ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which Bushen Tongluo Jiangzhuo prescription improves renal fibrosis in rats with chronic kidney disease （CKD） through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway. MethodsSeventy specific pathogen-free （SPF） Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a control group （n=15） and a modeling group （n=55）. Rats in the modeling group were administered a 2.5% adenine suspension at a dose of 200 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 by gavage for 4 weeks to establish a CKD model. Successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group， an irbesartan group （20.25 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， and Bushen Tongluo Jiangzhuo prescription low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （5.82， 11.64， and 23.28 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively）， with 10 rats in each group. Each group was administered an equal volume of physiological saline， the corresponding concentration of irbesartan， or Bushen Tongluo Jiangzhuo prescription by gavage for 12 weeks. Body weight and renal function indices were dynamically monitored. Serum creatinine （SCr）， blood urea nitrogen （BUN）， urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio （ACR）， 24-hour urinary total protein （24 hUTP）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） levels were measured using an automatic biochemical analyzer. Renal histopathological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Masson staining. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to detect the expression of PI3K， Akt， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， and mTOR in renal tissues. Western blot was performed to assess the protein expression of PI3K， p-Akt， Akt， phosphorylated mTOR （p-mTOR）， and mTOR in renal tissues. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to determine the mRNA expression levels of PI3K， Akt， and mTOR in renal tissues. ResultsCompared with the model group， rats in the irbesartan group and the low-， medium-， and high-dose Bushen Tongluo Jiangzhuo prescription groups showed significantly decreased levels of SCr， BUN， ACR， 24 hUTP， IL-1β， IL-6， and TNF-α （P<0.01）. AST levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）， while no significant difference was observed in ALT levels. Histopathological examination revealed that， compared with the model group， renal tubular epithelial cell edema and necrosis and Bowman's capsule dilation were alleviated， inflammatory cell infiltration was reduced， and interstitial and glomerular fibrosis was markedly improved in all treatment groups， with the most pronounced effect observed in the high-dose Bushen Tongluo Jiangzhuo prescription group. Real-time PCR results showed that mRNA expression levels of PI3K， Akt， and mTOR were significantly downregulated in the high-dose group （P<0.01）. IHC results demonstrated that PI3K and p-Akt expression levels in renal tissues were significantly decreased in the high-dose group （P<0.01）. Western blot analysis further confirmed that the expression levels of PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， and p-mTOR/mTOR were significantly reduced in the high-dose group （P<0.01）. ConclusionBushen Tongluo Jiangzhuo prescription improves renal function indices in CKD rats， reduces collagen deposition in renal tissues， and decreases serum inflammatory factor levels. Its protective effect on renal function may be achieved by activating autophagy through downregulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway， thereby alleviating renal fibrosis.

In order to study the pathogenesis of meningitis in lambs caused by Enterococcus faecalis(E.faecalis),and to elucidate the pathogenesis of meningitis from the circRNA level,E.faecalis(named XJ6)was reintroduced into the host to construct a lamb brain tissue injury model,and then the lamb brain tissues were selected for whole genome transcript sequencing at four time in-tervals(24,48,60 and 72 h).Based on the transcriptomics sequencing results,the differential cir-cRNAs were preliminarily screened,and the accuracy of the transcriptomics data was verified by real-time fluorescence quantification.The results showed that the experiments successfully con-structed the brain tissue injury model of E.faecalis infected lambs,and the GO enrichment analy-sis results showed the most significant 10 cellular components,10 biological processes,and 10 mo-lecular functions.KEGG pathway enrichment results revealed that the genes targeted by differenti-al circRNAs were mainly focused on signaling pathways regulating the neuronal cells,the MAPK signaling pathway,the Rap1 signaling pathway,VDEF signaling pathway,Apelin signaling path-way,vascular smooth muscle contraction,and cancer development.The differentially expressed cir-cRNAs validated by real-time quantitative PCR were completely consistent with the transcriptomic results.Among them,novel_circ_0004872 was identified as a candidate circRNA potentially involved in altering the permeability of the blood-brain barrier in lambs,providing a theoretical ref-erence for exploring the regulatory role of circRNAs in blood-brain barrier function.

