Cardiac fibrosis(CF) is a cardiac pathological process characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix(ECM). When the heart is damaged by adverse stimuli, cardiac fibroblasts are activated and secrete a large amount of ECM, leading to changes in cardiac fibrosis, myocardial stiffness, and cardiac function declines and accelerating the development of heart failure. There is a close relationship between heart yin deficiency and cardiac fibrosis, which have similar pathogenic mechanisms. Heart Yin deficiency, characterized by insufficient Yin fluids, causes the heart to lose its nourishing function, which acts as the initiating factor for myocardial dystrophy. The deficiency of body fluids leads to stagnation of blood flow, resulting in blood stasis and water retention. Blood stasis and water retention accumulate in the heart, which aligns with the pathological manifestation of excessive deposition of ECM, as a tangible pathogenic factor. This is an inevitable stage of the disease process. The lingering of blood stasis combined with water retention eventually leads to the generation of heat and toxins, triggering inflammatory responses similar to heat toxins, which continuously stimulate the heart and cause the ultimate outcome of CF. Considering the syndrome of heart Yin deficiency, traditional Chinese medicine capable of nourishing Yin, activating blood, and promoting urination can reduce myocardial cell apoptosis, inhibit fibroblast activation, and lower the inflammation level, showing significant advantages in combating CF.
Humans ; Fibrosis/drug therapy* ; Animals ; Yin Deficiency/metabolism* ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*

The study investigated the intrinsic changes in material basis of Angelicae Sinensis Radix during wine processing by headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry(HS-GC-IMS), headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(HS-SPME-GC-MS), and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS) combined with chemometrics. HS-GC-IMS fingerprints of Angelicae Sinensis Radix before and after wine processing were established to analyze the variation trends of volatile components and characterize volatile small-molecule substances before and after processing. Principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were employed for differentiation and difference analysis. A total of 89 volatile components in Angelicae Sinensis Radix were identified by HS-GC-IMS, including 14 unsaturated hydrocarbons, 16 aldehydes, 13 ketones, 9 alcohols, 16 esters, 6 organic acids, and 15 other compounds. HS-SPME-GC-MS detected 118 volatile components, comprising 42 unsaturated hydrocarbons, 11 aromatic compounds, 30 alcohols, 8 alkanes, 6 organic acids, 4 ketones, 7 aldehydes, 5 esters, and 5 other volatile compounds. UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS identified 76 non-volatile compounds. PCA revealed distinct clusters of raw and wine-processed Angelicae Sinensis Radix samples across the three detection methods. Both PCA and OPLS-DA effectively discriminated between the two groups, and 145 compounds(VIP>1) were identified as critical markers for evaluating processing quality, including 4-methyl-3-penten-2-one, ethyl 2-methylpentanoate, and 2,4-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane detected by HS-GC-IMS, angelic acid, β-pinene, and germacrene B detected by HS-SPME-GC-MS, and L-tryptophan, licoricone, and angenomalin detected by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS. In conclusion, the integration of the three detection methods with chemometrics elucidates the differences in the chemical material basis between raw and wine-processed Angelicae Sinensis Radix, providing a scientific foundation for understanding the processing mechanisms and clinical applications of wine-processed Angelicae Sinensis Radix.
Wine/analysis* ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Angelica sinensis/chemistry* ; Solid Phase Microextraction/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Chemometrics ; Volatile Organic Compounds/chemistry* ; Principal Component Analysis ; Ion Mobility Spectrometry/methods*

The aim of this study was to investigate the trend in testicular volume changes after orchiopexy in children with cryptorchidism. The clinical data of 854 children with cryptorchidism who underwent orchiopexy between January 2013 and December 2016 in Shenzhen Children's Hospital (Shenzhen, China) were retrospectively analyzed. The mean (standard deviation) age of the patients was 2.8 (2.5) years, and the duration of follow-up ranged from 1 year to 5 years. Ultrasonography was conducted preoperatively and postoperatively. The variables analyzed included age at the time of surgery, type of surgical procedure, laterality, preoperative testicular position, preoperative and postoperative testicular volumes, and the testicular volume ratio of them. The average testicular volumes preoperatively and at 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 5 years postoperatively were 0.27 ml, 0.38 ml, 0.53 ml, 0.87 ml, and 1.00 ml, respectively ( P < 0.001). The corresponding testicular volume ratios were 0.67, 0.76, 0.80, 0.83, and 0.84 ( P < 0.001). The mean volume of the undescended testes was significantly smaller than the mean normative value ( P < 0.001, lower than the 10 th percentile). The postoperative testicular volumes in children with cryptorchidism were generally lower than those in healthy boys but were still greater than the 10 th percentile and exhibited an increasing trend. The older the child is at the time of surgery, the larger the gap in volume between the affected and normal testes. Although testicular volume tends to gradually increase after orchiopexy for cryptorchidism, it could not normalizes. Earlier surgery results in affected testicular volumes closer to those of healthy boys.
Humans ; Male ; Cryptorchidism/diagnostic imaging* ; Orchiopexy ; Child, Preschool ; Testis/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Organ Size ; Ultrasonography ; Infant ; Child ; Postoperative Period ; Follow-Up Studies

