ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism by which Notoginsenoside R1 （NGR1） ameliorates hypoxia/reoxygenation （H/R）-induced injury in AC16 human cardiomyocyte cell lines through the regulation of mitophagy. MethodsCommon genes linked to hypoxia/reoxygenation injury and mitophagy were identified by intersecting data from GeneCards and MitoCarta databases. AC16 cell viability was assessed via CCK-8 assay under varying NGR1 concentrations （0， 6.25， 12.5， 25， 50， 100， 200， 300， 400， 500 μmol/L）. AC16 cells were divided into the following groups： control group （Control）， model group （H/R）， and treatment groups （H/R + NGR1 at 100， 200 and 300 μmol/L）. Mitochondrial membrane potential （ΔΨm） was measured using 5，5'，6，6'-tetrachloro-1，1'，3，3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolylcarbocyanine iodide （JC-1） staining. Transcriptional levels of mitophagy-related genes （Parkin， Pink1， P62） were quantified by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR （RT-qPCR）. Protein expression of mitophagy-related markers （Parkin， Pink1， P62， and LC3BⅡ） was evaluated via Western blot analysis. Mitochondrial ultrastructure was visualized by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. ResultsCompared to the control group， cell viability in the H/R group significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Treatment with NGR1 at concentrations above 100 μmol/L significantly enhanced the cell viability of AC16 cells compared to the H/R group （P<0.01）. H/R induced a significant decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential （P<0.01）， which was restored by NGR1 treatment （P<0.01）. The mRNA levels of Parkin， Pink1， and P62 in the H/R group were upregulated compared to the control group （P<0.05）， while NGR1 intervention downregulated their expression （P<0.05）. Protein expression levels of Parkin， Pink1， and LC3BⅡ in the H/R group significantly increased， while P62 expression decreased compared to the control group （P<0.01）. In contrast， different doses of NGR1 treatment significantly reduced the expression of Parkin， Pink1， and LC3BⅡ while increasing P62 expression （P<0.05）. TEM revealed that the mitochondrial structure in the H/R group was severely disrupted， with fragmented and disorganized cristae， which was alleviated by NGR1. ConclusionNGR1 ameliorates H/R-induced AC16 cell injury， and its mechanism may be associated with modulating the Pink1/Parkin pathway to suppress excessive mitophagy.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and safety of Babaodan Capsule （BBD） in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus （HBV） infection with damp-heat in the liver and gallbladder comorbid with gallbladder polyps. MethodsA randomized， double-blinded， placebo-controlled single-center trial was conducted among 120 patients with chronic HBV infection who were admitted to Beijing YouAn Hospital， Capital Medical University， from August 2020 to April 2023， and they were divided into treatment group （BBD） and control group （placebo）， with 60 patients in each group. The course of treatment was 24 weeks， and follow-up assessments were conducted every 4 weeks. The primary outcome measures were the number and maximum diameter of gallbladder polyps （assessed by ultrasound）， and the secondary outcome measures included traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score， blood lipid levels， and liver function parameters. The independent-samples t test or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups； the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of ranked data between two groups； the generalized estimating equation was used to analyze repeated measures data. ResultsAfter 8 weeks of treatment， the treatment group had a significantly smaller diameter of polyps and a significantly lower number of polyps than the control group （Z=-1.76 and -1.80， both P<0.05）， and after 24 weeks of treatment， the treatment group had a significantly higher polyp reduction rate than the control group （30.51% vs 10.91%， P<0.05）. The subgroup analysis showed that patients receiving combined antiviral therapy， male patients， patients with a diameter of polyps of <5 mm， and patients with multiple polyps tended to achieve significantly greater benefits. At week 8 of treatment， the treatment group had a significantly better TCM syndrome score than the control group （Z=-2.35， P<0.05）； after treatment， compared with the control group， the treatment group had a significantly greater increase in high-density lipoprotein （Z=-1.85， P<0.05） and significantly lower levels of alanine aminotransferase （Z=-2.06， P <0.05）， aspartate aminotransferase （Z=-2.13， P<0.05）， total bilirubin （Z=-2.12， P<0.05）， and direct bilirubin （Z=-3.09， P<0.05）. No serious adverse events were reported in either group. ConclusionBBD can effectively reduce the size of gallbladder polyps， improve TCM syndrome score， and reduce the level of bilirubin in patients with chronic HBV infection with damp-heat in the liver and gallbladder， with a favorable safety profile， and it may be more suitable for patients receiving combined antiviral therapy and specific subgroups （male patients， patients with a diameter of polyps of <5 mm， and patients with multiple polyps.

