ObjectiveTo investigate the role and possible mechanism of action of rhubarb decoction （RD） retention enema in improving inflammatory damage of brain tissue in a rat model of mild hepatic encephalopathy （MHE）. MethodsA total of 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into blank group （CON group with 6 rats） and chronic liver cirrhosis modeling group with 54 rats using the complete randomization method. After 12 weeks， 40 rats with successful modeling which were confirmed to meet the requirements for MHE model by the Morris water maze test were randomly divided into model group （MOD group）， lactulose group （LT group）， low-dose RD group （RD1 group）， middle-dose RD group （RD2 group）， and high-dose RD group （RD3 group）， with 8 rats in each group. The rats in the CON group and the MOD group were given retention enema with 2 mL of normal saline once a day； the rats in the LT group were given retention enema with 2 mL of lactulose at a dose of 22.5% once a day； the rats in the RD1， RD2， and RD3 groups were given retention enema with 2 mL RD at a dose of 2.5， 5.0， and 7.5 g/kg， respectively， once a day. After 10 days of treatment， the Morris water maze test was performed to analyze the spatial learning and memory abilities of rats. The rats were analyzed from the following aspects： behavioral status； the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and the level of blood ammonia； pathological changes of liver tissue and brain tissue； the mRNA and protein expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）， protein kinase B （AKT）， and mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） in brain tissue. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the MOD group， the RD1， RD2， and RD3 groups had a significantly shorter escape latency （all P<0.01）， significant reductions in the levels of ALT， AST， IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α， and blood ammonia （all P<0.05）， significant alleviation of the degeneration， necrosis， and inflammation of hepatocytes and brain cells， and significant reductions in the mRNA and protein expression levels of PI3K， AKT， and mTOR in brain tissue （all P<0.05）， and the RD3 group had a better treatment outcome than the RD1 and RD2 groups. ConclusionRetention enema with RD can improve cognitive function and inflammatory damage of brain tissue in MHE rats， possibly by regulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

Objective:To determine the incidence of adrenal incidentalomas(AIs) in patients with diabetes mellitus and the metabolism profiles.Methods:A total of 615 hospitalized patients with diabetes mellitus in the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Peking University People′s Hospital from March 2020 to May 2021 were retrospectively included in this study. AIs were screened by unenhanced chest computed tomography(CT) retrospectively and subsequently confirmed by multiplanar reconstruction. Participants′ physical indicators, metabolic profiles, and adrenal function parameters were collected. Unpaired t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Chi-Square test were adopted to compare the metabolism profiles between diabetes mellitus patients with or without AIs. Regression models were used to estimate the correlations between AIs and the metabolism profiles such as blood glucose, blood lipids, blood pressure, and the adrenal function parameters.Results:Twenty-seven out of 615 participants were detected with AIs(4.4%). Patients with AIs had higher body mass index, waist circumference, and hip circumference than patients without AIs [(29.4±5.1)kg/m 2vs(26.8±3.8)kg/m 2,P=0.018; (102.3±11.7)cm vs(95.8±10.3)cm, P=0.002; (107.3±10.1)cm vs(101.4±7.6)cm, P=0.008]. The levels of serum uric acid and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio were also significantly increased in patients with AIs [(409.6±118.1)μmol/L vs(357.4±100.6)μmol/L, P=0.009; 21.25(7.49, 180.24)mg/g vs 8.60(4.71, 34.56)mg/g, P=0.010]. Besides, individuals with AIs were also associated with a higher risk of co-existing hypertension( P=0.045). Conclusion:The incidence of AIs in patients with diabetes is 4.4%. The presence of AIs in patients with diabetes may associated with increased risk of obesity and hypertension.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and pathogenic variant in a child with Cantú syndrome (CS).Methods:A male who was admitted to the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University on February 23, 2022 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the child was collected. Peripheral blood samples of the child and his parents were collected and subjected to whole-exome sequencing (WES). Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing. This study was approved by Medical Ethics Committee of the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University (Ethics No. 2023-K-087).Results:The child, a 3-year-and-2-month-old male, was born with hirsutism, with heavy hair all over the body and peculiar facial features. Routine echocardiography 1 month before had discovered atrial septal defect. Sequencing revealed that the child has harbored a heterozygous c. 2438G>C (p.S813T) variant of the ABCC9 gene, which was de novo in origin. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the c. 2438G>C variant was classified as likely pathogenic (PS2+ PM2_Supporting+ PP3). Conclusion:The heterozygous c. 2438G>C variant of the ABCC9 gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of CS in this child.

