ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the distribution patterns of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in patients with chronic hepatitis B （CHB） comorbid with metabolically associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） and analyze their correlation with clinical characteristics and the progression of liver fibrosis. MethodsA cross-sectional study method was employed， and 506 patients with CHB comorbid with MAFLD who attended the Hepatology Outpatient Department of Public Health Clinical Center of Chengdu from June 2024 to December 2024 were enrolled. General information， traditional Chinese medicine syndromes information， laboratory indicators， and imaging examination results were collected using case report forms （CRF）. Tongue images of patients were acquired using a tongue diagnosis instrument， and tongue feature parameters were extracted using computer image processing technology. Frequency analysis， factor analysis， and cluster analysis， and other methods were used to explore syndrome categories and distribution patterns. Non-parametric tests were used to compare the differences in clinical characteristics among different syndromes. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine syndromes and the progression of liver fibrosis. ResultsThe main traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in patients with CHB comorbid with MAFLD were mainly dominated by damp-heat accumulation syndrome， liver stagnation and spleen deficiency syndrome， and phlegm-blood stasis syndrome， with damp-heat accumulation syndrome accounting for the highest proportion （41.89%）. Compared with those without damp-heat accumulation syndrome， patients with damp-heat accumulation syndrome had significantly lower tongue proper H value， tongue coating H value， and tongue coating a^* value （P<0.05）， significantly higher tongue coating b^* value （P<0.05）， significantly increased levels of white blood cell （WBC）， red blood cell （RBC）， hemoglobin （HGB）， and glucose （GLU）， increased CAP values （P<0.05）， a higher proportion of males （P<0.05）， and a younger age （P<0.05）. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses show that age， hepatitis B surface antigen （HBsAg）， diabetes， and damp-heat accumulation syndrome are independent risk factors for liver fibrosis （P<0.05）， and that damp-heat accumulation syndrome is predominantly distributed in liver fibrosis stage F0-F1. ConclusionDamp-heat accumulation syndrome is a typical syndrome in patients with CHB comorbid with MAFLD， which is significantly associated with enhanced inflammatory response， metabolic disorders， and early liver fibrosis， and is a key link in disease progression. Clinical attention and early intervention are needed.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Bushen Huoxue prescription （BSHXP） in regulating premature ovarian failure in rats through the PTEN-induced kinase 1 （PINK1）/Parkinson's protein （Parkin） signaling pathway-mediated mitophagy. MethodsA total of 48 rats were randomly divided into a blank group consisting of eight rats， while the remaining 40 rats underwent modeling. The modeling group was intraperitoneally injected with 4 mg·kg^-1 cisplatin solution， followed by a second injection one week later， for a total of two injections. The estrous cycle was observed through vaginal smears for 14 consecutive days to determine whether the modeling was successful. The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group， groups receiving low， medium， and high doses of BSHXP at 9.72， 19.44， and 38.88 g·kg^-1·d^-1 （BSHXP-L， BSHXP-M， and BSHXP-H groups）， and a positive control group treated with estradiol valerate （0.09 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， for 21 consecutive days. The body weight of the rats was measured weekly. After the final administration， rats were anesthetized， and their blood and ovaries were collected. The ovarian weight was measured. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， and estradiol （E₂）. Assay kits were used to measure the levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and malondialdehyde （MDA） in the rat serum. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the morphological changes in the ovaries. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was performed to detect microtubule autophagy-related protein 1 light chain 3B（LC3B） protein expression in ovarian tissue， and electron microscopy was employed to examine the mitochondrial and autophagosome changes in the rat ovaries. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in ovarian tissue. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed significant reductions in body weight， weight gain， and ovarian weight （P<0.01）， along with decreased serum AMH and E₂ levels （P<0.01）， while FSH and LH levels were increased （P<0.01）. Serum MDA levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and SOD levels were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. The ovarian tissue structure was disordered， and the zona pellucida was wrinkled into an irregular acidophilic annular object， accompanied by an increased number of closed follicles. Electron microscopy showed mitochondrial swelling， unclear structure， and no obvious autophagosomes and autolysosome structures. The proteins and mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in the ovarian tissue were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of