Objective:Investigation of the relationship between variant angina pectoris syncope and coronary artery spastic targeted location, arrhythmias, and coronary artery stenostic lesion.Methods:This study combined retrospective and prospective registry approaches. Data were sourced from the case database of Henan province "Multicenter Clinical Observation Study of Variant Angina Pectoris". A total of 507 patients with variant angina pectoris who had complete records from June 1980 to December 2022 were consecutively enrolled. Select patients among them who experienced syncope, and analyze the target vessel sites of coronary artery spasm, arrhythmias during variant angina pectoris attacks, and the degree of stenosis in coronary artery lesions.Results:Among 507 variant angina pectoris patients, 88 experienced syncope. Age was (53.9±9.7) years and 66 patients (75.0%) were male. Forty patients (45.5%, 40/88) were aged 50-59 years. The incidence of syncope in variant angina pectoris caused by left anterior descending artery (LAD) spasm, right coronary artery (RCA) spasm, and multivessel coronary artery spasm was 7.4% (15/202), 22.7% (42/185), and 23.6% (25/106), respectively. The latter two were significantly higher than those in the LAD group ( P all<0.05). Among 77 patients with variant angina pectoris syncope, definitive electrocardiogram recordings were available during syncope episodes. All patients exhibited arrhythmias during syncope: 34 cases involved tachyarrhythmias and 43 cases involved bradyarrhythmias. The incidence of rapid arrhythmias in patients with LAD, RCA, and multi-vessel spasm syncope was 72.7% (8/11), 24.3% (9/37), and 54.2% (13/24), respectively, with P<0.05 for the first two. Bradyarrhythmias occurred in 27.3% (3/11) of LAD, 75.7% (28/37) of RCA, and 45.8% (11/24) of multivessel coronary artery spasm syncope cases, with the first two showing P<0.05. Coronary angiography analysis of 56 syncope patients revealed target vessel locations and stenosis severity: 12 patients had LAD lesions and 41 had RCA lesions, stenosis ≥50% occurred in 66.7% (8/12) and 43.9% (18/41) of these lesions, respectively ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Variant angina pectoris syncope predominantly affects middle-aged males. Bradyarrhythmias triggered by RCA spasm are a common cause, while the incidence of syncope shows no significant correlation with the degree of coronary artery stenostic lesion, whether in the LAD or the RCA.

Objective Through in vitro experiments,biomechanical data of the transtibial pullout suture(TPS),tendon reconstruction(TR),and tendon reconstruction with suture augmentation(TRS)were collected,so as to evaluate the biomechanical effectiveness of tendon reconstruction for repairing medial meniscus posterior root tear(MMPRT).Methods Eighteen porcine knee joint models were divided into TPS,TR,and TRS groups.Sutures were used to fix the meniscal root in TPS group.Tendons were passed through an incision at the meniscal root in TR group.Tendons were passed through an incision at the meniscal root and secured at tendon-meniscus contact area with additional sutures in TRS group.The sutures and tendons were pulled out through tibial tunnels and fixed at the anteromedial tibia.All groups underwent failure load tests,and ultimate failure load,displacement at failure load,load at clinical failure,stiffness,and failure modes of the samples were recorded.Results The maximum failure load in TPS group was significantly higher than that in TR group(P＜0.05),but there was no significant difference between TPS group and TRS group(P＞0.05).The maximum failure load in TRS group was significantly higher than that in TR group(P＜0.05).The displacement under failure load in TR group and TRS group was significantly lower than that in TPS group(P＜0.05),but there was no significant difference between TR group and TRS group(P＞0.05).There were no significant differences in the load under clinical failure among the 3 groups(P＞0.05).The stiffness of TRS group was significantly greater than that of TPS group(P＜0.05),but no significant difference was observed between TR group and TPS group,as well as between TR group and TRS group(P＞0.05).All failures were caused by suture or tendon cutting through the meniscus.Conclusions The tendon reconstruction techniques is superior to the TPS in terms of failure displacement and stiffness,while the TRS further enhances the stability of the repair.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of Linaclotide combined with Simethicone oil and compound polyethylene glycol electrolyte(PEG)for cleansing effect of bowel in patients with constipation.Methods A prospective randomized controlled trial was designed and implemented by single blind method.383 patients with constipation who underwent colonoscopy from April 2023 to August 2024 were enrolled and randomly divided into routine group(128 cases),experimental group A(128 cases)and experimental group B(127 cases).Routine group treated with 3 L PEG,experimental group A treated with 290 μg Linaclotide+2 L PEG and experimental group B treated with 290 μg Linaclotide+30 mL Simethicone+2 L PEG.Bowel preparation effect[Boston bowel preparation scale(BBPS)scores and foaming removal effect],lesion detection rate,first defecation interval,frequency of defecation,the success rate of cecal intubation,the insertion time of colonoscopy,the withdrawal time of colonoscopy,incidence of adverse reactions and willingness to repeat examination of the three groups were compared.Results No statistically significant differences were observed in the BBPS scores among the three groups(P>0.05);The foaming removal effect score in experimental group B was significantly lower than that in routine group and experimental group A,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05);The total lesion detection rate and polyps detection rate of experimental group B were significantly higher than those of routine group and experimental group A,the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).The first defecation interval of the routine group was significantly longer than that of experimental group A and experimental group B,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05);The frequency of defecation was compared among the three groups,and the difference was no statistically significant(P>0.05).The success rate of cecal intubation in the three groups was 100.0%,and the insertion time of colonoscopy was similar,the differences were not statistically significant(P>0.05);The withdrawal time of colonoscopy in experimental group B was significantly shorter than that in routine group and experimental group A,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The incidence of abdominal distension and total adverse reactions in the routine group were higher than those in experimental group A and experimental group B,the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05);The willingness to repeat examination rate of the routine group was significantly lower than that of experimental group A and experimental group B,the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion 290 μg Linaclotide combined with 30 mL Simethicone and 2 L PEG solution regimen has advantages in intestinal preparation for patients with constipation,and can achieve better intestinal cleaning effect than 3 L PEG solution and 290 μg linalopeptide+2 L PEG solution regimen,with higher safety and willingness to repeat examination.It can be recommended for bowel preparation for patients with constipation.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of Qi Shi Shen Shu Capsule combined with dapagliflozin in treating type 2 diabetic nephropathy.Methods 120 patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy(qi-yin liangxu syndrome)admitted to the endocrinology department in the inpatient and outpatient depart-ments of endocrinology from May 2022 to December 2023 were randomly divided into control and observation groups(60 cases each).The control group received dapagliflozin plus placebo capsules,while the observation group received dapagliflozin plus Qi Shi Shen Shu Capsule for 6 months.The therapeutic effects were observed between the two groups.Parameters including serum creatinine(Scr),urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio(uACR),24-hour urinary protein quantification(24hUP),glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c),and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-6(IL-6),and high sensitivity-C reactive protein(hs-CRP)were measured be-fore and after treatment.Results The total effective rate was higher(P＜0.05)in the observation group(93.33％)than in the control group(78.33％).After treatment,both groups showed decreased levels of uACR,Scr,24hUP,HbA1c,TNF-α,IL-6,and hs-CRP compared with baseline,with lower levels in the obser-vation group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Qi Shi Shen Shu Capsule combined with dapagliflozin can effectively re-duce uACR,Scr levels and serum inflammatory cytokines levels in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy.