Objective:To analyze the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of a Chinese pedigree affected with Hereditary antithrombin deficiency.Methods:A pedigree diagnosed at the the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Yuying Children’s Hospital in June, 2020 was selected as the study subject. Plasma prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), and thrombin time (TT) of the probands and their pedigree members were determined using a STA-R automatic coagulation analyzer. Antithrombin activity (AT: A) and antithrombin antigen (AT: Ag) in plasma were determined with chromogenic substrate and immunonephelometry assays. All exons and flanking sequences of the anticoagulant protein gene SERPINC1 were amplified by PCR and subjected to Sanger sequencing. Candidate variants were verified with bioinformatic tools (PolyPhen-2, SIFT, Mutation Taster and PYMOL) to explore their effect on the function and structural conformation of the protein. Results:The probands (Ⅱ 2, Ⅱ 10), their brother (Ⅱ 5) and sons (Ⅲ 1, Ⅲ 8) had shown normal PT, APTT, FIB, and TT, but significantly decreased AT: A and AT: Ag, with their levels being 34%, 57%, 56%, 48%, 53% and 13.51 mg/dL, 13.44 mg/dL, 18.39 mg/dL, 17.36 mg/dL, 17.71 mg/dL, respectively. The remaining pedigree members had normal values. Sanger sequencing revealed that the probands and all affected pedigree members had harbored a heterozygous c. 851T>C (p.Met284Thr) missense variant in exon 5 of the SERPINC1 gene. Bioinformatic analysis and simulation suggested that the variant has resulted in alteration of hydrogen bonds at the c. 851 position, which may affect the structure of the protein. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the variant was classified as pathogenic (PS1+ PM1+ PM5+ PP1+ PP4). Conclusion:The probands and other affected members were all diagnosed with type I hereditary AT deficiency, for which the c. 851 T>C (p.Met284Thr) variant of the SERPINC1 gene may be accountable.

Objective:To explore the protective effect of miR-346 up-regulated by crocin on myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in rats.Methods:The rat model of myocardial ischemia reperfusion was constructed by open-chest ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery followed by reperfusion. Fifty male SD rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group, model group, crocin group, miR-346 negative control (miR-NC) group, and miR-346 inhibitor group with 10 rats in each group. Rats in the sham operation group were only received thoracotomy without ligation. Rats in the miR-NC group and miR-346 inhibitor group were injected with miR-NC or miR-346 inhibitor through the tail vein 48 h prior to ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery ligation. The crocetin reagent for gastric lavage was prepared by dissolving 8 mg of crocetin in 100 ml of physiological saline. Rats in the crocetin group, miR-NC group, and miR-346 inhibitor group were gavaged with crocetin reagent at 80 mg/kg. Rats in the sham operation group and model group were gavaged with saline at 5 ml/kg. The crocetin reagent and saline were gavaged once a day for 15 days. Serum levels of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The miR-346 expression level was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). The pathological changes in cardiac muscle tissues were detected by HE staining. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate was detected by TUNEL staining. The expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins were detected by Western Blot.Results:Compared with the sham operation group, the serum levels of CK-MB and LDH, pathological scores, cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate and expression of cleaved cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3 (cleaved Caspase-3) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein (Bax) were increased in the model group (all P < 0.05), and the miR-346 expression level and Bcl-2 levels in myocardial tissues were decreased (all P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, serum CK-MB and LDH levels, pathological scores, cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate, and cleaved Caspase-3 and Bax expression levels were decreased in the crocin group (all P < 0.05), and miR-346 expression level and Bcl-2 levels in the myocardial tissues were increased (all P < 0.05). Compared with the miR-NC group, the serum levels of CK-MB, LDH, pathological scores, cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate, and cleaved Caspase-3 and Bax expression levels were decreased in the miR-346 inhibitor group (all P < 0.05), and miR-346 expression level and Bcl-2 level were increased in myocardial tissues (all P < 0.05). Conclusions:Crocin can reduce myocardial tissue injury and attenuate cardiomyocyte apoptosis in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion rats by up-regulating miR-346.

