This study explores the therapeutic differences and mechanisms of salt-processed Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex in improving insulin resistance(IR) based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cellular experiments. The components and intersection targets of Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex in improving IR were collected from databases, and a "drug-component-target-disease" network and protein-protein interaction(PPI) network were constructed to screen core components and targets. A total of 29 active components and 240 intersection targets were identified, of which 13 were core targets. Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were used to identify key signaling pathways, and molecular docking was performed to validate the binding activity between core components and targets. An IR model in HepG2 cells was induced using insulin combined with high glucose, and the effects of Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex before and after salt-processing on cell glucose consumption were evaluated. The expression of proteins related to the mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)-protein kinase B(AKT) signaling pathways was detected by Western blot. The cellular experimental results showed that, compared with the model group, glucose consumption in the drug-treated groups was significantly increased(P<0.01), the phosphorylation level of extracellular regulated protein kinase(ERK) was decreased(P<0.05), the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and AKT were increased, and the expression of glucose transporter 4(GLUT4) was also upregulated(P<0.05). Furthermore, the effect of salt-processed Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex was better than that of raw Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex. The study demonstrates that Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex, both before and after salt-processing, improves IR by regulating the expression of related proteins in the MAPK and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways, with enhanced effects after salt-processing.
Humans ; Network Pharmacology ; Phellodendron/chemistry* ; Insulin Resistance ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Hep G2 Cells ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Protein Interaction Maps/drug effects* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Glucose/metabolism*

Objective： The aim of this study is to explore the predictive value of biparametric magnetic resonance imaging(bpMRI)for pelvic lymph node metastasis in prostate cancer patients with PSA≤20 μg/L and establish a nomogram. Methods： The imaging data and clinical data of 363 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from July 2018 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to screen independent risk factors for pelvic lymph node metastasis in prostate cancer, and a nomogram of the clinical prediction model was established. Calibration curves were drawn to evaluate the accuracy of the model. Results： Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed extrocapusular extension (OR=8.08,95%CI=2.62－24.97, P<0.01), enlargement of pelvic lymph nodes (OR=4.45,95%CI=1.16－17.11,P=0.030), and biopsy ISUP grade(OR=1.97,95%CI=1.12－3.46, P=0.018)were independent risk factors for pelvic lymph node metastasis. The C-index of the prediction model was 0.834, which indicated that the model had a good prediction ability. The actual value of the model calibration curve and the prediction probability of the model fitted well, indicating that the model had a good accuracy. Further analysis of DCA curve showed that the model had good clinical application value when the risk threshold ranged from 0.05 to 0.70.Conclusion： For prostate cancer patients with PSA≤20 μg/L, bpMRI has a good predictive value for the pelvic lymph node metastasis of prostate cancer with extrocapusular extension, enlargement of pelvic lymph nodes and ISUP grade≥4.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Retrospective Studies ; Nomograms ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood* ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Pelvis ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prostatectomy ; Lymph Node Excision ; Risk Factors ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Logistic Models ; Middle Aged ; Aged