Objective:To explore the advantages of robotic-arm assisted total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) in acetabular component positioning and lower limb length assessment in patients with severe pelvic coronal tilt.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 122 patients with unilateral end-stage hip disease and coronal pelvic tilt angle >3° who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA) at the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from June 2022 to December 2023. Among them, 44 patients underwent rTHA, and 78 underwent manual THA (mTHA). The rTHA group included 18 males and 26 females, with an average age of 60.5±9.3 years; the mTHA group included 41 males and 37 females, with an average age of 58.5±8.4 years. Compare the differences in the anteversion angle, abduction angle, pelvic tilt angle, leg length discrepancy (LLD) of the acetabular prosthesis, and the proportions of patients with LLD>0.5 cm and >1 cm between the two groups of patients after surgery. Calculate the proportion of outlier rates of acetabular abduction angle (<30° or >45°), and proportions within Callanan's safe zone. The early efficacy of the hip joint was evaluated by using the modified Harris score and joint range of motion.Results:All patients were followed up for 6 to 12 months, with an average of 8 months. All the surgical incisions of the patients achieved primary healing. Postoperative comparisons showed no statistically significant differences in acetabular abduction angle (39.5°±3.3° vs. 38.4°±7.3°) or anteversion angle (20.7°±1.6° vs. 19.7°±1.6°) between rTHA and mTHA groups ( P>0.05). However, pelvic tilt angle [2.5° (1.1°, 3.6°) vs. 3.5° (2.3°, 5.9°)] showed a statistically significant difference ( U=4.371, P=0.008). The rTHA group exhibited smaller absolute LLD [0.2 (0.1, 0.4) cm vs. 0.5 (0.2, 0.5) cm] and lower proportions of LLD >0.5 cm [14% (6/44) vs. 49% (38/78)] and >1 cm [2% (1/44) vs. 18% (14/78)], with statistical significance ( P<0.05). The rTHA group had a lower outlier rate for acetabular abduction angle (<30°or >45°) compared to the mTHA group [2% (1/44) vs. 33% (26/78)], with statistical significance (χ 2=10.388, P<0.001). Taking the Callanan safety zone as the standard, the proportion of acetabular cups within the safe zone was significantly higher in the rTHA group (98%, 43/44) compared to the mTHA group (67%, 52/78), with a statistically significant difference (χ 2=13.998, P<0.001). The modified Harris score and hip joint range of motion in the mTHA group increased from 47.6±6.6 points and 83° (73°, 88°) before the operation to 83.5±11.2 points and 118° (110°, 122°) at the last follow-up, respectively. The rTHA group increased from 46.5±9.2 points and 79° (71°, 90°) before the operation to 85.0±12.5 points and 124° (116°, 130°) at the last follow-up. The differences in the modified Harris score and hip joint range of motion between the two groups before the operation and at the last follow-up were statistically significant ( P<0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). No THA-related complications occurred during follow-up period. Conclusion:For patients with end-stage hip joint diseases with coronal tilt exceeding 3°, robotic-assisted technology significantly improves the accuracy of acetabular component placement during THA and offers better control of postoperative LLD.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of ultra-high field 5.0T MRI combined with histogram analysis for diagnosing prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.Materials and Methods This retrospective analysis included data from 63 patients with prostatic diseases at the Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital from January to May 2024,comprising 31 cases of prostate cancer and 32 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia.MRI sequences included T2WI,T1WI,diffusion-weighted imaging,intravoxel incoherent motion and T2 mapping.Histogram data of apparent diffusion coefficient,true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,perfusion fraction and T2 relaxation time were calculated,and diagnostic efficacy was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.Results