OBJECTIVE To study the ameliorative effect and mechanism of Forsythia suspensa-Lonicera japonica herb pair on acute lung injury （ALI） based on serum exosomal microRNA （miRNA）. METHODS The rats were randomly divided into a blank group （normal saline）， model group （nomal saline）， and F. suspensa-L. japonica herb pair group （2.55 g/kg）， with 10 rats in each group. Except for the blank group， the other groups were used to establish an ALI model by intratracheal dripping of 5 mg/ mL lipopolysaccharides. After modeling， each group was given relevant medicine/normal saline intragastrically， once a day， for 3 consecutive days. After the last medication， the pathological status of lung tissue was observed； lung wet-to-dry weight ratio and leukocyte counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF） were determined. The levels of inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， IL-10] in BALF were determined. Exosomes were isolated from rat serum， and high- throughput sequencing technology was employed to screen differentially expressed miRNA within the exosomes， followed by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） enrichment analysis. Based on the screened differentially expressed miRNA and the enriched KEGG pathways， in vitro cellular experiments were conducted for validation. RESULTS The animal experimental results demonstrated that after intervention with the F. suspensa-L. japonica herb pair， the wet-to-dry weight ratio， the number of leukocytes in BALF， as well as the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in BALF of ALI rats were all significantly reduced （P＜0.01）， while the level of IL-10 was significantly increased （P＜0.01）. The results of high-throughput sequencing experiments revealed that the F. suspensa-L. japonica herb pair could significantly up-regulate the expressions of miR-345-3p， miR-194-5p， miR-653-5p， and others in exosomes. Among them， the KEGG pathways involved in the target genes of differentially expressed miRNA included the hypoxia-inducible factor-1（HIF-1） signaling pathway， among others. The results of cellular E-mail：huang.haiying@126.com validation experiments showed that overexpressed miR-345-3p could significantly elevate the level of IL-10 in the cell supernatant （P＜0.01）， while significantly reducing the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in the cell supernatant， as well as the mRNA and protein expression levels of protein kinase B1， phosphatidylinositol 3- kinase， and HIF-1α （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS F. suspensa-L. japonica herb pair can alleviate inflammatory responses and thereby exert a therapeutic effect in improving ALI by up-regulating the expression of miR-345-3p in serum exosomes and inhibiting the activity of the HIF-1 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors for batroxobin-related severe hypofibrinogenemia （HFIB） and construct a risk prediction model. METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on inpatients treated with batroxobin in the First Medical Center of a tertiary hospital from January 1， 2020， to December 31， 2024. Patients were categorized into non-severe HFIB group and severe HFIB group based on the severity of HFIB. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the independent influencing factors for batroxobin-related severe HFIB. A nomogram was developed using the “rms” package in R 4.5 software. The predictive performance of the model was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curve. Calibration was assessed via the Bootstrap resampling method， and goodness-of-fit was evaluated with the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. RESULTS A total of 1 472 patients were included in this study. Of these， 1 445 developed HFIB， yi elding an incidence of 98.17%. Furthermore， 895 were classified as severe HFIB， accounting for 60.80% of the cohort. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that increased age， high initial dose per 10 kg body weight， use of maintenance dose， and concomitant glucocorticoid use were independent risk factors for batroxobin-related severe HFIB， while high baseline fibrinogen （FIB） level was identified as a protective factor. The model demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.760 （95% CI： 0.735-0.785）. The mean absolute error of the calibration curve was 0.006. The P value of the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was 0.609. CONCLUSIONS Batroxobin can rapidly and significantly reduce FIB levels and carries a risk of inducing severe HFIB. Patients with advanced age， high initial dose per 10 kg body weight， use of maintenance dose and concomitant glucocorticoid use had a higher risk of batroxobin-related severe HFIB， while high baseline FIB level had a lower risk of batroxobin-related severe HFIB. The risk prediction model developed based on these factors can be used to predict the likelihood of batroxobin-related severe HFIB.