Objective:To explore the correlation between skeletal muscle mass and strength with metabolic syndrome in children.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted involving 383 children aged 10 to 15 years who visited the Department of Child Health Care, Children′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from June 2021 to December 2022. Their height, weight, waist circumference, body composition, grip strength and blood pressure were measured. Relative skeletal muscle mass, muscle-to-fat ratio, and grip strength-to-body weight index were calculated. The levels of fasting blood glucose, lipids and insulin were tested. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated. Children were divided into the metabolic syndrome group and the non-metabolic syndrome group. Independent t test or Mann-Whitney U test etc. was used to compare the difference between groups. Spearman correlation analysis and binary Logistic regression were used to investigate the correlation between skeletal muscle mass and strength and metabolic syndrome. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the accuracy of the index of skeletal muscle in predicting metabolic syndrome in children. Results:Among the 383 children, 282 (73.6%) were male, at the age of 11.4 (10.6, 12.5) years. There were 216 children (56.4%) diagnosed with obesity and 90 children (23.5%) diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Relative skeletal muscle mass, muscle-to-fat ratio, and grip strength-to-body weight index of the metabolic syndrome group were all lower than those in the non-metabolic syndrome group (all P<0.001). After adjusting for sex and age, relative skeletal muscle mass, muscle-to-fat ratio, and grip strength-to-body weight index were all negatively correlated with body mass index ( r=-0.84, -0.38, -0.63), waist circumference ( r=-0.76, -0.36, -0.70), systolic blood pressure ( r=-0.42, -0.21, -0.38), diastolic blood pressure ( r=-0.33, -0.18, -0.24), triglycerides ( r=-0.29, -0.13, -0.23), fasting insulin ( r=-0.28, -0.20, -0.29), and HOMA-IR ( r=-0.26, -0.18, -0.26) (all P<0.05), and positively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( r=0.38, 0.13, 0.31, all P<0.01). After adjusting for sex and age, high relative skeletal muscle mass, high muscle-to-fat ratio, and high grip strength-to-body weight index all decreased the risks of metabolic syndrome ( OR=0.80, 0.55, 0.90), obesity ( OR=0.53, 0.64, 0.82), hypertension ( OR=0.86, 0.58, 0.92), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( OR=0.83, 0.62, 0.92), hypertriglyceridemia ( OR=0.88, 0.78, 0.96). After adjusting for sex and age, high relative skeletal muscle mass and high grip strength-to-body weight index all decreased the risks of hyperglycemia ( OR=0.93 and 0.95, all P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the relative skeletal muscle mass, muscle-to-fat ratio, and grip strength-to-body weight index all had good predictive accuracy of metabolic syndrome in children (AUC=0.79, 0.71, 0.76), with optimal cutoff values of 40%, 1.2, and 35%, respectively. Conclusions:High relative skeletal muscle mass, high muscle-to-fat ratio, and high grip strength-to-body weight index are all protective factors for metabolic syndrome in children. Regular measurement of skeletal muscle mass and grip strength can aid in the early identification and prevention of obesity and metabolic syndrome during childhood .

