Objective To explore the probability and associated factors of pulmonary fibrosis in 350 cases of elderly pneumonia. Methods Elderly patients who received diagnosis and treatment at Changzhi Medical College Affiliated Peace Hospital from January 2018 to December 2022 were selected, and 350 patients who met the criteria were included in the study. Analyze its clinical data, incidence of pulmonary fibrosis, and analyze the relationship between the two. Results The average age of 350 patients was (63.51 ± 5.74) years old; 219 cases were common type , 72 cases were severe type, and 59 cases were critically ill. At admission, the CT signs were: ground glass in 66 cases (18.86%) , paving stone in 37 cases (10.57%), consolidation in 73 cases (20.86%), nodules in 93 cases (26.57%) , fried egg sign in 20 cases (5.71%) , and mosaic sign in 61 cases (17.43%). At discharge, the lesion signs were as follows: 61 cases (17.43%) had no lesions, 207 cases (59.14%) maintained the original lesion signs, and 82 cases (23.43%) evolved into other signs. 76 cases of pulmonary fibrosis were discharged, with an incidence rate of 21.71%. There were significant differences in the incidence of pulmonary fibrosis among patients with different ages, lesion evolution during treatment, lesion signs at discharge, and clinical stages (all P<0.001). Pulmonary fibrosis is positively correlated with age (P=0.047), lesion signs at discharge (P=0.032), and clinical classification (P=0.010). The incidence of lesions presenting as paving stones (P=0.014) and fibrosis in critically ill patients (P=0.013) at discharge is higher. Age increase (P=0.047) , wide range of lesions at admission (P=0.042), evolution of lesions into other signs at discharge (P=0.016), and clinical classification as severe (P=0.008) or critically ill (P=0.021) are independent risk factors for the development of pulmonary fibrosis in elderly pneumonia patients. Conclusion The incidence of pulmonary fibrosis in elderly patients exceeds 20%. Increasing age, wide range of lesions upon admission, evolution of lesions into other signs upon discharge, and clinical classification as severe or critically ill are independent risk factors for the occurrence of pulmonary fibrosis in elderly pneumonia patients.

Objective To investigate the effects of Optimized New Shengmai Powder on myocardial fibrosis in rats with heart failure based on the β1-AR/cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling pathway.Methods Totally 50 SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group(10 rats)and operation group(40 rats).The left anterior descending coronary artery was ligated to establish a rat model of heart failure.The modeling rats were randomly divided into the model group,the captopril group,and TCM low-and high-dosage groups,with 8 rats in each group.The administration groups received relevant medicine for gavage for 4 weeks.LVEF and LVFS in rats were detected by echocardiography,and measurement of heart and lung mass and calculation of heart and lung organ coefficients were performed,myocardial fibrosis degree was observed by histopathology,serum NT-ProBNP and cAMP,Col Ⅰ,and Col Ⅲcontent in myocardial tissue were detected by ELISA,immunohistochemical was used to detect β1-AR,cAMP positive expression,and Western blot was used to detect the expression of β1-AR/cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling pathway related proteins.Results Compared with the sham-operation group,the LVEF and LVFS of the model group rats were significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the heart and lung organ coefficient significantly increased(P<0.01);the number of myocardial cells decreased,collagen volume fraction increased,and the proportion of type Ⅰ/Ⅲcollagen fibers increased(P<0.01),the contents of serum NT-ProBNP and myocardial tissue Col Ⅰ and Col Ⅲincreased significantly,while the cAMP content in myocardial tissue decreased significantly(P<0.01),the positive expressions of β1-AR and cAMP were significantly decreased(P<0.01),the expressions of β1-AR,AC1,cAMP,p-PKA,and p-CREB proteins were significantly decreased,while protein expressions of p-Smad2,Col Ⅰ,Col Ⅲ,and α-SMA significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the administration groups could increase LVEF and LVFS and decrease heart and lung organ coefficient to different degrees in rats;increase the number of myocardial cells,decrease collagen volume fraction and the proportion of type Ⅰ/Ⅲ collagen fibers,down-regulate serum NT-ProBNP and the content of Col Ⅰ and Col Ⅲ in myocardial tissue,up-regulate the content of cAMP,increase the positive expressions of β1-AR and cAMP in myocardial tissue,up-regulate β1-AR,AC1,cAMP,p-PKA,p-CREB protein expression,and inhibit p-Smad2,Col Ⅰ,Col Ⅲ,and α-SMA protein expression,in which the effects of the TCM high-dosage group and captopril group were more pronounced(P<0.01,P<0.05).Conclusion Optimized New Shengmai Powder can effectively reduce myocardial fibrosis in heart failure rats,improve myocardial hypertrophy and remodeling,and increase left ventricular contractility,and the mechanism may be related to the activation of the β1-AR/cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling pathway.

