OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To investigate the effects of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy(LSG)on the cardiac structure and function in obese patients with heart failure(HF)and compare the efficacy of LSG across obese patients with different HF types.Methods This study included 33 obese patients with HF who underwent LSG.The clinical indicators were compared between before operation and 12 months after operation.Repeated measures analysis of variance was employed to evaluate the changes in echocardiographic parameters before operation and 3,6,and 12 months after operation.Patients were allocated into a HF with preserved ejection fraction group(n=17),a HF with mildly reduced ejection fraction group(n=5)and a HF with reduced ejection fraction(HFrEF)group(n=11)based on left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)before operation for subgroup analyses of the effects of LSG on the cardiac structure and function of obese patients with HF.The paired samples t-test was conducted to assess the degree of cardiac structural and functional alterations after LSG.Results The 33 patients included 69.7% males,with an average age of(35.3±9.9)years,and a body mass index(BMI)of(51.2±9.8)kg/m².The median follow-up was 9.0(5.0,13.3)months.Compared with the preoperative values,the postoperative BMI(P=0.002),body surface area(BSA)(P=0.009),waist circumference(P=0.010),hip circumference(P=0.031),body fat content(P=0.007),and percentage of patients with cardiac function grades Ⅲ-IV(P<0.001)decreased.At the 12-month follow-up left atrial diameter(P=0.006),right atrial long-axis inner diameter(RAD1)(P<0.001),right atrial short-axis inner diameter(RAD2)(P<0.001),right ventricular inner diameter(P=0.002),interventricular septal thickness at end-diastolic(P=0.002),and left ventricular end-diastolic volumes(P=0.004)and left ventricular end-systolic volumes(P=0.003) all significantly reduced compared with preoperative values.Additionally,left ventricular fractional shortening and LVEF improved(both P<0.001).Subgroup analyses revealed that cardiac structural parameters significantly decreased in the HF with preserved ejection fraction,HF with mildly reduced ejection fraction,and HFrEF subgroups compared with preoperative values.Notably,the HFrEF group demonstrated the best performance in terms of left atrial diameter(P=0.003),left ventricular inner diameter at end-diastole(P=0.008),RAD1(P<0.001),RAD2(P=0.004),right ventricular inner diameter(P=0.019),left ventricular end-diastolic volume(P=0.004)and left ventricular end-systolic volume(P=0.001),cardiac output(P=0.006),tricuspid regurgitation velocity(P=0.002),and pulmonary artery systolic pressure(P=0.001) compared to preoperatively.Postoperative left ventricular fractional shortening(P<0.001,P=0.003,P<0.001)and LVEF(P<0.001,P=0.011,P=0.001)became higher in all the three subgroups than the preoperative values.Conclusions LSG decreased the body weight,BMI,and BSA,improved the cardiac function grade,reversed the enlargement of the left atrium and left ventricle,reduced the right atrium and right ventricle,and enhanced the left ventricular systolic function.It was effective across obese patients with different HF types.Particularly,LSG demonstrates the best performance in improving the structures of both atria and ventricles in obese patients with HFrEF.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Gastrectomy/methods* ; Heart Failure/complications* ; Adult ; Obesity/physiopathology* ; Laparoscopy ; Middle Aged ; Heart/physiopathology* ; Stroke Volume

Objective To evaluate the value of pre-ascent 6-minute walking test performed at a high altitude in predicting the incidence of acute mountain sickness(AMS)induced by rapid ascent to a very high altitude.Methods After baseline information was collected,participants completed the 6-minute walking test at a high altitude of 2 900 m.Then,they rapidly ascended to a very high altitude of 5 000 m.The Lake Louise score was recorded to assess AMS.Results The AMS group showed a shorter pre-ascent 6-minute walking distance(6MWD)at the high altitude than the non-AMS group[480.00(450.00,521.75)m vs.546.00(516.50,568.50)m,P=0.006].No difference was observed regarding the pre-ascent heart rate or peripheral oxygen saturation(both P>0.05).The pre-ascent 6MWD at the high altitude was negatively correlated with the Lake Louise score assessed after rapid ascent to the very high altitude(r=-0.497,P=0.012).Logistic regression analysis confirmed that the pre-ascent 6MWD at the high altitude was associated with the risk of AMS induced by rapid ascent to the very high altitude(OR=0.971,95% CI=0.947-0.996,P=0.022).The results indicated that the pre-ascent 6MWD demonstrated ideal prediction performance(area under receiver operating characteristic curve=0.846,P=0.006).Conclusion The pre-ascent 6MWD recorded at the high altitude is a convenient and reliable predictor of the AMS induced by rapid ascent to the very high altitude.
Humans ; Altitude Sickness/diagnosis* ; Male ; Adult ; Female ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; Acute Disease ; Walk Test ; Walking ; Altitude ; Exercise Test