increases in body weight and ovarian weight （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Except for the BSHXP-L group， all treatment groups showed increased body weight gain （P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed significantly increased serum AMH and decreased FSH levels （P<0.01）. Except for the BSHXP group， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of increase and decrease in serum E₂ and LH levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed reduced serum MDA levels （P<0.01）， while the BSHXP-M， BSHXP-H， and the positive control groups demonstrated improved serum SOD levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed an increased number of follicles at all stages， visible mature follicles， and a decreased number of closed follicles. Electron microscopy showed relieved mitochondrial swelling， morphology close to normal， clear structure， and visible formation of autolysosomes in all treatment groups. Additionally， the protein and mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in ovarian tissue were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBSHXP may improve ovarian function in rats with premature ovarian failure by regulating the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway， activating mitochondrial autophagy， and reducing oxidative damage.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Bushen Huoxue prescription （BSHXP） in regulating premature ovarian failure in rats through the PTEN-induced kinase 1 （PINK1）/Parkinson's protein （Parkin） signaling pathway-mediated mitophagy. MethodsA total of 48 rats were randomly divided into a blank group consisting of eight rats， while the remaining 40 rats underwent modeling. The modeling group was intraperitoneally injected with 4 mg·kg^-1 cisplatin solution， followed by a second injection one week later， for a total of two injections. The estrous cycle was observed through vaginal smears for 14 consecutive days to determine whether the modeling was successful. The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group， groups receiving low， medium， and high doses of BSHXP at 9.72， 19.44， and 38.88 g·kg^-1·d^-1 （BSHXP-L， BSHXP-M， and BSHXP-H groups）， and a positive control group treated with estradiol valerate （0.09 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， for 21 consecutive days. The body weight of the rats was measured weekly. After the final administration， rats were anesthetized， and their blood and ovaries were collected. The ovarian weight was measured. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， and estradiol （E₂）. Assay kits were used to measure the levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and malondialdehyde （MDA） in the rat serum. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the morphological changes in the ovaries. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was performed to detect microtubule autophagy-related protein 1 light chain 3B（LC3B） protein expression in ovarian tissue， and electron microscopy was employed to examine the mitochondrial and autophagosome changes in the rat ovaries. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in ovarian tissue. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed significant reductions in body weight， weight gain， and ovarian weight （P<0.01）， along with decreased serum AMH and E₂ levels （P<0.01）， while FSH and LH levels were increased （P<0.01）. Serum MDA levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and SOD levels were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. The ovarian tissue structure was disordered， and the zona pellucida was wrinkled into an irregular acidophilic annular object， accompanied by an increased number of closed follicles. Electron microscopy showed mitochondrial swelling， unclear structure， and no obvious autophagosomes and autolysosome structures. The proteins and mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in the ovarian tissue were significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of increases in body weight and ovarian weight （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Except for the BSHXP-L group， all treatment groups showed increased body weight gain （P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed significantly increased serum AMH and decreased FSH levels （P<0.01）. Except for the BSHXP group， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of increase and decrease in serum E₂ and LH levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed reduced serum MDA levels （P<0.01）， while the BSHXP-M， BSHXP-H， and the positive control groups demonstrated improved serum SOD levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. All treatment groups showed an increased number of follicles at all stages， visible mature follicles， and a decreased number of closed follicles. Electron microscopy showed relieved mitochondrial swelling， morphology close to normal， clear structure， and visible formation of autolysosomes in all treatment groups. Additionally， the protein and mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， LC3B， and p62 in ovarian tissue were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBSHXP may improve ovarian function in rats with premature ovarian failure by regulating the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway， activating mitochondrial autophagy， and reducing oxidative damage.