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System（VI-RADS）based on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging（mp-MRI）for muscle-invasive bladder cancer（MIBC）.Methods:A systematic search was conducted in PubMed，Web of Science，and Embase databases for studies published between September 2018 and December 2023 that investigated the use of VI-RADS for diagnosing MIBC. Inclusion criteria were studies utilizing mp-MRI-based VI-RADS scoring to determine MIBC. Exclusion criteria were studies with fewer than 10 patients，overlapping study populations，or those failing to assess the diagnostic performance of VI-RADS for MIBC. After quality assessment，RevMan 5.4 and Stata 15.1 were used to calculate pooled sensitivity and specificity，generate forest plots and summary receiver operating characteristic（SROC）curves，and determine the area under the curve（AUC）. Publication bias was assessed using Deeks funnel plot. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I2 statistic，with meta-regression and subgroup analyses to explore its sources. Results:Twenty-nine studies involving 3 577 patients were included. At a VI-RADS cutoff of 3，the pooled sensitivity and specificity for MIBC diagnosis were 93%（95%CI 0.90-0.95）and 82%（95%CI 0.76-0.88），respectively. At a cutoff of 4，these values were 83%（95%CI 0.78-0.87）and 93%（95%CI 0.90-0.95）. The hierarchical SROC（HSROC）AUCs were 0.95 and 0.94 for cutoffs of 3 and 4，respectively. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses revealed that at a cutoff of 3，patient sample size，study design，MRI field strength，number of radiologists，surgical approach，and DWI/DCE imaging planes contributed to sensitivity heterogeneity（ P < 0.05）. All factors except study design and DWI plane were sources of specificity heterogeneity（ P < 0.05）. At a cutoff of 4，all factors significantly influenced heterogeneity in both sensitivity and specificity（ P < 0.05）. Meta-regression confirmed that both cutoffs（3 and 4）were significant sources of heterogeneity（ P < 0.05）. Conclusions:VI-RADS demonstrates excellent diagnostic performance for MIBC at both cutoffs（3 and 4），with VI-RADS ≥ 3 showing superior sensitivity and VI-RADS ≥ 4 offering higher specificity. The cutoff of 3 provides better overall diagnostic efficacy.

Cognitive decline is an early sign of dementia, mainly manifested as the ability to learn new knowledge and memory decline in the near future, so early detection, early diagnosis, early treatment are an important research direction to alleviate dementia population. Previous studies have shown that blood pressure variability (BPV) is an important risk factor for cognitive decline. At present, there is a lack of systematic understanding of the specific effects of BPV on different subdomains of cognitive function and the treatment standard of BPV. This paper reviews the existing clinical studies, emphasizes that abnormal BPV causes adverse cognitive outcomes in all age groups, and proposes future research directions.

AIM To investigate the in vivo pharmacokinetics of chlorogenic acid,isoquercetin,ferulic acid,isorhamnetin and shionone in Asteris Radix et Rhizoma in rats.METHODS Twelve rats were randomly assigned into 2 groups and given intragastric administration of conventional dose(0.63 g/kg)and large dose(3.3 g/kg)of Asteris Radix et Rhizoma extracts,respectively,after which blood collection was made at 0.083,0.167,0.33,0.5,0.75,1,1.5,2,4,6,8,12,24 h,UPLC-MS/MS was adopted in the plasma concentration determination of various effective constituents,and main pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated.RESULTS Various effective constituents in the large dose group demonstrated prolonged t1/2,MRT0-∞ as compared with those in the conventional dose group(P＜0.05).After dose correction,Cmax of chlorogenic acid,isoquercetin,shionone in the large dose group displayed no obvious changes(P＞0.05),while Cmax of ferulic acid,isorhamnetin,and AUC0-t,AUC0-∞ of various effective constituents were higher than those in the conventional dose group(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION Various effective constituents in the high dose of Asteris Radix et Rhizoma can maintain high-concentration and long-time effects on rat bladder tissue.