ObjectiveTo explore the molecular mechanism of aerobic exercise to improve hippocampal neuronal degeneration by regulating tryptophan metabolic pathway. Methods60 SPF-grade C57BL/6J male mice were divided into a young group (2 months old, n=30) and a senile group (12 months old, n=30), and each group was further divided into a control group (C/A group, n=15) and an exercise group (CE/AE group, n=15). An aerobic exercise program was used for 8 weeks. Learning memory ability was assessed by Y-maze, and anxiety-depression-like behavior was detected by absent field experiment. Hippocampal Trp levels were measured by GC-MS. Nissl staining was used to observe the number and morphology of hippocampal neurons, and electron microscopy was used to detect synaptic ultrastructure. ELISA was used to detect the levels of hippocampal Trp,5-HT, Kyn, KATs, KYNA, KMO, and QUIN; Western blot was used to analyze the activities of TPH2, IDO1, and TDO enzymes. ResultsGroup A mice showed significant decrease in learning and memory ability (P<0.05) and increase in anxiety and depressive behaviors (P<0.05); all of AE group showed significant improvement (P<0.05). Hippocampal Trp levels decreased in group A (P<0.05) and increased in AE group (P<0.05). Nidus vesicles were reduced and synaptic structures were degraded in group A (P<0.05), and both were significantly improved in group AE (P<0.05). The levels of Trp, 5-HT, KATs, and KYNA were decreased (P<0.05) and the levels of Kyn, KMO, and QUIN were increased (P<0.05) in group A. The activity of TPH2 was decreased (P<0.05), and the activities of IDO1 and TDO were increased (P<0.05). The AE group showed the opposite trend. ConclusionThe aging process significantly reduces the learning memory ability and increases the anxiety-depression-like behavior of mice, and leads to the reduction of the number of nidus vesicles and degenerative changes of synaptic structure in the hippocampus, whereas aerobic exercise not only effectively enhances the spatial learning memory ability and alleviates the anxiety-depression-like behavior of aging mice, but also improves the morphology and structure of neurons in hippocampal area, which may be achieved by the mechanism of regulating the tryptophan metabolic pathway.

PURPOSE: To investigate the incidence and influencing factors of bone loss in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was conducted. Patients with SCI in our hospital from January 2019 to March 2023 were collected. According to the correlation between bone mineral density (BMD) at different sites, the patients were divided into the lumbar spine group and the hip joint group. According to the BMD value, the patients were divided into the normal bone mass group (t > -1.0 standard deviation) and the osteopenia group (t ≤ -1.0 standard deviation). The influencing factors accumulated as follows: gender, age, height, weight, cause of injury, injury segment, injury degree, time after injury, start time of rehabilitation, motor score, sensory score, spasticity, serum value of alkaline phosphatase, calcium, and phosphorus. The trend chart was drawn and the influencing factors were analyzed. SPSS 26.0 was used for statistical analysis. Correlation analysis was used to test the correlation between the BMD values of the lumbar spine and bilateral hips. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of osteoporosis after SCI. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The incidence of bone loss in patients with SCI was 66.3%. There was a low concordance between bone loss in the lumbar spine and the hip, and the hip was particularly susceptible to bone loss after SCI, with an upward trend in incidence (36% - 82%). In this study, patients with SCI were divided into the lumbar spine group (n = 100) and the hip group (n = 185) according to the BMD values of different sites. Then, the lumbar spine group was divided into the normal bone mass group (n = 53) and the osteopenia group (n = 47); the hip joint group was divided into the normal bone mass group (n = 83) and the osteopenia group (n = 102). Of these, lumbar bone loss after SCI is correlated with gender and weight (p = 0.032 and < 0.001, respectively), and hip bone loss is correlated with gender, height, weight, and time since injury (p < 0.001, p = 0.015, 0.009, and 0.012, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The incidence of bone loss after SCI was high, especially in the hip. The incidence and influencing factors of bone loss in the lumbar spine and hip were different. Patients with SCI who are male, low height, lightweight, and long time after injury were more likely to have bone loss.
Humans ; Spinal Cord Injuries/complications* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Incidence ; Adult ; Bone Density ; Middle Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Osteoporosis/etiology* ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic/etiology* ; Aged ; Risk Factors