Objective:To investigate the influence of ultrasonic monitoring of bladder filling levels on setup errors before fractionated radiotherapy for cervical cancer patients through a comparative analysis, and its effectiveness in improving clinical target volume (CTV) margins.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 1 284 error data of setup via cone beam CT (CBCT) and 6D setup error correction system from 172 cervical cancer patients treated in the Radiotherapy Department of Peking University Cancer Hospital from January 2019 to October 2023. These patients were classified into two groups: 87 (659 times of setup) with ultrasonic monitoring of bladder filling levels and 85 (625 times of setup) without ultrasonic monitoring. The setup errors, error distributions, and numbers of abnormal setups between the two groups were compared in the lateral (Lat), longitudinal (Lng), vertical (Vrt), pitch (Pitch), roll (Roll), and rotational (Rtn) dimensions. Moreover, the CTV to planning target volume(PTV) margin values in the three-dimensional direction were calculated for both groups to assess the clinical value of ultrasonic monitoring of bladder filling levels before fractionated radiotherapy.Results:Compared to the group without ultrasonic monitoring, the group with ultrasonic monitoring exhibited lower median values of setup errors in all six-dimensional directions and smaller upper and lower interquartile ranges ( Z = -10.86 to -6.34, P<0.05). The group with ultrasonic monitoring manifested more concentrated setup errors in various directions and statistically significantly reduced numbers of abnormal setups ( χ2=15.33, P<0.05). Moreover, CTV-PTV margins of the group with ultrasonic monitoring displayed reduced CTV-PTV margin values by 0.55, 1.52, and 1.26 mm in the Vrt, Lng, and Lat directions, respectively. Conclusions:Pre-radiotherapy ultrasonic monitoring of bladder filling levels in cervical cancer patients can significantly improve the repeatability of setup, thus notably reducing the incidence of abnormal setups. Theoretically, it can narrow the range from the CTV to the PTV, thereby minimizing radiation exposure to healthy tissues and ultimately enhancing radiotherapy precision for cervical cancer and reducing radiation damage.

Objective To investigate the effects and mechanism of Dahuang Lingxian Prescription on bile duct reaction of cholestatic liver fibrosis rats caused by bile duct ligation.Methods A total of 40 SD rats were randomly divided into blank group,model group,ursodeoxycholic acid group and Dahuang Lingxian Prescription group,with 10 rats in each group.Except for the blank group,the remaining groups of rats underwent bile duct ligation surgery to establish a cholestatic liver fibrosis model.After surgery,the ursodeoxycholic acid group was given ursodeoxycholic acid solution by gavage,Dahuang Lingxian Prescription group was given Dahuang Lingxian Prescription solution by gavage,and the blank group and model group were given equal volume of normal saline by gavage,once a day for 3 consecutive weeks.The activities of serum AST,ALT,ALP,GGT and the contents of TBIL,TBA were tetected,the morphology of liver tissue was observed by HE staining,and the liver fibrosis was observed by Masson staining,immunohistochromic staining and Western blot were used to detect the expressions of CK19,CK7,EpCAM and SOX9 proteins.Results Compared with the blank group,the liver surface of the model group rats was rough,with a harder texture and obvious graininess,HE staining showed damage to the liver lobule structure,forming pseudo lobules,a large number of bile duct hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration,and a significant increase in collagen fiber deposition(P<0.01);the activities of serum AST,ALT,ALP,GGT,as well as the contents of TBIL and TBA significantly increased(P<0.01);the positive expressions of CK19,CK7 and EpCAM in liver tissue significantly increased(P<0.01),and the protein expressions of CK19,CK7,EpCAM and SOX9 significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the appearance and texture of the liver of the rats in the ursodeoxycholic acid group and Dahuang Lingxian Prescription group were relatively softer,the lobular structure was less damaged,the inflammatory cells infiltration was less,the collagen fiber deposition was significantly reduced(P<0.01),the activities of serum AST,ALT,ALP,GGT,and the contents of TBIL and TBA were significantly decreased(P<0.01);the expressions of TBA and TBIL were significantly decreased(P<0.01),the positive expressions of CK19,CK7 and EpCAM significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the protein expression of CK19,CK7,EpCAM and SOX9 significantly decreased(P<0.01).Conclusion Dahuang Lingxian Prescription can inhibit the bile duct reaction associated with liver progenitor cells,decrease the expression of CK19,CK7,EpCAM and SOX9,and thus improve the cholestatic liver fibrosis of rats induced by bile duct ligation.

