The gut microbiota is regarded as the "eighth organ" of the human body and plays a critical regulatory role in the occurrence and progression of various diseases. Ulcerative colitis （UC） is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with a complex etiology and a tendency toward recurrent episodes. In recent years， studies have shown that gut microbiota dysbiosis plays a key role in its pathological processes. Meanwhile， an increasing number of studies have demonstrated that imbalances in the gut microbiota and abnormalities in its metabolites are closely associated with the development of atrial fibrillation （AF）. Although UC and AF belong to diseases of the digestive system and cardiovascular system， respectively， both exhibit systemic inflammatory characteristics and are often accompanied by gut microbiota dysregulation and abnormal metabolic products. However， systematic investigations into the mechanisms by which gut microbiota-derived metabolites act in these two diseases remain limited. Based on this， the present study adopts literature review and theoretical analysis methods， taking the "gut microbiota-gut-heart" axis as the entry point， to systematically summarize the signaling networks of three key classes of metabolites， i.e.， short-chain fatty acids （SCFAs）， bile acids （BAs）， and trimethylamine N-oxide （TMAO）， in the comorbidity mechanism of UC and AF. The findings indicate that these metabolites may activate key inflammatory pathways， such as NF-κB and NLRP3， thereby synergistically mediating intestinal barrier dysfunction and systemic inflammation and constructing a potential comorbidity network. On this basis， potential intervention strategies for the treatment of UC-AF comorbidity， including probiotic intervention and fecal microbiota transplantation， are further discussed. This study aims to provide new theoretical evidence and research perspectives for prevention and treatment strategies of cross-system diseases.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the application and influencing factors of sodium-dependent glucose transporters 2 inhibitors（SGLT-2i） in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction（HFpEF） in the real world. METHODS Data from 358 patients with HFpEF who were hospitalized at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from May 2023 to May 2024 were retrospectively collected. The patients were divided into the SGLT-2i group and the non-SGLT-2i group based on whether they were prescribed SGLT-2i upon discharge. Baseline characteristics， comorbidities， and differences in drug treatment were compared between the two groups. Based on univariate analysis， multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent influencing factors of SGLT-2i use in patients with HFpEF， followed by further stratified analysis. RESULTS Among 358 HFpEF patients， the overall utilization rate of SGLT-2i was 33.5%. Combined with type 2 diabetes [OR＝9.063，95%CI（4.924-16.679） ] ， atrial fibrillation [OR＝3.135，95%CI（1.590-6.178） ] ， coronary artery heart disease [OR＝1.888，95%CI（1.072-3.327） ] and the use of loop diuretics [OR＝3.822， 95%CI （1.588-9.200） ] were all independent influencing factors for the use of SGLT-2i in patients with HFpEF （ P ＜0.05）. The results of the stratified descriptive analysis were consistent with those of the multivariate analysis， showing a higher utilization rate of SGLT-2i among patients with concomitant T2DM，atrial fibrillation， coronary artery heart disease， and those receiving loop diuretics （ P ＜0.05）； whereas the utilization rate of SGLT-2i was comparable across patients with different levels of renal function （ P ＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS In the real-world clinical practice， the utilization of SGLT-2i in patients with HFpEF remains suboptimal， and treatment coverage still needs to be improved. Their use of SGLT-2i is primarily influenced by the presence of type 2 diabetes， atrial fibrillation， coronary artery heart disease， and the use of loop diuretics.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of inpatients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) and provide a basis for clinical prevention and treatment. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 744 inpatients diagnosed with OVCF between January 2017 and December 2021 who met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 146 were male and 598 were female, with age ranging from 50 to 95 years (mean, 69.37 years). The demographic characteristics (gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, regional distribution, urban-rural distribution, and seasonal incidence) and clinical features [causes of injury, history of vertebral fractures, smoking and drinking history in males, comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, cerebral infarction), body mass index (BMI), blood lipid levels, menopausal age in females, vertebral bone mineral density T-value, number of vertebral fractures, and fracture segment distribution] of OVCF patients were analyzed. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors of vertebral osteoporosis. RESULTS: The demographic analysis indicated that female patients with OVCF were significantly younger than male patients ( P<0.05). Significant differences were observed in the age distribution of OVCF between males and females ( P<0.05), with the highest proportion of male patients in the 70-79 years group (37.0%) and the highest proportion of female patients in the 60-69 years group (40.0%). From 2017 to 2021, the age of onset for OVCF gradually increased, with a similar trend observed for both genders. The distribution of occupations between genders also showed significant differences ( P<0.05); with the top three occupations for males being farmers (48.6%), retirees (24.7%), and workers (13.7%), while for females, the leading occupations were farmers (51.5%), retirees (19.4%), and service workers (10.0%). Female OVCF patients had higher BMI, vertebral bone mineral density T-value, history of vertebral fractures, hypertension prevalence, and blood lipid levels compared to male patients ( P<0.05). No significant difference between the males and the females was found in ethnicity, seasonal distribution, regional distribution, urban-rural distribution, causes of injury, number of vertebral fractures, or prevalence of comorbidities (except hypertension) ( P>0.05). Among the 744 OVCF patients, a total of 1 309 vertebrae were involved, with 628 thoracic vertebrae (48.0%) and 681 lumbar vertebrae (52.0%). The most common fracture segments were L ₁ (22.5%), T ₁₂ (21.2%), followed by L ₂ (12.2%) and T ₁₁ (10.2%). No significant gender difference was observed in the distribution of fracture segments ( P>0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that older age, female, and lower BMI were independent risk factors for vertebral osteoporosis ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION The age of onset of OVCF patients is increasing year by year. The number of fractured vertebral bodies, age distribution of morbidity, occupational distribution, BMI, history of vertebral fracture, hypertension, and blood lipid levels are related to gender. The occurrence of OVCF is mainly in the thoracolumbar segment. The female, older age, and lower BMI are independent risk factors of osteoporosis.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fractures/etiology* ; Aged, 80 and over ; Osteoporotic Fractures/etiology* ; Fractures, Compression/etiology* ; Risk Factors ; Bone Density ; China/epidemiology* ; Osteoporosis/epidemiology* ; Comorbidity ; Inpatients ; Sex Factors ; Age Factors