In prostate cancer,the 10th percentile,the 90th percentile,mean,median,and minimum values of histogram parameters from apparent diffusion coefficient,true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,perfusion fraction and T2 mapping were significantly lower than those of benign prostatic hyperplasia(Z=-6.036--3.368,all P<0.05).Notably,the combined model of apparent diffusion coefficient,intravoxel incoherent motion and T2 mapping parameters achieved an the area under the curve of 0.987,with sensitivity and specificity of 96.77%and 96.87%,respectively.Conclusion This study confirms that 5.0T MRI histogram analysis technique demonstrates significant diagnostic efficacy in differentiating prostate cancer from benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Objective:To explore the advantages of robotic-arm assisted total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) in acetabular component positioning and lower limb length assessment in patients with severe pelvic coronal tilt.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 122 patients with unilateral end-stage hip disease and coronal pelvic tilt angle >3° who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA) at the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from June 2022 to December 2023. Among them, 44 patients underwent rTHA, and 78 underwent manual THA (mTHA). The rTHA group included 18 males and 26 females, with an average age of 60.5±9.3 years; the mTHA group included 41 males and 37 females, with an average age of 58.5±8.4 years. Compare the differences in the anteversion angle, abduction angle, pelvic tilt angle, leg length discrepancy (LLD) of the acetabular prosthesis, and the proportions of patients with LLD>0.5 cm and >1 cm between the two groups of patients after surgery. Calculate the proportion of outlier rates of acetabular abduction angle (<30° or >45°), and proportions within Callanan's safe zone. The early efficacy of the hip joint was evaluated by using the modified Harris score and joint range of motion.Results:All patients were followed up for 6 to 12 months, with an average of 8 months. All the surgical incisions of the patients achieved primary healing. Postoperative comparisons showed no statistically significant differences in acetabular abduction angle (39.5°±3.3° vs. 38.4°±7.3°) or anteversion angle (20.7°±1.6° vs. 19.7°±1.6°) between rTHA and mTHA groups ( P>0.05). However, pelvic tilt angle [2.5° (1.1°, 3.6°) vs. 3.5° (2.3°, 5.9°)] showed a statistically significant difference ( U=4.371, P=0.008). The rTHA group exhibited smaller absolute LLD [0.2 (0.1, 0.4) cm vs. 0.5 (0.2, 0.5) cm] and lower proportions of LLD >0.5 cm [14% (6/44) vs. 49% (38/78)] and >1 cm [2% (1/44) vs. 18% (14/78)], with statistical significance ( P<0.05). The rTHA group had a lower outlier rate for acetabular abduction angle (<30°or >45°) compared to the mTHA group [2% (1/44) vs. 33% (26/78)], with statistical significance (χ 2=10.388, P<0.001). Taking the Callanan safety zone as the standard, the proportion of acetabular cups within the safe zone was significantly higher in the rTHA group (98%, 43/44) compared to the mTHA group (67%, 52/78), with a statistically significant difference (χ 2=13.998, P<0.001). The modified Harris score and hip joint range of motion in the mTHA group increased from 47.6±6.6 points and 83° (73°, 88°) before the operation to 83.5±11.2 points and 118° (110°, 122°) at the last follow-up, respectively. The rTHA group increased from 46.5±9.2 points and 79° (71°, 90°) before the operation to 85.0±12.5 points and 124° (116°, 130°) at the last follow-up. The differences in the modified Harris score and hip joint range of motion between the two groups before the operation and at the last follow-up were statistically significant ( P<0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). No THA-related complications occurred during follow-up period. Conclusion:For patients with end-stage hip joint diseases with coronal tilt exceeding 3°, robotic-assisted technology significantly improves the accuracy of acetabular component placement during THA and offers better control of postoperative LLD.