Objective Photoelectric volumetric tracing(PPG)exhibits high sensitivity and specificity in flap monitoring.Deep learning(DL)is capable of automatically and robustly extracting features from raw data.In this study,we propose combining PPG with 1D convolutional neural networks(1D-CNN)to preliminarily explore the method's ability to distinguish the degree of embolism and to localize the embolic site in skin flap arteries.Methods Data were collected under normal conditions and various embolic scenarios by creating vascular emboli in a dermatome artery model and a rabbit dermatome model.These datasets were then trained,validated,and tested using 1D-CNN.Results As the degree of arterial embolization increased,the PPG amplitude upstream of the embolization site progressively increased,while the downstream amplitude progressively decreased,and the gap between the upstream and downstream amplitudes at the embolization site progressively widened.1D-CNN was evaluated in the skin flap arterial model and rabbit skin flap model,achieving average accuracies of 98.36%and 95.90%,respectively.Conclusion The combined monitoring approach of DL and PPG can effectively identify the degree of embolism and locate the embolic site within the skin flap artery.

Objective:To explore the characteristics of SMN1 gene variants and carry out functional verification for two children with Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Methods:Two male children with complicated SMA diagnosed at the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics respectively in July 2021 and April 2022 due to delayed or retrograde motor development were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data of the children were collected. Primary culture of skin fibroblasts was carried out, and peripheral blood samples were collected from both children and their parents. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, combined long-range PCR and nested PCR, and Sanger sequencing were carried out to detect the copy number and variants of the SMN1 gene. Absolute quantitative real-time PCR, Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to determine the transcriptional level of the SMN gene, expression of the SMN protein, and the number of functional SMN protein complexes (gems body), respectively. This study was approved by Medical Ethics Committee of the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics (Ethics No. SHERLLM2021009). Results:Child 1, a 1-year-old boy, was clinically diagnosed with type 1 SMA. Child 2, a 2-and-a-half-year-old boy, was clinically diagnosed with type 3 SMA. Both children were found to harbor a paternally derived SMN1 deletion and a maternally derived SMN1 gene variant, namely c. 824G>T (p.Gly275Val) and c. 884A>T (p.*295Leu). Compared with the normal controls and carriers, the levels of full-length SMN1 transcripts in their peripheral blood and skin fibroblast cell lines were significantly decreased ( P<0.05), and the levels of SMN protein normalized to that of β-actin, and the numbers of gems bodies in the primary fibroblast cells were also significantly lower ( P<0.05). Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, both variants were classified as likely pathogenic (PS3+ PM3+ PM5+ PP3; PS3+ PM3+ PM4+ PP3). Following the diagnosis, both children had received nusinersen treatment. Although their motor function was improved, child 1 still died at the age of 2 due to severe pulmonary infection. The walking ability of child 2 was significantly improved, and his prognosis appeared to be good. Conclusion:Two cases of clinically complicated SMA have been confirmed by genetic testing and experimental studies, which has provided a reference for their accurate treatment.

Objective To explore the pulmonary ultrasound manifestations of pediatric infectious pneumonia and its combined diagnostic value with serum amyloid protein A(SAA)/hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP)and procalcitonin(PCT).Methods A tatol of 107 children with infectious pneumonia admitted to the 903rd Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of the People's Liberation Army of China from January 2019 to June 2023 were selected as the research group,and 50 healthy children who underwent physical examinations during the same period were selected as the control group.Both groups of children underwent lung ultrasound examination to analyze the ultrasound manifestations of children with infectious pneumonia,compare SAA/hs-CRP and PCT,and analyze the diagnostic value of lung ultrasound combined with SAA/hs-CRP and PCT detection for pediatric infectious pneumonia.Results Among 107 children with infectious pneumonia,104 were diagnosed positive by lung ultrasound,with a positive rate of 97.20％.The lung ultrasound score,SAA/hs-CRP,and PCT of the study group were higher than those of the control group(P＜0.05).The lung ultrasound score,SAA/hs-CRP,and PCT in children with severe infectious pneumonia were higher than those in mild cases(P＜0.05).The diagnostic efficacy of lung ultrasound combined with SAA/hs-CRP and PCT detection for pediatric infectious pneumonia is superior to that of individual detection,with a curve area of 0.923,sensitivity and specificity of 92.30％and 87.98％,respectively.The lung ultrasound score is positively correlated with SAA/hs-CRP and PCT(P＜0.05).Conclusion Pulmonary ultrasound can display the characteristics of pulmonary lesions in children with infectious pneumonia.The ultrasound manifestations of children are mostly abnormal pleural lines,increased B-lines,and pulmonary consolidation.Combined detection with SAA/hs-CRP and PCT can further improve the diagnostic efficiency of pediatric infectious pneumonia.

