Diabetic retinopathy(DR)remains the leading cause of vision loss in patients with diabetes. Current anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)therapies are limited by inadequate response in some patients and the necessity for repeated intravitreal injections, underscoring the urgent need for novel therapeutic targets. Angiopoietin-like protein 4(ANGPTL4), a multifunctional secreted protein, has emerged as a critical regulator in the pathogenesis and progression of DR, positioning it as a promising interventional target. This review systematically elaborates the biological characteristics of ANGPTL4, with a focus on its expression dynamics, molecular mechanisms, and regulatory networks rolesin the development of DR. Furthermore, the prospects of ANGPTL4-targeted therapeutic strategies are discussed, aiming to offer new insights and directions for understanding DR pathogenesis, advancing multi-target drug development, and improving clinical management.

Objective To explore the method for grading the degree of uterine adhesion in a rat model.Methods A rat model of uterine adhesion was established using the double-injury method.Paraffin sections were observed using HE staining and Masson staining to compare morphological changes in the uterus,endometrial thickness,gland and vessel counts,uterine cavity area,and adhesion severity.Rat sections were classified into three grades based on uterine cavity area for comparative analysis.Results The average uterine cavity area and uterine cavity area/endometrial layer area were smaller in rats in the model group compared with the blank group(P＜0.01).The uterine cavity area/endometrial layer area ratio was categorized into grades Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ,with a significant difference among the grades(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusions The uterine cavity area/endometrial layer area ratio may reflect the grading difference in the degree of uterine adhesion in rats with uterine adhesions.This ratio may thus be used as a grading-evaluation criterion in the rat model of uterine adhesion,with implications for diagnostic grading in this model.

Objective:To observe the effect of reconstruction of Achilles insertion with Suture bridge technology after extirpation of avulsed bones block in the treatment of Beavis type Ⅲ avulsion fracture of the calcaneal tuberosity.Methods:The retrospective analysis was used. From January 2013 to January 2023, 78 patients with Beavis type Ⅲ avulsion fracture of the calcaneal tuberosity, treated in the Department 1 of Foot and Ankle and Department 2 of Foot and Ankle of the second Hospital of Tangshan were selected as research objects. According to different operation performed, 41 patients with the reconstruction of Achilles insertion with Suture bridge technology after extirpation of avulsed bones block were divided into the observation group and 37 patients with the open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) were divided into the control group. The delayed wound healing rate and the Haglund malformation rate, Maryland foot score, the American Orthopedic Foot and ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, the pain Visual Analogue Scale/Score (VAS) score, the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles (VISA-A) score, Arner-Lindholm scale of One-year postoperative were compared between these two groups. The measurement data with normal or approximate normal distribution were analyzed using t test, count data using chi-square test for comparison of between groups.Results:One year after surgery, the incidence of Haglund malformation in the observation group was 4.88% (2/41), which was lower than the control group's 29.73% (11/37). The difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( χ2=8.65,P=0.003). The excellent and good rate of Maryland foot function assessment in the observation group was 85.37% (35/41) higher than that in the control group (56.76% (21/37), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( χ2=7.86, P=0.005). The AOFAS ankle hind foot score of the observation group ((90.44±6.66) points) was higher than that of the control group ((82.84±7.43) points), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( t=4.77, P<0.001). The pain score of the observation group ((1.51±1.05) points) was lower than that of the control group ((2.95±1.13) points), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( t=-5.81, P<0.001). The Achilles tendon score of the observation group ((81.05±5.87) points) was higher than that of the control group ((71.62±8.60) points), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( t=5.70, P<0.001). The excellent and good rate of Arner Lindholm treatment efficacy evaluation for Achilles tendon in the observation group was 87.80% (36/41), which was higher than that in the control group (67.57% (25/37)), and the difference between the groups was statistically significant. Conclusion:The treatment of Beavis Ⅲ type calcaneal nodule avulsion fracture by removing the bone fragment can simultaneously remove the hypertrophic osteophyte, hardened bone, and Haglund deformity of the calcaneus, and clean the degenerated Achilles tendon and inflammatory tissue around