ObjectiveTo investigate vitamin D level in children with cholestatic liver disease， and to provide a theoretical basis for vitamin D supplementation therapy in children with this disease. MethodsA total of 116 children with cholestatic liver disease who attended Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine， Beijing Children’s Hospital， Capital Medical University， for the first time from January 2022 to January 2024 were enrolled and divided into groups for comparison based on sex， age， vitamin D supplementation dose， course of the disease， and etiology. The data on the serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D （25-OH-D） and related biochemical parameters were collected to assess the correlation between vitamin D level and biochemical parameters. The chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups， and the Spearman rank correlation test was used for correlation analysis. ResultsAmong the 116 children， 76 （65.5%） had vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. The children with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency accounted for 65.7% （46/70） among boys and 65.2% （30/46） among girls， with no significant difference between boys and girls （χ²=0.003， P=0.956）. The children with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency accounted for 83.3% （25/30） among the children who had never received vitamin D supplementation， 58.7% （27/46） among the children with a daily supplementation dose of 500 IU， 64.3% （18/28） among the children with a daily supplementation dose of 700 IU， and 50.0% （6/12） among the children with a daily supplementation dose of>700 IU， and there was no significant difference between these groups （χ²=6.460， P=0.091）. Comparison between the groups with different etiologies showed that the children with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency accounted for 57.7% （15/26） in the infectious disease group， 66.7% （10/15） in the inherited metabolic disease group， 66.7% （6/9） in the drug-induced liver injury group， 100.0% （8/8） in the group with abnormal structure of the biliary system， and 63.8% （37/58） in the group with unknown etiology， and there was no significant difference between these groups （χ²=5.304， P=0.252）. Comparison between the groups with different courses of the disease showed that the children with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency accounted for 78.4% （29/37） in the<1 month group， 54.3% （25/46） in the 1‍ — ‍3 months group， 53.3% （8/15） in the 3‍ — ‍6 months group， and 77.8% （14/18） in the>6 months group， with no significant difference between these groups （χ²=7.432， P=0.059）. Comparison between different age groups showed that compared with the infant group， the children group had a significantly higher proportion of children with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency （χ²=9.504， P=0.018）. The correlation analysis showed that serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase had no significant correlation with 25-OH-D （P>0.05）； serum alkaline phosphatase （ALP） （r=-0.286， P=0.002）， gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase （GGT） （r=-0.248， P=0.007）， total bilirubin （TBil） （r=-0.353， P<0.001）， direct bilirubin （DBil） （r=-0.299， P=0.001）， and total bile acid （r=-0.236， P=0.011） were negatively correlated with 25-OH-D， while serum calcium （r=0.263， P=0.004） and phosphorus （r=0.385， P<0.001） were positively correlated with 25-OH-D. ConclusionMost children with cholestatic liver disease have vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency， and the increase in serum ALP， GGT， TBil， DBil or total bile acid and the reduction in calcium or phosphorus may suggest vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect and mechanism of Zexie tang （ZXT） on reducing lipid accumulation through network pharmacology， and compare the difference of traditional decoction versus formula granules. METHODS The active components and targets of ZXT were identified using TCMSP and SwissTargetPrediction databases. GeneCards， OMIM， DisGeNET and TTD databases were used to analyze the related targets of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）； protein-protein interaction network model was constructed by String database；“ ZXT-NAFLD target-pathway” network diagram was constructed by using CytoScape software； target enrichment analysis was performed by using Metascape platform. Fat accumulation model of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells was established to observe the effects of traditional decoction and formula granules of ZXT on lipid accumulation of cells. RESULTS Alisol B， alisol C， 1-monolinolein and alisol B monoacetate were the key active components of ZXT in the treatment of NAFLD. The core targets included MDM2， MAPK1， PIK3CB， PRKCQ and MAPK14， etc. The core signaling pathways included endocrine resistance， insulin resistance and Th17 cell differentiation. Compared with model group， except for the Zexie formula granules group and Baizhu formula granules group， the absorbance values in all other administration groups were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）； the absorbance value of Baizhu traditional decoction group was significantly higher than that of ZXT traditional decoction group （P＜0.01）； the absorbance values of Zexie formula granule group and Baizhu formula granule group were significantly higher than that of ZXT formula granule group （P＜0.01）； the absorbance value of Zexie formula granule group was significantly higher than that of Zexie traditional decoction group （P＜0.01）； the absorbance value of Baizhu formula granule group was significantly higher than that of Baizhu traditional decoction group （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS ZXT reduces lipid accumulation of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells through multiple components， multiple target and multiple pathways， and its traditional decoction and formula granules exhibit slightly different lipid-lowering effects.

