Objective To systematically analyze the characteristics of the disease burden of hypertensive heart disease (HHD) in the elderly (≥60 years) globally and in China from 1990 to 2021, and to predict its future trends from 2022 to 2040, with the aim of providing data support for optimizing comprehensive prevention and control strategies for HHD. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database, the number of prevalent cases and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of HHD in the elderly were extracted for the world, China, and five regions categorized by sociodemographic index (SDI). Joinpoint regression was used to analyze the temporal trends of age-standardized prevalence rate and age-standardized DALYs rate of HHD in the elderly. A three-factor decomposition method was applied to evaluate the relative contributions of aging, population growth, and epidemiological changes to the variations in the elderly HHD burden. Additionally, a Bayesian age-period-cohort model was used to predict the elderly HHD burden from 2022 to 2040. Results In 2021, the number of prevalent elderly HHD cases reached 10 283 000 globally and 3 412 400 in China, representing increases of 179.20% and 159.20% respectively, compared with 1990. The DALYs of elderly HHD were 18 812 700 person-years globally and 4 731 400 person-years in China, rising by 76.08% and 29.45% respectively from 1990. Meanwhile, the growth rates of the number of prevalent cases and DALYs of elderly HHD varied across different SDI regions. From 1990 to 2021, the age-standardized prevalence rate of elderly HHD in China, as well as the age-standardized DALYs rate of elderly HHD both globally and in China, showed significant downward trends (all average annual percentage changes<0, all P<0.001). In 2021, the 70-74 years age group accounted for the highest proportion of prevalent cases and DALYs of elderly HHD, both globally and in China. Decomposition analysis revealed that population growth was the dominant factor driving the increase in the elderly HHD burden across all regions. The prediction model results indicated that the number of prevalent cases and DALYs of elderly HHD would continue to rise globally and in China from 2022 to 2040, with the growth rate of the elderly HHD burden in China between 2021 and 2040 expected to exceed the global average. Conclusion Over the past 32 years, although the age-standardized disease rates of elderly HHD have mainly shown a downward trend globally and in China, the absolute number of the disease burden has increased substantially. The projection model indicates a continued upward trajectory, with the growth rate in China higher than the global average. Therefore, there is an urgent need to implement precise prevention and control strategies to effectively mitigate the disease burden of elderly HHD.

Immunotherapy has emerged as a revolutionary approach to treat immune-related diseases. Dendritic cells (DCs) play a pivotal role in orchestrating immune responses, making them an attractive target for immunotherapeutic interventions. Modulation of gene expression in DCs using genome editing techniques, such as the CRISPR-Cas system, is important for regulating DC functions. However, the precise delivery of CRISPR-based therapies to DCs has posed a significant challenge. While lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been extensively studied for gene editing in tumor cells, their potential application in DCs has remained relatively unexplored. This study investigates the important role of cholesterol in regulating the efficiency of BAMEA-O16B lipid-assisted nanoparticles (BLANs) as carriers of CRISPR/Cas9 for gene editing in DCs. Remarkably, BLANs with low cholesterol density exhibit exceptional mRNA uptake, improved endosomal escape, and efficient single-guide RNA release capabilities. Administration of BLAN_mCas9/gPD-L1 results in substantial PD-L1 gene knockout in conventional dendritic cells (cDCs), accompanied by heightened cDC1 activation, T cell stimulation, and significant suppression of tumor growth. The study underscores the pivotal role of cholesterol density within LNPs, revealing potent influence on gene editing efficacy within DCs. This strategy holds immense promise for the field of cancer immunotherapy, offering a novel avenue for treating immune-related diseases.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze bone mass distribution and the factors affecting bone mass in a general Chinese Han cohort undergoing physical examinations at our center. METHODS: We retrospectively collected the data of bone mineral density (BMD) measurements from 30 599 healthy Han Chinese adults (age≥20 years) who underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans at our hospital from July, 2013 to July, 2023. Basic parameters including height, body weight, and gender were recorded, and descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed using R software. RESULTS: In this cohort, the male individuals had a mean peak BMD of 1.00±0.12 g/cm² in the lumbar vertebrae, 0.94±0.14 g/cm² in the femoral neck, and 0.99±0.13 g/cm² in the total hip, significantly higher than the values in the female individuals [0.99±0.12 g/cm² in the lumbar vertebrae (P=0.022), 0.79±0.11 g/cm² in the femoral neck (P<0.001), and 0.88±0.11 g/cm² in the total hip (P<0.001)]. In the overall cohort, the BMD values of the lumbar spine and femur decreased with age after reaching their peak levels. There was a positive correlation between BMD value and body mass index (BMI) in both male and female individuals. The 2013-2014 period recorded the lowest BMD values in the lumbar, hip, and femoral neck, which tended to increase steadily in the following years (2015-2023). CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that the BMD values vary among different populations, and future multi-center studies using more accurate BMD detection technology are warranted to capture the variation patterns of BMD with demographic characteristics of specific populations.
Humans ; Bone Density ; Absorptiometry, Photon ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Osteoporosis/diagnostic imaging* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Lumbar Vertebrae/diagnostic imaging* ; China/epidemiology* ; Femur Neck/diagnostic imaging* ; Aged ; Beijing/epidemiology* ; Young Adult

