treatment group than in the control group （P＜0.05）. The total effective rate of TCM syndrome in the treatment group was 59.09% （26/44）， and the overall clinical effective rate was 45.45% （20/44）. In the control group， these rates were 15.22% （7/46） and 8.7% （4/46）， respectively， with the treatment group showing significantly better outcomes （P＜0.05）. A total of 7 adverse events occurred across both groups， with no significant difference （P＞0.05）. No endpoint events occurred during the study. ConclusionOn the basis of conventional treatment of Western medicine， HTF can further reduce urinary protein levels and improve clinical symptoms in patients with mid-stage diabetic kidney disease of blood stasis syndrome. The mechanism may be related to its effects on endothelial function.

In the field of organ donation and transplantation, the determination of death faces the dilemma of the separation between medical standards and social cognition, which may hinder medical practice and lead to controversial legal evaluations. Establishing brain death criteria through the "hard law" model is the path currently adopted by many countries. However, this approach has limitations, such as the attribution of the right to define death in the law, the conflict between the technological iteration of brain death criteria and legal stability, and the neglect of the social construction of the concept of death. Based on the theory of gradual social engineering and social systems theory, establishing brain death criteria through the "soft law" model has both scientific adaptability and governance flexibility, and is conducive to cultivating social consensus on brain death criteria. In terms of implementation, it is essential to focus on the high-level positioning of the "soft law" formulation entities for brain death criteria, the professionalization of the implementation entities, the publicization of the formulation process, and the institutionalization of risk communication strategies. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the informed consent of close relatives and design a dispute resolution mechanism for misjudgments of brain death to guard against potential improper risks.

Objective:To investigate the clinical, phenotypic and genotypic features of hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia mainly involving the nervous system.Methods:The clinical data, physical examination, imaging results, blood-urine tandem mass spectrometry analysis and genetic results of 8 patients with hyperhomocysteinemia from the Department of Neurology of the Shanghai Sixth People′s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from September 2020 to December 2023 were collected, and the clinical, genetic features and pathogenic mechanisms of these patients were summarized and analyzed.Results:Among all the 8 patients (male∶female=5∶3), the age of onset was 7 to 74 (40.4±7.4) years. Seven had adult-onset and 1 had juvenile-onset, with various types of onset symptoms, including progressive stiffness in lower limbs and walking difficulty, limb numbness, tremor, mental and behavioral abnormalities, cerebrovascular events, etc. Moderate to severe hyperhomocysteine (38.4-190.6 μmol/L) was present in all patients at first diagnosis. Among the 5 patients with cranial imaging examinations, all had white matter lesions. The genetic testing showed 7 patients with MTHFR gene pathogenic mutations (1 case with c.416C>T, and 6 cases with c.665C>T), and 1 patient with MMACHC gene pathogenic mutation (c.482G>A). Conclusions:Hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia is a metabolic disease, with complicated manifestations, varying degrees of severity, and diverse pathogenic genes. The cases with neurological involvement are not rare, such as spastic paraplegia-like manifestations, tremor, peripheral neuropathy, mental and behavioral abnormalities, cerebrovascular events.

A case of small cerebral vascular disease and moderate hyperhomocysteinemia caused by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene mutation is reported.The patient was a 61-year-old man who presented with tongue stiffness and slurred speech,bilateral hand numbness and lower limb weakness.He had a history of recurrent cerebral infarction,cerebral hemorrhage,accompanied by leukoencephalopathy and cerebral microhemorrhage etc.Blood homocysteine(Hcy)66.2 μmol/L.Head magnetic resonance imaging revealed subacute cerebral infarction and white matter lesions in right parieto-occipital lobe and left pressor corpus callosum.The skin pathology showed normal density of small fibers,infiltration of perivasculitis cells in the epidermis and dermis,and swelling of endothelial cells in a wide range of small vessels in the dermis.Whole exon sequencing indicated homozygous pathogenic mutation of MTHFR gene c.665C>T(p.A222V).After 1 month of treatment,Hcy decreased to 20.5 μmol/L.This report suggests that HHcy is not only associated with leucoencephalopathy,but also can lead to skin small vessel lesions.Attention should be paid to peripheral vascular screening in this population for early intervention of potential risks.