Objective To analyze the distribution and characteristics of hearing and deafness susceptibility genes in newborns who failed the initial hearing screening,and to explore the association rules for those referred the re-screening.Methods A multicenter retrospective cohort study conducted in 12 339 infants who failed the initial hearing screening in Beijing.Data analysis was conducted on the results of genetic screening for deafness susceptibil-ity genes and the results of the hearing re-screening and diagnosis.The Apriori algorithm was utilized to mine strong association rules related to the failure of the hearing re-screening.Results The detection rate of deafness suscepti-bility gene mutations was 7.14％(881/12 339),withGJB2,SLC26A4,GJB3,and MT-RNR1 being the most fre-quently identified genes.The positive predictive values for initial hearing screening and re-screening referred were 15.93％(1 965/12 339)and 17.87％(226/1 265).Association rule mining revealed that newborns who referred the initial hearing screening in both ears and had twins/multiple births,NICU admission,and deafness gene muta-tion detection had relatively increased risks of 4.47％,9.25％,and 16.72％.Newborns with deafness gene muta-tion detection who referred the initial hearing screening in both ears and female newborns had relatively increased risks of 3.99％and 12.60％who referred the hearing re-screening.Conclusion Newborns who fail the initial hear-ing screening have a relatively high detection rate of deafness susceptibility gene mutations.Those who fail initial bi-lateral hearing screening and have detected deafness gene mutations are at a significantly increased risk of failing the hearing rescreening.

Objective To quantitatively compare the dosimetric differences among 4 volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT)plans by analyzing the number of arcs and collimator angle settings,aiming to establish a standardized planning template for hippocampal-sparing prophylactic cranial irradiation(HS-PCI)in clinic and improve both planning quality and clinical efficiency.Methods Twenty HS-PCI patients were enrolled,with 4 VMAT plans(V2c,V2p,V3,and V4)for each patient.The differences in target dose,organs-at-risk dose,and monitor units were compared.Results V4 plan had the highest PTV D98%and V95%,and the differences of PTV D98%in V2c vs V2p,V2c vs V4,and PTV V95%in V2c vs V4 were statistically significant(P<0.05).Meanwhile,V4 plan had the lowest PTV Dmax and Dmin doses.Specifically,statistically significant differences were observed in PTV Dmax in V4 vs V2c,V4 vs V2p,V4 vs V3,as well as PTV Dmin in V2c vs V2p,V2c vs V3,V2c vs V4,V2p vs V4(P<0.05).The PTV Dmean was the highest in V2p plan,with statistically significant differences observed in V2c vs V2p,V2c vs V4,V2p vs V3,and V3 vs V4(P<0.05).The highest PTV D2%dose was observed in V2p plan,and the differences in V2c vs V2p,V2c vs V4,V2p vs V3,V3 vs V4 were statistically significant(P<0.05).The homogeneity index and conformity index were close in 4 plans(P=0.946,P=0.380).V4 plan had the lowest Dmax,Dmean,and Dmin of the hippocampus,with significant differences in hippocampal Dmax in V4 vs V2c,V4 vs V2p,hippocampal Dmean in V4 vs V2c,V4 vs V2p,V3 vs V2c,and hippocampal Dmin in V2c vs V2p/V3/V4,and V4 vs V2p(P<0.05).V3 plan had the lowest Dmax for bilateral lenses,and V4 plan showed the lowest Dmax for lenses with a 3 mm expansion,with significant differences between V2c and V2p/V3/V4(P<0.05).V4 plan had the lowest dose for the right optic nerve,with significant differences in V4 vs V2p,and V4 vs V3(P<0.05).No significant differences were observed for the left optic nerve and optic chiasm.The monitor units in V2p plan was the lowest.Conclusion When differences in organs-at-risk doses and plan quality parameters are insignificant,V2p plan is recommended as it can ensure treatment quality while reducing delivery time.