the insertion point; The use of suture bridge technology to reconstruct the Achilles tendon insertion point has the advantages of high fixed strength, allowing early functional exercise, avoiding secondary removal of internal fixation, and achieving satisfactory therapeutic effects, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Objective To investigate the characteristics of a novel FANCL mutation identified in a patient with premature ovarian insufficiency(POI)and to explore its potential functional impacts in vitro.Methods A novel FANCL heterozygous mutation c.1033G>A(p.Glu345Lys)was screened in a patient with POI using whole exome sequencing(WES),which was found to be inherited from a mother who had undergone early menopause.The authenticity of the mutation was identified by Sanger sequencing and the conserved nature of the mutation site was predicted by software.Overexpressing FANCL mutant and wildtype plasmids were constructed and transiently transfected into HEK293T cell lines,and the effect of the mutation was detected by qPCR,immunofluorescence and Western blot.Results The mutation site of FANCL was located within the Ring domain of FANCL,which was highly conserved across multiple species.The mutant showed no significant change in mRNA expression level,while the protein expression level was significantly down-regulated.In vitro cellular experiments further revealed that the mutation leads to decreased expression levels by reducing protein stability.Conclusion A FANCL c.1033G>A mutation was found and it may cause disease in the POI patient due to decreased protein stability.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance profiles of bacterial strains isolated from pediatric intensive care units(PICU)in China for better antimicrobial therapy.Methods Clinical isolates were collected from 17 institutions,including tertiary care children's hospitals and pediatric department of tertiary general hospitals in China from January 1,2020 to December 31,2022.Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out according to a unified protocol using Kirby-Bauer method or automated systems.Results were interpreted according to the breakpoints released by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)in 2020.Results A total of 10 688 isolates were collected,including gram-positive organisms(39.2％)and gram-negative organisms(60.8％).The top three organisms were S.aureus(13.6％,1 453/10 688),A.baumannii(10.0％,1 067/10 688),and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus(9.9％,1 058/10 688).Multi-drug resistant organisms(MDROs)were very common in children.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA),carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE),carbapenem-resistant E.coli,carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae(CRKP),carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii(CRAB),and carbapenem-resistant P.aeruginosa(CRPA)was 41.1％,19.4％,8.8％,30.9％,67.4％,and 28.8％,respectively.Overall,more than 50％of Enterobacteriales isolates were resistant to cephalosporins,while nearly 25％of Enterobacteriales isolates were resistant to carbapenems.MDROs were highly resistant to commonly used antibiotics.More than 80％of CRE and CRAB strains were resistant to all beta-lactam antibiotics.CRE and CRAB showed low resistance rates to tigecycline and polymyxin.CRPA showed lower resistance rates to piperacillin,beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations than the resistance rates to third and fourth generation cephalosporins.All of the Staphylococcus and Enterococcus isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and tigecycline.None of PRSP strains isolated from meningitis and nonmeningitis samples were resistant to rifampicin,vancomycin,or linezolid.The prevalence of β-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant(BLNAR)strains was 43.3％in Haemophilus influenzae.Conclusions MDROs were prevalent in PICU.It is necessary to establish an effective multidisciplinary team(MDT)to control the antimicrobial resistance.

Objective To explore the method for grading the degree of uterine adhesion in a rat model.Methods A rat model of uterine adhesion was established using the double-injury method.Paraffin sections were observed using HE staining and Masson staining to compare morphological changes in the uterus,endometrial thickness,gland and vessel counts,uterine cavity area,and adhesion severity.Rat sections were classified into three grades based on uterine cavity area for comparative analysis.Results The average uterine cavity area and uterine cavity area/endometrial layer area were smaller in rats in the model group compared with the blank group(P＜0.01).The uterine cavity area/endometrial layer area ratio was categorized into grades Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ,with a significant difference among the grades(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusions The uterine cavity area/endometrial layer area ratio may reflect the grading difference in the degree of uterine adhesion in rats with uterine adhesions.This ratio may thus be used as a grading-evaluation criterion in the rat model of uterine adhesion,with implications for diagnostic grading in this model.

