BackgroundArrhythmia and obsessive-compulsive disorder （OCD） frequently co-occur in clinical and epidemiological settings， yet their shared genetic basis and potential heart-brain axis mechanisms remain unclear. ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the genetic correlation between arrhythmia and OCD， and to elucidate their underlying molecular genetic mechanisms， so as to provide molecular evidence for the "heart-brain axis" to support risk assessment and integrated clinical strategies for these comorbidities. MethodsThe aggregated data from the genome-wide association study （GWAS） of arrhythmia in the UK Biobank （7 207 cases and 477 391 controls） and the GWAS data of OCD released by the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium （2 688 cases and 7 037 controls） were integrated， all of which were limited to individuals of European ancestry. The genome-wide genetic correlations were estimated using the linkage disequilibrium score regression （LDSC） and the high-definition likelihood （HDL）. Local genetic correlation analysis was conducted using the local analysis of variance annotation （LAVA）. Multi-trait analysis of GWAS （MTAG） was employed to identify pleiotropic loci. Shared risk genes were identified by combining summary-data based Mendelian randomization （SMR） and transcriptome-wide association study （TWAS）. Functional enrichment analysis was performed based on the functional mapping and annotation （FUMA） platform. ResultsBoth LDSC （r_g=0.248， 95% CI： 0.159–0.336， P=4.82×10^-3） and HDL （r_g=0.294， 95% CI： 0.237–0.351， P=5.87×10^-4） revealed significant positive genetic correlation between arrhythmia and OCD. LAVA identified 23 significantly local correlated regions in the genome （P<2.0×10^-5）. MTAG discovered 11 genome-wide significant pleiotropic SNPs， among which rs12754189 （intron of KCNN3） had potential functional harmfulness （CADD>12.37）. SMR and TWAS jointly identified 20 shared genes， enriched in neural-cardiovascular tissues such as the cerebral cortex， amygdala， and left ventricle， and involved in DNA damage response， RNA metabolism， transcriptional regulation， and FAS signaling pathway （FDR<0.05）. ConclusionArrhythmia and OCD share a common genetic basis. The co-morbidity mechanism may involve the common vulnerability of neurons and cardiac muscle cells in terms of gene expression regulation and stress response， supporting the role of the brain-heart axis in the pathophysiology of both conditions.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of leaflet augmentation technique to repair the recurrent mitral valve (MV) regurgitation after mitral repair in children. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of children who underwent redo MV repair for recurrent regurgitation after initial MV repair, using a leaflet augmentation technique combined with a standardized repair strategy at Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, from 2018 to 2022. The pathological features of the MV, key intraoperative procedures, and short- to mid-term follow-up outcomes were analyzed. Results A total of 24 patients (12 male, 12 female) were included, with a median age of 37.6 (range, 16.5–120.0) months. The mean interval from the initial surgery was (24.9±17.0) months. All children had severe mitral regurgitation preoperatively. The cardiopulmonary bypass time was (150.1±49.5) min, and the aortic cross-clamp time was (94.0±24.2) min. There were no early postoperative deaths. During a mean follow-up of (20.3±9.1) months, 3 (12.5%) patients developed moderate or severe mitral regurgitation (2 severe, 1 moderate). One (4.2%) patient died during follow-up, and one (4.2%) patient underwent a second MV reoperation. The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was significantly reduced postoperatively compared to preoperatively [ (43.5±8.6) mm vs. (35.8±7.8)mm, P<0.001]. Conclusion The leaflet augmentation technique combined with a standardized repair strategy can achieve satisfactory short- to mid-term outcomes for the redo mitral repair after previous MV repair. It can be considered a safe and feasible technical option for cases with complex valvular lesions and severe pathological changes.

