ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of the nitroglycerin-controlled low central venous pressure （CLCVP） technique on brain metabolic markers and cerebral blood oxygen saturation in patients undergoing laparoscopic hepatectomy for liver cancer， and to reduce the risk of neurological complications. MethodsA total of 105 patients who underwent elective laparoscopic hepatectomy for liver cancer in Haikou Hospital Affiliated to Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from April 2020 to May 2023 were enrolled and randomly divided into CLCVP group with 54 patients and non-CLCVP group with 51 patients. The patients in the CLCVP group were treated with the nitroglycerin CLCVP technique during surgery， while those in the non-CLCVP group were given conventional surgical treatment. The two groups were compared in terms of the following indicators： perioperative indicators； hemodynamic parameters and cerebral oxygen metabolism before anesthesia induction （T0）， at 5 minutes after anesthesia induction （T1）， at 5 minutes after the beginning of liver parenchyma dissection （T2）， at 5 minutes after the end of hepatectomy （T3）， and immediately after the end of surgery （T4）； the changes in liver function parameters after surgery； the incidence rate of adverse reactions. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups； the analysis of variance with repeated measures was used for comparison between multiple time points. ResultsCompared with the non-CLCVP group， the CLCVP group had significantly lower intraoperative blood loss and intraoperative fluid infusion volume （t=5.408 and 7.220， both P<0.05）， while there were no significant differences between the two groups in time of operation， anesthesia time， extubation time， resuscitation time and intraoperative urine volume （all P>0.05）. Compared with the data at T0， both groups had significant reductions in mean arterial pressure， heart rate， and central venous pressure during surgery （all P<0.05）， and compared with the non-CLCVP group， the CLCVP group had significantly lower mean arterial pressure and central venous pressure （P<0.05） and a significantly higher heart rate （P<0.05） at T2 and T3. Compared with the data at T0， both groups had a significant reduction in Ca-jvDO₂ at T2‍ ‍—‍ ‍T4 time points （all P<0.05）， while there was no significant difference in Ca-jvDO₂ between the two groups at each time point （all P>0.05）. Compared with the data at T0， the CLCVP group had a significant reduction in rSO₂ at T2‍ ‍—‍ ‍T4 time points （all P<0.05）， and the CLCVP group had a significantly lower level of rSO₂ than the non-CLCVP group at T2‍ ‍—‍ ‍T3 time points （both P<0.05）； there were no significant changes in CERO₂ and Djv-aBL in either group at each time point （all P>0.05）. At 3 and 7 days after surgery， both groups had significant increases in the liver function parameters of aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， and total bilirubin （TBil） （all P<0.05）， and the CLCVP group had significantly lower levels of AST and ALT than the non-CLCVP group （all P<0.05）； there was no significant difference in TBil between the two groups at each time point （all P>0.05）. There was no significant difference in the incidence rate of perioperative complications between the two groups （χ²=0.729， P=0.394）. ConclusionThe application of the nitroglycerin CLCVP technique in laparoscopic hepatectomy for liver cancer can reduce the amount of intraoperative blood loss in patients， but it is necessary to further enhance the monitoring of cerebral blood oxygen saturation during surgery， so as to reduce the risk of neurological complications as much as possible.

Objective:To explore clinical factors of poor prognosis in patients with anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 andtibody positive dermatomyositis (MDA5-DM).Methods:One hundred and twenty-six enrolled adults with MDA5-DM were divided into the survival group and the deceased group according to the outcomes. Survival time, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, pulmonary function tests, myositis antibodies and treatments were collected for statistical analysis. Serum concentrations of IL-15, HMGB1, and sCD163 were measured by ELISA in MDA5-DM patients and healthy controls. Mann-Whitney U nonparametric test and Student′s t-test were used to compare the continuous variables between the two groups, and χ2 or Fisher′s exact test were used for comparison of categorical variables. Cox regression analysis was used to assess the survival predictors in MDA5-DM patients. The cumulative survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier curve analysis, and Log-rank tests were used to examine differences in survival curves. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:Cox multivariate regression analysis revealed that age > 57 years [ HR (95% CI)=3.05 (1.20, 7.80), P=0.020], RP-ILD [ HR (95% CI)=25.07 (5.42, 115.98), P<0.001], and levels of anti-Ro52 antibody [ HR (95% CI)=3.41 (1.36, 8.53), P=0.009] were important prognostic factors independent of multiple clinical parameters. The ELISA test results showed that the levels of serum IL-15[0.91 (0.66, 2.00)pg/ml vs. 0.51(0.39, 0.72)pg/ml, Z=-4.57, P<0.001] and HMGB1 [230.53(90.40, 394.31)ng/ml vs. 32.66 (17.82, 46.21)ng/ml, Z=-6.52, P<0.001] in MDA5-DM patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls, but there were no significant differences in the level of serum IL-15 [1.21(0.63, 2.12)pg/ml vs. 0.91(0.68, 1.66)pg/ml, Z=-0.30, P=0.766], HMGB1[267.61(167.03, 444.23)ng/ml vs. 228.35(74.74, 344.32)ng/ml, Z=0.82, P=0.413], and sCD163 [112.70(93.45, 148.51)ng/ml vs. 132.72(96.79, 203.18)ng/ml, Z=-0.62, P=0.536] between the survival group and the deceased group. Conclusion:Older age, RP-ILD, and high levels of anti-Ro52 antibody significantly increase the risk of death in MDA5-DM patients. Intensive follow-up of patients with the above factors in the early stages may help to improve the prognosis.