Objective:To analyze the correlation between mental health status and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in health checkup people.Methods:It was a cross-sectional study, 2 920 participants who received health checkup in the Health Examination Center of Peking University Third Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023 were selected using cluster sampling method. Their general information, physical examination, biochemical indicators, body composition, and self-evaluation scores on the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) were collected. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 2 813 study subjects were included, and divided into the MetS group and the non-MetS group based on whether they had MetS. The differences in general demographic information, body composition, blood biochemistry, and SCL-90 scores between the two groups were compared. Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the correlation between mental health status and MetS.Results:Of the 2 813 subjects included, 1 576 were males (56.0%) and 1 237 were females (44.0%), with an average age of (41.7±11.0) years, the MetS group had 586 cases (20.8%) and the non-MetS group had 2 227 cases (79.2%). The MetS group had higher levels of age, body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA 1c), free thyroxine(FT4), total triiodothyronine (TT3), free triiodothyronine (FT3), waist-to-hip ratio, visceral fat area, body fat percentage, uric acid/creatinine, homocysteine (Hcy), aspartate aminotransferases (AST), and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels, as well as higher scores for somatization, hostility, paranoia, and other factor compared to the non-MetS group (all P<0.05), while high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) levels were lower than those in the non-MetS group (all P<0.05). The proportion of male, and the positive rates of SCL-90, somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, paranoia and other factor in the MetS group were higher than those in the non-MetS group (all P<0.05). Multifactorial analysis showed that individuals with a positive SCL-90 assessment had a 1.34 times higher risk of MetS than those with a negative assessment ( OR=1.34, 95% CI: 1.06-1.68; P=0.014). Among them, individuals with positive somatization ( OR=2.02, 95% CI: 1.25-3.28; P=0.004) and hostility ( OR=1.61, 95% CI: 1.02-2.56; P=0.042) had increased risk of MetS. Conclusion:Poor mental health status increases the risk of MetS.

Objective:To explore the correlation between normalized grip strength (NGS) and normal weight obesity (NWO) in the population undergoing health check-ups.Methods:It was a cross-sectional study. A cluster sampling method was adopted to consecutively select 4 104 subjects who completed general health check-ups, body composition tests, and grip strength tests at the Medical Examination Center of Peking University Third Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023. The general information, physical examination results, biochemical indicators, body composition, and grip strength test results were collected. The subjects were grouped by gender and whether they had NWO (male: NWO group 314 cases, normal control group 690 cases; female: NWO group 834 cases, normal control group 2 266 cases). The differences in various indicators between the NWO group and the normal control group were compared by using t-tests, χ 2 tests, or Mann-Whitney U tests. The subjects were divided into four groups with the quartiles of NGS (Q 1-Q 4 groups), and binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore the correlation between the NGS and NWO. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the optimal cut-off point of the NGS for diagnosing NWO. Results:Among the 4 104 subjects included in the analysis, 1 148 (28.0%) had NWO. The risk of NWO in both males and females increased with the decrease of NGS. Compared with the Q 4 group, the risk of NWO in the Q 2 and Q 1 groups of males increased by 2.600 times ( OR=2.600, 95% CI:1.556-4.343) and 4.350 times ( OR=4.350, 95% CI: 2.618-7.229), respectively; the risk of NWO in the Q 3, Q 2, and Q 1 groups of females increased by 2.024 times ( OR=2.024, 95% CI: 1.322-3.099), 4.265 times ( OR=4.265, 95% CI: 2.856-6.371), and 7.395 times ( OR=7.395, 95% CI: 4.991-10.956), respectively (all P<0.05). The optimal cut-off point of the NGS for diagnosing NWO in males and females was 0.636 2 and 0.472 2, respectively. Conclusions:The NGS is negatively correlated with the risk of NWO. Evaluation of the NGS can provide a reference for the early diagnosis and prevention of NWO.