Background and aims:Despite growing evidence linking pretransplant exposure to immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)to increased allograft rejection risk after liver transplantation(LT),a lack of comparative studies to definitively establish the correlation between ICI exposure and adverse short-term outcomes after LT exists.This study aimed to analyze the impact of preoperative ICI exposure on short-term post-LT prognosis and allograft rejection risk.Methods:This retrospective cohort study included 121 recipients who underwent LT for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)between June 2019 and March 2023.The recipients were categorized into ICI(n=35)and non-ICI(n=86)exposure groups based on pretransplant ICI exposure.Demographics,clinical characteristics,and short-term outcomes were compared between the cohorts.Kaplan-Meier analysis evaluated the impact of ICI exposure on graft survival.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models assessed the impact of patient characteristics on allograft rejection.Results:Recipients with or without ICI exposure exhibited comparable demographic baseline charac-teristics.The incidences of early allograft dysfunction and biliary and vascular complications were similar between both groups.Post-transplant infection incidence was 37.1％and 20.9％in the ICI and non-ICI groups,respectively(P=0.064).Allograft rejection rates were significantly higher in the ICI group than in the non-ICI group(22.9％vs.5.8％,P=0.015).The ICI group exhibited a higher 90-day post-transplant mortality rate than that of the non-ICI group(14.3％vs.2.3％,P=0.034).Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that allograft rejection independently correlated with 90-day post-transplant mortality,with ICI exposure being an independent risk factor for allograft rejection.In recipients with ICI exposure,a shorter interval between ICIs and LT(washout period)was significantly associated with a higher allograft rejection risk,with the optimal washout period identified as 21 days for predicting 90-day rejection-free survival(P=0.0001).Moreover,in recipients with allograft rejection,the peripheral CD4+/CD8+T cell ratio was much lower in the ICI group than in the non-ICI group.Conclusions:Pretransplant ICI exposure was an independent risk factor for allograft rejection and was significantly associated with 90-day post-transplant mortality after LT for HCC.A ≤21-day washout period was significantly associated with allograft rejection.Future multicenter studies with larger cohorts and prospective designs are essential to validate these findings,confirm causality,and establish standardized clinical guidelines for ICI use before transplantation.Trail registration:ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05913583.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the neuroprotective effects of electroacupuncture (EA) preconditioning against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) mediated by gut microbiota modulation, Nrf2/HO-1 pathway activation, and ferroptosis suppression. METHODS: Adult male SD rats were divided into sham operation group, CIRI model group, and EA preconditioning group. In the latter two groups, rat models of CIRI were established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), and in EA preconditioning group, EA was applied at Baihui (DU20) and Zusanli (ST36) for 3 days before modeling. Neurological deficits, cerebral infarction, and hippocampal pathology of the rats were evaluated using behavioral tests, TTC staining, and Nissl and HE staining, and the oxidative stress markers (MDA, ROS, and SOD), apoptosis/ferroptosis-related proteins (Bax, Bcl-2, GPX4, and SLC7A11), and changes in gut microbiota were analyzed. RESULTS: EA preconditioning significantly reduced neurological deficits, decreased infarct volume, promoted hippocampal neuronal survival, and improved structural integrity of the hippocampal neurons in MCAO rats. EA preconditioning also significantly lowered MDA and ROS and increased SOD levels, upregulated Bcl-2, GPX4, and SLC7A11 expressions, and downregulated Bax expression in the hippocampal tissue of the rats, causing also activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling and improvement of gut microbiota composition. CONCLUSIONS EA preconditioning alleviates CIRI in rats by suppressing ferroptosis and apoptosis, enhancing antioxidant defenses via activating Nrf2/HO-1 signaling, and regulating the gut-brain axis.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; Reperfusion Injury/therapy* ; Ferroptosis ; Male ; Rats ; Brain Ischemia ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing)/metabolism* ; Brain/metabolism* ; Oxidative Stress ; Heme Oxygenase-1/metabolism* ; Apoptosis

BACKGROUND: The available evidence regarding the benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on patients receiving dialysis with coronary artery disease (CAD) is limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the association between PCI and clinical outcomes as compared with medical therapy alone in patients undergoing dialysis with CAD in China. METHODS: This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in 30 tertiary medical centers across 12 provinces in China from January 2015 to June 2021 to include patients on dialysis with CAD. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke. Secondary outcomes included all-cause death, the individual components of MACE, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria types 2, 3, or 5 bleeding. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between PCI and outcomes. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to account for potential between-group differences. RESULTS: Of the 1146 patients on dialysis with significant CAD, 821 (71.6%) underwent PCI. After a median follow-up of 23.0 months, PCI was associated with a 43.0% significantly lower risk for MACE (33.9% [ n  = 278] vs . 43.7% [ n  = 142]; adjusted hazards ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.45-0.71), along with a slightly increased risk for bleeding outcomes that did not reach statistical significance (11.1% vs . 8.3%; adjusted hazards ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval, 0.82-2.11). Furthermore, PCI was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities. Subgroup analysis did not modify the association of PCI with patient outcomes. These primary findings were consistent across IPTW, PSM, and competing risk analyses. CONCLUSION This study indicated that PCI in patients on dialysis with CAD was significantly associated with lower MACE and mortality when comparing with those with medical therapy alone, albeit with a slightly increased risk for bleeding events that did not reach statistical significance.
Humans ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Coronary Artery Disease/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Renal Dialysis/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; China ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: Pre-transplant exposure to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) significantly increases the risk of allograft rejection after liver transplantation (LT); however, whether ICI-related rejection leads to increased graft loss remains controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between ICI-related allograft rejection and perioperative graft loss. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of adult liver transplant recipients with early biopsy-proven T-cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) at Liver Transplantation Center of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital from June 2019 to September 2024. The pathological features, clinical characteristics, and perioperative graft survival were analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients who underwent early TCMR between June 2019 and September 2024 were included. Based on pre-LT ICI exposure, recipients were categorized into ICI-related TCMR (irTCMR, n = 12) and conventional TCMR (cTCMR, n = 16) groups. Recipients with irTCMR had a higher median Banff rejection activity index (RAI) (6 vs . 5, P = 0.012) and more aggressive tissue damage and inflammation. Recipients with irTCMR showed higher proportion of treatment resistance, achieving a complete resolution rate of only 8/12 compared to 16/16 for cTCMR. Graft loss occurred in 5/12 of irTCMR recipients within 90 days after LT, with no graft loss in cTCMRs recipients. Cox analysis demonstrated that irTCMR with an ICI washout period of <30 days was an independent risk factor for perioperative graft loss (hazard ratio [HR], 6.540; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.067-40.067, P = 0.042). CONCLUSION IrTCMR is associated with severe pathological features, increased resistance to treatment, and higher graft loss in adult liver transplant recipients.
Humans ; Liver Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Graft Rejection/immunology* ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Adult ; T-Lymphocytes/drug effects* ; Graft Survival/immunology* ; Aged

