ObjectiveTo develop and validate a diagnostic prediction model for differentiating pulmonary tuberculosis from community-acquired pneumonia based on routine blood parameters. MethodsA total of 642 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and 503 patients with community-acquired pneumonia were retrospectively enrolled from the Seventh Hospital of Tangshan. They were randomly divided into a training set and an internal validation set at a 7∶3 ratio. Additionally， 218 patients from the 981st Hospital were independently included as an external validation set. The Boruta algorithm and recursive feature elimination were employed to select predictors from 82 blood parameters， sex， and age. A multivariate Logistic regression model was established and evaluated using receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curves， calibration curves， and decision curve analysis. ResultsThe final model incorporated eight predictors， namely uric acid， urea nitrogen， alkaline phosphatase， monoamine oxidase， alanine aminotransferase， glutathione， neutrophil percentage， and age. The model achieved areas under the curve （AUCs） of 0.800 （95%CI： 0.769-0.830）， 0.787 （95%CI： 0.738-0.836）， and 0.736 （95%CI： 0.667-0.835） in the training， internal validation， and external validation sets， respectively. The model demonstrated good calibration， and decision curve analysis showed clinical net benefit within the threshold probability range of 10%-80%. ConclusionThe developed model exhibits good discriminative ability and clinical utility， serving as an effective early screening tool for primary healthcare institutions.

Depression and circadian rhythms exhibit bidirectional interactions,suggesting a close association with the biological clock system.The biological clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus is regulated by circadian genes.Recent clinical and basic research has revealed multifaceted associations between depression and circadian genes.For instance,significant phase abnormalities in BMAL1,PER2,and PER3 were detected in brain tissue from depressed patients,while plasma levels of CRY1,ARNTL,and PER1 proteins showed marked reduction,demonstrating good diagnostic value.Mice with CLOCK and BMAL1 knockouts exhibited depression-like behaviors.Single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)in genes such as PER1 and PER3 directly influence depression susceptibility.Methylation levels of BMAL1,PER3,and CLOCK genes correlate closely with depressive symptoms.Antidepressant mechanisms like ketamine exert their effects by downregulating PER2 and other genes.This review summarizes the differential expression patterns of circadian clock genes in depression and associated therapeutic approaches,aiming to provide new theoretical foundations for precision diagnosis and personalized treatment strategies for depression.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between peri-coronary fat attenuation index (FAI) and plaque formation in patients with myocardial bridge (MB) of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and to develop an optimal predictive model to explore the potential application of FAI in the primary prevention of MB related atherosclerosis.Methods:In this retrospective study, prediction models associated with perivascular fat inflammation were developed and validated using both logistic regression and machine learning (ML) algorithm. A training dataset was collected from 253 patients who underwent ≥2 coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) with ≥3 months intervals from one tertiary hospital from January 2007 to April 2021 and had baseline CCTA showing no plaques in LAD MB. The median follow-up time was 3.2 years. According to the same criteria, a total of 75 LAD MB patients from four other hospitals were included to form an independent external validation dataset, with a median follow-up time of 1.8 years. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis with integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) and category net reclassification index (NRI) were used to compare the performance of the predictive models.Results:62 patients (24.5%) in the training dataset had proximal plaque formation in LAD MB, while 22 patients (29.3%) in the external validation dataset had plaque formation during the follow-up period. Baseline FAI within the longitudinal distance equal to 30 mm proximal to the MB entrance was an independent predictor ( OR=1.068, P=0.046). According to the model results, ROC curves were plotted. The AUC of Model 1 was 0.822, and the AUCs of Model 2 and 1 were 0.821 and 0.591 in the training dataset. After the DeLong test, the AUC of Model 1 was superior to that of Model 2 ( Z=2.839, P=0.005) and Model 1 ( Z=6.124, P<0.001). These findings were further validated in the external validation dataset, where ML-model 3 yielded the best predictive performance, outperforming the logistic regression-based Model 2 (categorical NRI=0.359, P=0.048; IDI=0.108, P=0.046). Conclusion:FAI measured within the 30 mm proximal to the entrance of MBs due to its prone to plaque development is an independent predictor for atherosclerotic plaque formation. The ML-prediction model based on a decision tree algorithm combines FAI, MB anatomical features, and patient risk factors, which is beneficial for patients undergoing routine CCTA examination to identify inflamed coronary arteries in advance and guide the clinical adoption of more targeted preventive treatment, including anti-inflammatory treatment.