Objective To explore the biomarkers and potential mechanisms of chronic restraint stress-induced myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia ApoE-/-mice.Methods The hyperlipidemia combined with the chronic stress model was established by restraining the ApoE-/-mice.Proteomics and bioinformatics techniques were used to describe the characteristic molecular changes and related regulatory mechanisms of chronic stress-induced myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia mice and to explore potential diagnostic biomarkers.Results Proteomic analysis showed that there were 43 significantly up-regulated and 58 sig-nificantly down-regulated differentially expressed proteins in hyperlipidemia combined with the restraint stress group compared with the hyperlipidemia group.Among them,GBP2,TAOK3,TFR1 and UCP1 were biomarkers with great diagnostic potential.KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that fer-roptosis was a significant pathway that accelerated the myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia combined with restraint stress-induced model.The mmu_circ_0001567/miR-7a/Tfr-1 and mmu_circ_0001042/miR-7a/Tfr-1 might be important circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks related to ferroptosis in this model.Conclusion Chronic restraint stress may aggravate myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia mice via ferrop-tosis.Four potential biomarkers are selected for myocardial injury diagnosis,providing a new direction for sudden cardiac death(SCD)caused by hyperlipidemia combined with the restraint stress.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in children in Jiangsu Province from 2014 to 2023.Methods:The acute respiratory infection cases in children aged 0-14 years were selected from outpatient/emergency or inpatient departments in 2 surveillance sentinel hospitals, respectively, in Nanjing, Suzhou and Taizhou of Jiangsu from 1 July 2014 to 31 December 2023, and RSV nucleic acid test was conducted and the intensity of the RSV infection was accessed by WHO influenza epidemiological threshold method, and case information and clinical data were collected. χ2 test was used to compare the differences between groups, and the Bonferroni method was used for pairwise comparisons between groups. Results:In 4 946 cases of acute respiratory infections, the RSV positive rate was 8.21% (406/4 946), and the age M( Q1, Q3) of the cases was 1 (0, 3) years. The RSV positive rate was 10.92% (258/2 362) during 2014-2019 and 6.06% (118/1 948) during 2019-2023, the difference was significant ( χ2=31.74, P<0.001). RSV infection mainly occurred from October to March during 2014-2019, with the incidence peak in December and moderate or higher intensity. The seasonality of RSV infection was not obvious during 2019-2023, with low intensity. The RSV positive rate was highest in children in age group 0- years (17.85%, 151/846), and the positive rate declined gradually with age ( χ2=184.51, P<0.001). The RSV positive rate was higher in inpatient cases (9.84%, 244/2 480) than in outpatient/emergency cases (6.57%, 162/2 466) ( χ2=17.54, P<0.001). In the 155 RSV infection cases with complete clinical data, the clinical symptoms mainly included cough (99.35%, 154/155), fever (55.48%, 86/155), and shortness of breath (45.16%, 70/155). In the cases aged <6 months, the proportion of those with fever was low, but the proportion of those with shortness of breath, transferred to intensive care units, and receiving oxygen therapy were higher (all P<0.05). Children aged <6 months and those with underlying diseases were more likely to have severe RSV infection (all P<0.05). Conclusions:RSV infection in children in Jiangsu Province showed seasonal prevalence in winter from 2014 to 2019. Since 2020, the seasonal characteristics of the epidemic have changed, the epidemic period has been dispersed and the epidemic intensity has decreased. Infants <1 year old were at high risk for RSV infection, and those <6 months old and with underlying diseases might have severe infection.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to analyze the current status of outcome indicators in randomized controlled trials （RCT） of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） for treating chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG）， so as to provide references for constructing the core outcome set （COS） of TCM in the treatment of CAG. MethodChina National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Wanfang， VIP， SinoMed， PubMed， Embase， and Cochrane Library databases were searched for RCTs of TCM in the treatment of CAG in the last five years. The risk of bias of included studies was evaluated， and the selection status of outcome indicators was statistically analyzed. ResultA total of 150 RCTs were included， with a sample size of 44-398 cases. 164 outcome indicators were reported， with an application frequency of 1 229 times. The outcome indicators were classified into seven indicator domains according to functional attributes， followed by physical and chemical examination （69.41%）， TCM syndrome （12.69%）， symptoms and signs （11.15%）， safety indicators （5.37%）， quality of life （0.65%）， long-term prognosis （0.65%）， and economic evaluation （0.08%）. According to the statistical analysis， there were problems in the selection of outcome indicators in RCTs of TCM for treating CAG， including various indicators， non-standard name reports， unclear primary and secondary indicators， random combination of subjective and objective indicators， neglected patient report outcome indicators， missing long-term prognosis and economic indicators， insufficient reporting of safety indicators， and inconsistent measurement tools and measurement time points. ConclusionIn the past five years， there have been many problems in the selection of outcome indicators in RCTs of TCM for treating CAG. It is necessary to actively promote the construction of the COS of TCM in the treatment of CAG and promote the high-quality development of clinical research of TCM.