Objective To discuss the clinical value of echocardiographic indicators in assessing the short-term efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)and surgical aortic valve replacement(SAVR)in treating patients with severe aortic valve stenosis(AS).Methods The clinical data of 70 patients with severe AS,who received treatment at the Daping Hospital of Army Military Medical University of China between June 2019 and September 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into SAVR group(n=40)and TAVR group(n=30).The preoperative one-week and postoperative one-month echocardiographic indicators were compared between the two groups.Results In both groups,the postoperative one-month peak aortic valve velocity(Vmax),aortic valve mean transvalvular pressure gradient(mPG),relative thickness of chamber wall(RWT),and left ventricular mass index(LVMI)were decreased when compared with preoperative values(all P＜0.05);in TAVR group the left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),LVMI and incidence of perivalvular leakage were remarkably higher than those in SAVR group,while the Vmax and mPG were obviously lower than those in SAVR group(all P＜0.05).In TAVR group,the mitral regurgitation decreased from preoperative 12 patients(40％)to postoperative 2 patients(6.7％)and the over-moderate tricuspid regurgitation decreased from preoperative 7 patients(23.3％)to postoperative one patient(3.3％)(all P＜0.05).In SAVR group,the mitral regurgitation decreased from preoperative 15 patients(37.5％)to postoperative 2 patients(5.0％)and the over-moderate tricuspid regurgitation decreased from preoperative 9 patients(22.5％)to postoperative one patient(2.5％)(all P＜0.05).The pulmonary artery hypertension in TAVR group decreased from preoperative 17 patients(56.7％)to postoperative 4 patients(13.3％),which in SAVR group decreased from preoperative 22 patients(55.0％)to postoperative 5 patients(12.5％)(P＜0.05),but the differences in the above indexes between the two groups were not statistically significant(all P＞0.05).Conclusion TAVR and SAVR have similar efficacy in improving secondary valve regurgitation and pulmonary artery hypertension caused by severe AS.TAVR is superior to SAVR in improving postoperative ventricular reverse remodeling and hemodynamics,although the incidence of paravalvular leakage in TAVR is higher than that in SAVR.(J Intervent Radiol,2024,33:479-482)