OBJECTIVES: To explore the active components that mediate the therapeutic effect of Centella asiatica on psoriasis and their therapeutic mechanisms. METHODS: TCMSP, TCMIP, PharmMapper, Swiss Target Prediction, GeneCards, OMIM and TTD databases were searched for the compounds in Centella asiatica and their targets and the disease targets of psoriasis. A drug-active component-target network and the protein-protein interaction network were constructed, and DAVID database was used for pathway enrichment analysis. In a RAW264.7 macrophage model of LPS-induced inflammation, the anti-inflammatory effect of 7.5, 15, 30, and 60 μmol/L quercetin, asiaticoside, and asiatic acid, which were identified as the main active components in Centella asiatica, were tested by measuring cellular production of NO, TNF‑α and IL-6 using Griess method and ELISA and by detecting mRNA expressions of IL-23, IL-17A, TNF-α and IL-6 and protein expressions of p-STAT3 (Tyr705) and p-STAT3 (Ser727) with RT-qPCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: A total of 139 targets of Centella asiatica and 4604 targets of psoriasis were obtained, and among them CASP3, EGFR, PTGS2, and ESR1 were identified as the core targets. KEGG analysis suggested that quercetin, asiaticoside, and asiatic acid in Centella asiatica were involved in cancer and IL-17 and MAPK signaling pathways. In the RAW264.7 macrophage model of inflammation, treatment with quercetin significantly reduced cellular production of NO, TNF‑α and IL-6, and lowered mRNA expressions of IL-23, IL-17A, TNF‑α and IL-6 and protein expressions of p-STAT3 (Tyr705) and p-STAT3 (Ser727). CONCLUSIONS Quercetin, asiaticoside and asiatic acid are the main active components in Centella asiatica to mediate the therapeutic effect against psoriasis, and quercetin in particular is capable of suppressing cellular production of NO, TNF‑α and IL-6 and regulating the IL-23/IL-17A inflammatory axis by mediating STAT3 phosphorylation to inhibit inflammatory response.
Quercetin/pharmacology* ; Psoriasis/metabolism* ; STAT3 Transcription Factor/metabolism* ; Mice ; Animals ; Centella/chemistry* ; Triterpenes/pharmacology* ; Phosphorylation ; Interleukin-17/metabolism* ; Interleukin-23/metabolism* ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Pentacyclic Triterpenes/pharmacology* ; Macrophages/drug effects* ; Signal Transduction ; Plant Extracts

