[Objective] To investigate the factors associated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) abnormalities in multi-ethnic blood donors across five Zang autonomous prefectures in the plateau regions of Qinghai Province, and to provide evidence for ensuring blood safety and formulating screening strategies. [Methods] A retrospective analysis was performed on the ALT abnormal test results of blood donors in the Zang autonomous prefectures of Qinghai from 2022 to 2024. The correlations between ALT levels and factors including gender, age, altitude, and infectious markers were investigated. [Results] The overall ALT unqualified rate among blood donors in this region was 9.01%. Significant differences in ALT levels were observed across genders and age groups (P<0.05). Variations in ALT abnormality rates were also noted among different plateau regions (P<0.05). Overall, ALT values exhibited an increasing trend with rising altitude. The average ALT unqualified rates were 11.19% in Zang donors, 7.96% in Han donors, and 4.79% in donors from other ethnic groups (P<0.05). No statistically significant association was observed between ALT abnormality and the presence of HBV/HCV infectious markers (P>0.05). [Conclusion] In the plateau areas of Qinghai, multi-ethnic blood donors have a relatively high ALT levels and ALT unqualified rates, showing distinct regional characteristics. ALT elevation in voluntary blood donors is related to non-pathological factors such as gender, age, and dietary habits, but not to infectious indicators.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of systemic thrombolysis(ST)and standard anticoagulation(SA)in the treatment of lower extremity fracture complicated with distal deep vein thrombosis(DDVT).Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 60 patients with lower extremity fracture complicated with DDVT treated from January 2021 to December 2023.When the lower limb venography indicated a calf thrombus burden score ≥3 points,a retrievable inferior vena cava filter(IVCF)was successfully placed in the healthy femoral vein before orthopedic surgery.The patients who received further anticoagulant or thrombolytic therapy after surgery were allocated into a ST group(n=30,urokinase ST and SA)and a SA group(n=30,only SA).The two groups were compared in terms of calf thrombus burden score,thrombus dissolution rate,IVCF placement time,IVCF retrieval rate,intercepted thrombi,hemoglobin level,platelet count,D-dimer level,and complications.Results There was no statistically significant difference in the calf thrombus burden score between the two groups before treatment(P=0.431).However,after treatment,the scores in both groups decreased(both P<0.001),with the ST group showing lower score than the SA group(P=0.002).The thrombus dissolution rate in the ST group was higher than that in the SA group(P<0.001).There was no statistically significant difference in the IVCF placement time between the two groups(P=0.359),and the IVCF retrieval rate was 100% in both groups.The ST group had fewer intercepted thrombi than the SA group(P=0.002).There was no statistically significant difference in hemoglobin level(P=0.238),platelet count(P=0.914),or D-dimer level(P=0.756)between the two groups before treatment.However,after treatment,both groups showed an increase in platelet count(both P<0.001)and a decrease in D-dimer level(both P<0.001).There was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of complications between the two groups(P=0.704).Conclusions Both SA and ST demonstrate safety and efficacy in the treatment of lower extremity fractures complicated with DDVT,serving as valuable options for clinical application.Compared with SA,ST not only enhances the thrombus dissolution in the calf but also mitigates the risk of thrombosis associated with IVCF.
Humans ; Venous Thrombosis/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Thrombolytic Therapy/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Fractures, Bone/complications* ; Lower Extremity/injuries* ; Anticoagulants/therapeutic use* ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between acupuncture during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) and the live birth rate (LBR) using different propensity score methods. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, eligible women who underwent a COH were divided into acupuncture and non-acupuncture groups. The primary outcome was LBR, as determined by propensity score matching (PSM). LBR was defined as the delivery of one or more living infants that reached a gestational age over 28 weeks after embryo transfer. The propensity score model encompassed 16 confounding variables. To validate the results, sensitivity analyses were conducted using three additional propensity score methods: propensity score adjustment, inverse probability weighting (IPW), and IPW with a "doubly robust" estimator. RESULTS: The primary cohort encompassed 9751 patients (1830 [18.76%] in the acupuncture group and 7921 [81.23%] in the non-acupuncture group). Following 1:1 PSM, a higher LBR was found in the acupuncture cohort (41.4% [755/1824] vs 36.4% [664/1824], with an odds ratio of 1.23 [95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.41]). Three additional propensity score methods produced essentially similar results. The risk of serious adverse events did not significantly differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION This retrospective study revealed an association between acupuncture and an increased LBR among patients undergoing COH, and that acupuncture is a safe and valuable treatment option. Please cite this article as: Zheng XY, Jiang ZY, Li YT, Li CL, Zhu H, Yu Z, Yu SY, Yang LL, Tang SY, Lü XY, Liang FR, Yang J. Association between acupuncture and live birth rates after fresh embryo transfer: A cohort study based on different propensity score methods. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):528-536.