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a medical condition characterized by cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in individuals with diabetes mellitus. Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and mitochondrial Ca²⁺ overload in cardiomyocytes have been recognized as biological hallmarks in DCM; however, the specific factors underlying these abnormalities remain largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of a cardiac-specific long noncoding RNA, D830005E20Rik (Trdn-as), in DCM. Our results revealed the remarkably upregulation of Trdn-as in the hearts of the DCM mice and cardiomyocytes treated with high glucose (HG). Knocking down Trdn-as in cardiac tissues significantly improved cardiac dysfunction and remodeling in the DCM mice. Conversely, Trdn-as overexpression resulted in cardiac damage resembling that observed in the DCM mice. At the cellular level, Trdn-as induced Ca²⁺ overload in the SR and mitochondria, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. RNA-seq and bioinformatics analyses identified calsequestrin 2 (Casq2), a primary calcium-binding protein in the junctional SR, as a potential target of Trdn-as. Further investigations revealed that Trdn-as facilitated the recruitment of METTL14 to the Casq2 mRNA, thereby enhancing the m⁶A modification of Casq2. This modification increased the stability of Casq2 mRNA and subsequently led to increased protein expression. When Casq2 was knocked down, the promoting effects of Trdn-as on Ca²⁺ overload and mitochondrial damage were mitigated. These findings provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis of DCM and suggest Trdn-as as a potential therapeutic target for this condition.
Animals ; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies/pathology* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Mice ; Calsequestrin/genetics* ; Calcium/metabolism* ; Male ; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum/metabolism* ; Methyltransferases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mitochondria, Heart/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mitochondria/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To determine the carrier rate for thalassemia mutations in the ethnic Miao population of Qianxinan Prefecture. METHODS: Ethnic Miao people suspected for thalassemia trait at the People's Hospital of Qianxinan Prefecture, Guizhou Province between November 2020 to September 2024 were selected as the study subjects. Gap-PCR technology combined with high-throughput sequencing was used to screen a total of 666 individuals. ArcMap v10.8.2 was used to create a spatial distribution map of thalassemia based on the screening results. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the hospital (Ethics No.: 2016-01). RESULTS: In total 254 positive cases were detected, with an overall positive rate of 38.14%. Among these, 173 cases were α-thalassemia (25.98%), 77 cases were β-thalassemia (11.56%), and 4 cases were αβ compound thalassemia (0.60%). The most common genotypes for α-thalassemia were αα/--^SEA (positive rate = 10.06%, accounting for 38.73%), αα/-α^3.7 (positive rate = 8.86%, accounting for 34.10%), and α^CSα/αα (positive rate = 4.95%, accounting for 19.08%). The most common genotypes for β-thalassemia were β^41/42(-TTCT)/β^A (positive rate = 5.11%, accounting for 44.16%) and β^{17 (A>T)}/β^A(positive rate = 4.20%, accounting for 36.36%), with these two genotypes accounting for as much as 80.52%. The spatial distribution map indicated that the highest overall detection rate of thalassemia and α-thalassemia in the Miao population of Qianxinan Prefecture was in Xingyi City. The highest detection rate of β-thalassemia was in Zhenfeng County, and the highest detection rate of αβ compound thalassemia was in Wangmo County. CONCLUSION The detection rate of thalassemia among the ethnic Miaos from Qianxinan Prefecture is relatively high, which primarily consisted of α-thalassemia. Regular monitoring and educational outreach should be conducted.
Humans ; China/ethnology* ; Female ; Male ; Genetic Testing ; Adult ; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Thalassemia/ethnology* ; Ethnicity/genetics* ; Genotype ; beta-Thalassemia/ethnology* ; Adolescent ; Mutation ; Middle Aged ; Child ; Asian People/genetics* ; Young Adult

Inflammation is associated with the occurrence and recurrence of ischemic stroke, and patients with coronary artery disease who receive colchicine treatment have a lower incidence of vascular events. However, the efficacy and safety of anti-inflammatory therapy with colchicine in preventing recurrent stroke is unclear. This article reviews the relevant mechanisms of action of colchicine and its role in the prevention of ischemic stroke, aiming to provide reference for the secondary prevention of ischemic stroke.