Objective:To investigate the relationship between symptoms of vertigo and vestibular functions and short-term hearing outcomes in patients with flat descending sudden sensorineural hearing loss （SSNHL）. Methods:A retrospective review was conducted of the vestibular symptoms observed in 48 patients with unilateral flat-down sudden sensorineural hearing loss treated at the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Symptoms of vertigo and the results of cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials （cVEMP）, ocular VEMP （oVEMP）, caloric test and video head-impulse test （vHIT） were collected to determine whether these factors could predict therapeutic efficacy. Results:The symptoms of vertigo was not correlated with prognosis （P>0.05） or with abnormal vestibular functions （P>0.05）. Patients with abnormal cVEMP, oVEMP, caloric test or vHIT showed significantly lower effective rates （32.0%, 44.0%, 32.0%, and 24.0%, respectively）; the greater the number of abnormal tests, the poorer the outcome. Patients with all four tests abnormal gained only （3.13±15.97） dB HL in hearing recovery, whereas those with normal cVEMP, oVEMP, caloric test or vHIT showed better chances of hearing improvements by （29.22±20.31）, （31.18±21.59）, （26.17±21.31）, and （26.38±24.05） dB HL, respectively. Conclusion:Vestibular function effectively predicts prognosis in flat descending SSNHL. Patients with abnormal vestibular tests, regardless of symptoms of vertigo, responded poorly to treatment, whereas those with normal cVEMP, oVEMP, caloric test and vHIT results achieved better hearing recovery. Abnormal vestibular function implies more extensive and severe inner-ear lesions in patients with SSNHL.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Vertigo/diagnosis* ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/diagnosis* ; Young Adult ; Hearing Loss, Sudden/diagnosis* ; Adolescent ; Aged ; Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials

Objective: To predict and screen potential biomarkers of systemic lupus eythematosus(SLE) based on machine learning algorithms and structural biology, and to reveal their mechanisms of action and to provide new targets for disease diagnosis and treatment. Methods: Four machine learning algorithms, random forest(RF), eXtreme gradient boosting(XGBoost), support vector machine(SVM), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO), were used to analyze the gene expression data of SLE patients in GEO(datasets: GSE121239 and GSE11907) to analyze the gene expression data of SLE patients and screen key markers. Peripheral blood single nucleated cells(PBMCs) from SLE patients were collected and RT-qPCR was used to detect differential gene expression levels. Subsequently, GSEA enrichment analysis was used to identify biomarker-related pathways. CIBERSORT immune infiltration analysis and protein interactions network were applied to calculate the sample immune cell infiltration abundance. Single-cell data were analyzed for gene expression specificity in immune cells. Interaction relationships in combination with AlphaFold3(AF3) were predicted. Results: Multiple algorithms were screened together to identify the unique marker gene HERC5 , and expression analysis of multiple datasets showed that HERC5 was highly expressed in SLE compared to the normal group (P < 0. 05) , and RT⁃qPCR verified the same trend (P = 0. 006 2) . Functional enrichment analysis identified the major pathway promoted by HERC5 in SLE as the interferon receptor signalling pathway (P < 0. 05) . Immune infiltration analysis showed that HERC5 was closely associated with immune cells (Neutrophils : r = 0. 39 , P < 0. 05 ; Memory B cells : r = 0. 33 , P < 0. 05 ; Activated dendritic cell : r = 0. 52 , P < 0. 05) . Most HERC5 ⁃related interacting proteins were associated with SLE ,and potential transcription factors of HERC5 and its related genes were also significantly associated with immune responses. Conclusion The HERC5 gene is an important biomarker for SLE , which upregulates the interferon pathway to promote SLE progression and provides a new target for SLE diagnosis and treatment.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of acupuncture combined with Du-Moxibustion (ADM) on peripheral blood cell count and levels of immune factors in patients with occupational chronic benzene poisoning. Methods A total of 70 patients with occupational chronic benzene poisoning (leukopenia and neutropenia) were selected as the research subjects by judgement sampling method. They were randomly divided into a control group and an ADM group using a random number table method, with 35 cases in each group. Patients in the control group were treated with conventional Western medicine such as leukocyte boosting and symptomatic treatment. While patients in the ADM group were treated with ADM treatment in addition to treatments of the control group, once per week for five consecutive weeks. Peripheral blood samples of patients were collected before and after treatment from both groups, to detect cell counts and serum levels of immune factors. Results The white blood cell count, red blood cell count, absolute lymphocyte count, absolute neutrophil count, platelet count, and levels of hemoglobin, immunoglobulins (Ig) A, IgM, IgG, complement C3 and complement C4 of patients in both groups improved after treatment compared with those before treatment (all P<0.05). The white blood cell count, levels of IgA, IgM, IgG, complement C3 and complement C4 of patients in the ADM group were higher than those in the control group after treatment (all P<0.05). Conclusion ADM treatment can increase peripheral blood white blood cells and serum levels of immune factor in patients with occupational chronic benzene poisoning (leukopenia, neutropenia), which helps improve patient recovery and can be promoted clinically.