The presence of 4-aminophenol(4-AP)in wastewater from the pharmaceutical industry is a common occurrence due to its role as a byproduct or intermediate during the hydrolysis process of paracetamol metabolism,resulting in significant water pollution.Therefore,it is crucial to employ a straightforward and reliable analytical approach for detecting 4-AP in the environment.In this study,a specific type of metal-organic framework(MOF)material called[Cd4(ABTC)2(H2O)12]n(SXNU-4-Cd,H4ABTC=3,3′,5,5′-azobenzene tetracarboxylic acid)was successfully synthesized,which exhibited a unique two-dimensional layered structure consisting of three intertwined spiral chains forming a distinctive″twist braid″.These layers underwent π-π stacking,creating three-dimensional channels with azo bonds decorating the channel walls.This p-π interaction significantly enhanced the adsorption capacity of SXNU-4-Cd towards 4-AP,thereby improving its recognition sensitivity.The fabricated SXNU-4-Cd/GCE sensor showed high sensitivity towards 4-AP in the linear concentration range of 0.1-130 μmol/L,with a detection limit of 8.6 nmol/L,and also exhibited good anti-interference capability,reproducibility and stability.The SXNU-4-Cd/GCE sensor was successfully used for detecting 4-AP in lake water sample,with spiked recoveries of 95.9%-102.8%.This study introduced a novel technique that utilized pure Cd-MOFs to develop electrochemical sensor capable of effectively detecting 4-AP in water samples.

With the continuous development of science and technology,environmental pollution has become increasingly severe,which makes environmental monitoring crucial.In recent years,electrochemical sensing strategy has attracted wide attention due to its advantages such as low cost,easy operation and fast detection speed.However,the detection performance still faces many challenges such as low sensitivity,high limit of detection and poor selectivity.Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)is a kind of ordered network porous crystal formed by the coordination bond of organic ligands and metal ions/ion clusters,which can be used to prepare high-performance electrode materials for construction of electrochemical sensors because of their characteristics of large specific surface area,adjustable pore size and diverse structure.However,the poor conductivity and stability of MOFs result in poor electrochemical detection performance,which seriously limits their extensive applications in the field of electrochemistry.Combining MOFs with other functional materials can not only overcome the inherent defects of MOFs but also have the superior properties of both MOFs and functional materials,and the synergistic effect between MOFs and functional materials is conducive to improving the detection performance.Therefore,MOFs composites have been widely used in the electrochemical detection of environmental pollutants.This paper reviewed the applications progress of electrochemical sensors based on MOFs composites(MOFs combine with carbon materials,conductive polymers,metal nanoparticles or MOFs)in detection of environmental pollutants(Pesticides,heavy metal ions,phenolic compounds and nitrites)in the past five years.The prospects and challenges of electrochemical sensors based on MOFs composites for detection of environmental pollutants were also discussed.

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are nanoscale vesicles secreted by Gram-negative bacteria. As a unique bacterial secretion, OMV secretion can help bacteria maintain the outer membrane stability or remove harmful substances. Studies have shown that local separation of outer membrane and peptidoglycan layers led by abnormalities in outer membrane protein function, abnormal structure or excessive accumulation of LPS, and erroneous accumulation of phospholipids in the outer leaflet, which can all lead to bacterial outer membrane protrusion and eventually bud formation of OMVs. Since OMVs are mainly composed of bacterial outer membrane and periplasmic components, the pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) on their surface can trigger strong immune responses. For example, OMVs can recruit and activate neutrophils, polarize macrophages to secrete large amounts of inflammatory factors. More importantly, OMVs can act as adjuvants to induce dendritic cell (DC) maturation to enhance adaptive immune response in the body. At the same time, OMVs are derived from bacteria, which make it easy to modify. The methods by genetic engineering and others can improve their tumor targeting, give them new functions, or reduce their immunotoxicity, which is conducive to their application in tumor therapy. OMVs not only induce apoptosis or pyroptosis of tumor cells, but also regulate the host immune system, which makes OMVs themselves have a certain killing effect on tumors. In addition, the tendency of neutrophils to inflammatory tumor sites and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps enable OMVs to target tumor sites, and the suitable size and the characteristic that they are easily taken up by DCs give OMVs a certain lymphatic targeting ability. Therefore, OMVs are often employed as excellent drug or vaccine carriers in tumor therapy. This review mainly discusses the biological mechanism of OMVs, the regulatory effects of OMVs on immune cells, the functional modification strategies of OMVs, and their research progress in tumor therapy.