A case of small cerebral vascular disease and moderate hyperhomocysteinemia caused by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene mutation is reported.The patient was a 61-year-old man who presented with tongue stiffness and slurred speech,bilateral hand numbness and lower limb weakness.He had a history of recurrent cerebral infarction,cerebral hemorrhage,accompanied by leukoencephalopathy and cerebral microhemorrhage etc.Blood homocysteine(Hcy)66.2 μmol/L.Head magnetic resonance imaging revealed subacute cerebral infarction and white matter lesions in right parieto-occipital lobe and left pressor corpus callosum.The skin pathology showed normal density of small fibers,infiltration of perivasculitis cells in the epidermis and dermis,and swelling of endothelial cells in a wide range of small vessels in the dermis.Whole exon sequencing indicated homozygous pathogenic mutation of MTHFR gene c.665C>T(p.A222V).After 1 month of treatment,Hcy decreased to 20.5 μmol/L.This report suggests that HHcy is not only associated with leucoencephalopathy,but also can lead to skin small vessel lesions.Attention should be paid to peripheral vascular screening in this population for early intervention of potential risks.

Objective:To investigate the clinical, phenotypic and genotypic features of hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia mainly involving the nervous system.Methods:The clinical data, physical examination, imaging results, blood-urine tandem mass spectrometry analysis and genetic results of 8 patients with hyperhomocysteinemia from the Department of Neurology of the Shanghai Sixth People′s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from September 2020 to December 2023 were collected, and the clinical, genetic features and pathogenic mechanisms of these patients were summarized and analyzed.Results:Among all the 8 patients (male∶female=5∶3), the age of onset was 7 to 74 (40.4±7.4) years. Seven had adult-onset and 1 had juvenile-onset, with various types of onset symptoms, including progressive stiffness in lower limbs and walking difficulty, limb numbness, tremor, mental and behavioral abnormalities, cerebrovascular events, etc. Moderate to severe hyperhomocysteine (38.4-190.6 μmol/L) was present in all patients at first diagnosis. Among the 5 patients with cranial imaging examinations, all had white matter lesions. The genetic testing showed 7 patients with MTHFR gene pathogenic mutations (1 case with c.416C>T, and 6 cases with c.665C>T), and 1 patient with MMACHC gene pathogenic mutation (c.482G>A). Conclusions:Hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia is a metabolic disease, with complicated manifestations, varying degrees of severity, and diverse pathogenic genes. The cases with neurological involvement are not rare, such as spastic paraplegia-like manifestations, tremor, peripheral neuropathy, mental and behavioral abnormalities, cerebrovascular events.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a large family of membrane protein receptors, and Takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5) is a member of this family. As a membrane receptor, TGR5 is widely distributed in different parts of the human body and plays a vital role in regulating metabolism, including the processes of energy consumption, weight loss and blood glucose homeostasis. Recent studies have shown that TGR5 plays an important role in glucose and lipid metabolism disorders such as fatty liver, obesity and diabetes. With the global obesity situation becoming more and more serious, a comprehensive explanation of the mechanism of TGR5 and filling the gaps in knowledge concerning clinical ligand drugs are urgently needed. In this review, we mainly explain the anti-obesity mechanism of TGR5 to promote the further study of this target, and show the electron microscope structure of TGR5 and review recent studies on TGR5 ligands to illustrate the specific binding between TGR5 receptor binding sites and ligands, which can effectively provide new ideas for ligand research and promote drug research.

Background: and Purpose X-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1 (CMTX1) is characterized by peripheral neuropathy with or without episodic neurological dysfunction. We performed clinical, neuropathological, and genetic investigations of a series of patients with mutations of the gap-junction beta-1 gene (GJB1) to extend the phenotypic and genetic description of CMTX1. Methods: Detailed clinical evaluations, sural nerve biopsy, and genetic analysis were applied to patients with CMTX1. Results: We collected 27 patients with CMTX1 with GJB1 mutations from 14 unrelated families. The age at onset (AAO) was 20.9±12.2 years (mean±standard deviation; range, 2–45 years). Walking difficulties, weakness in the legs, and pes cavus were common initial symptoms. Compared with female patients, males tended to have a younger AAO (males vs. females=15.4±9.6 vs. 32.0±8.8 years, p=0.002), a longer disease course (16.8±16.1 vs. 5.5±3.8 years, p=0.034), and more-severe electrophysiological results. Besides peripheral neuropathy, six of the patients had special episodic central nervous system (CNS) evidence from symptoms, signs, and/or reversible white-matter lesions. Neuropathology revealed the loss of large myelinated fibers, increased number of regenerated axon clusters with abnormally thin myelin sheaths, and excessively folded myelin. Genetic analysis identified 14 GJB1 variants, 6 of which were novel. Conclusions These findings expand the phenotypic and genetic spectrum of CMTX1. Although CMTX1 was found to have high phenotypic and CNS involvement variabilities, detailed neurological examinations and nerve conduction studies will provide critical clues for accurate diagnoses. Further exploration of the underlying mechanisms of connexin 32 involvement in neuropathy or CNS dysfunction is warranted to develop promising therapies.