Objective:To explore the value of difference value and relative value of pulmonary vascular quantitative parameters of biphasic CT in diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and high-risk groups.Methods:The study was a cross-sectional study. A retrospective study of 624 patients who underwent biphasic chest CT scanning in the Second Affiliated Hospital of PLA Naval Medical University from August 2018 to December 2020. Subjects were divided into three groups according to pulmonary function test: normal group ( n=321), preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) ( n=204) and COPD group ( n=99). The pulmonary vascular quantitative parameters were obtained by the workstation, including the number of pulmonary vessels (N total), cross-sectional area less than that of 5 mm 2 (N CSA5), vessel area (VA total) of 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 mm from the pleura, total blood vessels volume (TBV) and total blood vessels volume under 5 mm 2 (BV5) at expiratory and inspiratory phase. The difference value, relative value of biphasic CT were calculated. ANOVA test or Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare the differences of pulmonary vascular quantitative parameters among the three groups, and LSD or Bonferroni tests were used for multiple comparisons. Results:The N total, N CSA5, VA total of the whole lung in the inspiratory phase at the level of 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21 mm from the pleura and TBV, BV5 in the normal group, PRISm group and COPD group, showed an overall trend of decreasing and then increasing, and the PRISm group was lower than those of the normal group ( P<0.05). The differences in N total, N CSA5, VA total between the COPD group and the normal group at the level of 9 and 21 mm from the pleura were not statistically significant ( P>0.05), while the N total, N CSA5, V Atotal of biphasic difference value and relative value in COPD group demonstrated a significant difference from those in normal group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The difference value and relative value of pulmonary vascular quantitative parameters in biphasic CT are more useful than single inspiratory-phase vascular parameters to differentiate the changes in pulmonary vascular remodeling between COPD patients and the normal population, and also to complement the pulmonary vascular characteristics of the PRISm population, which can provide a basis for early warning of COPD and high-risk populations.

AIM:To explore the therapeutic effect of teprenone(geranylgeranylacetone,GGA)on lipopolysac-charide(LPS)-induced cardiac dysfunction and its mechanism.METHODS:(1)Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 wild-type mice and carboxyl terminus of heat shock protein 70(HSP70)-interacting protein(CHIP)gene knockout mice were randomly divided into control group,LPS group,LPS+GGA group and GGA group,with 8 mice in each group.The model was established by intraperitoneal injection of LPS(25 mg/kg),and 1 h after LPS stimulation,mice were given intraperito-neal injection of GGA(100 mg/kg).The technique of high-resolution ultrasonography system was used to evaluate the car-diac function of mice.The serum of mice from each group were collected to detect the levels of creatine kinase-MB(CK-MB)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH).HE staining was performed to observe histological changes of cardiac tissues.ELISA was used to detect the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)in cardiac tissues.West-ern blot was used to detect the protein levels of HSP70,CHIP,karyopherin-α 2(KPNA2),myeloperoxidase(MPO),vas-cular cell adhesion molecule(VCAM),intercellular cell adhesion molecule(ICAM),and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)in cardiac tissues.(2)In vitro cell inflammation model was established using mouse myocardial cells HL-1 stimulated with LPS.ELISA was used to detect the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in cell supernatants.Western blot was used to detect the pro-tein expression levels of HSP70,CHIP,and KPNA2 in myocardial cells.Immunofluorescence staining was performed to observe the content of nuclear NF-κB.RESULTS:(1)GGA effectively improved cardiac function of LPS-stimulated mice,significantly increased ejection fraction and left ventricular fractional shortening(P<0.01),reduced serum levels of CK-MB and LDH(P<0.01),and alleviated myocardial injury.(2)GGA significantly reduced the release of TNF-α and IL-6 caused by LPS(P<0.01),as well as nuclear translocation of NF-κB,decreased the levels of KPNA2,MPO,VCAM and ICAM in cardiac tissues,and increased the levels of HSP70 in cardiac tissues and cells(P<0.01).(3)In CHIP knockout myocardial cells and mice,GGA failed to inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory response and lost its effect on im-proving cardiac function.CONCLUSION:The protective effect of GGA against LPS-caused cardiac dysfunction of mice is related to increasing expression of HSP70 and promoting CHIP activation,which inhibits the translocation of NF-κB into nucleus and suppresses inflammatory factor release.CHIP knockout abolishes the effects of GGA on reducing LPS-induced inflammatory response and myocardial injury.