Objective:To develop outcome indicators for the implementation of comprehensive inter-ventions targeting the multimorbidity of myopia and obesity in children and adolescents,providing a basis for the co-prevention of multimorbidity and the outcome measurement of implementation research in children and adolescents.Methods:Based on the RE-AIM framework,a preliminary set of indicators was constructed.The Delphi method was employed,with experts scoring and providing feedback on the proposed indicators via questionnaires.After each round of consultation,expert enthusiasm index,authority coefficient,coordination degree,and consensus level were calculated.Expert opinions were col-lected and analyzed to modify,delete,or add indicators based on consultation results and screening crite-ria.Two Delphi rounds were conducted until consensus was achieved.Results:A total of 28 experts par-ticipated actually in both rounds.The Kendall's W coefficients for the two rounds of expert consultation were0.352(x2=413.952,P＜0.001)and 0.499(x2=405.044,P＜0.001),both statistically sig-nificant.The final outcome indicators for implementation research on comprehensive interventions for myopia and obesity comorbidity in children and adolescents included five primary dimensions with 13 secondary and 20 tertiary indicators.The dimension of reach included the number of children and adoles-cents involved,participant representativeness,and full-course participation representativeness.The di-mension of effectiveness included multimorbidity incidence,myopia incidence,spherical equivalent,body mass index(BMI),overweight and obesity prevalence,waist-to-height ratio,comprehensive health knowledge score,and comprehensive health behavior score.The dimension of adoption covered school representativeness and representativeness of school nurses and teachers involved in implementation.The dimension of implementation included fidelity,content modification,and cost.The dimension of mainte-nance included individual health outcomes and organizational sustainment.Conclusion:This study developed implementation outcome indicators for comprehensive interventions targeting multimorbidity of myopia and obesity among the children and adolescents based on the RE-AIM framework.These indica-tors can serve as a reference for optimizing intervention research strategies related to common multimor-bidity among children and adolescents in China.

Objective:To evaluate the accuracy and output stability of online general natural language processing(NLP)models for staging diagnosis and identifying medium-and high-risk factors in cervical cancer patients based on pathology reports.Methods:Surgical pathological reports of 65 patients with cervical cancer who received postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy at Shanghai General Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were retrospectively selected.These reports were input into two online NLP models,Kimi and ChatGPT-4o,and their output staging diagnosis results were recorded.Then,the results were classified into 3 categories and scored as follows:correct(2 points),basically correct(1 point)and incorrect(0 point).Each pathologic report was tested 5 times to assess the stability of the outputs form Kimi and ChatGPT-4o,and the consistency between the NLP models and clinical physicians in cervical cancer staging was compared.Prompt-based questioning was used to evaluate Kimi's ability to extract medium-and high-risk factors from the pathology reports of cervical cancer patients.Results:There was no statistical significant difference in the staging diagnosis results between the two NLP models and the clinical physicians(x2=5.740,P=0.057).Kimi and ChatGPT-4o respectively produced 56 and 47 correct results,6 and 15 basically correct results,and 3 and 3 incorrect results.Their mean scores were 7.08±2.70 and 7.97±2.97,and the difference between them was statistically significant(P=0.040).In the extraction of risk factors from 65 cervical cancer patients,involving a total of 390 factors,Kimi made only three false-positive errors,with all other factors correctly identified.Conclusion:Online general NLP models can stably output the stage of cervical cancer patients with diagnostic accuracy comparable to clinical physicians.With the assistance of prompt-based questioning,these NLP models can accurately extract medium-and high-risk factors from pathology reports of cervical cancer patients,demonstrating promising clinical application potential.

Objective:To explore genomic features associated with gemcitabine sensitivity, patient-derived organoid models of biliary tract cancer (BTC) were established and characterized.Methods:This is an experimental study. The tissue specimens of BTC were collected from patients who underwent surgical resection at the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine between January 2020 and December 2023. The tumor organoids were cultured in vitro and histologically characterized. Drug sensitivity testing was performed using gemcitabine,cisplatin,paclitaxel,fluorouracil,and lenvatinib etc. to evaluate cell viability. The correlation between the drug sensitivity of organoids and clinical therapeutic response was analyzed.Results:Thirty-eight patient-derived organoids (PDO) models were successfully established from 43 biliary tract malignancy patients with complete follow-up data,including gallbladder cancer PDO 14 cases,distal bile duct cancer PDO 16 cases,intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma PDO 8 cases,achieving an overall success rate of 88.4%. Drug sensitivity testing (DST) was performed on the successfully generated PDO,with 35 models successfully completing DST experiments. The overall consistency rate between drug responses in PDOs and clinical survival outcomes in corresponding patients was 8/14. Transcriptomic analysis of gemcitabine-sensitive vs. gemcitabine-resistant PDO identified 71 differentially expressed genes in the resistant group,the significantly up-regulated genes including GLDC, LINC01595, IL-27, ANGPTL3, CYP7A1,and AKR1C1;the significantly down-regulated genes including P2RY2,LIPC,and ECHDC3. Conclusion:A biobank of patient-derived organoids of BTC has been established,which demonstrates its potential as preclinical models and tools for predicting chemotherapy responses for BTC patients.