Objective:To investigate the effects of low-frequency and high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with levodopa and benserazide hydrochloride on mild cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).Methods:Totally 90 PD patients with mild cognitive impairment who visited from January 2020 to June 2022 were included , and they were divided into a simple drug group ( n=30), drug+ low-frequency group ( n=30), and drug+ high-frequency group ( n=30) according to the order of admission.The patients in the simple drug group were treated with oral levodopa and benserazide hydrochloride, while the patients in drug+ low-frequency and drug+ high-frequency groups were treated with low-frequency or high-frequency rTMS on the basis of oral levodopa and benserazide hydrochloride.Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA), digital span (DS), Chinese auditory learning test (CALT), the judgment of line orientation test (JLOT) and verbal fluency test (VFT) were used to evaluate the cognitive function of patients before and after 4 weeks of treatment.SPSS 26.0 was used for statistical analysis.The paired t-test was used for intra-group comparison before and after treatment, while one-way ANOVA was used for inter-group comparison. Results:There were no significant differences in MoCA, DS anterograde, DS backward, CALT immediate recall, CALT delayed recall, JLOT, and VFT scores among patients in the simple drug group before and after 4 weeks of treatment( t=-1.157, -0.648, -0.215, -0.290, -0.154, -0.782, -0.960, all P>0.05). After 4 weeks of treatment, MoCA, DS anterograde, DS backward, CALT immediate recall, CALT delayed recall, JLOT and VFT scores in drug+ low-frequency group and drug+ high-frequency group were higher than before treatment (drug+ low frequency group: t=-16.357, -11.379, -7.999, -11.805, -16.624, -15.996, -17.241, all P<0.05; drug+ high-frequency group: t=-25.198, -13.971, -13.904, -25.831, -26.382, -20.108, -15.643, all P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the scores of MoCA, DS anterograde, DS backward, CALT immediate recall, CALT delayed recall, JLOT and VFT among the three groups before treatment (all P>0.05). After treatment, there were statistically significant differences in the scores of MoCA, DS anterograde, DS backward, CALT immediate recall, CALT delayed recall, JLOT and VFT among the three groups (simple drug group : (20.37±1.96), (4.37±1.19), (2.80±0.55), (6.93±1.70), (5.17±1.09), (15.50±2.69), (10.73±1.55); drug+ low-frequency group: (23.83±2.32), (5.87±0.94), (3.87±0.73), (9.17±1.74), (8.13±1.50), (20.77±2.19), (13.30±1.73); drug+ high-frequency group: (27.17±1.64), (6.73±1.01), (4.80±0.81), (11.20±2.06), (10.03±1.54), (25.17±3.14), (15.87±2.05)) (all P<0.05). Further analysis showed that both the drug+ low-frequency and drug+ high-frequency groups had higher scores than the simple drug group, and the drug+ high-frequency group had higher scores than the drug+ low-frequency group(all P<0.05). Conclusion:The combination of drug+ low-frequency or drug+ high-frequency rTMS and drug therapy can help improve cognitive function in patients with PD, and the efficacy of drug+ high-frequency rTMS may be more significant, which provides a new therapeutic idea for clinical treatment of patients with PD.