This study aims to investigate the potential effect of the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix on hypercholesterolemia in mice that was induced by a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet and explore its possible mechanism from bile acid reabsorption. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into the following groups: control, model, low-and high-dose(4 and 8 g·kg~(-1), respectively) fresh Rehmanniae Radix, and positive drug(simvastatin, 0.05 g·kg~(-1)). Other groups except the control group were fed with a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet for 6 consecutive weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia. From the 6th week, mice were administrated with corresponding drugs daily via gavage for additional 6 weeks, while continuing to be fed with a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet. Serum levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-c), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-c), and total bile acid(TBA), as well as liver TC and TG levels and fecal TBA level, were determined by commercial assay kits. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, oil red O staining, and transmission electron microscopy were performed to observe the pathological changes in the liver. Three livers samples were randomly selected from each of the control, model, and high-dose fresh Rehmanniae Radix groups for high-throughput transcriptome sequencing. Differentially expressed genes were mined and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed to predict the key pathways and target genes of the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. RT-qPCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase(CYP7A1) and cholesterol 27α-hydroxylase(CYP27A1) in the liver. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of CYP7A1 and CYP27A1 in the liver as well as farnesoid X receptor(FXR), apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter(ASBT), and ileum bile acid-binding protein(I-BABP) in the ileum. The results showed that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix significantly lowered the levels of TC and TG in the serum and liver, as well as the level of LDL-c in the serum. Conversely, it elevated the level of HDL-c in the serum and TBA in feces. No significant difference was observed in the level of TBA in the serum among groups. HE staining, oil red O staining, and transmission electron microscopy showed that the water extract reduced the accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver. Further mechanism studies revealed that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix significantly down-regulated the protein levels of FXR and bile acid reabsorption-related proteins ASBT and I-BABP. Additionally, it enhanced CYP7A1 and CYP27A1, the key enzymes involved in bile acid synthesis. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix may exert an anti-hypercholesterolemic effect by regulating FXR/ASBT/I-BABP signaling, inhibiting bile acid reabsorption, and increasing bile acid excretion, thus facilitating the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids.
Animals ; Male ; Bile Acids and Salts/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects* ; Cholesterol/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Hypercholesterolemia/genetics* ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/genetics* ; Rehmannia/chemistry* ; Liver/drug effects* ; Humans ; Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase/genetics* ; Plant Extracts

BACKGROUND: Disease-modifying therapies have been approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The present study aims to examine the safety of teriflunomide in Chinese patients with RMS. METHODS: This non-randomized, multi-center, 24-week, prospective study enrolled RMS patients with variant (c.421C>A) or wild type ABCG2 who received once-daily oral teriflunomide 14 mg. The primary endpoint was the relationship between ABCG2 polymorphisms and teriflunomide exposure over 24 weeks. Safety was assessed over the 24-week treatment with teriflunomide. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients were assigned to variant ( n  = 42) and wild type groups ( n  = 40), respectively. Geometric mean and geometric standard deviation (SD) of pre-dose concentration (variant, 54.9 [38.0] μg/mL; wild type, 49.1 [32.0] μg/mL) and area under plasma concentration-time curve over a dosing interval (AUC tau ) (variant, 1731.3 [769.0] μg∙h/mL; wild type, 1564.5 [1053.0] μg∙h/mL) values at steady state were approximately similar between the two groups. Safety profile was similar and well tolerated across variant and wild type groups in terms of rates of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAE), treatment-related TEAE, grade ≥3 TEAE, and serious adverse events (AEs). No new specific safety concerns or deaths were reported in the study. CONCLUSION: ABCG2 polymorphisms did not affect the steady-state exposure of teriflunomide, suggesting a similar efficacy and safety profile between variant and wild type RMS patients. REGISTRATION NCT04410965, https://clinicaltrials.gov .