Objective:To construct a health management mode for functional community groups and evaluate its health management effect.Methods:This study was a non-randomized controlled trial. A cluster sampling method was adopted to select 3 352 subjects who completed three health examinations at the Physical Examination Center of Peking University Third Hospital from January 2022 to October 2024 and received health management for two consecutive years from a certain functional community (an enterprise) in Beijing as the research subjects. A health management mode for functional community groups was constructed, and a cohort of the population was established. A health management platform was built, and the research subjects were included in the health management system. Comprehensive interventions were carried out using multiple methods, including disease risk assessment, daily monitoring and reminders, exercise and nutrition assessment and intervention, personal health consultation, and health science popularization knowledge push. The subjects were classified and analyzed based on general information such as age and gender. The changes in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were assessed using One-way Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance before the intervention and at 1 and 2 years after the intervention. The changes in triglycerides were assessed using Generalized Estimating Equations before the intervention and at 1 and 2 years after the intervention.Results:The systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and LDL-C levels of the total population showed a linear decreasing trend after the intervention (all P0.001). The HDL-C level showed an overall upward trend after the intervention [(1.45±0.32) vs (1.39±0.30) vs (1.47±0.33) mmol/L, F=12.746, P0.001]. However, there was no linear change trend in diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and triglycerides after the intervention (all P0.05). The systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and LDL-C levels of both men and women showed a linear decreasing trend after the intervention. For men, systolic blood pressure [(128.6±16.1) vs (127.6±16.3) vs (126.5±15.5) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa); F=33.488, P0.001], total cholesterol [(5.29±1.02) vs (5.07±1.00) vs (4.94±1.03) mmol/L; F=286.525, P0.001], and LDL-C [(3.45±0.86) vs (3.43±0.84) vs (3.33±0.83) mmol/L; F=55.419, P0.001] all decreased. For women, systolic blood pressure [(118.9±15.6) vs (117.5±15.6) vs (117.2±15.8) mmHg; F=34.188, P0.001], total cholesterol [(5.13±0.94) vs (4.96±0.90) vs (4.85±0.90) mmol/L; F=274.080, P0.001], and LDL-C [(3.13±0.79) vs (3.10±0.76) vs (3.10±0.75) mmol/L; F=6.861, P=0.009] also decreased. The HDL-C level of men showed an overall upward trend after the intervention [(1.30±0.26) vs (1.25±0.25) vs (1.32±0.28) mmol/L; F=6.866, P0.05]. For men and women, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and triglyceride levels showed no linear change trend after the intervention (all P0.05). The systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol levels of all age groups showed a linear decreasing trend after the intervention(all P0.001). In the 50-59 age group, diastolic blood pressure showed a linear decreasing trend after intervention [(81.6±11.6) vs (80.1±11.6) vs (79.9±11.6) mmHg; F=7.043, P0.05]. In the 40-49 age group, triglyceride showed an overall decreasing trend after intervention [1.29(0.91-2.01) vs 1.27(0.88-1.91) vs 1.27(0.92-1.89) mmol/L; Wald χ 2=10.062, P0.05]. In the 30-39 age group, LDL-C showed a linear decreasing trend after intervention [(3.23±0.80) vs (3.20±0.79) vs (3.19±0.77) mmol/L; F=7.702, P0.05]. In the 40-49 age group, LDL-C also showed a linear decreasing trend after intervention [(3.39±0.84) vs (3.36±0.82) vs (3.30±0.80) mmol/L; F=22.801, P0.001]. In the 50-59 age group, LDL-C showed a linear decreasing trend after intervention [(3.38±0.92) vs (3.32±0.91) vs (3.15±0.88) mmol/L; F=27.920, P0.001]. In the 30-39 age group, HDL-C showed an overall increasing trend after intervention [(1.46±0.33) vs (1.39±0.31) vs (1.48±0.34) mmol/L; F=10.047, P0.05]. In the 40-49 age group, HDL-C also showed an overall increasing trend after intervention [(1.45±0.30) vs (1.40±0.30) vs (1.47±0.32) mmol/L; F=10.118, P0.05]. However, there was no linear change trend in fasting blood glucose and triglyceride levels in all age groups after intervention ( F=1.169, 2.643, 0.663, 0.001, all P0.05). Conclusion:The functional community group health management mode constructed in this study has a good effect.

AIM To prepare the sustained-release microspheres of ginsenosides.METHODS The sustained-release microspheres were prepared by SPG membrane emulsification technology with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)(PLGA)as a shell carrier.With PLGA concentration,feed rate and Span 60 concentration as influencing factors,comprehensive score for appearance,drug loading and encapsulation efficiency as an evaluation indice,the preparation process was optimized by response surface method.The morphology of sustained-release microspheres was observed,after which the particle size,drug loading and encapsulation efficiency were determined,and the in vitro drug release was investigated.RESULTS The optimal conditons were determined to be 45 s for agitation time of primary emulsion,74.68 mg/mL for PLGA concentration,11％for feed rate,and 4.18 mg/mL for Span 60 concentration,the comprehensive score was 74.98.The round sustained-release microspheres demonstrated the average particle size of 4.33 μm,drug loading of(8.24±0.13)％,and encapsulation efficiency of(74.94±1.17)％,respectively.At 336 h,ginsenosides Rg1,Rb1,Rb2 displayed the accumulative release rates of 84.12％,78.04％,65.88％,respectively.CONCLUSION This reasonable and feasible method can be used for the preparation of sustained-release microspheres of ginsenosides with good appearance and high drug loading,which can provide references for the preparation of other water-soluble drug microspheres and solution of microsphere collapse problem.