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of palliative care on drug use, medical service utilization and medical expenditure of patients with advanced cancer. METHODS: A cohort of patients including pal-liative care and standard care was constructed using the medical records of the patients in Peking University Cancer Hospital from 2018 to 2020, and coarsened exact matching was used to match the two groups of patients. The average monthly opioid consumption, hospitalization rate, intensive care unit (ICU) rate and operation rate, and the average monthly total cost were selected to evaluate drug use, medical service utilization and medical expenditure. Chi-square test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to compare the differences between the two groups before and after exposure and the change in the palliative care group. The net impact of palliative care on the patients was calculated using the difference-in-differences analysis. RESULTS: In this study, 180 patients in the palliative care group and 3 101 patients in the stan-dard care group were finally included in the matching, and the matching effect of the two groups was good (L₁ < 0.1). Before and after exposure, the average monthly opioid consumption in the palliative care group was significantly higher than that in the standard care group (Before exposure: 0.3 DDD/person-month vs. 0.1 DDD/person-month, P < 0.01; After exposure: 0.7 DDD/person-month vs. 0.1 DDD/person-month, P < 0.01; DDD refers to defined daily dose), palliative care significantly increased the average monthly opioid consumption in the patients (0.3 DDD/person-month, P < 0.01). The hospitalization rate (48.9% vs. 74.3%, P < 0.01) and operation rate (3.9% vs. 8.8%, P < 0.01) of the patients in palliative care group were significantly lower than those in standard care group, and the ICU rate became similar between the two groups (1.1% vs. 1.6%, P=0.634). Palliative care significantly reduced the patients ' hospitalization rate (-25.6%, P < 0.01), ICU rate (-4.9%, P < 0.01) and operation rate (-14.5%, P < 0.01). Before and after exposure, the average monthly total costs of pal-liative care group were slightly higher than those of standard care group (Before exposure: 20 092.3 yuan vs. 19 132.8 yuan, P=0.725; After exposure: 9 719.8 yuan vs. 8 818.8 yuan, P=0.165). Palliative care increased the average monthly total cost by 2 208.8 yuan, but it was not statistically significant (P=0.316). CONCLUSION Palliative care can increase the opioid consumption in advanced cancer patients, reduce the rates of hospitalization, ICU and surgery, but has no significant effect on medical expenditure.
Humans ; Palliative Care/economics* ; Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Analgesics, Opioid/economics* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Hospitalization/economics* ; Intensive Care Units/statistics & numerical data* ; Health Expenditures/statistics & numerical data* ; Adult ; Drug Utilization/statistics & numerical data* ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care/statistics & numerical data*

Natural products (NPs) have historically been a fundamental source for drug discovery. Yet the complex nature of NPs presents substantial challenges in pinpointing bioactive constituents, and corresponding targets. In the present study, an innovative natural product virtual screening-interaction-phenotype (NP-VIP) strategy that integrates virtual screening, chemical proteomics, and metabolomics to identify and validate the bioactive targets of NPs. This approach reduces false positive results and enhances the efficiency of target identification. Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM), a herb with recognized therapeutic potential against ischemic stroke (IS), was used to illustrate the workflow. Utilizing virtual screening, chemical proteomics, and metabolomics, potential therapeutic targets for SM in the IS treatment were identified, totaling 29, 100, and 78, respectively. Further analysis via the NP-VIP strategy highlighted five high-confidence targets, including poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase 1 (PARP1), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), amyloid precursor protein (APP), glutamate-ammonia ligase (GLUL), and glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD67). These targets were subsequently validated and found to play critical roles in the neuroprotective effects of SM. The study not only underscores the importance of SM in treating IS but also sets a precedent for NP research, proposing a comprehensive approach that could be adapted for broader pharmacological explorations.