OBJECTIVE To explore the risk factors for acute kidney injury （AKI） in children with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome （SRNS） during tacrolimus treatment and construct a predictive model. METHODS A retrospective selection was made of 155 children diagnosed with SRNS and treated with tacrolimus at Xuzhou Children’s Hospital from January 1， 2022， to December 31， 2023， serving as the study subjects. Various clinical data of the children were collected by reviewing the medical record system. Children who developed AKI during medication were assigned to the AKI group （n＝26）， and those who did not develop AKI were assigned to the control group （n＝129）. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to screen independent risk factors. A clinical predictive model was constructed based on significant variables， and nomogram， calibration curve， receiver operator characteristic curve， and decision curve were drawn to evaluate the model’s performance. RESULTS Univariate analysis showed that blood urea nitrogen （BUN）， serum creatinine （Scr）， estimated glomerular filtration rate （eGFR）， the maximum trough concentration （cmin） of tacrolimus， CYP3A5*3/*3 genotype， concurrent infection， concurrent hypertension， and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were influencing factors for AKI in children with SRNS during tacrolimus treatment （P＜0.05）. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that BUN≥9.58 mmol/L， Scr≥125 μmol/L， eGFR＜37 mL/（min·1.73 m2）， tacrolimus maximum cmin≥11.26 ng/mL，CYP3A5*3/*3 genotype， concurrent infection， and concurrent hypertension were independent risk factors for AKI in children with SRNS during tacrolimus treatment （P＜0.05）. The constructed clinical predictive model had an area under the curve of 0.747， showing good agreement between predicted and actual AKI occurrence and demonstrating favorable clinical net benefit in predicting AKI in children. CONCLUSIONS Impaired baseline renal function （elevated BUN， elevated Scr， and decreased eGFR）， elevated maximum cmin of tacrolimus， CYP3A5*3/*3 genotype， concurrent infection， and hypertension during treatment are independent risk factors for AKI in children with SRNS during tacrolimus treatment. The established clinical predictive model provides a scientific basis for implementing risk stratification management.

Sexual dimorphism in the brain underlies behavioral differences between sexes. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a complex nucleus that differs between males and females, but the sexual dimorphism in cytoarchitecture and the connectome of its oval subdivision (ovBNST) remains largely unexplored. By combining snRNA-seq and transgenic labeling, we found a higher density of ovBNST proenkephalin (ovBNST^PENK) neurons in male than female mice. Anatomically, we virally mapped the efferents and afferents of ovBNST^PENK neurons, finding reciprocally dimorphic connections with the hypothalamus and striatum. Gene enrichment analysis suggests that ovBNST^PENK neurons are modulated by the upstream dopamine pathway. Functionally, by applying caspase-3-mediated depletion of ovBNST^PENK neurons, we found that loss of these neurons enhanced locomotor activity in male but not female mice, without altering the anxiety-like phenotypes in either sex. Our study may pave the way for a better understanding of the anatomical and functional profiles of ovBNST^PENK neurons from a sexually dimorphic perspective.
Animals ; Male ; Female ; Septal Nuclei/physiology* ; Sex Characteristics ; Neurons/physiology* ; Enkephalins/metabolism* ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Protein Precursors/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neural Pathways/physiology*

Abstract Alzheimer′s disease(AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease. It has been found that AD is related to various pathogenic factors such as genetics, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, and excessive phosphorylation of tau protein. However, no definitive conclusions on its pathogenesis have been reached. In this paper, the research progress on the pathogenesis of AD inC.elegansmodel and the therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine extracts on AD are reviewed, providing a basis for further research on the alleviating effects of Chinese medicine extracts on AD.