Humans ; Crotonates/adverse effects* ; Toluidines/adverse effects* ; Nitriles ; Hydroxybutyrates ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting/genetics* ; Prospective Studies ; Young Adult ; Neoplasm Proteins/genetics* ; East Asian People

OBJECTIVE: Humans are exposed to complex mixtures of environmental chemicals and other factors that can affect their health. Analysis of these mixture exposures presents several key challenges for environmental epidemiology and risk assessment, including high dimensionality, correlated exposure, and subtle individual effects. METHODS: We proposed a novel statistical approach, the generalized functional linear model (GFLM), to analyze the health effects of exposure mixtures. GFLM treats the effect of mixture exposures as a smooth function by reordering exposures based on specific mechanisms and capturing internal correlations to provide a meaningful estimation and interpretation. The robustness and efficiency was evaluated under various scenarios through extensive simulation studies. RESULTS: We applied the GFLM to two datasets from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). In the first application, we examined the effects of 37 nutrients on BMI (2011-2016 cycles). The GFLM identified a significant mixture effect, with fiber and fat emerging as the nutrients with the greatest negative and positive effects on BMI, respectively. For the second application, we investigated the association between four pre- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and gout risk (2007-2018 cycles). Unlike traditional methods, the GFLM indicated no significant association, demonstrating its robustness to multicollinearity. CONCLUSION GFLM framework is a powerful tool for mixture exposure analysis, offering improved handling of correlated exposures and interpretable results. It demonstrates robust performance across various scenarios and real-world applications, advancing our understanding of complex environmental exposures and their health impacts on environmental epidemiology and toxicology.
Humans ; Environmental Exposure/analysis* ; Linear Models ; Nutrition Surveys ; Environmental Pollutants ; Body Mass Index

Objective To compare the positioning errors and the motion of acromioclavicular joint in breast cancer patients with integrated cervicothoracic thermoplastic membrane and breast bracket fixation,and to provide reference for accurate irradiation of upper and lower clavicular region.Methods Sixty-three pa-tients with breast cancer who were treated in the radiotherapy center of the hospital from November 1,2021 to August 9,2023 were selected as the study objects,and were divided into the integrated cervicothoracic thermo-plastic membrane group(n=32)and breast bracket group(n=31)according to different positioning meth-ods.The translation errors of left and right direction(X),head and foot direction(Y)and ventral and dorsal direction(Z)and the rotation errors of sagittal plane(Rx),cross section(Ry)and coronal plane(Rz)of the two groups were analyzed,and the movement amplitude and three-dimensional displacement of acromioclavic-ular joint were measured respectively.Results Compared with the breast bracket group,X translation errors[(0.18±0.14)cm vs.(0.15±0.12)cm]and Z translation errors[(0.19±0.14)cm vs.(0.16±0.14)cm]of the cervicothoracic thermoplastic memberane group were greater,Z translation error[(0.21±0.17)cm vs.(0.22±0.21)cm]and Rx rotation error of cervical and sternoclavicular joints[(0.93±0.87)° vs.(1.08±0.92)°]were smaller,Rz rotation error[(1.00±0.94)° vs.(0.95±0.86)°]was greater,and the motion ΔX of acromioclavicular joint[(0.18±0.15)cm vs.(0.25±0.21)cm]was smaller,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Integrated cervicothoracic thermoplastic membrane can be used as a solu-tion for prophylactic irradiation of breast cancer in the upper and lower clavicular region and for radiation leak-age in the presence of metastasis.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of ultra-high field 5.0T MRI combined with histogram analysis for diagnosing prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.Materials and Methods This retrospective analysis included data from 63 patients with prostatic diseases at the Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital from January to May 2024,comprising 31 cases of prostate cancer and 32 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia.MRI sequences included T2WI,T1WI,diffusion-weighted imaging,intravoxel incoherent motion and T2 mapping.Histogram data of apparent diffusion coefficient,true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,perfusion fraction and T2 relaxation time were calculated,and diagnostic efficacy was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.Results In prostate cancer,the 10th percentile,the 90th percentile,mean,median,and minimum values of histogram parameters from apparent diffusion coefficient,true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,perfusion fraction and T2 mapping were significantly lower than those of benign prostatic hyperplasia(Z=-6.036--3.368,all P<0.05).Notably,the combined model of apparent diffusion coefficient,intravoxel incoherent motion and T2 mapping parameters achieved an the area under the curve of 0.987,with sensitivity and specificity of 96.77%and 96.87%,respectively.Conclusion This study confirms that 5.0T MRI histogram analysis technique demonstrates significant diagnostic efficacy in differentiating prostate cancer from benign prostatic hyperplasia.