Objective:To explore the impact on analgesic efficacy and safety of esketamine as an adductor canal block adjuvant in knee arthroplasty.Methods:The study was a prospective, single center, randomized controlled trial. The subjects were patients who received knee arthroplasty in Zhangjiakou First hospital from October 2021 to October 2023. The patients were randomly divided into trial group and control group using a random number table method. The patients in the both groups received general anesthesia and postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA). The patients in the trial group were injected with 0.375% ropivacaine combined with esmketamine, while those in the control group were only injected with 0.375% ropivacaine. The postoperative vital signs, quadriceps femoris muscle strength, resting and dynamic visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, use of PCIA, and incidence of postoperative adverse reactions in patients between the 2 groups were compared.Results:A total of 120 patients were included in this study, with 60 cases in each group. There were no significant differences in heart rate, mean arterial pressure, respiratory rate, and body temperature in patients between the trial group and the control group at 24 and 48 hours after operation (all P>0.05). There were no significant differences in quadriceps femoris muscle strength at 12, 24 and 48 hours after operation (all P>0.05). At rest, the VAS pain score at 12 hours after operation in the trial group was lower than that in the control group [(2.89±0.49) points vs. (3.36±0.23) points], the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). In the active state, the VAS scores at 12 and 24 hours after operation in the trial group were lower than those in the control group [(3.78±0.41) points vs. (4.11±0.45) points, (3.79±0.56) points vs. (4.19±0.69) points], the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The number of times of PCIA compression 24 hours after operation in the experimental group was less than that in the control group [(5.35±1.03) times vs. (7.89±1.34) times], and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05), the sensory block time in the experimental group was longer than that in the control group [(488.26±57.75) min vs. (92.26±65.15) min], and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in total incidence of adverse reactions including nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, dizziness, drowsiness, delirium and hallucination in patients between the 2 groups within 1 week after operation (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Esketamine as an adjuvant of ropivacaine for adductor block can alleviate the pain level of patients undergoing knee arthroplasty, and it has good safety.

Objective:To explore the impact on analgesic efficacy and safety of esketamine as an adductor canal block adjuvant in knee arthroplasty.Methods:The study was a prospective, single center, randomized controlled trial. The subjects were patients who received knee arthroplasty in Zhangjiakou First hospital from October 2021 to October 2023. The patients were randomly divided into trial group and control group using a random number table method. The patients in the both groups received general anesthesia and postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA). The patients in the trial group were injected with 0.375% ropivacaine combined with esmketamine, while those in the control group were only injected with 0.375% ropivacaine. The postoperative vital signs, quadriceps femoris muscle strength, resting and dynamic visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, use of PCIA, and incidence of postoperative adverse reactions in patients between the 2 groups were compared.Results:A total of 120 patients were included in this study, with 60 cases in each group. There were no significant differences in heart rate, mean arterial pressure, respiratory rate, and body temperature in patients between the trial group and the control group at 24 and 48 hours after operation (all P>0.05). There were no significant differences in quadriceps femoris muscle strength at 12, 24 and 48 hours after operation (all P>0.05). At rest, the VAS pain score at 12 hours after operation in the trial group was lower than that in the control group [(2.89±0.49) points vs. (3.36±0.23) points], the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). In the active state, the VAS scores at 12 and 24 hours after operation in the trial group were lower than those in the control group [(3.78±0.41) points vs. (4.11±0.45) points, (3.79±0.56) points vs. (4.19±0.69) points], the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The number of times of PCIA compression 24 hours after operation in the experimental group was less than that in the control group [(5.35±1.03) times vs. (7.89±1.34) times], and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05), the sensory block time in the experimental group was longer than that in the control group [(488.26±57.75) min vs. (92.26±65.15) min], and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in total incidence of adverse reactions including nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, dizziness, drowsiness, delirium and hallucination in patients between the 2 groups within 1 week after operation (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Esketamine as an adjuvant of ropivacaine for adductor block can alleviate the pain level of patients undergoing knee arthroplasty, and it has good safety.