Severe exercise intolerance is one of the main clinical manifestations in heart failure (HF) patients, which seriously affects patients′ quality of life. Recent studies have demonstrated that peripheral dysfunction, especially the skeletal muscle dysfunction, is a fundamental cause of exercise intolerance, rather than conventionally perceived cardiac factors. Notably, the alternation of mitochondrial function and structure dominate skeletal muscle dysfunction, and aerobic exercise is the only basic treatment for HF patients with the highest level of evidence-based medicine. This article reviews research advances on the mechanisms of skeletal muscle dysfunction and exercise intolerance in HF patients, focusing on the biogenesis, fusion, fission and autophagy of mitochondria, and further discusses the possibility of exercise training for enhancing exercise tolerance through improving mitochondrial function in HF patients.

Periodontitis is a complex chronic inflammatory disease. The invasion of pathogens induces the inflammatory microenvironment in periodontitis. Cell behavior changes in response to changes in the microenvironment, which in turn alters the local inflammatory microenvironment of the periodontium through factors secreted by cells. It has been confirmed that periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) are vital in the development of periodontal disease. Moreover, PDLSCs are the most effective cell type to be used for periodontium regeneration. This review focuses on changes in PDLSCs, their basic biological behavior, osteogenic differentiation, and drug effects caused by the inflammatory microenvironment, to provide a better understanding of the influence of these factors on periodontal tissue homeostasis. In addition, we discuss the underlying mechanism in detail behind the reciprocal responses of PDLSCs that affect the microenvironment.
Humans ; Periodontal Ligament ; Osteogenesis ; Stem Cells ; Periodontitis/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation/physiology* ; Cells, Cultured

Heart failure(HF) can adversely affect various peripheral tissues in the body, including the skeletal muscle. HF leads to pathological changes in skeletal muscle, causing structural damage, functional impairment and atrophy of the skeletal muscle, which may eventually develope into cardiac cachexia. The skeletal muscle atrophy is also a prominent symptom of cachexia in HF patients, and it is also an independent risk factor of mortality in the patients. While exercise rehabilitation may attenuate skeletal muscle atrophy and improve the quality of life in HF patients. This article reviews the recent progress on the effect and related mechanisms of exercise rehabilitation on skeletal muscle atrophy in patients with HF.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Tibetan medicine Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan against osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats through the classical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. MethodForty-eight 3-month-old SD female rats were randomized into model group （equivalent volume of normal saline）， sham operation group （equivalent volume of normal saline）， estradiol group （0.1 mg·kg^-1 estradiol valerate）， and high-， medium-， low-dose Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan groups （800， 400， 200 mg·kg^-1， respectively）. For the modeling， some adipose tissue near the ovaries was removed in the sham operation group， and ovaries were excised in other groups. Administration （ig， once a day） started two weeks after the operation and lasted 12 weeks. After sampling， based on hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining， the morphological changes of the right femur and lumbar spine of the rats were observed. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was performed to detect the serum levels of rat tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b （TRAP5b）， collagen type Ⅰ C-terminal peptide （CTX-Ⅰ）， bone alkaline phosphatase （BALP）， amino-terminal propeptide of type Ⅰ procollagen （PINP）， and bone Gla-protein （BGP）. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was performed to examine the mRNA expression of β-catenin and Runt-related transcription factor 2 （Runx2） in femur， and Western blot to detect the protein expression of β-catenin， Runx2， and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-5 （Lrp-5）. ResultCompared with the sham operation group， the model group showed disordered and sparse bone trabecula with fewer connections， decrease in serum levels of BALP， BGP， and PINP （P<0.01）， increase in levels of CTX-Ⅰ and TRAP5b （P<0.01）， reduction in mRNA expression of β-catenin and Runx2 in femoral tissue （P<0.01） and protein expression of Lrp-5， β-catenin， and Runx2 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， estradiol and each dose of Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan increased the volume of bone trabecula， made thebone trabecula closely arranged， reduced the loss of the trabecular meshwork， raised the serum levels of BALP and BGP （P<0.01）， and lowered TRAP5b level （P<0.01）. PINP level was significantly increased in the high-dose Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan group and estradiol group （P<0.01） and CTX-Ⅰ level was significantly decreased in the high-dose Erwenwuwei Guijiuwan group and the estradiol group （P<0.01） compared with those in the model group. The mRNA expression of β-catenin in femoral tissue and protein expression of Lrp-5 and β-catenin in estradiol group and three Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan groups were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the levels of Runx2 mRNA and protein were significantly increased in the high-dose Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan group and the estradiol group （P<0.01） compared with those in the model group. ConclusionTibetan medicine Ershiwuwei Guijiuwan is effective for the osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats， which may be related to the classic Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. It affects bone metabolism by up-regulating the expression of osteogenesis-related genes in the signaling pathway.

Objective:To explore status and influencing factors of medication deviation in elderly patients with brain infarction during the hospital-family transition, and to explore the relationship between medication deviation and adverse drug events.Methods:From November 2021 to May 2022, 218 elderly patients with brain infarction from Neurology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College were selected as the research objects by the convenience sampling method. General data questionnaire and Self-Efficacy for Appropriate Medication Use Scale were used to investigate patients. One month after discharge, patients were investigated by telephone using Medication Discrepancy Tool and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale with Eight-Item, and the incidence of adverse drug events was collected. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of medication deviation. Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between adverse drug events and medication deviation. A total of 218 questionnaires were distributed in this study, and 207 valid questionnaires were effectively recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 95.0%.Results:The incidence of medication deviation in elderly patients with brain infarction was 48.8% (101/207) . Logistic regression analysis results showed that hypertension, stroke severity, medication compliance and medication quantity were the influencing factors of medication deviation ( P<0.05) . Spearman correlation analysis results showed that adverse drug events were positively correlated with medication deviation ( r=0.234, P<0.01) . Conclusions:The incidence of medication deviation in elderly patients with brain infarction during the hospital-family transition was higher. Hypertension, stroke severity, medication compliance and medication quantity were the influencing factors of medication deviation. Medical staff should formulate targeted intervention measures based on the influencing factors of medication deviation, so as to reduce the incidence of medication deviation.