Objective To investigate the diagnosis of different types of fetuses with simple ventricular septal defect by ultrasound and to analyze the results of neonatal follow-up during the closed period.Methods A total of 100 fetuses diagnosed with simple ventricular septal defect from January 2019 to December 2021 were selected from the 903rd Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of the People's Liberation Army of China,and echocardiography was performed to observe the type and defect diameter.The healing rate of the children was observed after 1 year follow-up.Results In 100 cases,64 cases were medial defect,21 cases were infundibular defect,11 cases were muscular defect and 4 cases were superior ventricular ridge defect.In the membrane defect type,the proportion of defect diameters>5mm was highest at 46.88%,followed by 3-5mm at 34.38%,and<3mm at 18.75%.In the infundibular defect type,the defect diameter<3mm was higher(66.67%),followed by 3-5mm(33.33%).The probability of<3mm defect mouth diameter and 3-5mm defect mouth diameter were 45.45%and 54.55%,respectively.The diameter of the defect<3mm and 3-5mm were the same,both of which were 50.00%.The healing rate of intrauterine and 1 year after birth was the highest in muscular defect type(72.73%),followed by membrane defect type(26.56%),infundibular defect type and superior ventricular crest defect type did not heal in intrauterine and 1 year after birth.Conclusion Simple ventricular septal defect is common in the membranous part,while the membranous part and muscle part defect can heal naturally.Echocardiography is a reliable examination method in the prenatal diagnosis and postnatal follow-up of the fetus with simple ventricular septal defect,which can provide a reliable basis for future treatment.

Objective:To explore the distribution of the copy number of survival motor neuron gene 2 ( SMN2) and the transcript level of the full-length SMN2 ( fl-SMN2) transcript level in patients with type 1-3 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and to evaluate their influences on disease severity, progression, and prognosis. Methods:It was a retrospective study involving 78 therapy-naive SMA patients with SMN1 gene homozygous deletion who were diagnosed and treated in the Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January 2019 to December 2021.Cross-sectional clinical data, including age at onset, motor milestones, and complications were recorded.They were followed up for monitoring motor function degeneration and survival.The copy number of SMN2 and the transcript level of fl-SMN2 were detected.Differences between groups were compared by the Student′s t-test or One- Way ANOVA or Chi- square test.Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for survival analysis, and Kendall′ s tau- c was performed to assess the correlation of these two biomarkers with SMA phenotypes, age at onset, motor milestones, and survival. Results:Of the 78 SMA patients, there were 17 cases (21.8%) of type 1, 34 cases(43.6%) of type 2, and 27 cases(34.6%) of type 3.Seven cases(41.2%) type 1 SMA patients died, with a median survival time of 11 months, and no deaths were observed in type 2 and type 3 SMA patients.There was a significant difference in the median age at onset among SMA patients with 2, 3, and 4 copies of SMN2 (1.8, 12.0, and 24.0 months, respectively; F=4.943, P=0.01). The mean transcript level of fl-SMN2 in type 1, 2 and 3 SMA patients were 196.25±68.79, 331.21±108.79 and 455.69±122.27, respectively ( F=37.154, P<0.001). The survival rate of SMA with 2 SMN2 copies at 1, 2, and 5 years were 50.5%, 0, and 0, respectively, and their median survival age was 7 months.The survival rate of SMA with 3 and 4 SMN2 copies at 5 years were 97.4% and 100.0%, respectively.Moreover, a negative correlation was observed between the transcript level of fl-SMN2 and phenotype severity ( Kendall′ s tau- c=-0.444, P<0.001), and the transcript level of fl-SMN2 of the survival group was much higher than that of the death group (342.93±125.74 vs.212.14±92.31). More copies of SMN2 and higher transcript level of fl- SMN2 indicated more motor function acquisitions (head control, sitting and walking) ( P<0.001). In addition, there was a significant difference in the transcription level of fl-SMN2 between the undegenerated group and the degenerated group in sitting and standing ( F=5.432, P=0.023 and F=4.315, P=0.047, respectively). Conclusions:Both the copy number of SMN2 and the transcript level of fl-SMN2 are correlated with SMA severity, survival, and motor milestones, serving as valuable biomarkers for evaluating phenotypic severity of SMA.The transcript level of fl-SMN2 s may play an important role in the degeneration of sitting and standing.