[Objective]To investigate the effect of Qifu Qiangxin Decoction on heart failure(HF)and explore its mechanism.[Methods]Forty male C57BL/6N mice were randomly divided into sham surgery(Sham)group,model(HF)group,low-dose Qifu Qiangxin Formula(HF+QL)group,high-dose Qifu Qiangxin Formula(HF+QH)group and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor(HF+ACEI)group according to the random number table method.The mouse HF model was established by ligating the left anterior descending(LAD)artery.Cell model in cardiac fibroblasts(CFs)was stimulated by Angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ).Ang Ⅱ-stimulated CFs were treated with drug-containing serum or blank serum,then incubated with gamma-secretase inhibitor(DAPT)and transmembrane receptor Notch1 siRNA.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to assess serum B-syndrome natriuretic peptide(BNP)levels in mice.Left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD),left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),ejection fraction(EF)and fraction shorting(FS)were measured by ultrasound cardiogram(UCG).The histological structure was observed after hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining,while the collagen protein expression in heart muscle tissues was measured by using Picro sirius red(PSR)and Masson staining.Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR),western blot and immunofluorescence(IF)was used to determine the expression levels of collagenⅠ,collagen Ⅲ,α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),Notch1,Notch intracellular domain-1(NICD1),transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),Smad protein 2(Smad2),phosphorylated-Smad2(p-Smad2),Smad protein 3(Smad3),phosphorylated-Smad3(p-Smad3),Smad protein 7(Smad7)in CFs and heart tissues,and the migration of CFs was determined by examining wound healing.[Results]Compared with HF group,Qifu Qiangxin Decoction reduced histopathological changes,serum BNP levels,LVESD and LVEDD,and collagen deposition,while increasing EF and FS(P<0.01,P<0.001).Qifu Qiangxin Decoction also notably inhibited the cell viability,migration,collagen Ⅰ,collagen Ⅲ mRNA and α-SMA protein expression in Ang Ⅱ stimulated CFs(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001);promoted Notch1,NICD1 and Smad7 protein expression and hindered TGF-β1,p-Smad2,p-Smad3 protein expression in HF mice and Ang Ⅱ-stimulated CFs(P<0.001).siNotch1 abolished the impact of Qifu Qiangxin Decoction on Notch1,NICD1,TGF-β1,p-Smad2 and p-Smad3 protein expression,and cell viability,migration,as well as collagen Ⅰ,collagen Ⅲ mRNA and α-SMA protein expression in Ang Ⅱ-stimulated CFs(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001).[Conclusion]To some extent,Qifu Qiangxin Decoction showed protective properties against HF,and its mechanism may be through the regulation of the TGF-β1/Smad pathway by Notch1.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between peri-coronary fat attenuation index (FAI) and plaque formation in patients with myocardial bridge (MB) of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and to develop an optimal predictive model to explore the potential application of FAI in the primary prevention of MB related atherosclerosis.Methods:In this retrospective study, prediction models associated with perivascular fat inflammation were developed and validated using both logistic regression and machine learning (ML) algorithm. A training dataset was collected from 253 patients who underwent ≥2 coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) with ≥3 months intervals from one tertiary hospital from January 2007 to April 2021 and had baseline CCTA showing no plaques in LAD MB. The median follow-up time was 3.2 years. According to the same criteria, a total of 75 LAD MB patients from four other hospitals were included to form an independent external validation dataset, with a median follow-up time of 1.8 years. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis with integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) and category net reclassification index (NRI) were used to compare the performance of the predictive models.Results:62 patients (24.5%) in the training dataset had proximal plaque formation in LAD MB, while 22 patients (29.3%) in the external validation dataset had plaque formation during the follow-up period. Baseline FAI within the longitudinal distance equal to 30 mm proximal to the MB entrance was an independent predictor ( OR=1.068, P=0.046). According to the model results, ROC curves were plotted. The AUC of Model 1 was 0.822, and the AUCs of Model 2 and 1 were 0.821 and 0.591 in the training dataset. After the DeLong test, the AUC of Model 1 was superior to that of Model 2 ( Z=2.839, P=0.005) and Model 1 ( Z=6.124, P<0.001). These findings were further validated in the external validation dataset, where ML-model 3 yielded the best predictive performance, outperforming the logistic regression-based Model 2 (categorical NRI=0.359, P=0.048; IDI=0.108, P=0.046). Conclusion:FAI measured within the 30 mm proximal to the entrance of MBs due to its prone to plaque development is an independent predictor for atherosclerotic plaque formation. The ML-prediction model based on a decision tree algorithm combines FAI, MB anatomical features, and patient risk factors, which is beneficial for patients undergoing routine CCTA examination to identify inflamed coronary arteries in advance and guide the clinical adoption of more targeted preventive treatment, including anti-inflammatory treatment.