Objective:To analyze the echocardiographic and genetic characteristics of fetuses with common arterial trunk（CAT）.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 77 480 fetal echocardiograms examined at the Maternal-Fetal Medicine center in Fetal Heart Disease of Beijing Anzhen Hospital from November 2010 to November 2024.Among them，106 fetuses were initially diagnosed with CAT，and 95 cases were ultimately confirmed（0.1%，95/77 480）. The echocardiographic and genetic features of CAT fetuses were analyzed. According to the modified Van Praagh classification，CAT was divided into types A1-A4［with ventricular septal defect（VSD）］and B1-B4（without VSD）based on the origin of the pulmonary artery branches and the presence or absence of a VSD. Additionally，CAT was categorized into isolated and complex types based on the presence of associated intracardiac or extracardiac anomalies.Results:① Among the 95 confirmed CAT fetuses，type A accounted for 90.5%（86/95），and type B accounted for 9.5%（9/95）. All 9 type B CAT fetuses exhibited no overriding of the arterial trunk ， with 8 cases showing left ventricular hypoplasia accompanied by mitral atresia or absence.② Of the 95 CAT fetuses，14 were isolated（14.7%，14/95） ， and 81 were complex（85.3%，81/95）.The main associated intracardiac anomalies included：single ventricle（22 cases），complete atrioventricular septal defect（12 cases），anomalous pulmonary venous drainage（10 cases），right aortic arch with mirror-image branching（16 cases），and persistent left superior vena cava（14 cases）. ③ Genetic testing was performed in 31 fetuses，with 18 showing positive results，primarily 22q11.21 deletion syndrome（29.0%，9/31）. Conclusions:Apart from VSD，the most common intracardiac anomaly associated with CAT fetuses is single ventricle. Type B CAT without trunk overriding is often associated with left ventricular hypoplasia and mitral atresia or absence. The most frequent genetic abnormality in CAT fetuses is 22q11.21 deletion syndrome. Prenatal echocardiography should clarify the CAT subtype and associated anomalies，and genetic testing is strongly recommended for perinatal counseling and prognostic evaluation.

Objective To explore the regulatory effect of corilagin(COR)on Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing protein 3(NLRP3)inflammasome activation and chondrocyte pyroptosis induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS)combined with nigericin(NIG).Methods Primary chondrocytes isolated from C57BL/6J mice were cultured to passage 3 for experiments.Cells were divided into control group,LPS group,LPS+NIG group,and LPS+NIG+COR(low-,medium-,and high-dose)groups.The chondrocytes were pre-sensitized with LPS for 4 h.Then the cells were treated with COR at different concentrations(10,20,and 40 μmol/L)for 30 min,and finally NIG(10 μmol/L)was supplemented for 1 h.Control cells were cultured in DMEM/F-12 medium supplemented with 1%FBS.Cell counting kit 8(CCK-8)was used to detect the effect of COR at different concentrations(10,20,40 μmol/L)on chondrocyte viability.Propidium iodide(PI)and Hoechst 33342 staining and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)release assay were used to analyze the effect of COR on chondrocyte death induced by LPS and NIG.Western blotting was used to detect the expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome activation marker cysteine aspartic acid specific protease 1(caspase 1)p20 in the cell supernatant and NLRP3,apoptosis-associated speck-like protein(ASC),caspase 1,interleukin-1β precursor(pro-IL-1β),and pyroptosis execution protein gasdermin D(GSDMD)in the cell lysate.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the level of IL-1β in cell culture supernatant.Reactive oxygen species(ROS)fluorescent probe 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate(H2DCFDA)staining was used to observe the effect of COR on ROS production,and Western blotting was used to detect the expression of intracellular glycolysis-related proteins hexokinase 2(HK2),glucose transporter 1(GLUT1),and lactate dehydrogenase A(LDHA).Results COR exhibited slight effect on chondrocyte viability at the concentration≤40 μmol/L.COR(10-40 μmol/L)reduced the proportion of PI-positive cells(all P＜0.05)and the release of LDH(all P＜0.01)stimulated by LPS and NIG,inhibited the expression of GSDMD N-terminus domain in chondrocytes,and reduced the release of caspase 1 p20 and IL-1β from chondrocytes(all P＜0.01).Furthermore,COR(40 μmol/L)reduced the production of ROS(compared with the control group,P＜0.01)and inhibited the expression of glycolysis-related proteins HK2,GLUT1,and LDHA(all P＜0.05).Conclusion COR can inhibit NIG-induced glycolysis/ROS/NLRP3 signaling,thereby preventing NLRP3 inflammasome activation and chondrocyte pyroptosis.