Objective:To provide new insights for the selection and research of Gastrodia elata.Methods:Through searches in databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),PubMed,and Web of Science,a systematic literature review approach was adopted.This involved summarizing and synthesizing existing articles on the chemical structures and pharmacological effects of polysaccharides in Gastrodia elata,and performing a comprehensive cross-sectional analysis of factors affecting the polysaccharide content in Gastrodia elata.Results:Traditional Chinese medicine,Gastrodia elata,has properties such as calming wind and convul-sions,regulating liver yang,and expelling wind and promoting circulation.Gastrodia elata is rich in polysaccharide components,which exhibit strong pharmacological activities.Factors such as the origin,variety,associated micro-bial species,harvest period,and processing methods all influence the polysaccharide content in Gastrodia elata.Conclusion:It can be inferred from the evaluation index of Gastrodia elata polysaccharides that Yunnan and Sichuan are the high-quality main production areas of Gastrodia elata;red and black varieties of Gastrodia elata are considered superior.Winter-harvested Gastrodia elata has better quality than those harvested in other seasons.Processing methods,particularly steaming followed by slicing,help retain higher levels of polysaccharides in Gastrodia elata.

Objective To design an intelligent airborne soldier physical training system based on human body composition analysis to solve the problems in diversity of training mode,targeted training plan and high incidence of military training-related injuries.Methods The intelligent airborne military physical training system was designed with B/S architecture and developed with Python language,which was composed of four functional modules for airborne soldier information acquisition,trainee physical fitness state assessment,physical fitness training program recommendation and airborne soldier physical fitness training program evaluation.The airborne soldier information acquisition module collected and analyzed the trainee physiological parameter information with a human body composition analyzer,clarified the parameter characteristics related to physical training with considerations on military physical training requirements and constructed a trainee physical fitness assessment parameter model;the trainee physical fitness state assessment module established an evaluation model based on machine learning to realize stage-by-stage physical fitness evaluation for airborne soldiers;the physical fitness training program recommendation module was constructed based on the physical training feature similarity algorithm and graph embedding theory to provide decision making assistance for program development of airborne military physical training;the airborne soldier physical fitness training program evaluation module compared the physical fitness and evaluation results before and after training by means of list and chart,and updated the training program based on the evaluation results by calling the physical training program recommendation module.Results The intelligent airborne soldier physical training system contributed to forming an individualized physical fitness training recommendation mechanism after trainee body evaluation,modifying training program based on comparison and feedback for stage-by-stage training evaluation,so as to decrease the incidence of military training-related injuries while increasing the training efficiency.Conclusion The system developed improves airborne soldier physical training in rationality and reliability,and provides references for intelligent military training of the PLA.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(2):16-23]

Objective:To determine the prevalence of self-reported food allergies among children in the grasslands of North China and to analyze its associated risk factors.Methods:In this study, a cross-sectional epidemiological survey method was used to select children under 14 years old by multi-stage, stratified and random cluster sampling in the grassland ecological area of Zhangbei County, Hebei Province, China from May to July 2018. Face-to-face questionnaires were administered to gather food allergy-related information from the participants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors associated with self-reported food allergy.Results:A total of 2 086 children completed the survey. The prevalence of self-reported food allergies was 22.0%(459/2 086). The prevalence of multiple food allergies (≥3 types) was 3.1%(64/2 086) versus 16.3% (341/2 086) for a single food allergy among all children. Mango allergy (6.1%, 127/2 086) was the most common, followed by peach allergy (4.1%, 85/2 086). Children who reported food allergies had a significantly higher prevalence of all 4 atopic disorders (eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and allergic conjunctivitis than those without food allergies(35.73% vs. 20.65%, 5.88% vs. 2.77%, 17.86% vs. 7.38%, 16.78% vs. 10.45%, χ2 =44.663 1, 10.434 3, 45.038 3, 13.728 4, all P<0.001).Significantly associated risk factors of food allergy were found to be pollen allergy ( OR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.80-2.92) and drug allergy ( OR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.12-2.09). Conclusions:The prevalence of self-reported food allergies among children in the Zhangbei County area of the North China Grassland was relatively high. Pollen allergy and drug allergy are major risk factors.