CD200 and its receptor CD200R constitute an endogenous inhibitory signal. The binding of CD200 and CD200R can regulate the immune response to pathogenic stimuli, which has received much attention in recent years. It has been found that CD200-CD200R is involved in the regulation of many kinds of pathological inflammation, including autoimmune diseases, cardiac cerebrovascular disease, infection and tumor. This paper reviews the protein structure, distribution, expression, biological function of CD200-CD200R and the correlation with diseases, and analyses the current status and development ideas of CD200-CD200R as drug targets. It aims to provide theoretical support for new drug research and development based on this target.

Objective To report the clinical and imaging characteristics of a case with the clinical manifestation of multiple lung and liver nodules,diagnosed as IgG4-related hepatic inflammatory pseudotumor(HIPT)complicated by hepatic tissue-infection,and review the literature in order to facilitate clinical diagnosis and differential identification of IgG4-related HIPT.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of a patient with IgG4-related disease(IgG4-RD)characterized by multiple lung and liver nodules.A literature review was performed by searching Chinese and English databases to summarize the clinical and imaging characteristics of IgG4-related HIPT and hepatic tissue infection.Results The case involved a 64-year-old female admitted to the Rheumatology and Immunology Department of the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital due to"poor appetite and fatigue for over a year,and dry cough for four months".She presented with multiple nodules in the lungs and liver,without involvement of the eyelids,salivary glands,submandibular glands,or pancreas.Laboratory test results revealed elevated serum IgG4 levels at 14.1 g/L and C-reactive protein(CRP)at 82.1 mg/L.Pulmonary CT scans indicated multiple solid nodules in both lungs with clear boundaries.Abdominal contrast-enhanced MRI revealed a nodule in liver segment S7 with a pseudocapsule around it,clear boundaries,and uniform enhancement;another nodule in liver segment S5 with blurred boundaries and ring enhancement.The final diagnosis of the liver nodules was confirmed by pathological and metagenomic sequencing to be an IgG4-related HIPT in segment S7 and hepatic tissue infection in segment S5.After a full course of anti-infection and treatment with methylprednisolone and leflunomide,follow-up imaging showed near-complete resolution of the lung and liver nodules.Literatures were searched in China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Wanfang,and PubMed databases(up to September 2023),and no case of IgG4-RD complicated with both liver involvement and infection was found.A total of 26 cases of IgG4-RD involving the liver have been reported so far,predominantly in males(92.3%),with an average age of 51 years.Most patients presented with abnormal liver function as the initial symptom,with normal blood inflammatory markers.Imaging typically shows a single nodule in 88.5%of cases,with clear boundaries and uniform enhancement,as well as ring enhancement.Concurrent involvement of the pancreas and biliary tract is common.Pathology is the gold standard for confirming the disease.Conclusions This case reports coexistence of IgG4-related HIPT and infection within multiple hepatic nodules.In the diagnosis and treatment of patients with IgG4-RD presenting with multiple hepatic nodules,if the imaging characteristics of the nodules are inconsistent,it is necessary to consider the possibility of the underlying disease coexisting with other conditions,which can be easily misdiagnosed.Actively obtaining pathological tissue is crucial for aiding in the definitive diagnosis.