Background Cooking oil fumes are closely related to immune response, and adipose tissue also plays an important role in immune regulation. At present, the biological effect and mechanism of inflammation of adipose tissue induced by oil fume exposure are not clear yet. Objective To investigate the inflammatory effect of different exposure duration of cooking fumes on adipose tissue in mice and explore the role of Nod-like receptor pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3)/cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 1 (Caspase 1)/interleukin (IL)-1β signaling pathway. Methods Forty 8-week-old female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 3-day control group (CON₃ group), 7-day control group (CON₇ group), 3-day oil fume exposure group (COF₃ group), and 7-day oil fume exposure group (COF₇ group), with 10 mice in each group. The mice were exposed to oil fumes in a cooking oil fume formation and exposure equipment (COFFEE) for 20 min, followed by a 10-min pause, 1 h a day for consecutive 3 d or 7 d. General condition of mice was observed and body weight was measured every day. After exposure, blood was sampled from the eyeball. Serum levels of IL-6, IL-27, and IL-1β were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The adipose tissue of mice was collected and observed after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The percentages of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺T cells in adipose tissue were detected by flow cytometry. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in adipose tissue. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in adipose. Results Compared with the corresponding control group, serum IL-6, IL-27, and IL-1β contents in the COF₃ group and the COF₇ group were significantly increased (P<0.05) except IL-6 in the COF₃ group, and the levels in the COF₇ group were significantly higher than those in the COF₃ group (P<0.05). Vacuolar lipid droplets in adipocytes decreased, cytoplasm shrank, and inflammatory cells infiltrated in the COF₇ group after HE staining. The flow cytometry results showed that the proportions of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺T cells in adipocytes of the COF₃ group and the COF₇ group were increased compared to the corresponding control group, with a significant increase in the COF₇ group (P<0.05), and the CD4⁺/CD8⁺T ratio also significantly increased progressively in the two groups (P<0.05). The results of RT-qPCR showed that compared with the corresponding control group, the mRNA expression levels of NF-κB, NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in adipose tissue of mice in the COF₃ group and the COF₇ group were significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). The mRNA expression levels of mice in each exposure group gradually increased over time. The Western blot results showed that compared with the corresponding control group, the protein expressions of NLRP3 and Caspase 1 in the COF₃ group were significantly increased (P<0.01), and the expression of IL-1β protein also increased but without statistical significance. The protein expressions of NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in the COF₇ group were significantly higher than those in the CON₇ group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion Acute exposure to cooking oil fumes can induce significant inflammatory response in adipose tissue, and the effect gradually increases with the extension of exposure time. The mechanism of action may be related to the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway.

Apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter （ASBT） is a key transporter responsible for intestinal reabsorption of bile acid and plays an important role in maintaining bile acid and cholesterol homeostasis， and its expression is regulated by various factors including transcription factors， nuclear receptors， and intestinal microflora. The abnormal expression and function of ASBT can lead to disorders in the metabolism of bile acid and cholesterol， causing a variety of hepatobiliary diseases. At present， ASBT has attracted wide attention as a therapeutic target. This article elaborates on the biological characteristics and expression regulation mechanism of ASBT and reviews the role of ASBT in hepatobiliary diseases， in order to provide a new direction for the treatment of related diseases.