To report a case of clonorchiasis (Clonorchis sinensis infection) combined with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and review relevant literature to improve the awareness of the clinical physicians regarding Clonorchis Sinensis and provide references for clinical diagnosis and treatment. A retrospective analysis was conducted on a case of clonorchiasis combined with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, admitted to Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital of Jinan University on March 15, 2021, along with a review of related literature. The patient, a 55-year-old male, presented with abdominal distension and poor appetite for over two months and had a history of diabetes and hypertension for many years. He had been consuming raw fish for more than ten years. Upon admission, physical examination revealed a solid mass measuring 8 cm×8 cm was palpable below the xiphoid process in the upper abdomen, with an uneven surface, slightly hard texture, poor mobility, and positive tenderness. Laboratory tests revealed the presence of Clonorchis Sinensis eggs in the stool, and the patient tested positive for Clonorchis Sinensis IgG antibodies. After a comprehensive evaluation that included abdominal ultrasound, abdominal plain CT scan, and contrast-enhanced CT, the patient was diagnosed with "intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with multiple intrahepatic metastases." Due to the patient's poor liver function, praziquantel was not administered, and albendazole was instead used at a dose of 10 mg/(kg·d) once daily for seven days. Upon re-admission one month after discharge, no Clonorchis Sinensis eggs were found in the stool. A follow-up after 12 months revealed that the patient had passed away due to liver failure. The serious infection of Clonorchis Sinensis is relatively rare, but it can lead to severe consequences in high-risk individuals, especially when it progresses to intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Clinicians should enhance their awareness of clonorchiasis and promptly identify and provide symptomatic treatment for infections, as early as possible and provide appropriate treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for improving the prognosis of patients.

Objective:To assess the effectiveness of a model created using clinical features and preoperative chest CT imaging features in predicting the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among patients diagnosed with lung cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical (age, gender, smoking history, smoking index, etc.) and imaging (lesion size, location, density, lobulation sign, etc.) data from 444 lung cancer patients confirmed by pathology at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University between June 2014 and March 2021. These patients were randomly divided into a training set (310 patients) and an internal test set (134 patients) using a 7∶3 ratio through the random function in Python. Based on the results of pulmonary function tests, the patients were further categorized into two groups: lung cancer combined with COPD and lung cancer non-COPD. Initially, univariate analysis was performed to identify statistically significant differences in clinical characteristics between the two groups. The variables showing significance were then included in the logistic regression analysis to determine the independent factors predicting lung cancer combined with COPD, thereby constructing the clinical model. The image features underwent a filtering process using the minimum absolute value convergence and selection operator. The reliability of these features was assessed through leave-P groups-out cross-validation repeated five times. Subsequently, a radiological model was developed. Finally, a combined model was established by combining the radiological signature with the clinical features. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and decision curve analysis (DCA) curves were plotted to evaluate the predictive capability and clinical applicability of the model. The area under the curve (AUC) for each model in predicting lung cancer combined with COPD was compared using the DeLong test.Results:In the training set, there were 182 cases in the lung cancer combined with COPD group and 128 cases in the lung cancer non-COPD group. The combined model demonstrated an AUC of 0.89 for predicting lung cancer combined with COPD, while the clinical model achieved an AUC of 0.82 and the radiological model had an AUC of 0.85. In the test set, there were 78 cases in the lung cancer combined with COPD group and 56 cases in the lung cancer non-COPD group. The combined model yielded an AUC of 0.85 for predicting lung cancer combined with COPD, compared to 0.77 for the clinical model and 0.83 for the radiological model. The difference in AUC between the radiological model and the clinical model was not statistically significant ( Z=1.40, P=0.163). However, there were statistically significant differences in the AUC values between the combined model and the clinical model ( Z=-4.01, P=0.010), as well as between the combined model and the radiological model ( Z=-2.57, P<0.001). DCA showed the maximum net benifit of the combined model. Conclusion:The developed synthetic diagnostic combined model, incorporating both radiological signature and clinical features, demonstrates the ability to predict COPD in patients with lung cancer.