Objective:To explore the characteristics of anorectal motility and sensation in patients with functional anorectal pain (FAP) by high-resolution anorectal manometry (HR-ARM) .Methods:The clinical data of 81 FAP patients (FAP group) who underwent HR-ARM in Nanjing Hospital of Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from January 1, 2020 to January 31, 2022 were retrospectively collected, and 80 healthy volunteers were recruited as healthy control group during the same period. The HR-ARM characteristics were compared between FAP group and the healthy control group, between the patients with different genders in the FAP group, the patients with different subtypes (proctalgia fugax, levator syndrome, and non-specific FAP) in the FAP group, which included anal resting pressure, anal squeeze pressure, rectal pressure during simulated defecation, anal residual pressure during simulated defecation, paradoxical contractions, initial sensation threshold, defecation threshold, defecation urgency threshold, and tolerance threshold. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess the pain level of the patients in the FAP group, and Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between VAS and HR-ARM characteristics. Independent sample t-test, least significant difference test, Tamhane′s T2 test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. Results:The anal resting pressure, anal squeeze pressure, anal residual pressure during simulated defecation, defecation urgency threshold, and tolerance threshold of the FAP group were all lower than those of the healthy control group ((59.56±24.71) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) vs. (81.94±15.87) mmHg, (119.04±46.94) mmHg vs.(154.62±37.95) mmHg, 59.00(40.75, 80.95) mmHg vs. 83.10(61.78, 94.30) mmHg, 70.00(55.00, 90.00) mL vs. 85.00(60.00, 110.00) mL, 105.00(87.50, 150.00) mL vs. 140.00(100.00, 180.00) mL), and the differences were all statistically significant ( t=-6.83 and -5.29, Z=-4.12, -3.12 and -2.82; all P<0.01).The rectal pressure during simulated defecation of male patients in the FAP group was higher than that of males in the healthy control group, and the defecation urgency threshold was lower than that of males in the healthy control group (42.40(29.60, 57.95) mmHg vs. 31.10(25.85, 36.80) mmHg, 80.00(62.50, 107.50) mL vs. 92.00(81.00, 140.00) mL), and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=-1.99 and -2.53, both P<0.05). The anal resting pressure, anal squeeze pressure, anal residual pressure during simulated defecation, defecation urgency threshold, and tolerance threshold of female patients in FAP group were all lower than those of female in the healthy control group ((55.67±21.61) mmHg vs. (87.04±15.54) mmHg, (102.70±37.09) mmHg vs. (155.98±31.44) mmHg, 52.55(40.53, 67.48) mmHg vs. 83.10(61.10, 94.50) mmHg, 60.00(52.50, 81.50) mL vs. 80.00(60.00, 100.00) mL, 101.00(80.00, 128.75) mL vs. 120.00(94.00, 155.00) mL), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=-8.77 and -8.16, Z=-4.57, -2.24 and -2.14; all P<0.05). The anal resting pressure, anal squeeze pressure, anal residual pressure during simulated defecation, incidence rate of paradoxical contractions, defecation urgency threshold, and tolerance threshold of female patients in FAP group were all lower than those of male patients in FAP group ((55.67±21.61) mmHg vs. (68.28±29.16) mmHg, (102.70±37.09) mmHg vs. (155.62±46.66) mmHg, 52.55(40.53, 67.48) mmHg vs. 79.00(59.55, 99.25) mmHg, 28.6%(16/56) vs. 68.0%(17/25), 44.00(35.00, 60.00) mL vs. 60.00(45.00, 70.00) mL, 60.00(52.50, 81.50) mL vs. 80.00(62.50, 107.50) mL), and the differences were statistically significant( t=2.17 and 5.47, Z=-2.96, χ2=11.10, Z=-2.93 and -2.34; all P<0.05). The anal squeeze pressure of patients with proctalgia fugax subtype was higher than that of patients with levator syndrome subtype ((140.19±56.51) mmHg vs. (80.56±30.79) mmHg), and the tolerance threshold was lower than that of patients with non-specific FAP subtype ((87.86±17.80) mL vs. (125.14±48.31) mL), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=2.35 and 2.02, both P<0.05). The results of Spearman correlation analysis showed that VAS was negatively correlated with anal resting pressure, anal squeeze pressure, and defecation urgency threshold in the patients of the FAP group ( r= -0.28, -0.23, and -0.24; all P< 0.05). Conclusion:The presence of anorectal dismotility and sensory dysfunction in FAP may be related to pelvic floor muscle abnormalities, muscle coordination disorders during defecation, and rectal hypersensitivity.

Objective To study the safety and effectiveness of chloral hydrate in children undergoing ABR tests.Methods From December 2015 to March 2022,5 513 children under the age of 12 were selected for ABR ex-amination in West China Hospital of Sichuan University,who received chloral hydrate sedation(dose of 30 mg/kg).Data on administration method(mixed or direct),sleep deprivation(yes or no),failure performance(such asfailure to sleep,insufficient sedation,superficial sleep),adverse events(vomiting,irritability,etc.)were retrospectively analyzed.Total sedation failure rate,sedation failure rates in different age groups(≤0.5 years,0.5～3 years,3～12 years)and adverse event rate were calculated.Results Among the 5 513 ABR tests,199(3.61％)failed seda-tion.The sedation failure rates in different age groups(≤0.5 years,0.5～3 years,3～12 years)were 3.03％,4.31％and 3.11％,respectively.In the sedation failure tests,insufficient sedation was found in 81.91％of the tests.The incidence of adverse events was 10.55％,with most commonly vomiting.Conclusion The sedation fail-ure rate and the incidence of adverse events of chloral hydrate at 30 mg/kg were relatively low,thus chloral hydrate can be considered safe and effective at this dose.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.