Objective·To investigate the effect of early postoperative administration of zoledronic acid on fracture healing and functional recovery in elderly patients with osteoporotic femoral intertrochanteric fracture treated with proximal femoral nail antirotation(PFNA)surgery,and explore other potential prognostic factors.Methods·A total of 174 patients with femoral intertrochanteric fractures of 80 years old or above who underwent PFNA treatment in Ruijin Hospital,Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January,2016 to February,2022,were divided into experimental group(n=26)and control group(n=148)according to whether they received zoledronic acid early after surgery.All patients were followed up twice at 6 weeks and 12 weeks after surgery.The patients in the experimental group were matched with the control group by propensity score matching(PSM)at a ratio of 1:3(the matching factors included age,gender,fracture type,and body mass index).General characteristics,as well as fracture healing and functional recovery at the two follow-up visits were compared between the two groups after matching.Subsequently,Logistic regression was used to explore the potential prognostic factors on fracture healing at 12 weeks after surgery.Results·PSM resulted in 25 patients in the experimental group and 65 patients in the control group,and there were no statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups.The fracture healing rates at 6 weeks and 12 weeks after surgery in the experimental group(16.0%and 96.0%,respectively)were higher than those in the control group(1.5%and 73.8%),and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).Harris hip function score in the experimental group at 12 weeks was significantly higher than that of the control group(P=0.019).The results of Logistic regression analysis showed that good surgical reduction(OR=12.52,95%CI 2.67?58.74,P=0.001),early postoperative administration of zoledronic acid(OR=10.14,95%CI 1.01?102.09,P=0.049),and higher serum albumin level(OR=1.15,95%CI 1.02?1.29,P=0.025)were the favorable factors of early fracture healing,while unstable fracture(OR=0.10,95%CI 0.03?0.31,P=0.000)was the unfavorable factor.Conclusion·For elderly patients with osteoporotic intertrochanteric femoral fractures treated with PFNA surgery,early postoperative administration of zoledronic acid can promote fracture healing and lead to better functional recovery;in addition,good surgical reduction and higher serum albumin levels are favorable factors for fracture healing,whereas unstable fracture presents as a hindrance to the healing process.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of prednisone combined with standard quadruple antituberculosis therapy (HRZE) in the treatment of tuberculous pleurisy.Methods:A prospective study was conducted involving 120 patients with tuberculous pleurisy who were admitted to the Shaanxi Provincial Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Hospital from February 2021 to February 2023. The patients were randomly assigned to a study group and a control group, with 60 patients in each group, using a computer-generated randomization method. The control group received HRZE alone, while the study group received prednisone therapy and HRZE. The efficacy, clinical indicators, adverse reactions, and serum inflammatory factor levels were compared between the two groups.Results:The total response rate in the study group was significantly higher than that in the control group [93.33% (56/60) vs. 78.33% (47/60), χ2 = 5.55, P < 0.05). In the study group, the time for clinical symptom improvement was (10.34 ± 1.65) days, the time for pleural effusion absorption was (21.37 ± 4.16) days, the pleural thickness measured (2.15 ± 0.35) mm, and the duration of hospitalization was (23.19 ± 4.56) days. They were significantly shorter or smaller than those in the control group [(13.27 ± 2.30) days, (27.25 ± 4.95) days, (2.62 ± 0.40) mm, (28.42 ± 5.60) days, t = 8.02, 7.04, 6.85, 5.61, all P < 0.05]. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (χ2 = 2.91, P > 0.05). After 8 weeks of treatment, all serum inflammatory factors improved in both groups compared with baseline levels. In the study group, levels of interleukin-6 [(90.37 ± 12.05) ng/L] and interleukin-18 [(270.94 ± 14.58) ng/L] were significantly lower than those in the control group [(110.59 ± 16.90) ng/L, (296.10 ± 25.29) ng/L, t = 7.55, 6.68, both P < 0.05]. Levels of interleukin-10 [(78.91 ± 8.25) ng/L] and soluble interleukin-2 receptor [(1875.82 ± 359.23) pg/L] in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group [(70.40 ± 7.16) ng/L, (1566.87 ± 311.02) pg/L, t = -6.03, -5.04, both P < 0.05]. Conclusion:The combination of prednisone and HRZE demonstrates good efficacy and safety, and it is beneficial for improving inflammatory factors.