BACKGROUND:The in vitro construction of intestinal smooth muscle layer,as an important component of the intestinal wall,has attracted much attention in the bionic construction of tissue-engineered intestinal canal. OBJECTIVE:To explore the effects of cyclic mechanical stretching on the growth activity of intestinal smooth muscle cells and the expression of functional genes within collagen strips. METHODS:The collagen band culture system of intestinal smooth muscle cells was constructed using a self-designed collagen strip stretching culture device with self-made rat tail collagen as a scaffold and primary rat intestinal smooth muscle cells as seed cells.EthD-1/Calcein-AM cell activity staining,magenta staining,cytoskeleton-Ki67 immunofluorescence staining were used to observe the growth activity and proliferation of the cells,and quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of desmin,α-sma,and vimentin functional genes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The collagen band culture system of intestinal smooth muscle cells was successfully constructed,and intestinal smooth muscle cells in the band had good cell activity.The number of Ki67 positive cells increased and desmin,α-sma and vimentin were significantly overexpressed under cyclic stretching and dynamic culture conditions(P＜0.001).To conclude,mechanical stimulation is beneficial to maintain the growth phenotype of smooth muscle cells and promote their functional differentiation during three-dimensional culture in vitro.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of atorvastatin combined with indobufen in the treatment of elderly patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) complicated with large atheromatous ischemic stroke (LAA-IS) during convalescence.Methods:The clinical data of 102 elderly patients with DKD complicated with LAA-IS during convalescence from September 2018 to April 2022 in Baoding Second Central Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 51 patients were treated with atorvastatin combined with indobufen (observation group), 51 patients were treated with atorvastatin combined with aspirin (control group), and both groups were treated continuously for 6 months. The prethrombotic state indexes, neurological function and quality of daily life, carotid artery ultrasound indexes, renal fibrosis indexes before treatment and after treatment were compared between two group. The prethrombotic state indexes included arachidonic acid (AA) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) induction platelet aggregation rate, fibrinogen (FIB), protein C; the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to evaluate the neurological function, and the modified Barthel index (MBI) was used to evaluate the quality of daily life; carotid artery ultrasound indexes included carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and maximum plaque area; the renal fibrosis indexes included transforming growth factor-β 1 (TGF-β 1), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), hyaluronic acid and platelet derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). The adverse reactions were recorded. Results:There were no statistical differences in the all indexes before treatment between two groups ( P>0.05). In two groups, compared before treatment, the AA induction platelet aggregation rate, ADP induction platelet aggregation rate, FIB, NIHSS score, IMT and maximum plaque area after treatment were significantly lower, the protein C and MBI score were significantly higher, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01); but there were no statistical differences after treatment between two groups ( P>0.05). The TGF-β 1, MMP-9, hyaluronic acid and PDGF-BB after treatment in two groups were significantly lower than before treatment, and the indexes in observation group were significantly lower than those in control group: (39.46 ± 6.89) μg/L vs. (45.04 ± 8.20) μg/L, (278.46 ± 49.39) μg/L vs. (327.30 ± 57.28) μg/L, (102.37 ± 20.62) μg/L vs. (116.84 ± 24.97) μg/L vs. (25.26 ± 4.45) μg/L vs. (28.13 ± 5.08) μg/L, with statistically significant differences( P<0.01). The incidence of adverse reactions in observation group was significantly lower than that in control group: 7.84% (4/51) vs. 23.53% (12/51), and there was statistical difference ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Compared with atorvastatin combined with aspirin, atorvastatin combined with indobufen in elderly patients with DKD complicated with LAA-IS during convalescence has the same effect in improving the related indicators of prethrombotic state, reducing neurological function deficit, improving the ability of daily living, and reversing carotid atherosclerosis. However, atorvastatin combined with indobufen can further protect renal function with higher safety.

Objective:To evaluate the value of the ratio of tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion to pulmonary artery systolic pressure (TAPSE/PASP) in evaluating right ventricular function of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).Methods:A total of 74 patients with HCM and HFpEF and 22 healthy individuals who visited the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2021 to January 2023 were included in this study. The HCM patients with HFpEF were divided into three groups based on the tertiles of the TAPSE/PASP (low group: <0.280 0 mm/mmHg; middle group: 0.280 0-0.476 2 mm/mmHg; high group: >0.476 2 mm/mmHg). Conventional echocardiographic parameters were collected, and two-dimensional speckle tracking technology was used to obtain right ventricular strain parameters. The differences in parameters among the groups were compared, and the correlations between TAPSE/PASP and clinical parameters and right ventricular function parameters were analyzed.Results:The results of difference analysis showed that there were significant differences in 6-minute walking test, New York Heart Association grade (NYHA grade), incidence of atrial fibrillation, left atrial area (LAA), left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS), TAPSE, PASP, right ventricular fractional area change (RVFAC), right ventricular global longitudinal strain (RVGLS), right ventricular free wall strain (RVFWST) and cardiac magnetic resonance right ventricular ejection fraction (CMR-RVEF) among the three groups. The results of correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis showed that the TAPSE/PASP was positively correlated with 6-minute walking distance, RVFAC, tricuspid annulus peak systolic velocity (RV s′), and CMR-RVEF ( r=0.449, 0.284, 0.358, 0.577; all P<0.05). It was negatively correlated with N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), NYHA grade, LAA, mitral early diastolic peak velocity / mitral annulus early diastolic peak velocity (LV E/e′), LVGLS, RVGLS, RVFWST and tricuspid early diastolic peak velocity / tricuspid annulus early diastolic peak velocity (RV E/e′) (r/ rs=-0.336, -0.349, -0.468, -0.452, -0.444, -0.339, -0.405, -0.320; all P<0.05). The LAA and CMR-RVEF correlated independently with TAPSE/PASP(all P<0.05). Conclusions:The TAPSE/PASP can provide an early, simple, rapid, and convenient evaluation of right ventricular function in patients with HCM and HFpEF, so as to guide clinical treatment and monitoring disease progression.