Objective:To investigate the effect of nourishing yin and tonifying yang method on inflammatory response and bone metabolism in patients with T2DM complicated with osteoporosis (OP).Methods:A randomized controlled trial. From January 2022 to December 2023,80 patients with T2DM and OP in our hospital were selected as the observation objects, and they were divided into two groups by random number table method, with 40 cases in each group.On the basis of conventional treatment, the control group chewed vitamin D calcium chewable tablets, and the observation group added nourishing yin and tonifying yang Chinese medicine.Both groups were treated for 6 months. TCM syndrome scores were performed before and after treatment ;the levels of fasting blood glucose (FPG), 2 hPG and HbA1c were detected by intelligent blood glucose monitor;the levels of serum neutrophils and lymphocytes were detected by automatic blood analyzer, and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was calculated;the levels of serum IL-1β and TNF-α were detected by automatic chemiluminescence analyzer, the levels of type I procollagen amino terminal propeptide (PINP), type I collagen carboxy terminal peptide β special sequence (β-CTX) and 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 [25-(OH)D3] were detected by ELISA;Bone mineral density (BMD) was detected by bone mineral density detector. The adverse reactions during treatment were observed and recorded, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated.Results:The total effective rate was 92.5 %(37/40) in the observation group and 75.0 % (30/40) in the control group,the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( χ2=4.50, P=0.034).After treatment, the scores of soreness and weakness of waist and knees, soreness and pain of waist and back, clear and long urine, pale tongue and white coating in the observation group were lower than those in the control group ( t=3.11, 3.75, 3.51, 3.74, P<0.01);the levels of serum FPG, 2 hPG and HbA1c in the observation group were lower than those in the control group ( t=3.11,3.20,3.39, P<0.01).The levels of serum NLR (2.63 ± 0.68 vs. 3.24 ± 0.79, t=3.70), IL-1β [(81.65 ± 8.30) ng/L vs. (89.03 ± 8.98) ng/L, t=3.82] and TNF-α [(35.14 ± 5.11) μg/L vs. (39.96 ± 5.38) μg/L, t=4.11] in the observation group were lower than those in the control group ( P<0.01). After treatment, the levels of PINP [(29.83 ± 3.92) ng/L vs. (34.02 ± 4.03) ng/L, t=4.71] and β-CTX [(21.30 ± 3.95 ) ng/L vs. (25.32 ± 4.18) ng/L, t=4.42] in the observation group were lower than those in the control group ( P<0.01), the levels of 25-(OH)D3 [(42.86 ± 5.12) μg/L vs. (38.08 ± 4.55) μg/L, t=4.41] and BMD [(0.90 ± 0.18) g/cm 3vs. (0.78 ± 0.16) g/cm 3, t=3.15] were higher than those in the control group ( P<0.01).During the treatment, the incidence of adverse reactions was 12.5% (5/40) in the observation group and 10.0 % (4/40) in the control group,there was no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=0.13, P=0.723). Conclusion:The method of nourishing yin and tonifying yang can effectively improve the TCM syndromes of T2DM patients with OP, reduce the levels of blood glucose and inflammatory factors, improve bone metabolism, improve clinical efficacy and have good treatment safety.

Heart failure,as a severe consequence or late-stage manifestation of various cardiac conditions,is marked by high morbidity,high mortality,and high rates of readmission,significantly compromising patients' quality of life.Despite ongoing advancements in novel drugs and technologies that have improved the clinical efficacy of heart failure,5％to 10％of patients still progress to end-stage heart failure annually.Heart transplantation stands as an effective approach to enhance both the quality of life and survival rates for patients with end-stage heart failure.However,due to the scarcity of donor organs,it falls short of meeting the needs of a large number of patients.In this scenario,left ventricular assist device(LVAD)implantation emerges as a promising alternative therapeutic option for these patients.Acute kidney injury(AKI)represents one of the common complications encoun-tered after LVAD implantation,with notable morbidity and mortality rates.This article synthesized relevant research findings and literature to investigate the risk factors associated with the development of AKI in patients following LVAD implantation.