Background and Objectives: Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) tend to be accompanied by biventricular impairment. We hypothesized that the combination of the aortic pulsatility index (API) and pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPI) could refine risk stratification in DCM. Methods: We studied 120 consecutive patients with advanced DCM who underwent right heart catheterization (RHC). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality within 1 year after RHC. We used the receiver operating characteristic curve to determine the optimal cut-off of API and PAPI to predict outcomes. Results: The optimal cut-offs of API (1.02) and PAPI (2.16) were used to classify patients into four groups. There were significant differences in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) among the four groups (both p<0.05).When delineating API by LVEF above or below the median (28%), the cumulative rate of survival in patients with API <1.02 was lower than that of those with API ≥1.02 in both higher and lower LVEF groups (both p<0.05). Similar trends were observed when delineating PAPI using TAPSE higher or lower than the cut-off (17 mm) (both p<0.05). The cumulative rate of survival in the API <1.02 and PAPI <2.16 group was lower than that in the API ≥1.02 and/or PAPI ≥2.16 (all p<0.05). Conclusions API and PAPI could add additional prognostic value to LVEF and TAPSE, respectively. The combination of API and PAPI could provide a comprehensive assessment of biventricular function and refine risk stratification.

Background and Objectives: There is no dedicated occlusive device for closing coronary artery fistulas (CAFs), and specific efficacy and safety data of various off-label occlusive devices for CAFs closure are scarce. Methods: Patients undergoing transcatheter closure of CAFs from January 2011 to December 2022 were included in the single-center retrospective study. The study population was divided into 2 groups: coils group (n=35) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) occluders group (n=66). Results: No significant intergroup differences were observed in demographic characteristics except age. The presence of multiple CAF origins (54.3% vs. 4.5%, p<0.001) and multiple draining sites (51.4% vs. 3.0%, p<0.001) were more common in the coils group. In contrast, the presence of aneurysm (72.7% vs. 14.3%, p<0.001), and large fistula (75.8% vs. 37.1%, p<0.001) were more prevalent in the PDA occluders group. The acute procedural success rate of the PDA occluders group was higher compared to that of the coils group (87.9% vs.62.9%, adjusted odds ratio [OR], 7.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.59–32.64; p=0.01).In addition, no significant intergroup differences were noted in both the recanalization rate (7.8% vs. 20%, p=0.107) and the reintervention rate (3.1% vs. 8.6%, p=0.342). Conclusions Transcatheter closure of CAFs using PDA occluders was associated with significantly higher acute procedural success rates compared to coil embolization with comparable late outcomes.

Background and Objectives: Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) tend to be accompanied by biventricular impairment. We hypothesized that the combination of the aortic pulsatility index (API) and pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPI) could refine risk stratification in DCM. Methods: We studied 120 consecutive patients with advanced DCM who underwent right heart catheterization (RHC). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality within 1 year after RHC. We used the receiver operating characteristic curve to determine the optimal cut-off of API and PAPI to predict outcomes. Results: The optimal cut-offs of API (1.02) and PAPI (2.16) were used to classify patients into four groups. There were significant differences in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) among the four groups (both p<0.05).When delineating API by LVEF above or below the median (28%), the cumulative rate of survival in patients with API <1.02 was lower than that of those with API ≥1.02 in both higher and lower LVEF groups (both p<0.05). Similar trends were observed when delineating PAPI using TAPSE higher or lower than the cut-off (17 mm) (both p<0.05). The cumulative rate of survival in the API <1.02 and PAPI <2.16 group was lower than that in the API ≥1.02 and/or PAPI ≥2.16 (all p<0.05). Conclusions API and PAPI could add additional prognostic value to LVEF and TAPSE, respectively. The combination of API and PAPI could provide a comprehensive assessment of biventricular function and refine risk stratification.