Objective:To explore the latent classes of health behavior and explore the predictive factors among stroke patients.Methods:A total of 1 250 participants were recruited using cluster random sampling in September 2022. The general information, the modified Rankin scale(mRS), stroke prevention knowledge questionnaire(SPKQ), health behavior scale for stroke patients (HBS-SP), and short form-health belief model scale (SF-HBMS) were administered in the cross-sectional survey. Mplus 8.3 software was used to conduct a latent class analysis (LCA) on the health behavior of stroke patients, and SPSS 27.0 software was used to carry out multinomial Logistic regression to analyze the predictive factors of different latent classes of health behavior of stroke patients.Results:The health behavior of stroke patients obtained three latent classes: low health behaviors-lack of health responsibility group (66.9%, n=794), moderate health behaviors-poor compliance group (11.9%, n=141), and good health behaviors-insufficient exercise group (21.2%, n=251). Compared with good health behaviors-insufficient exercise group, stroke patients with shorter duration education time ( B=-0.589, OR=0.555, P=0.036), hemorrhagic stroke ( B=0.082, OR=1.086, P<0.001), fewer comorbidities ( B=-0.022, OR=0.978, P=0.026), higher mRS score ( B=-0.046, OR=1.047, P=0.004), lower SPKQ score ( B=-0.055, OR=0.947, P=0.016), and lower SF-HBMS score ( B=-0.085, OR=0.919, P<0.001) were more likely to be included in moderate health behaviors-poor compliance group. However, stroke patients with shorter duration education time ( B=-0.026, OR=0.974, P=0.003), rural areas dwelling ( B=0.800, OR=2.225, P=0.004), fewer comorbidities ( B=-0.056, OR=0.945, P<0.001), lower SPKQ score ( B=-0.101, OR=0.904, P<0.001), and lower SF-HBMS score ( B=-0.071, OR=0.931, P<0.001) were more likely to be included in low health behaviors-lack of health responsibility group. Conclusion:The health behavior of stroke patients has three latent classes. A targeted intervention should be carried out according to the characteristics of different classes to improve their health behavior levels.

Objective:To explore the potential facilitators and barriers to healthy behavior among stroke patients.Methods:Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 16 stroke patients from September 2022 to March 2023 using an objective sampling method.The interview guide was developed using the theoretical domain framework(TDF). Interviews were transcribed and refined the theme using directed content and induction analysis.Using the TDF as the initial coding framework, the themes were then merged into the most relevant domains.Finally, the correspondence between theoretical domains and the healthy behavior of stroke patients was determined based on the frequency and relationship between themes.Results:This study identified nine theoretical domains that affected the healthy behavior of stroke patients: knowledge, skills, motivation and goals, social influences, social/professional role and identity, environment context and resources, belief about capability, consequence belief and behavioral regulation.Conclusion:The healthy behavior of stroke patients is complex and influenced by several factors.The nine theoretical domains identified in this study will provide recommendations for future healthy behavior interventions for stroke patients.

Objective:To explore the anxiety level, influencing factors among surrogate decision-makers of patients with acute ischemic stroke during thrombolysis decision-making, and their correlation with decision-making duration.Methods:Acute ischemic stroke patients and their surrogate decision-makers who visited the Emergency Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from September 2019 to December 2021 were selected as the research subjects.Sociodemographic data and disease related data of patients and surrogate decision-makers were collected.Surrogate decision-makers were evaluated with the state-trait anxiety inventory, decision participation expectation scale, Wake Forest physician trust scale, and perceived social support scale.SPSS 26.0 software was used for data processing.Pearson correlation analysis, Spearman correlation analysis and ridge regression analysis were used for statistical analysis.Results:The score of state anxiety of decision-makers was (49.47±9.04), and 18.2% (70/383) of decision-makers had a decision duration exceeding 15 minutes.The score of state anxiety of decision-makers was positively correlated with decision duration ( r=0.189, P<0.001). The influencing factors of state anxiety level of decision-makers included sociodemographic factors (age of decision-makers and patients, relationship between payers and patients, whether decision-makers bear the current medical expenses, type of medical insurance for patients), psychological factors (trust level in physicians, perceived social support), factors related to patient disease (numbers of stroke relapses, National Institutes of Health stroke scale scores for patients), characteristics of the decision-making process (whether patients participate in the decision-making process, and the role of decision-makers in the decision-making process) (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Most surrogate decision-makers experience anxiety.Medical staff should pay attention to the emotions of decision-makers and adopt appropriate communication skills when communicating with informed consent for thrombolysis, alleviate the anxiety of surrogate decision-makers, so as so reduce the decision-making duration.