Cornus officinalis,a medicinal and edible plant known for its liver-nourishing properties,has shown promise in inhibiting the activation of hepatic stellate cells(HSCs),crucial indicators of hepatic fibrosis,especially when processed by high pressure wine steaming(HPWS).Herein,this study aims to investigate the regulatory effects of cornus officinalis,both in its raw and HPWS forms,on inflammation and apoptosis in liver fibrosis and their underlying mechanisms.In vivo liver fibrosis models were established by subcutaneous injection of CCl4,while in vitro HSCs were exposed to transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β).These findings demonstrated that cornus officinalis with HPWS conspicuously ameliorated his-topathological injury,reduced the release of proinflammatory factors,and decreased collagen deposition in CCl4-induced rats compared to its raw form.Utilizing ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer(UHPLC-QTOF-MS)combined with network analysis,we identified that the pharmacological effects of the changed components of cornus officinalis before and after HPWS,primarily centered on the adenosine phosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK)pathway.Of note,cornus officinalis activated AMPK and sirtuin 3(SIRT3),promoting the apoptosis of activated HSCs through the caspase cascade by regulating caspase3,caspase6 and caspase9.small interfering RNA(siRNA)experiments showed that cornus officinalis could regulate AMPK activity and its mediated-apoptosis through SIRT3.In conclusion,cornus officinalis exhibited the ability to reduce inflammation and apoptosis,with the SIRT3-AMPK signaling pathway identified as a potential mecha-nism underlying the synergistic effect of cornus officinalis with HPWS on anti-liver fibrosis.

Renal fibrosis is a devastating consequence of progressive chronic kidney disease,representing a major public health challenge worldwide.The underlying mechanisms in the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis remain unclear,and effective treatments are still lacking.Renal tubular epithelial cells(RTECs)maintain kidney function,and their dysfunction has emerged as a critical contributor to renal fibrosis.Cellular quality control comprises several components,including telomere homeostasis,ubiquitin-proteasome system(UPS),autophagy,mitochondrial homeostasis(mitophagy and mitochondrial metabolism),endoplasmic reticulum(ER,unfolded protein response),and lysosomes.Failures in the cellular quality control of RTECs,including DNA,protein,and organelle damage,exert profibrotic functions by leading to senescence,defective autophagy,ER stress,mitochondrial and lysosomal dysfunction,apoptosis,fibro-blast activation,and immune cell recruitment.In this review,we summarize recent advances in un-derstanding the role of quality control components and intercellular crosstalk networks in RTECs,within the context of renal fibrosis.

Objective To predict whether antiviral therapy is required in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection and an age of≤30 years by establishing a noninvasive model,and to investigate the diagnostic value of this model.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 175 patients with chronic HBV infection who were admitted to Shenzhen Third People's Hospital from January 2017 to January 2023 and met the inclusion criteria,and according to the results of liver biopsy,they were divided into treatment group with 41 patients(with indications for antiviral therapy)and observation group with 134 patients(without indications for antiviral therapy).The two groups were analyzed in terms of the indicators including clinical data,imaging examinations,and serum biochemical parameters.The univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the parameters affecting the indication for antiviral therapy,and different models for predicting the need for antiviral therapy were constructed based on related parameters.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to compare the diagnostic value of different models.The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous variables between groups,and the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous variables between groups;the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.Results There were significant differences between the treatment group and the observation group in alanine aminotransferase,ferritin,total cholesterol(CHOL),triglyceride,platelet count,liver stiffness measured by sound touch elastography(STE),and procollagen Ⅲ N-terminal propeptide(PIIIP)(all P<0.05).The multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that CHOL(odds ratio[OR]=0.4,95％confidence interval[CI]:0.2—1.0),STE(OR=1.5,95％CI:1.0—2.1),and PIIIP(OR=1.1,95％CI:1.0—1.1)were independent predictive factors for the indications for antiviral therapy.Model 1(STE+PIIIP+CHOL),model 2(STE+PIIIP),model 3(STE+CHOL),model 4(PIIIP+CHOL)had an area under the ROC curve of 0.908,0.848,0.725,and 0.725,respectively,while STE,PIIIP,and CHOL used alone had an AUC of 0.836,0.725,and 0.634,respectively,suggesting that model 1 had the largest AUC,with a specificity of 77.34％and a sensitivity of 96.36％,and had a significant difference compared with STE,PIIIP,CHOL,and the models 2,3,and 4(Z=0.21,3.08,3.06,3.23,0.89,and 0.88,all P<0.05).Conclusion The noninvasive model established based on CHOL,STE,and PIIIP has a good value in predicting the need for antiviral therapy in patients with chronic HBV infection and an age of≤30 years.