Humans ; Female ; Propensity Score ; Embryo Transfer ; Adult ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Pregnancy ; Live Birth ; Birth Rate ; Cohort Studies

In this study, araucarene diterpenes, characterized by a pimarene skeleton with a variably oxidized side chain at C-13, were investigated. A total of 16 araucarene diterpenoids and their derivatives were isolated from the woods of Agathis dammara, including 11 previously unreported compounds: dammaradione (1), dammarones D-G (2, 5, 14, 15), dammaric acids B-F (8-12), and dammarol (16). The structures of these new compounds were elucidated using high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (HR-ESI-MS) and one-dimensional/two-dimensional (1D/2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), while their absolute configurations were determined through the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) exciton chirality method and Snatzke's method. The hypoglycemic activity of all isolated compounds was evaluated using a transgenic zebrafish model, and a structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis was conducted. Araucarone (3) and dammaric acid C (9), serving as representative compounds, demonstrated significant hypoglycemic effects on zebrafish. The primary mechanism involves the promotion of pancreatic β cell regeneration and glucose uptake. Specifically, these compounds enhance the differentiation of pancreatic endocrine precursor cells (PEP cells) into β cells in zebrafish.
Zebrafish ; Animals ; Diterpenes/isolation & purification* ; Insulin-Secreting Cells/cytology* ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Hypoglycemic Agents/isolation & purification* ; Molecular Structure ; Structure-Activity Relationship ; Plant Extracts/pharmacology* ; Regeneration/drug effects*

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the impact of glycemic control and diabetes duration on subsequent myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with both coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 33,238 patients with both CHD and T2D in Shenzhen, China. Patients were categorized into 6 groups based on baseline fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels and diabetes duration (from the date of diabetes diagnosis to the baseline date) to examine their combined effects on subsequent MI. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used, with further stratification by age, sex, and comorbidities to assess potential interactions. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 2.4 years, 2,110 patients experienced MI. Compared to those with optimal glycemic control (FPG < 6.1 mmol/L) and shorter diabetes duration (< 10 years), the fully-adjusted hazard ratio ( HR) (95% Confidence Interval [95% CI]) for those with a diabetes duration of ≥ 10 years and FPG > 8.0 mmol/L was 1.93 (95% CI: 1.59, 2.36). The combined effects of FPG and diabetes duration on MI were largely similar across different age, sex, and comorbidity groups, although the excess risk of MI associated with long-term diabetes appeared to be more pronounced among those with atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSION Our study indicates that glycemic control and diabetes duration significant influence the subsequent occurrence of MI in patients with both CHD and T2D. Tailored management strategies emphasizing strict glycemic control may be particularly beneficial for patients with longer diabetes duration and atrial fibrillation.
Humans ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Coronary Disease/complications* ; Myocardial Infarction/etiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; China/epidemiology* ; Glycemic Control ; Blood Glucose ; Adult ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors

Background: s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs. Results: Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment. Conclusions We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.