Objective To compare image quality of 5.0T and 3.0T time of flight MR angiography(TOF-MRA)and displaying choroidal anterior arteries(AChA).Methods Data of 80 patients who underwent head 5.0T(5.0T group,n=40)and/or 3.0T TOF-MRA(3.0T group,n=42)were retrospectively analyzed,among them 2 patients underwent both 5.0T and 3.0T TOF-MRA.The subjective scoring and objective evaluation of image quality were performed,and the results were compared between groups.AChA was divided into proximal,intermediate and distal segments(A1,A2,A3 segment),the quantity of left and right AChA shown on 5.0T and 3.0T TOF-MRA were recorded,and the length and diameter of left and right AChA dispalyed on MRA were comparatively observed.Results The subjective scores of image quality of 5.0T group were higher than that of 3.0T group(5.0[4.0,5.0]vs.5.0[3.0,5.0],Z=6.417,P=0.029).The signal-to-noise ratio(91.01±5.04)and contrast-to-noise ratio(72.47±5.14)of 5.0T group were both larger than those of 3.0T group([62.11±4.16],[48.92±4.62],t=28.339,19.681,both P＜0.001).There were 80 segments of AChA-A1,80 of AChA-A2 and 60 segments of AChA-A3 displayed on 5.0T TOF-MRA,while 60 segments of AChA-A1,36 of AChA-A2 and 12 segments of AChA-A3 displayed on 3.0T TOF-MRA,respectively.In 5.0T group,the length of the left and right AChA was(24.01±7.41)mm and(22.72±9.36)mm,with diameter of(1.16±0.12)mm and(1.19±0.14)mm,respectively,whereas in 3.0T group,the relative values were(18.35±8.67)mm,(16.80±6.94)mm,(0.99±0.25)mm and(0.95±0.29)mm,respectively,all in 5.0T group were greater than in 3.0T group(t=3.242,3.183,4.595,3.846,all P＜0.001).Conclusion Compared with 3.0T TOF-MRA,5.0T TOF-MRA of AChA might provide better image quality and clearer vessel depiction,being helpful to clinical diagnosis and treatment of ACHA-related cerebral vascular diseases.

Objective To compare image quality of 3.0T and 5.0T MR cholangiopancreatography(MRCP).Methods Eighteen patients with bile duct dilation(bile duct dilation group)and 7 healthy volunteers(healthy group)were prospectively enrolled.MRCP was performed with 3.0T and 5.0T scanners,respectively,and the ability for displaying details of bile duct tree,signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and image artifacts were compared between 3.0T and 5.0T MRCP.Results In bile duct dilation group,the number of branches,total branch length and the maximum branch length of bile duct tree on 5.0T MRCP were all greater than those on 3.0T MRCP(all P＜0.05).In healthy group,the number of branches and total branch length of bile duct tree on 5.0T MRCP were both greater than those on 3.0T MRCP(both P＜0.05).In both groups,the SNR of 5.0T MRCP was greater than that of 3.0T MRCP,but the difference was not significant(both P＞0.05).No significant difference of image artifacts was found between 3.0T and 5.0T MRCP(P=0.054).Conclusion 5.0T MRCP might display better anatomical details of bile duct tree than 3.0T MRCP,with SNR and image artifacts comparable to 3.0T MRCP.

Objective To investigate the factors influencing prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated with cardiogenic shock undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention(PPCI).Methods Patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated with cardiogenic shock who underwent PPCI at our hospital between January 2015 and December 2019 were enrolled.Clinical baseline characteristics,coronary angiography and PCI-related parameters,and mechanical support information were collected.The patients were followed up for one year and divided into survival and death groups based on their survival status within one year.Differences in various factors between the two groups were compared.Results A total of 40 patients were enrolled,including 26 in the survival group and 14 in the death group.There were no differences in baseline data,diagnosis,risk factors,and comorbidities between the two groups.The survival group had a lower heart rate and higher blood pressure trend at admission compared to the death group.Myocardial enzymes were significantly lower in the survival group compared to the death group(median CK peak:496.00(198.25,2 830.00)U/L vs.3 040.00(405.75,5 626.53)U/L,P=0.003;median CK-MB peak:52.65(31.75,219.50)U/L vs.306.00(27.25,489.63)U/L,P=0.006).When comparing coronary angiography and PCI-related indicators between the two groups,the survival group had a higher rate of complete revascularization compared to the control group(53.85％vs.21.43％,P=0.048).The survival group had a higher proportion of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)combined with intra-aortic balloon pump(IABP)support compared to the control group[38.46％vs.7.14％,P=0.034].Conclusions Survival in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated with cardiogenic shock undergoing PPCI is associated with lower level of myocardial enzymes,ECMO combined with IABP support and complete revascularization.

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of implantable D-shant atrial shunt device in patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)and right heart failure.A 53-year-old female patient diagnosed with severe idiopathic PAH and right heart failure,her WHO FC grade was Ⅳ.The right heart catheter and implantation of D-shant atrial shunt device were performed under local anesthesia on November 30,2021.A 6 mm×4 cm peripheral artery balloon was selected to dilate the atrial septum and a D-shant atrial shunt device with a fixed 4 mm diameter orifice was implanted into the heart.The clinical symptoms and hemodynamics of the patient was improved after the intervention.Implantation of atrial shunt device as a palliative therapy to established a right to left shunt is another strategy for treating patients with severe PAH in late period,which has good effectiveness and safety.It could be the last replacement therapy to improve symptoms and prolonged lives to drug resistant and severe PAH patients.