Objective:To explore the effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) dose reduction regimen in patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and its prognostic impact.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinical data of patients with chronic-phase CML treated with reduced-dose TKI in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between January 2018 and December 2022 were collected. Patients were divided into groups based on Sokal score, European Treatment and Outcome Study long-term survival (ELTS) score, TKI drug classification and dose reduction, and treatment phase. The overall survival (OS), the cumulative incidence of major molecular response (MMR), the cumulative molecular recurrence rate and event-free survival (EFS) among patients in different strata were compared. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis.Results:Among 154 patients with chronic-phase CML, the median duration [ M ( IQR)] of reduced-dose TKI therapy was 35.4 months (34.9 months); Sokal score high-risk and low-/intermediate-risk groups comprised 20 cases (12.99%) and 134 cases (87.01%), respectively; ELTS score high-risk and low-/intermediate-risk groups comprised 14 cases (9.09%) and 140 cases (90.91%), respectively. Among 154 patients, 83 cases (53.90%) received imatinib therapy, while 71 cases (46.10%) received second-generation TKI; 138 patients (89.61%) maintained stable TKI dosing at the first dose level, and 16 patients (10.39%) maintained it at the second dose level. The induction therapy group comprised 33 patients (21.43%), while the maintenance therapy group included 121 patients (78.57%). The 3-year OS rate of all 154 patients was 90.6%. Patients in the Sokal score high-risk group demonstrated a lower 3-year OS rate compared to those in the low-/intermediate-risk group (64.1% vs. 96.7%) ( P < 0.001); patients in the ELTS score high-risk group had a lower 3-year OS rate compared to those in the low-/intermediate-risk group (62.9% vs. 95.8%) ( P = 0.002). There was no statistically significant difference in the 3-year OS rate of patients receiving the first dose level and those receiving the second dose level (90.6% vs. 90.0%, P = 0.478); there was no statistically significant difference in the 3-year OS rate of the induction therapy group and the maintenance therapy group (88.9% vs. 91.4%, P = 0.868). Among the 33 patients in the induction therapy group, all received the first dose level. After treatment, 28 achieved MMR, and 2 achieved molecular response 4.0 (MR4.0). The cumulative 1-year MMR rate of all patients in reduction therapy group was 95.8%, with a median time to MMR of 8.4 months; patients in the high-risk Sokal score group had a 1-year cumulative MMR rate of 50.0%, which was lower than that of the low-/intermediate-risk group (95.3%) ( P = 0.014); the median time to MMR was 14.7 months and 7.8 months, respectively. The cumulative 1-year MMR rate of patients treated with first-generation TKI was lower than that in those treated with second-generation TKI (65.0% vs. 100.0%, P = 0.034), and the median time to MMR of patients treated with first-generation TKI was longer than that those treated with second-generation TKI (9.1 months vs. 6.9 months). Among the 149 patients who achieved MMR, 5 experienced molecular relapse, resulting in a 3-year cumulative molecular relapse rate of 8.3%. In the Sokal score low-/intermediate-risk group, the 3-year cumulative molecular relapse rate (1.5% vs. 39.8%, P < 0.001), EFS rate (92.3% vs. 57.1%, P < 0.001), and OS rate (100.0% vs. 62.8%, P < 0.001) were better than those in the Sokal score high-risk group. The 3-year cumulative molecular relapse rate and 3-year EFS rate in patients receiving first dose level therapy were better than those in patients receiving second dose level therapy, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.001). Conclusions:Patients with chronic-phase CML can still obtain good outcomes when receiving dose-reduced TKI, while the prognosis of patients in high-risk group is relatively poor. The choice of TKI and the dosage reduction should be individualized based on patients' characteristics.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the therapeutic effect of Sanhan Huashi Formula(SHF)on respiratory syncytial virus(RSV)-infected mouse models and explore its potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory mechanisms using lipidomics.METHODS Fifty-four BALB/c mice were randomly divided into six groups(n=9):blank group,model group,Ribavirin group(50 mg·kg-1·d-1),and SHF high(15.46 g·kg-1·d-1),medium(7.73 g·kg-1·d-1),and low-dose(3.87 g·kg-1·d-1)groups.A pneumonia model was established by in-tranasal RSV infection,followed by three consecutive days of oral gavage administration.Lung tissues were collected for histopathologi-cal evaluation using hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining and inflammation scoring.Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)was performed to measure mRNA levels of viral gene fusion protein(F),glycoprotein(G),and inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)to assess lung viral load and inflammation,while immunofluorescence staining was performed to observe the expression of RSV-F protein in lung tissues.Serum lipidomics analysis was conducted using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q Exactive Or-bitrap MS)to identify lipid metabolism changes and differential lipids.RESULTS Compared with the blank group,mice in the model group exhibited marked pulmonary inflammatory cell infiltration and tissue injury,with significantly elevated pulmonary histopa-thology scores and lung index.The lung viral load and the mRNA expression levels of the inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly increased,and immunofluorescence likewise indicated high expression of RSV-F protein in lung tissue.Relative to the model group,treatment with SHF at all tested doses clearly ameliorated lung tissue injury,effectively suppressed viral gene expression and inflammatory cytokine levels,and reduced the fluorescence signal intensity of RSV-F protein in the lungs.Lipidomics analysis re-vealed that compared with the blank group,the model group exhibited marked disturbances in lipid metabolism-characterized by dys-regulation of triacylglycerol(TG),phosphatidylcholine(PC),lysophosphatidylcholine(LPC),sphingomyelin(SM),diacylglycerol(DG),lysophosphatidylethanolamine(LPE),and phosphatidylethanolamine(PE).High-dose SHF treatment reversed these RSV-induced lipid abnormalities.CONCLUSION SHF effectively alleviates RSV-induced pulmonary inflammation and pathological injury,re-duces pulmonary RSV viral load,and may exert these effects by modulating dysregulated lipid metabolism in peripheral blood.