Cardiac surgery patients often present with multiple comorbidities,the risk of periop-erative complications and the complexity of postoperative rehabilitation have significantly increased,posing higher demands on comprehensive perioperative management.Preoperative exercise pre-reha-bilitation,as a multidisciplinary collaborative intervention strategy,has been demonstrated to signifi-cantly improve the clinical prognosis of patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery by enhancing their cardiopulmonary function,muscle strength,and overall physiological functional reserve,thereby in-creasing the body's tolerance to surgical stress.Although phase-specific research achievements have been made domestically and internationally in the field of exercise pre-rehabilitation,its standardized implementation and clinical translation on a global scale still face numerous obstacles,necessitating systematic review and in-depth exploration.Therefore,this study aimed to conduct a systematic re-view of the intervention protocols,clinical efficacy,safety,and feasibility of preoperative exercise pre-rehabilitation in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery,with the goal of providing theoretical evidence and practical references for optimizing perioperative management pathways and promoting the implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery concepts.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of a pediatric child with RELA-associated autoinflammatory disease (RAID) caused by a RELA gene variant, and to review the reported cases in the literature. METHODS: A pediatric child with RAID who presented with recurrent fever, vomiting, and oral ulcers for over 5 years was selected as the study subject. The child visited the Women and Children's Hospital of Ningbo University in August 2023. Clinical data were collected, and peripheral blood samples were obtained from the child and his family members for whole-exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing to identify and validate candidate variants. The pathogenicity of the variants was analyzed accordingly. Using the keywords "RELA" "NF-κB" "autoinflammatory disease" "tofacitinib" "sulfasalazine" a literature search was conducted in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and PubMed from January 1, 2000 to December 13, 2023. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Women and Children's Hospital of Ningbo University (Ethics No. EC2020-048). RESULTS: The child primarily manifested with recurrent fever, vomiting, and oral ulcers. WES identified a heterozygous nonsense variant c.985C>T (p.Arg329Ter) in the RELA gene, which was inherited from the mother. According to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Standards and Guidelines for the Interpretation of Sequence Variants and the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) recommendations for PVS1, this variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PP4). Despite treatment with adalimumab and tocilizumab, the child's symptoms persisted. Switching to tofacitinib improved oral ulcers, but fever and vomiting continued. The addition of thalidomide significantly alleviated fever and vomiting, and the patient's growth and development remained normal. A literature review identified 14 unrelated RAID families, including a total of 35 cases (including the present child). The main clinical features were recurrent oral ulcers, genital ulcers, skin problems, fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. CONCLUSION The nonsense variant c.985C>T (p.Arg329Ter) in the RELA gene is likely the genetic cause of the child's recurrent fever, vomiting, and oral ulcers. WES is valuable for timely diagnosis of RAID and provides a basis for clinical treatment strategies.
Humans ; Male ; Transcription Factor RelA/genetics* ; Female ; Hereditary Autoinflammatory Diseases/genetics* ; Child ; Pedigree ; Exome Sequencing

Objective:To explore the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of a pediatric child with RELA-associated autoinflammatory disease (RAID) caused by a RELA gene variant, and to review the reported cases in the literature. Methods:A pediatric child with RAID who presented with recurrent fever, vomiting, and oral ulcers for over 5 years was selected as the study subject. The child visited the Women and Children′s Hospital of Ningbo University in August 2023. Clinical data were collected, and peripheral blood samples were obtained from the child and his family members for whole exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing to identify and validate candidate variants. The pathogenicity of the variants was analyzed accordingly. Using the keywords " RELA" " NF-κB" " autoinflammatory disease" " tofacitinib" " sulfasalazine" a literature search was conducted in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and PubMed from January 1, 2000 to December 13, 2023. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Women and Children′s Hospital of Ningbo University (Ethics No. EC2020-048).Results:① The child primarily manifested with recurrent fever, vomiting, and oral ulcers. ② WES identified a heterozygous nonsense variant c. 985C>T (p.Arg329Ter) in the RELA gene, which was inherited from the mother. According to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Standards and Guidelines for the Interpretation of Sequence Variants and the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) recommendations for PVS1, this variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+ PM2_Supporting+ PP4). ③ Despite treatment with adalimumab and tocilizumab, the child′s symptoms persisted. Switching to tofacitinib improved oral ulcers, but fever and vomiting continued. The addition of thalidomide significantly alleviated fever and vomiting, and the patient′s growth and development remained normal. ④ A literature review identified 14 unrelated RAID families, including a total of 35 cases (including the present child). The main clinical features were recurrent oral ulcers, genital ulcers, skin problems, fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Conclusion:The nonsense variant c. 985C>T (p.Arg329Ter) in the RELA gene is likely the genetic cause of the child′s recurrent fever, vomiting, and oral ulcers. WES is valuable for timely diagnosis of RAID and provides a basis for clinical treatment strategies.