Objective:To assess the prognostic impact of frailty on elderly inpatients with heart failure.Methods:This prospective cohort study enrolled 121 in elderly patients with heart failure from Beijing Hospital, the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, and Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital between September 2018 and April 2019.Patients were assessed for frailty using the Fried frailty phenotype and categorized into frail and non-frail groups.Follow-ups were conducted at 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-enrollment through clinic visits or phone calls to record adverse events.Composite endpoints include all-cause mortality and rehospitalization duo to deterioration of heart failure.Results:The study included 121 patients with an average age of 78.0±7.4 years, of whom 71(58.7%)were male and 57(47.1%)were classified as frail.Compared to the non-frail group, the frail group had lower estimated glomerular filtration rates[49.5±20.7 ml/(min·1.73m 2) vs.(64.0±27.1)ml/(min·1.73m 2)], lower scores in Basic Activities of Daily Living[5.0(4.0, 6.0) vs.6.0(5.0, 6.0)], Instrumental Activities of Daily Living[2.0(1.3, 7.8) vs.7.0(5.0, 8.0)], and Mini-Mental State Examination[26.0(16.0, 28.0) vs.27.0(22.3, 29.0)], all P<0.05.They also experienced longer hospital stays[10.5(6.0, 18.8)days vs.8.0(6.0, 11.8)days, P=0.008].During the follow-up period, the incidence of composite endpoint events was significantly higher in the frail group(43.9% vs.25.0%, P=0.029).Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that the one-year incidence of composite endpoint events was significantly higher in the frail group( P=0.013).Multivariable Cox regression analysisindicated that frailty was an independent risk factor for composite endpoint events( HR=2.201, 95% CI: 1.089-4.447, P=0.028). Conclusions:Frailty is an independent risk factor for poor outcomes in elderly hospitalized patients with heart failure and should be considered a crucial factor in clinical assessment and treatment strategies.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the regulatory mechanism of human hepatocyte apoptosis induced by lysosomal membrane protein Sidt2 knockout. METHODS: The Sidt2 knockout (Sidt2^-/-) cell model was constructed in human hepatocyte HL7702 cells using Crispr-Cas9 technology.The protein levels of Sidt2 and key autophagy proteins LC3-II/I and P62 in the cell model were detected using Western blotting, and the formation of autophagosomes was observed with MDC staining.EdU incorporation assay and flow cytometry were performed to observe the effect of Sidt2 knockout on cell proliferation and apoptosis.The effect of chloroquine at the saturating concentration on autophagic flux, proliferation and apoptosis of Sidt2 knockout cells were observed. RESULTS: Sidt2^-/- HL7702 cells were successfully constructed.Sidt2 knockout significantly inhibited the proliferation and increased apoptosis of the cells, causing also increased protein expressions of LC3-II/I and P62(P < 0.05) and increased number of autophagosomes.Autophagy of the cells reached a saturated state following treatment with 50 μmol/L chloroquine, and at this concentration, chloroquine significantly increased the expressions of LC3B and P62 in Sidt2^-/- HL7702 cells. CONCLUSION Sidt2 gene knockout causes dysregulation of the autophagy pathway and induces apoptosis of HL7702 cells, and the latter effect is not mediated by inhibiting the autophagy-lysosomal pathway.
Humans ; Lysosome-Associated Membrane Glycoproteins/metabolism* ; Autophagy ; Apoptosis ; Hepatocytes ; Lysosomes/metabolism* ; Chloroquine/pharmacology* ; Nucleotide Transport Proteins/metabolism*

“Cold-dampness entering ying （营）” is the key to the worsening of cold-dampness epidemic， and is more common in the elderly or critically ill cases of cold-dampness epidemic with pathogen exuberance and healthy qi deficiency. This paper reported a case of critically ill COVID-19 combined with multiple organ dysfunction treated by integrative traditional Chinese and western medicine based on “cold-dampness entering ying” theory. The patient did not have high fever after being infected with SARS-Cov-2， but D-dimer continued to increase， and she developed multiple thrombosis throughout the body and multiple organ dysfunctions such as pulmonary embolism， edema， oliguria， and shock. The patient were with enlarged and dusky tongue， with yellow， thick and greasy coating， and sublingual blood stasis， and thready， rapid and rough pulse. All these were characteristic manifestations of “cold-dampness entering ying”， and was differentiated as cold-dampness stasis. For the treatment， symptomatic and supportive western medicine of improving heart function， anti-infection， relieving asthma， stopping cough and reducing phlegm was given as the basic therapy， and additionally， traditional Chinese medicine to open the constraint and the blocked， save from collapse and restore yang， boost qi and relieve collapse， invigorate blood and drain water was used， usually with Modified Poge Zilong Xuanbai Chengqi Decoction （破格子龙宣白承气汤加减）， which was in accordance with the pathogenesis and thus achieving good effect.

This paper reported a case of severe COVID-19 in the recovery stage with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated by integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine， with the intention of shedding light on the clinical diagnosis and treatment of similar conditions. The patient， who had acute lymphoblastic leukemia， developed COVID-19 infection during the bone marrow suppression period after chemotherapy. Treatment with western medicine was mainly anti-infection， symptomatic management， and supportive care. During the recovery stage， considering the patient's chemotherapy history and disease progression， the overall syndrome was identified as deficiency of both qi and yin and binding of phlegm and blood. Based on the “state-target” combined treatment strategy， herbal prescriptions were selected and modified to address the “deficiency state”， “disease target”， and “symptom target”. In addition to western medicine， the patient was administered with Shengmai Powder （生脉散） and Compound Zhebei Granules （复方浙贝颗粒） in its modifications to boost qi， nourish yin， and reinforce healthy qi， nourish and cool the blood， ultimately achieving satisfactory therapeutic effects.