Objective:To explore the application of OTD (observation, teaching and discussion) teaching combined with clinical pathway in nursing standardized training in operating room.Methods:A total of 50 nurses who were trained in the Operating Room of The First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from August 2017 to June 2020 were selected and divided into control group and study group according to the rotation order, with 25 nurses in each group. Traditional teaching was used in the control group, and OTD teaching combined with clinical pathway was used in the study group. After the rotation training, the teaching effect was evaluated through the assessment of theoretical knowledge and clinical practice comprehensive ability, teaching satisfaction, and the satisfaction scores of participating surgeons and patients. SPSS 22.0 was used for t-test and chi-square test. Results:The results of theoretical assessment, clinical skill assessment and comprehensive ability assessment of operating room of the rotating nurses in the study group were higher than those in the control group, with significant difference ( P < 0.05). The study group was significantly better than the control group in 8 aspects, including learning initiative, stimulating learning interest, problem-solving ability, communication ability, clinical thinking ability, teamwork ability, critical thinking ability and teaching satisfaction ( P<0.05). The satisfaction scores of doctors [(94.06±2.67) vs. (92.17±2.75)] and patients [(94.90±3.22) vs. (91.25±3.10)] in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:OTD teaching combined with clinical pathway can help to improve the theoretical knowledge, clinical practice comprehensive skills and teaching satisfaction of nursing students in operating room, and then improve the teaching quality.

Objective:To analyze the value of minute ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope (VE/VCO 2 slope) combined with peak systolic blood pressure (SBP) in predicting prognosis for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods:A total of 170 patients with CHF who visited the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center of Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University and completed cardiopulmonary exercise test from March 2007 to December 2018 were enrolled in the study. The clinical data, cardiopulmonary exercise testing results and follow-up information of patients were collected to explore the predictors of all-cause mortality in patients with CHF.Results:The median follow-up time was 647 (182-1 764) days. All-cause death occurred in 34 patients. Compared with surviving patients, the proportion of diabetes and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin Ⅱ receptor blocker (ACEI/ARB) use in fatal patients was significantly higher ( P<0.01). The VE/VCO 2 slope and peak SBP*VE/VCO 2 in the fatal patients were significantly higher, and the peak oxygen consumption (peak VO 2) was lower than those in the surviving patients ( P<0.01). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of VE/VCO 2 slope and peak SBP*VE/VCO 2 in predicting all-cause mortality in patients with CHF were 0.648 ( P=0.008) and 0.681 ( P=0.001), respectively; the optimal thresholds were >40.95 ( P=0.008) and > 5 423.50 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa, P=0.006), the sensitivity was 0.559 and 0.588, and the specificity was 0.728 and 0.735, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that after adjusting for age, gender, diabetes and ACEI/ARB use, VE/VCO 2 slope ( HR=2.12, P=0.036) and peak SBP*VE/VCO 2 ( HR=2.42, P=0.016) were independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in patients with CHF. Conclusion:Compared to the traditional index VE/VCO 2 slope, a novel index peak SBP* VE/VCO 2 provides a relatively better predictive value for all-cause death of CHF patients.

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) exhibits superior biological functions by improving periodontal inflammation, promoting the migration and proliferation of periodontal-related stem cells, promoting the formation of blood vessels and periodontal ligament-like tissue, and regulating the formation of bone/cementum. It plays an important role in tooth development, repair and regeneration. bFGF can be combined with seed cells and scaffold materials for periodontal tissue regeneration, which has been verified in a number of experimental studies. However, the application of bFGF alone as a drug in clinical treatment requires further research.

Objective: To explore the genetic basis for a fetus with Dandy-Walker malformation. Methods: G-banding chromosomal karotyping, single nucleotide polymorphism microarray (SNP array) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were carried out for the fetus. Chromosomal karyotyping and FISH assay were also carried out for both parents. Results: SNP array has detected a 4266 kb microdeletion at 6p25.3p25.1 in the fetus, which was confirmed by FISH. FISH analysis of the parents demonstrated that the father has carried a cryptic t(6; 14)(p25.1; p13) translocation, while the fetus has a der(6)t(6; 14)(p25.1; p13) derived the paternal translocation. Conclusion The der(6)t(6; 14)(p25.1; p13) probably underlies the Dandy-Walker malformation in the fetus. The 6p25.3p25.1 microdeletion is due to unbalanced gametes produced by the father’s cryptic balanced translocation.

Objective To explore the genetic basis for a child with mentally retardation.Methods G-banding karyotyping,single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-array) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were performed for the child.Karyotyping and FISH were also carried out for her parents.Results SNP-array has detected a 5077 kb microdeletion at 5q35.2q35.3 and a 4964 kb microduplication at 7q36.2q36.3 in the child.The results were confirmed by FISH.Based on above results,the father was subsequently found to carry a cryptic t(5;7)(q35.2;q36.2) translocation.The child was verified to have inherited a der(5) t(5;7) (q35.2;q36.2) from her father.Conclusion The 5077 kb microdeletion at 5q35.2q35.3 may have predisposed to the Sotos syndrome in the child.SNP-array combined with G-banding karyotyping and FISH can help to detect cryptic chromosomal translocations among patients.