Adventitia ; Atherosclerosis/genetics* ; Cell Communication ; Humans ; Hyperhomocysteinemia/genetics* ; Sequence Analysis, RNA

Objective: He-Wei Granule (HWKL) is a modern product derived from the modified formulation of traditional Chinese medicine Banxia Xiexin Decoction (BXD), which remarkedly enhanced the anti-proliferation activity of cyclophosphamide (CTX) on HepG2 and SGC-7901 cell lines in vitro in our previous research. The aim of the study was to investigate the synergistic effects of HWKL and CTX using a transplanted H22 hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model. Methods: The CTX-toxic-reducing efficacy of HWKL was evaluated by hematology indexes, organ indexes and marrow DNA detection. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, histopathology test, immunohistochemistry test and TUNEL staining were conducted. The efficacy of HWKL on the micro-vessel density (MVD) in tumor tissue was also evaluated by measuring CD34 level. Results: High dose HWKL (6.75 g/kg) markedly attenuated CTX-induced hepatotoxicity and myelosuppression while significantly enhanced CTX anticancer efficacy in vivo. Further mechanism investigation suggested that high dose HWKL significantly increased cleaved Caspase 3 level and promoted apoptosis in tumor tissue by up-regulating Bax expression and down-regulating Bcl-2 and FasL expressions. Compared with CTX alone group, the decrease in LC-3B and Beclin 1 levels suggested that the autophagy in H22 carcinoma was significantly inhibited with addition of high dose HWKL. ELISA assay results indicated that the autophagy inhibition was achieved by decreasing p53 expression, blocking PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and recovering Th1/Th2 cytokine balance. In addition, CD34 and EGFR immunohistochemistry assay suggest that high dose HWKL could significantly decrease micro-vessel density (MVD) and inhibit angiogenesis in H22 carcinoma. Conclusion: It can be concluded that high-dose HWKL enhanced CTX efficacy by promoting apoptosis, inhibiting autophagy and angiogenesis in tumor tissue while significantly alleviated CTX-induced toxicity, and could be applied along with CTX in clinical treatment as a supplement agent.

Objective:To investigate the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19 in Rongcheng city of Shandong Province in May 2022 and to further analyze the nucleotide and amino acid variations for source tracing.Methods:High-throughput sequencing was used to sequence the SARS-CoV-2 genome in 15 nasopharyngeal swab samples from COVID-19 cluster infections and three environmental samples related to an aquatic product import company. Whole-genome sequence splicing, variant site analysis and sequence typing were performed on the raw sequencing data using virus sequence and variant analysis software. A phylogenetic tree was constructed by evolutionary analysis software. Epidemiological investigation was used to trace the potential source of infection.Results:Thirteen whole genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 with the length ranging from 29 653 bp to 29 780 bp were successfully obtained from the nasopharyngeal swab samples. The average sequencing depth was 1 756-6 565 X and the genome coverage was 99.20%-99.63%. The results of Pangolin typing showed that the 13 genomes belonged to the VOC/Gamma (P.1.15) evolutionary branch. Compared with the Wuhan reference strain (NC_045512.2), the 13 genome sequences had 40-41 nucleotide mutation sites. There were 23-24 amino acid variation sites in seven protein domains (ORF1a, ORF1b, S, ORF3a, ORF8, ORF9b and N proteins). Evolutionary analysis showed that the viral sequence was grouped to the same subclade as the reference strain from Argentina (EPI_ISL_4082233).Conclusions:In this study, the whole genome sequences of 13 Gamma variant strains were obtained from COVID-19 cluster infections associated with imported cold-chain aquatic products in Rongcheng city, and the imported seafood from South America in 2021 was found to be the source of the virus in a timely manner. This study provided reference for the SARS-CoV-2 variant analysis and case tracing and also suggested that the survival and transmission ability of SARS-CoV-2 on the surface of cold-chain products should not be underestimated and needed further investigation.