Objective To explore the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC)combined with immunotherapy before radical cystectomy plus pelvic lymph nodes dissection(RC-PLND)for muscle-invasive bladder cancer(MIBC).Methods The clinical data of 101 patients with MIBC who underwent neoadjuvant therapy followed by RC-PLND in the Department of Urology,the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University during Jan.2019 and Dec.2023 were retrospectively analyzed,including 71 patients(70.3％)who received NAC(NAC group)and 30(29.7％)who received NAC combined with immunotherapy(NAC combine immunotherapy group).The clinical and pathological data and adverse events during neoadjuvant therapy were compared.Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the independent predictors of pathological complete response(pCR)and pathological partial response(pPR).Results There were no significant differences in the baseline data between the two groups(P＞0.05).However,the proportion of multiple tumors in patients receiving NAC before surgery was significantly higher than that in the NAC combined immunotherapy group(69.0％vs.46.7％,P=0.034).Compared with NAC group,NAC combined with immunotherapy group had significantly improved rate of pathological downstaging and pPR(60.6％vs.83.3％,P=0.026;45.1％vs.70.0％,P=0.022).Furthermore,the rate of pCR in patients undergoing NAC combined immunotherapy was higher than those undergoing NAC,but the difference was not significant(53.3％vs.33.8％,P=0.067).Logistic regression analysis revealed that clinical T-stage and tumor diameter were independent predictors of pCR and pPR(P＜0.05).In addition,the most common adverse events during neoadjuvant therapy were anemia,decreased white blood cells,nausea,and vomiting,but most of them were grade 1-2 and could be relieved through symptomatic treatment.Conclusion NAC combined with immunotherapy is safe and effective,which can improve the rate of pathological downstaging,pPR and pCR,without increasing the incidence of adverse reactions.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of limited internal fixation combined with a hinged external fixator in the treatment of peri-elbow bone infection. METHODS: The clinical data of 19 patients with peri-elbow bone infection treated with limited internal fixation combined with a hinged external fixator between May 2018 and May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 15 males and 4 females with an average age of 44.6 years (range, 28-61 years). There were 13 cases of distal humerus fractures and 6 cases of proximal ulna fractures. All the 19 cases were infected after internal fixation of fracture, and 2 cases were complicated with radial nerve injury. According to Cierny-Mader anatomical classification, 11 cases were type Ⅱ, 6 cases were type Ⅲ, and 2 cases were type Ⅳ. The duration of bone infection was 1-3 years. After primary debridement, the bone defect was (3.04±0.28) cm, and the antibiotic bone cement was implanted into the defect area, and the external fixator was installed; 3 cases were repaired with latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap, and 2 cases were repaired with lateral brachial fascial flap. Bone defects repair and reconstruction were performed after 6-8 weeks of infection control. The wound healing was observed, and white blood cell (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reaction protein (CRP) were reexamined regularly after operation to evaluate the infection control. X-ray films of the affected limb were taken regularly after operation to observe the bone healing in the defect area. At last follow-up, the flexion and extension range of motion and the total range of motion of the elbow joint were observed and recorded, and compared with those before operation, and the function of the elbow joint was evaluated by Mayo score. RESULTS: All patients were followed up 12-34 months (mean, 26.2 months). The wounds healed in 5 cases after skin flap repair. Two cases of recurrent infection were effectively controlled by debridement again and replacement of antibiotic bone cement. The infection control rate was 89.47% (17/19) in the first stage. Two patients with radial nerve injury had poor muscle strength of the affected limb, and the muscle strength of the affected limb recovered from grade Ⅲ to about grade Ⅳ after rehabilitation exercise. During the follow-up period, there was no complication such as incision ulceration, exudation, bone nonunion, infection recurrence, or infection in the bone harvesting area. Bone healing time ranged from 16 to 37 weeks, with an average of 24.2 weeks. WBC, ESR, CRP, PCT, and elbow flexion, extension, and total range of motions significantly improved at last follow-up ( P<0.05). According to Mayo elbow scoring system, the results were excellent in 14 cases, good in 3 cases, and fair in 2 cases, and the excellent and good rate was 89.47%. CONCLUSION Limited internal fixation combined with a hinged external fixator in the treatment of the peri-elbow bone infection can effectively control infection and restore the function of the elbow joint.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Adult ; Elbow ; Elbow Joint/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Bone Cements ; Treatment Outcome ; External Fixators ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods* ; Fractures, Bone ; Range of Motion, Articular