High mobility group box protein 1(HMGB1)is one of the most widely expressed protein member in the HMGs family,which is well known for its involvement in the body inflammatory response.Previous researches have found that it plays a significant role in cell migration,immune identification and neuroprotection.Spinal cord injury is a disease that causes severe damage to the nervous system,and neural circuits are disrupted after a spinal cord injury,which leads to many conditions including ischemia and hypoxia,inflammatory responses,demyelinating lesions,and glial scar formation that are detrimental to nerve regeneration and repair,making it one of the most difficult diseases to treat in the modern spinal surgery field.HMGB1 is upregulated after spinal cord injury,thereby regulating neuroinflam-matory responses,and participating in the neuronal apoptosis,promoting neuronal regeneration,and inducing neural stem cell differentiation and migration,which plays an important role in the process of neural function recovery.This paper summarizes the structure and function of HMGB1,as well as its role in spinal cord injury,in order to provide direction for founding therapeutic target for neurological function recovery after spinal cord injury.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor(sCD25)and insulin-like growth factor-Ⅰ(IGF-Ⅰ)and the immunophenotype and therapeutic efficacy of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma(MM)patients.Methods:125 newly diagnosed MM patients(MM group)who received treatment at Tianmen First People's Hospital from January 2023 to June 2024 were selected,and another 70 healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations at our hospital during the same period were selected(control group).The serum sCD25 and IGF-Ⅰ levels in newly diagnosed MM patients of different stages were compared,and newly diagnosed MM patients were divide into remission group(76 cases)and non remission group(49 cases)based on treatment efficacy,the serum sCD25 and IGF-Ⅰ levels between the remission group and non remission group were compared.The patients were divided into high sCD25 group and low sCD25 group,high IGF-Ⅰ group and low IGF-Ⅰgroup according to the median levels of serum sCD25 and IGF-Ⅰ,the immunophenotypic differences between high sCD25 group and low sCD25 group,as well as high IGF-Ⅰ group and low IGF-Ⅰ group were analyzed.Serum sCD25 and IGF-Ⅰ for evaluating the efficacy of newly diagnosed MM patients were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Factors affecting the therapeutic effect of newly diagnosed MM patients were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results:Serum sCD25 and IGF-Ⅰ levels in the control group were significantly lower than those in the MM group(P＜0.05).There was a statistically significant difference in serum sCD25 and IGF-Ⅰ levels among newly diagnosed MM patients at different stages(P＜0.05).Serum sCD25 and IGF-Ⅰ levels in stage Ⅲ newly diagnosed MM patients were significantly higher than those in stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ(P＜0.05),And stage Ⅱ was higher than that in stage Ⅰ(P＜0.05).The positive expression rate of CD56 in the high sCD25 group was higher than that in the low sCD25 group,there was no significant difference in the positive expression rates of CD117 and CD200 between the two groups(P＞0.05).The positive expression rates of CD56 and CD117 in the high IGF-Ⅰ group were higher than those in the low IGF-Ⅰ group(P＜0.05),and there was no significant difference in the positive expression rate of CD200 between the two groups(P＞0.05).Serum sCD25 and IGF-Ⅰ levels in the remission group were significantly lower than those in the non remission group(P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that,the area under the curve(AUC)for evaluating the efficacy of newly diagnosed MM patients using serum sCD25 and IGF-Ⅰ detection alone and in combination were 0.748,0.775 and 0.832,respectively,and the AUC for combined detection was greater than that for each indicator detected separately.The results of multivariate Logistic regression model showed that elevated serum sCD25 level,elevated serum IGF-Ⅰ level and MM stage Ⅲ were independent risk factors affecting the efficacy of newly diagnosed MM patients(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Serum sCD25 and IGF-Ⅰ levels are closely related to the disease stage and therapeutic efficacy of newly diagnosed MM patients.Combined detection has a high evaluation value for efficacy and can be used as an important evaluation index affecting efficacy.

Objective:To investigate the impact of fresh and frozen-thawed embryo transfer on pregnancy outcomes in patients with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) at an advanced age.Methods:Using a retrospective cohort study design, we enrolled elderly women with DOR who underwent their first in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) treatment at Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital between January 2018 and December 2022. Patients were grouped according to the cycle type of their first embryo transfer: a fresh cycle transfer group (group A, n=563) and a frozen-thawed cycle transfer group (group B, n=234). Propensity score matching (PSM, 1∶1) was used to match the baseline characteristics and embryo transfer information of the two groups, resulting in 184 patients in each group. The impact of fresh versus frozen-thawed embryo transfer on reproductive outcomes in elderly DOR patients was analyzed. Results:1) There were no statistically significant differences in general data, ovarian stimulation, and laboratory parameters of embryos between the two groups after PSM (all P>0.05). 2) The clinical pregnancy rate [23.91% (44/184)], the implantation rate [16.55% (48/290)], the ongoing pregnancy rate [16.85% (31/184)], and the live birth rate [16.30% (30/184)] in group A were significantly higher than those in group B [14.67% (27/184), P=0.025; 10.27% (30/292), P=0.026; 9.78% (18/184), P=0.046; 9.24% (17/184), P=0.042], with statistically significant differences. There were no statistically significant differences in miscarriage rate, multiple pregnancy rate, preterm birth rate, gestational age at delivery, and neonatal birth weight between the two groups (all P>0.05). 3) After controlling for confounding factors, frozen-thawed embryo transfer, female age, and the number of transferred quality embryos were independent factors influencing clinical pregnancy ( OR=0.486, 95% CI: 0.275-0.858, P=0.013; OR=0.761, 95% CI: 0.686-0.844, P<0.001; transferring one high-quality embryo OR=5.213, 95% CI: 1.501-18.105, P=0.009; transferring two high-quality embryos OR=8.144, 95% CI: 2.072-32.009, P=0.003) and live birth ( OR=0.468, 95% CI: 0.240-0.916, P=0.027; OR=0.733, 95% CI: 0.645-0.834, P<0.001; transferring one high-quality embryo OR=5.457, 95% CI: 1.218-24.448, P=0.027; transferring two high-quality embryos OR=5.900, 95% CI: 1.132-30.754, P=0.035). 4) After controlling for confounding factors, in transfer cycles of patients older than 40 years, the clinical pregnancy rate in group A [14.46% (12/83)] was significantly higher than that in group B [4.88% (4/82)], with a statistically significant difference ( OR=0.285, 95% CI: 0.086-0.946, P=0.040). In single cleavage-stage embryo transfer cycles, the clinical pregnancy rate [21.79% (17/78)] and the live birth rate [16.67% (13/78)] in group A were significantly higher than those in group B [9.21% (7/76), OR=0.311, 95% CI: 0.113-0.857, P=0.024; 6.58% (5/76), OR=0.468, 95% CI: 0.24-0.916, P=0.027], with both statistically significant differences. In cycles with transfer of only one high-quality embryo, the clinical pregnancy rate [27.66% (26/94)] and the live birth rate [20.21% (19/94)] in group A were significantly higher than those in group B [13.54% (13/96), OR=0.347, 95% CI: 0.157-0.765, P=0.009; 10.42% (10/96), OR=0.407, 95% CI: 0.171-0.968, P=0.042], with both statistically significant differences. Conclusion:Fresh cycle embryo transfer can achieve better reproductive outcomes in elderly women with DOR, especially in patients older than 40 years, in single cleavage-stage embryo transfer cycles, or when only one high-quality embryo is available. Fresh cycle embryo transfer should be prioritized in these situations.

A quadruplex RT-qPCR method was developed for rapid identification and diagnosis of transmissible gastroenteritis virus(TGEV)of swine,porcine epidemic diarrhea virus(PEDV),porcine deltacorona virus(PDCoV),and porcine rotavirus type A(PoRVA).The full-length sequences of PEDV(77 strains),TGEV(63 strains),PDCoV(17 strains)that are prevalent in China,as well as the 85 VP6 gene sequences of PoRVA,were downloaded from the NCBI database for homology analysis.Based on the relatively conserved sequences,the corresponding primers and probes for each virus were designed and used to establish the quadruplex RT-qPCR method.After optimization of the probes and the reaction conditions,the specificity,sensitivity,and repeatability were determined.Using the established method,109 clinical samples of diarrhea were tested and further compared with the results by standard method.The results showed that the quadruplex RT-qPCR method established in this experiment has good amplification effect,with the C,value linearly correlated with the copies of templates(R2＞0.99).Specificity assay demonstrated that the quadruplex RT-qPCR method can identify TGEV,PEDV,PDCoV,PRoVA strains,and do not de-tect African swine fever virus(ASFV),porcine circovirus type 2(PCV2),porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus(PRRSV),classical swine fever virus(CSFV),pseudorabies virus(PRV)and other epidemic viruses.Sensitivity assay showed that the detection limits for TGEV,PEDV,PDCoV and PoRVA were 10,20,20 and 50 copies/μL,respectively.The method exhibits excellent reproducibility,with coefficients of variation(Cv)for both intra-and inter-assay repli-cates being less than 1％.Detection of 109 samples of diarrhea by this method yielded the coinci-dence rate of 100％with the industry standard,indicating high practical applicability.The devel-oped method possesses the advantages of strong strain compatibility,high sensitivity,strong speci-ficity,good repeatability and stability.It is suitable for virus diagnosis and large-scale clinical sam-ple testing,providing technical support for disease prevention and control as well as epidemiologi-cal investigation.