Lung cancer poses a serious threat to global public health security.Chemotherapy,as the main strategy for cancer treatment,faces challenges such as high toxicity and drug resistance.Anticancer peptides have the potential of being developed into new anticancer drugs due to their advantages of broad-spectrum anticancer activity,rapid action,and difficulty in generating drug resistance,but they also face shortcomings such as weak activity and strong toxic side effects.The weakly acidic microenvironment of tumors(pH 6.5-6.8)provides a good idea for the design of anticancer peptides of high-efficiency and low-toxicity.Previously,we designed the acid-sensitive antibacterial peptide pHly-1 using the wolf spider(Lycosa singoriensis)toxin Lycosin-Ⅰ as a template.In this study,we found that pHly-1 also had acid-sensitive anticancer activity.Further alanine scanning analysis of pHly-1 was carried out,and we ob-tained a mutant pHTP-2 with better acid sensitivity,whose IC50(half maximal inhibitory concentration)against A549 cells was 15.68 μmol/L at pH 6.6 and was greater than 100 μmol/L at pH 7.4.At pH 6.6,pHTP-2 could act on various lung cancer cell lines and induce the death of A549 cells by rapid ly-sis;at pH 7.4,500 μmol/L pHTP-2 had weak toxicity to red blood cells(the hemolysis rate was ap-proximately 38％)and primary myocardial cells(the inhibition rate was 49.7％,with P＜0.05).Analy-sis of its charge,particle size,morphology,and secondary structure showed that at pH 6.6,the histidine in the sequence of pHTP-2 was protonated,increasing the positive charge(P＜0.01),decreasing the hy-drated particle size(P＜0.05)and forming an α-helical structure to induce membrane lysis of A549 cells.At pH 7.4,it was deprotonated,the positive charge decreases,a β-sheet structure was formed and self-aggregation occurred,limiting its effect on the A549 cell membrane and showing weak activity.In summary,pHTP-2 could respond to the weakly acidic microenvironment of tumors to exert selective cyto-toxic activity,effectively overcoming the shortcomings of anticancer peptides such as low efficiency and high toxicity.Our findings suggest that it is a high-quality lead molecule for anticancer drugs.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of 4 novel inflammatory markers related to routine blood tests,namely neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR),red blood cell distribution width(RDW),hemoglobin-to-RDW ratio(HRR)and systemic immune-inflammation index(SII),in elderly patients with chronic cardiovascular disease(CVD)complicated with frailty.Methods Retrospectively analyze 110 patients with chronic stable CVD who were hospitalized in the cadre ward of cardiovascular medicine at the Air Force Characteristic Medical Center from January 2022 to June 2023.According to the assessment results of the Fried scale,they were divided into three groups:non-frailty group(Fried score=0,n=30),the pre-frailty group(Fried score 1 or 2,n=40)and frailty group(Fried score≥3,n=40).The differences in general information,the impairment rate of daily living activities,miniature nutritional assessment-short form(MNA-SF)scores,mini-mental state examination(MMSE)scores,and the indicators such as NLR,RDW,HRR,and SII among the three groups were compared.Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the correlation between NLR,RDW,HRR,SII and frailty scores as well as each frailty indicator.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the independent risk factors for frailty in elderly patients with chronic CVD,and the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to assess the clinical diagnostic value of NLR and HRR in elderly patients with chronic CVD complicated with frailty.Results Compared with non-frailty group and pre-frailty group,patients in frailty group were older,with higher impaired rates of daily living activities,NLR,RDW,and SII,and lower MNA-SF scores,MMSE scores,and HRR,and differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the frailty score was positively correlated with NLR(rs=0.354,P<0.001),and RDW(rs=0.448,P<0.001),negatively correlated with HRR(rs=-0.232,P=0.024),and had no significant correlation with SII(rs=0.144,P=0.167).Further analysis of the correlation between the above novel inflammatory markers and the 5 components of frailty showed that NLR was positively correlated with fatigue(rs=0.228,P=0.017),slowed walking speed(rs=0.299,P<0.001),and low physical function(rs=0.319,P<0.001);RDW was positively correlated with decreased grip strength(rs=0.321,P<0.001),slowed walking speed(rs=0.422,P<0.001),and low physical function(rs=0.246,P=0.001);and HRR was negatively correlated with slowed walking speed(rs=-0.230,P=0.025),and low physical function(rs=-0.299,P=0.003).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that MNA-SF score(OR=0.577,95%CI 0.342-0.973)was an independent protective factor for pre-frailty in elderly patients with chronic CVD(P<0.05);NLR(OR=7.866,95%CI 1.101-56.185)was an independent risk factor for frailty,while HRR(OR=0.344,95%CI 0.120-0.983)and MNA-SF score(OR=0.292,95%CI 0.146-0.580)were independent protective factors for frailty in elderly CVD patients(P<0.05).The area under the ROC curve of NLR and HRR for diagnosing frailty in elderly patients with chronic CVD were 0.778 and 0.749,respectively.Conclusion NLR and HRR have high clinical diagnostic value for frailty in elderly patients with chronic CVD,and are expected to become effective inflammatory markers for screening elderly patients with chronic CVD complicated with frailty.