The Piezo protein is a non-selective mechanosensitive cation channel that exhibits sensitivity to mechanical stimuli such as pressure and shear stress. It converts mechanical signals into bioelectric activity within cells, thus triggering specific biological responses. In the digestive system, Piezo protein plays a crucial role in maintaining normal physiological activities, including digestion, absorption, metabolic regulation, and immune modulation. However, dysregulation in Piezo protein expression may lead to the occurrence of several pathological conditions, including visceral hypersensitivity, impairment of intestinal mucosal barrier function, and immune inflammation.Therefore, conducting a comprehensive review of the physiological functions and pathological roles of Piezo protein in the digestive system is of paramount importance. In this review, we systematically summarize the structural and dynamic characteristics of Piezo protein, its expression patterns, and physiological functions in the digestive system. We particularly focus on elucidating the mechanisms of action of Piezo protein in digestive system tumor diseases, inflammatory diseases, fibrotic diseases, and functional disorders. Through the integration of the latest research findings, we have observed that Piezo protein plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of various digestive system diseases. There exist intricate interactions between Piezo protein and multiple phenotypes of digestive system tumors such as proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis. In inflammatory diseases, Piezo protein promotes intestinal immune responses and pancreatic trypsinogen activation, contributing to the development of ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and pancreatitis. Additionally, Piezo1, through pathways involving co-action with the TRPV4 ion channel, facilitates neutrophil recruitment and suppresses HIF-1α ubiquitination, thereby mediating organ fibrosis in organs like the liver and pancreas. Moreover, Piezo protein regulation by gut microbiota or factors like age and gender can result in increased or decreased visceral sensitivity, and alterations in intestinal mucosal barrier structure and permeability, which are closely associated with functional disorders like irritable bowel sydrome (IBS) and functional consitipaction (FC). A thorough exploration of Piezo protein as a potential therapeutic target in digestive system diseases can provide a scientific basis and theoretical support for future clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies.

The ultimate goal of cardiac arrest-cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CA-CPR) is to reduce brain damage and promote neurological recovery. Although the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) has improved, the proportion of patients who survive to discharge is very low, so how to evaluate the recovery of brain function after resuscitation is particularly important in clinical work. From a clinical perspective, although early prognostic indicators are not perfect, identifying high-risk features may help clinicians determine the severity of brain injury caused by a patient's potential course of disease. This review, based on recent literature, selects several commonly used clinical brain function evaluation indicators to provide theoretical and practical support for assessing brain function recovery in patients after CPR.
Humans ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/methods* ; Heart Arrest/physiopathology* ; Brain/physiopathology* ; Recovery of Function ; Prognosis

Objective:To explore the influencing factors and the impact of artificial liver treatment on the prognosis and survival of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF).Methods:Clinical data from 201 cases with ACLF from January 2016 to December 2019 was retrospectively analyzed. The survival rate was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, the log-rank test of univariate analysis, and the multivariate analysis of the stepwise Cox regression forward method.Results:The median survival time of patients was 6 months, and the survival rates at 6, 9, and 12 months were 51.2%, 38.3%, and 29.9%, respectively. In univariate analysis, age, presence or absence of hypertension and upper gastrointestinal bleeding, treatment method, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, and cholinesterase were associated with prognosis ( P < 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis results showed that MELD score was the main factor affecting the 1-year prognosis of ACLF patients ( P = 0.002). Artificial liver treatment was beneficial for the 1-year prognosis of ACLF patients aged < 50 years or with a MELD score of ≥20 ( P < 0.05 ). The relative risk ratio (RR) of mortality was 2.55 times higher in patients with advanced age (≥50 years old) than that of younger patients ( P < 0.001). Regression analysis was performed using age as a stratification factor, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding was related to the prognosis of younger patients, while choline esterase was related to the prognosis of advanced age. Regression analysis after stratified MELD score showed that age and hypertension were related to the prognosis of patients with MELD score < 20, and treatment method and age were related to the prognosis of patients with MELD score≥20. Conclusion:Artificial liver treatment is beneficial for the 1-year prognosis of ACLF patients. Age, MELD score, hypertension, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding are independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of ACLF patients.

The present study investigated the chemical constituents from the leaves of Craibiodendron yunnanense. The compounds were isolated and purified from the leaves of C. yunnanense by a combination of various chromatographic techniques including column chromatography over polyamide, silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and reversed-phase HPLC. Their structures were identified by extensive spectroscopic analyses including MS and NMR data. As a result, 10 compounds, including melionoside F(1), meliosmaionol D(2), naringenin(3), quercetin-3-O-α-L-arabinopyranoside(4), epicatechin(5), quercetin-3'-glucoside(6), corbulain Ib(7), loliolide(8), asiatic acid(9), and ursolic acid(10), were isolated. Compounds 1 and 2 were two new compounds, and compound 7 was isolated from this genus for the first time. All compounds showed no significant cytotoxic activity by MTT assay.
Quercetin ; Ericaceae ; Plant Leaves ; Catechin ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid