Hepatic encephalopathy is a common and serious complication of end-stage liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis， and it is basically a neuropsychiatric syndrome resulting from metabolic disorders caused by severe acute or chronic liver dysfunction or portosystemic shunt. In clinical practice， the onset of hepatic encephalopathy does not completely correlate linearly with the level of blood ammonia and is often triggered by extrahepatic factors， suggesting the presence of complex multiorgan crosstalk in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy. Based on the four main pathogeneses of ammonia toxicity， inflammation， neurotransmitter imbalance， and oxidative/nitrosative stress， this article systematically elaborates on the mechanism of multiorgan crosstalk in hepatic encephalopathy and discusses the emerging risk factors such as sarcopenia and diabetes mellitus， in order to provide a novel theoretical framework for deepening the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of hepatic encephalopathy and formulating clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies in the future.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of Shuangshen Ningxin capsules （SSNX） in regulating the nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） and mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） pathways to inhibit inflammation and alleviate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury （MIRI） in rats. MethodsThe 45 healthy male Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were divided into sham operation group， model group， and SSNX capsules group （90 mg·kg^-1）. The left anterior descending coronary artery was ligated to establish the MIRI model. Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography， and microvascular reperfusion was analyzed using contrast echocardiography. Myocardial inflammation and injury were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining， immunohistochemistry， and TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling （TUNEL）. The expression levels of cardiac inflammatory cytokines， including interleukin-1α （IL-1α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Core differentially expressed genes （DEGs） and enriched pathways were screened by transcriptome sequencing. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to verify the mRNA expression of Toll-like receptor 2 （TLR2）， chemokine （C-X-C motif） ligand 1 （CXCL1） and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 （PTGS2）， as well as the protein expression of Caspase-3， cleaved Caspase-3， p-NF-κB/NF-κB， phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 （p-ERK1/2/ERK1/2） and p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK. ResultsCompared with the sham operation group， the ejection fraction （EF）， fractional shortening （FS）， stroke volume （SV） and cardiac output （CO） of the model group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， the peak time of myocardial perfusion was prolonged （P<0.01）， hypoxia-inducible factor （HIF）-1α and α-smooth muscle actin （SMA） expression increased （P<0.01）， the concentrations of inflammatory factors IL-1α， IL-6， TNF-α， TLR2， CXCL1 and PTGS2 increased （P<0.01）， and the expression of cleaved Caspase-3， p-NF-κB/NF-κB， p-ERK1/2/ERK1/2 and p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK proteins was significantly increased （P<0.01）. SSNX could improve cardiac function （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and significantly shorten the peak time of myocardial perfusion （P<0.01）. Moreover， it could also down-regulate HIF-1α and a-SMA expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and reduce the concentrations of IL-1α， IL-6， TNF-α （P<0.01）， and the mRNA expression of TLR2， CXCL1 and PTGS2 （P<0.01）. Additionally， SSNX inhibited the apoptosis rate （P<0.01） and significantly reduced the expression of Cleaved Caspase-3， p-NF-κB/NF-κB， p-ERK1/2/ERK1/2 and p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK proteins （P<0.01）. ConclusionSSNX can alleviate cardiac inflammation by regulating the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways， thereby effectively preventing and alleviating myocardial reperfusion injury.

Objective:To apply data mining and bibliometric methods to collect and analyze literatures related to the uPMR 790 integrated positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging(PET/MRI)of the United Imaging Healthcare(UIH)and assess its output effects in clinical research and application,continued research and development,performance improvement,technology assessment,healthcare technology management,and other aspects.Methods:To conduct literature searches on data platforms such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),WanFang Data Knowledge Service Platform(WANFANG DATA),Wanfang Medical Network(WANFANG MED ONLINE),Chinese Medical Association Journal Database(Yiigle),NIH/PubMed,etc.Based on literature review,to implement bibliometric analysis and evaluate from several technological output dimensions.Results:134 sample literatures were obtained.Among them,there are 121 journal articles,10 dissertations(1 doctoral dissertation and 9 master's theses),3 case reports from the Chinese Medical Case Repository,59 of foreign language journals,and 101 articles sourced from uPMR 790 users as the first author affiliation.Engineering and technical personnel from UIH participated in 58 journal articles;89 clinical research articles,accounting for 66.42%of the sample literatures,15 engineering research and artificial intelligence(AI)research articles,accounting for 11.19%,15 technology assessment articles,accounting for 11.19%,4 healthcare technology management articles,1 experimental research article,and 10 reviews.In addition,33 related patent technologies were retrieved from UIH and its cooperative institutions,as well as UIH PET/MRI equipment users,including 20 invention patents,13 utility model patents.Conclusion:The research results show that the innovative medical equipment,the uPMR 790 PET/MRI,has definite technological outputs in clinical research and application,providing important and widely data of evidence-based medicine for clinical application promotion.It also map out the effective support of this innovative medical equipment for multidisciplinary clinical research such as medical imaging,neurology,cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases,geriatrics,pediatrics,etc.Driven by the model of medical-engineering integration and synergy mechanism,display multidimensional output effects such as continuous research and development,quality improvement,technology assessment,configuration management,and healthcare technology management.UIH actively participates in researchs and follows up on innovative practices in medical-engineering integration,demonstrating a positive attitude as a leading medical equipment enterprise.Real world research will provide evidence support for the application demonstration and promotion for equipment manufactured by Chinese medical equipment enterprises.

Objective:To investigate the effects of intravenous lidocaine infusion (IVLI) on the quality of intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IONM) in patients with thyroid tumor.Methods:A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. A total of 60 patients with thyroid tumor undergoing thyroidectomy in the First Clinical Medical College of Shanxi Medical University between September 2022 and May 2023 were selected. According to the random number table method, all patients were divided into the lidocaine group and the control group, 30 cases in each group. The patients in the lidocaine group were continually given IVLI during the operation and the patients in the control group were continually given the equal 0.9% NaCl solution infusion during the operation. All patients in the 2 groups were induced by the same way of total intravenous anesthesia, and no muscle relaxants were added during anesthesia except the induction dose, and enhanced nerve monitoring tracheal catheter was inserted in the 2 groups. According to the standardized procedure of IONM, the electrode impedance values were measured at the time of eliciting the V1 and V2 signals from the vagus nerve, respectively, and the difference value was defined as the drop in the aggregate impedance level (DAIL). DAIL, perioperative hemodynamic parameters and postoperative recovery quality were compared between the 2 groups.Results:There were no statistically significant differences in the baseline data, operation time, intraoperative dosage of propofol and remifentanil between the 2 groups (all P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the lidocaine group had a higher proportion of patients with DAIL<50% [80.0% (24/30) vs. 40.0% (12/30), χ2 = 10.00, P = 0.002], a lower hemodynamic fluctuation during extubation [mean arterial pressure: (95±6) mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa) vs. (104±7) mmHg, t = 31.00, P < 0.001; heart rate: (73±5) times/min vs. (92±6) times/min, t = 172.58, P < 0.001], a lower visual analog score 24 h after surgery [(2.0±0.7) scores vs. (3.7±0.8) scores, t = -8.86, P < 0.001], a higher score of quality of recovery-15 scale [(127±11) points vs. (118±13) points, t = 2.92, P = 0.005]. Conclusions:IVIL can improve the quality of IONM in patients with thyroid tumor during surgery, reduce perioperative hemodynamic fluctuation and improve postoperative recovery quality of patients.

Objective:To apply data mining and bibliometric methods to collect and analyze literatures related to the uPMR 790 integrated positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging(PET/MRI)of the United Imaging Healthcare(UIH)and assess its output effects in clinical research and application,continued research and development,performance improvement,technology assessment,healthcare technology management,and other aspects.Methods:To conduct literature searches on data platforms such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),WanFang Data Knowledge Service Platform(WANFANG DATA),Wanfang Medical Network(WANFANG MED ONLINE),Chinese Medical Association Journal Database(Yiigle),NIH/PubMed,etc.Based on literature review,to implement bibliometric analysis and evaluate from several technological output dimensions.Results:134 sample literatures were obtained.Among them,there are 121 journal articles,10 dissertations(1 doctoral dissertation and 9 master's theses),3 case reports from the Chinese Medical Case Repository,59 of foreign language journals,and 101 articles sourced from uPMR 790 users as the first author affiliation.Engineering and technical personnel from UIH participated in 58 journal articles;89 clinical research articles,accounting for 66.42%of the sample literatures,15 engineering research and artificial intelligence(AI)research articles,accounting for 11.19%,15 technology assessment articles,accounting for 11.19%,4 healthcare technology management articles,1 experimental research article,and 10 reviews.In addition,33 related patent technologies were retrieved from UIH and its cooperative institutions,as well as UIH PET/MRI equipment users,including 20 invention patents,13 utility model patents.Conclusion:The research results show that the innovative medical equipment,the uPMR 790 PET/MRI,has definite technological outputs in clinical research and application,providing important and widely data of evidence-based medicine for clinical application promotion.It also map out the effective support of this innovative medical equipment for multidisciplinary clinical research such as medical imaging,neurology,cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases,geriatrics,pediatrics,etc.Driven by the model of medical-engineering integration and synergy mechanism,display multidimensional output effects such as continuous research and development,quality improvement,technology assessment,configuration management,and healthcare technology management.UIH actively participates in researchs and follows up on innovative practices in medical-engineering integration,demonstrating a positive attitude as a leading medical equipment enterprise.Real world research will provide evidence support for the application demonstration and promotion for equipment manufactured by Chinese medical equipment enterprises.

The aim of the experiment was to study the effects of Echinacea purpurea extract on the digestive ability,immune function and intestinal barrier of the Bamei ternary pigs.Forty-eight healthy pigs of 50 days old were randomly divided into four groups,each with three replicates and four pigs in each replicate.The control group(CON)was fed a basal diet,and the experimental group was divided into 5 g/kg(T1),10 g/kg(T2)and 15 g/kg(T3)of Echinacea extract in the basal diet.The pre-test period was 5 days and the main test period was 35 days with free feeding and drinking during the test period.The results showed that:There was no significant effect on the apparent digestibility of nutrients and jejunum morphology in the test group compared to the CON group(P＞0.05).Amylase and trypsin activities were significantly higher in the experimental group and lipase activities were significantly higher in T2 and T3 groups compared to CON group(P＜0.05).GSH,CAT and T-AOC activities were significantly higher in the experimental group compared to CON group(P＜0.05).In comparison with CON group,the levels of IL-1 and IL-6 were significantly lower in the experimental group(P＜0.05),and the levels of TNF-α were significantly lower in the T2 and T3 groups(P＜0.05);and the levels of IL-10 were signifi-cantly higher in the T3 group(P＜0.05).The mRNA and protein expression levels of TLR4,MyD88,TRAF6,and NF-κB were significantly lower in the experimental group(P＜0.05).The mRNA and protein expression levels of CLDN-1,OCLN and ZO-1 were significantly increased in the test group(P＜0.05).The results between the test groups showed that the protein expression levels of CLDN-1 and OCLN were significantly increased in the T3 group compared with the T1 group(P＜0.05).In conclusion,the addition of Echinacea extract to the ration can,to a certain ex-tent,improve the digestive ability,balance the immune ability,and improve the intestinal barrier function of the Bamei ternary pigs,thus promoting the intestinal health of pigs.

Objective To explore the characteristics of tumor immune microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)based on the differentially expressed genes associated with macrophages in early and late tumor tissues of PDAC patients,so as to provide new targets for early diagnosis and treatment of PDAC.Methods Three early-stage and 4 late-stage tumor samples were collected from PDAC patients.Tissue transcriptome data were analyzed by single-cell sequencing technology.With The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database,macrophage related genes differentially expressed in early and late PDAC related to prognosis were obtained.The prognostic risk scoring model was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)-Cox method.The risk genes associated with PDAC prognosis were screened using the Gene Expression Profiling Interaction Analysis 2(GEPIA2)online survival analysis tool.Their immune infiltration was analyzed using the cell-type identification by estimating relative subsets of RNA transcripts(CIBERSORT)method,and their expression in different subpopulations of macrophages at different periods was resolved by t-distributed stochastic nearest-neighbour embedding(tSNE)clustering downscaling and the Monocle package.The protein-protein interactions and immunohistochemistry were further analyzed with the help of STRING database and The Human Protein Atlas(HPA)database.Results A total of 48 differentially expressed macrophage-related genes in early and late PDAC were found to be associated with prognosis.Eleven differentially expressed macrophage genes were screened as PDAC prognostic genes,and they were used to construct a prognostic risk scoring model for PDAC.Two prognostic genes with significant risk indicators were screened:2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase 2(OAS2)was mainly expressed in secreted phosphoprotein 1(SPP1)-positive macrophages,and assembly factor for spindle microtubules(ASPM)was mainly expressed in proliferation marker protein Ki-67(MKI67)-positive macrophages.There were significant differences in the expression of OAS2 in PDAC macrophages at different stages.Immune infiltration studies showed that OAS2 and ASPM were highly expressed in regulatory T cells and M2-type macrophages(both P＜0.05).Protein-protein interaction network showed the expression relationship between OAS2 and ASPM and other co-expressed proteins.Immunohistochemistry results showed that the expression of OAS2 was higher in tumor tissues than in normal tissues.Conclusion OAS2 and ASPM are both poor prognostic genes that are specifically expressed and exert negative immune effects in SPP1+macrophages and MKI67+macrophages,respectively,promoting the progression of PDAC and ultimately leading to a poor prognosis,and it is expected to provide new targets for the prevention and treatment of PDAC.

Objective:To investigate the effects of intravenous lidocaine infusion (IVLI) on the quality of intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IONM) in patients with thyroid tumor.Methods:A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. A total of 60 patients with thyroid tumor undergoing thyroidectomy in the First Clinical Medical College of Shanxi Medical University between September 2022 and May 2023 were selected. According to the random number table method, all patients were divided into the lidocaine group and the control group, 30 cases in each group. The patients in the lidocaine group were continually given IVLI during the operation and the patients in the control group were continually given the equal 0.9% NaCl solution infusion during the operation. All patients in the 2 groups were induced by the same way of total intravenous anesthesia, and no muscle relaxants were added during anesthesia except the induction dose, and enhanced nerve monitoring tracheal catheter was inserted in the 2 groups. According to the standardized procedure of IONM, the electrode impedance values were measured at the time of eliciting the V1 and V2 signals from the vagus nerve, respectively, and the difference value was defined as the drop in the aggregate impedance level (DAIL). DAIL, perioperative hemodynamic parameters and postoperative recovery quality were compared between the 2 groups.Results:There were no statistically significant differences in the baseline data, operation time, intraoperative dosage of propofol and remifentanil between the 2 groups (all P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the lidocaine group had a higher proportion of patients with DAIL<50% [80.0% (24/30) vs. 40.0% (12/30), χ2 = 10.00, P = 0.002], a lower hemodynamic fluctuation during extubation [mean arterial pressure: (95±6) mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa) vs. (104±7) mmHg, t = 31.00, P < 0.001; heart rate: (73±5) times/min vs. (92±6) times/min, t = 172.58, P < 0.001], a lower visual analog score 24 h after surgery [(2.0±0.7) scores vs. (3.7±0.8) scores, t = -8.86, P < 0.001], a higher score of quality of recovery-15 scale [(127±11) points vs. (118±13) points, t = 2.92, P = 0.005]. Conclusions:IVIL can improve the quality of IONM in patients with thyroid tumor during surgery, reduce perioperative hemodynamic fluctuation and improve postoperative recovery quality of patients.

The aim of the experiment was to study the effects of Echinacea purpurea extract on the digestive ability,immune function and intestinal barrier of the Bamei ternary pigs.Forty-eight healthy pigs of 50 days old were randomly divided into four groups,each with three replicates and four pigs in each replicate.The control group(CON)was fed a basal diet,and the experimental group was divided into 5 g/kg(T1),10 g/kg(T2)and 15 g/kg(T3)of Echinacea extract in the basal diet.The pre-test period was 5 days and the main test period was 35 days with free feeding and drinking during the test period.The results showed that:There was no significant effect on the apparent digestibility of nutrients and jejunum morphology in the test group compared to the CON group(P＞0.05).Amylase and trypsin activities were significantly higher in the experimental group and lipase activities were significantly higher in T2 and T3 groups compared to CON group(P＜0.05).GSH,CAT and T-AOC activities were significantly higher in the experimental group compared to CON group(P＜0.05).In comparison with CON group,the levels of IL-1 and IL-6 were significantly lower in the experimental group(P＜0.05),and the levels of TNF-α were significantly lower in the T2 and T3 groups(P＜0.05);and the levels of IL-10 were signifi-cantly higher in the T3 group(P＜0.05).The mRNA and protein expression levels of TLR4,MyD88,TRAF6,and NF-κB were significantly lower in the experimental group(P＜0.05).The mRNA and protein expression levels of CLDN-1,OCLN and ZO-1 were significantly increased in the test group(P＜0.05).The results between the test groups showed that the protein expression levels of CLDN-1 and OCLN were significantly increased in the T3 group compared with the T1 group(P＜0.05).In conclusion,the addition of Echinacea extract to the ration can,to a certain ex-tent,improve the digestive ability,balance the immune ability,and improve the intestinal barrier function of the Bamei ternary pigs,thus promoting the intestinal health of pigs.

Background: Excessive growth of keratinocytes is the critical event in the etiology of psoriasis.However, the underlying molecular mechanism of psoriatic keratinocyte hyperproliferation is still unclear. Objective: This study aimed to figure out the potential contributory role of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2) in promoting the hyperproliferation of keratinocytes in psoriasis. Methods: We analyzed microarray data (GSE41662) to investigate the gene expression of SKP2in psoriatic lesion skins compared with their adjacent non-lesional skin. Then, we further confirmed the mRNA and protein expression of SKP2 in human psoriatic skin tissues, imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriatic mice back skins and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-6-stimulated keratinocytes by using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot (WB). Furthermore, we explored the potential pathogenic role and its underlying cellular mechanism of SKP2 in promoting keratinocytes hyperproliferation through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, cell cycle detection, 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine staining and WB. Finally, we determined whether inhibition of SKP2 can effectively alleviate the keratinocytes hyperproliferation in vivo. Results: We identified that SKP2 is aberrantly upregulated in the psoriatic lesion skin and cytokines-stimulated keratinocytes. Moreover, upregulated SKP2 augments cytokines-induced keratinocytes hyperproliferation. Mechanistically, enhanced SKP2 increased the S phase ratio through inhibiting Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27 (P27 Kip1) expression. Correspondingly, suppression of SKP2 with SMIP004 can significantly ease the epidermis hyperplasia in vivo. Conclusion Our results suggest that elevated SKP2 can empower keratinocytes proliferation and psoriasis-like epidermis hyperplasia via downregulation of P27 Kip1. Therefore, targeting SKP2-P27 Kip1 axis might be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of psoriasis in future.