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between the levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide α (CGRPα) and the poor responses to the treatment of phenylephrine in pregnant women with hypotension during caesarean section under intraspinal anesthesia. Methods : A total of 87 pregnant women who underwent intraspinal anesthesia cesarean section were recruited . They were grouped according to the presence or absence of hypotension after anesthesia and the response to ephedrine and Phe . As to Anesthesia-0 group , pregnant women had no hypo- tension , 35 cases (40. 2% ) ; Anesthesia-1 group , pregnant women had hypotension and good response to ephed- rine treatment , 12 cases (13 . 8% ) ; Anesthesia-2 group , pregnant women had hypotension and had poor response to ephedrine treatment , 6 cases (6. 9% ) ; Anesthesia-3 group , pregnant women had hypotension and good response to Phe treatment , 8 cases (9. 2% ) ; Anesthesia-4 group , pregnant women had hypotension and no response to Phe treatment , 26 cases (29. 9% ) . The levels of CGRPαin serum and placental tissues of pregnant women were deter- mined by ELISA . The rats pregnant normally. A hypotension rat model was established by intragastric administra- tion of risserpine . 50 rats were randomly divided into control group , model group , pregnancy group , model + preg- nancy group , model + pregnancy + phenylephrine group , with 10 rats in each group . Body weight of the rats was continuously monitored during the 2nd to 6th week of risserpine administration . Systolic blood pressure was meas- ured at the end of the 6th induction week . And the peripheral blood sample and placental tissues were collected and the levels of CGRPαwere determined . Results : The detection of CGRPαlevels in the pregnant women serum and placental tissues showed that compared with Anesthesia-0 group , CGRPαlevels in Anesthesia-1-4 groups serum were higher (P < 0. 05) . Compared with Anesthesia-3 group , serum CGRPαlevels in Anesthesia-4 group were higher (P < 0. 05) . Compared with Anesthesia-2 group , CGRPαlevels in Anesthesia-4 group serum were higher (P < 0. 05) . Compared with Anesthesia-0 group , tissues CGRPαlevels in Anesthesia-4 group were higher (P < 0. 05) . Compared with Anesthesia-3 group , CGRPαlevels in Anesthesia-4 group tissues were higher (P < 0. 05) . Compared with Anesthesia-2 group , CGRPαlevels in Anesthesia-4 group tissues were higher ( P < 0. 05) . From the 2nd to 6th week of hypotension modeling induction , compared with pregnancy group , body weight decreased in the model + pregnancy group and the model + pregnancy + phenylephrine group (P < 0. 05) . There was no signifi- cant difference in baseline systolic blood pressure among all groups (P > 0. 05) . At the end of the 6th week , com- pared with pregnancy group , systolic blood pressure decreased in model + pregnancy group and model + pregnancy + phenylephrine group(P < 0. 05) ; the levels of CGRPαin serum and placental tissues increased ( P < 0. 05) . Compared with model + pregnancy group , systolic blood pressure increased in model + pregnancy + phenylephrine group (P < 0. 05) . Conclusion The poor response of pregnant women with hypotension during caesarean section under intraspinal anesthesia to the treatment of phenylephrine may be related to the increased levels of CGRPαin placenta and peripheral blood .

Objective To study the expression of regulator of cullins-1(ROC1)and ubiquitin binding enzyme 9(UBC9)in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer(NMIBC)and their relationship with clinicopathological features and prognostic value of transurethral resection of bladder tumor(TURBT).Methods Retrospective analysis was conducted on 104 patients with NMIBC who underwent TURBT at Northwest University First Hospital from April 2018 to February 2021.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of ROC1 and UBC9 in tissues.Follow-up was conducted for 3 years,and Kaplan-Meier curve analysis and COX regression analysis were used to identify factors affecting the prognosis of NMIBC patients.Results The positive rates of ROC1(67.31%)and UBC9(69.23%)in NMIBC cancer tissues were higher than those in adjacent tissues(9.62%,7.69%),and the differences were statistically significant(χ2=73.125,83.200,all P<0.001).There was a positive correlation between the expression of ROC1 and UBC9 in NMIBC cancer(r=0.719,P<0.001).The positivity rates of ROC1(87.23%,90.00%)and UBC9(89.36%,88.33%)in cancer tissues with a maximum tumor diameter of≥2cm,T1 stage were higher than those in cancer tissues with a maximum tumor diameter of<2cm(50.88%,52.63%),Ta/Tis stage(36.36%,43.18%),and the difference were statistically significant(χ2=15.474～33.188,all P<0.05).After TURBT surgery,there were 29 cases of local recurrence,10 cases of metastasis,and 2 deaths of bladder cancer,the 3-year progression-free survival(PFS)rate was 60.58%(63/104).The 3-year PFS of NMIBC patients in the ROC1 positive and negative groups was 47.14%(33/70)and 88.24%(30/34),and the 3-year PFS of patients in the UBC9 positive and negative groups was 47.22%(34/72)and 90.63%(29/32),the differences were statistically significant(Log-rank χ2=15.341,15.931,all P<0.001).Multivariate COX regression analysis showed that ROC1 positivity,UBC9 positivity,maximum tumor diameter≥2cm and T1 phase were risk factors affecting the prognosis of NMIBC patients(all P<0.001).Conclusion The expression of ROC1 and UBC9 is elevated in NMIBC,which is related to the maximum diameter and stage of the tumor.Combined detection of ROC1 and UBC9 can help evaluate the prognosis of NMIBC patients.