Objective:To explore the adaptability of health resources allocation and the economic development level in Sichuan Province and its influencing factors,so as to provide reference and suggestions for optimizing health resources allocation.Methods:Based on the panel data of 21 cities(states)in Sichuan Province,it analyzes the adaptability of health resources allocation and economic development in Sichuan Province from 2017 to 2021 and its influencing factors through entropy method,coupling coordination model and grey relational model.Results:From 2017 to 2021,the allocation level of health resources in most areas of Sichuan Province showed a gradual upward trend,but the rising speed was obviously lower than the growth rate of economic development;In 2021,the adaptability between the allocation of health resources and the level of economic development in most parts of Sichuan Province is still in a low coordination stage.Conclusion:Different regions should adopt differentiated development strategies based on their actual geographical conditions,optimize the allocation of health resources according to local conditions,and promote the coordinated development of health resource allocation and economic level.

Purpose To investigate the sex differences of white matter damage in Alzheimer's disease(AD)and their association with cognitive impairment.Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 88 AD patients(48 females),71 amnestic mild cognitive impairment(aMCI)patients(39 females),and 95 healthy controls(63 females)recruited from the Memory Disorder Clinic at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from September 2017 to July 2024.High-resolution three-dimensional T1 structure images and diffusion tensor imaging images were all obtained from each participant.The mean diffusivity(MD)and fractional anisotropy(FA)values of each white matter region were obtained,and the two-way ANOVA analysis was conducted to investigate brain regions with interaction effects between groups and sexes,those brain regions were then chosen as regions of interest for further correlation analysis with a series of cognitive scale scores.Results In terms of FA values,the right posterior corona radiata,right anterior limb of the internal capsule and left corticospinal tract showed interaction between sexes and cognitive groups(F=4.764,3.812,5.937,all P<0.05).The FA value of AD group was significantly lower than that of healthy control and aMCI group(all P<0.05),but there was no significant difference between healthy control and aMCI group(except the right anterior limb of the internal capsule,P=0.018).In AD group,FA values were significantly higher in women than in men in the previously described brain regions(all P<0.05),while there was no significant difference in FA values between male and female in healthy control and aMCI groups(except the left corticospinal tract,P<0.001).In terms of MD values,the right anterior limb of the internal capsule,right superior corona radiata and left external capsule showed interaction effect between sexes and cognitive groups(F=8.581,3.680,7.218,all P<0.05).The MD value of AD group was significantly higher than that of aMCI group(P<0.001),and aMCI group was higher than that of healthy control group(all P<0.05).In AD group,the MD values in the above brain regions were significantly higher in males than those in females(all P<0.01),while no significant difference was found between males and females in healthy control and aMCI groups(except for the left external capsule,P<0.05).For correlation analysis,the AD group was dimidiated into two groups by sex,the scores of the Montreal cognitive assessment,the Mini Mental state examination and the verbal fluency test of the female patient group were positively correlated with the FA values of the right posterior corona radiate(r=0.372,P=0.009;r=0.345,P=0.016;r=0.383,P=0.007),while the Mini Mental state examination and the verbal fluency test scores of female AD patient group were negatively correlated with the MD values of the right superior corona radiata(r=-0.360,P=0.012;r=-0.360,P=0.003).Conclusion Compared to the healthy control and MCI groups,white matter damage in AD patients shows sex differences and is associated with general cognitive and language functions impairment in female AD patients.

The master protocol design encompasses a comprehensive clinical trial protocol containing multiple sub-protocols, which can be used to evaluate the clinical intervention effects of various drugs or vaccines on various diseases. Particularly, this design strategy represents an efficient and innovative approach to trial design in the context of precision medicine. The master protocol design can be used for emerging infectious diseases and urgent vaccine development in complex situations. This review aims to outline the types and concepts of master protocol design, analyze the key points and details, and discuss its application scenarios in vaccine clinical evaluations. Additionally, it will explore potential challenges that may arise during implementation to provide references for optimizing emergency clinical trial designs of infectious disease vaccines in China.