ObjectiveTo study the effect of Qizhu Kang'ai prescription （QZAP） on the gluconeogenesis enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 （PCK1） in the liver of mouse model of liver cancer induced by diethylnitrosamine （DEN） combined with carbon tetrachloride （CCl₄） and Huh7 cells of human liver cancer， so as to explore the mechanism on regulating metabolic reprogramming and inhibiting cell proliferation of liver cancer cells. MethodDEN combined with CCl₄ was used to construct a mouse model of liver cancer via intraperitoneal injection. A normal group， a model group， and a QZAP group were set up， in which QZAP （3.51 g·kg^-1） or an equal volume of normal saline was administered daily by gavage， respectively. Serum and liver samples were collected after eight weeks of intervention. Serum alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， γ-glutamyltransferase （γ-GT）， and alpha-fetoprotein （AFP） in mice were detected to evaluate liver function changes of mice in each group. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Sirius red staining were used to observe pathological changes in liver tissue. In the cell experiment， Huh7 cells were divided into blank group， QZAP low， medium， and high dose groups and/or PCK1 inhibitor （SKF-34288 hydrochloride） group， and Sorafenib group. The corresponding drug-containing serum and drug treatment were given， respectively. Cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） method， colony formation experiment， Edu fluorescent labeling detection， intracellular adenosine triphosphate （ATP） content detection， and cell cycle flow cytometry detection were used to evaluate the proliferation ability， energy metabolism changes， and change in the cell cycle of Huh7 cells in each group. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of PCK1， serine/threonine kinase （Akt）， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， and cell cycle-dependent protein kinase inhibitor 1A （p21）. ResultCompared with the model group， the pathological changes such as cell atypia， necrosis， and collagen fiber deposition in liver cancer tissue of mice in the QZAP group were alleviated， and the number of liver tumors was reduced （P<0.01）. The serum ALT， AST， γ-GT， and AFP levels were reduced （P<0.01）. At the cell level， compared with the blank group， low， medium， and high-dose groups of QZAP-containing serum and the Sorafenib group could significantly reduce the survival rate of Huh7 cells （P<0.01） and the number of positive cells with Edu labeling （P<0.01） and inhibit clonal proliferation ability （P<0.01）. The QZAP groups could also reduce the intracellular ATP content （P<0.05） and increase the distribution ratio of the G₀/G₁ phase of the cell cycle （P<0.05） in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the model group and blank group， PCK1 and p21 protein levels of mouse liver cancer tissue and Huh7 cells in the QZAP groups were significantly reduced （P<0.05，P<0.01）， and the p-Akt protein level was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the ATP content and cell survival rate of Huh7 cells in the SKF-34288 hydrochloride group were significantly increased （P<0.05）， but there was no statistical difference in the ratio of Edu-positive cells and the proportion of G₀/G₁ phase distribution. Compared with the SKF-34288 hydrochloride group， the QZAP combined with the SKF-34288 hydrochloride group significantly reduced the ATP content， cell survival rate， and Edu-positive cell ratio of Huh7 cells （P<0.05） and significantly increased the G₀/G₁ phase distribution proportion （P<0.05）. ConclusionQZAP may induce the metabolic reprogramming of liver cancer cells by activating PCK1 to promote Akt/p21-mediated tumor suppression， thereby exerting an anti-hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation mechanism.

ObjectiveTo explore the syndrome elements and evolving patterns of patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute on chronic liver failure （HBV-ACLF） at different stages. MethodsClinical information of 1,058 hospitalized HBV-ACLF patients， including 618 in the early stage， 355 in the middle stage， and 85 in the late stage， were collected from 18 clinical centers across 12 regions nationwide from January 1， 2012 to February 28， 2015. The “Hepatitis B-related Chronic and Acute Liver Failure Chinese Medicine Clinical Questionnaire” were designed to investigate the basic information of the patients， like the four diagnostic information （including symptoms， tongue， pulse） of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， and to count the frequency of the appearance of the four diagnostic information. Factor analysis and cluster analysis were employed to determine and statistically analyze the syndrome elements and patterns of HBV-ACLF patients at different stages. ResultsThere were 76 four diagnostic information from 1058 HBV-ACLF patients， and 53 four diagnostic information with a frequency of occurrence ≥ 5% were used as factor analysis entries， including 36 symptom information， 12 tongue information， and 5 pulse information. Four types of TCM patterns were identified in HBV-ACLF， which were liver-gallbladder damp-heat pattern， qi deficiency and blood stasis pattern， liver-kidney yin deficiency pattern， and spleen-kidney yang-deficiency pattern. In the early stage， heat （39.4%， 359/912） and dampness （27.5%， 251/912） were most common， and the pattern of the disease was dominated by liver-gallbladder damp-heat pattern （74.6%， 461/618）； in the middle stage， dampness （30.2%， 187/619） and blood stasis （20.7%， 128/619） were most common， and the patterns of the disease were dominated by liver-gallbladder damp-heat pattern （53.2%， 189/355）， and qi deficiency and blood stasis pattern （27.6%， 98/355）； and in the late stage， the pattern of the disease was dominated by qi deficiency （26.3%， 40/152） and yin deficiency （20.4%， 31/152）， and the patterns were dominated by qi deficiency and blood stasis pattern （36.5%， 31/85）， and liver-gallbladder damp-heat pattern （25.9%， 22/85）. ConclusionThere are significant differences in the distribution of syndrome elements and patterns at different stages of HBV-ACLF， presenting an overall trend of evolving patterns as "from excess to deficiency， transforming from excess to deficiency"， which is damp-heat → blood stasis → qi-blood yin-yang deficiency.

Xenotransplantation is a potential solution to the shortage of human organs.In the previous 100 years,xenotransplantation has witnessed preliminary attempts and persistent progress.At present,it has entered a new stage of rapid development and achieved a series of results.Nevertheless,the management of xenotransplantation rejection is more challenging compared with that of allogeneic organ transplantation rejection.Therefore,researchers have developed a series of immunosuppressive strategies,such as use of genetically modified pig donors,use of traditional and novel immunosuppressants,and co-transplantation of donor pig thymus with donor organs,aiming to adjust the immune system response of recipients,mitigate the intensity of rejection and prolong the survival time of grafts.In this article,research progress in the mechanism,prevention and treatment strategies of xenotransplantation rejection was reviewed,aiming to provide reference for accelerating subsequent development of xenotransplantation.

Objective:To explore the clinical and genetic characteristics of a fetus diagnosed with Congenital myasthenic syndrome type 16 (CMS16).Methods:A couple who had visited Tianjin Medical University General Hospital in February 2018 due to "adverse outcome of two pregnancies" was selected as the study subject. Clinical data was gathered. Peripheral blood and amniotic fluid samples were collected and subjected to whole exome sequencing (WES). Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing. Low-depth whole-genome sequencing was carried out to detect copy number variation (CNV) in the fetus.Results:The couple′s first pregnancy had resulted in a miscarriage at 27 + 5 weeks, when ultrasound had revealed pleural effusion and polyhydramnios in the fetus. Their second pregnancy was terminated at 30 + 5 weeks due to fetal hand malformations, polyhydramnios and pleural fluid. Both couple had denied family history of genetic conditions. For their third pregnancy, no CNV abnormality was detected, whilst a compound heterozygous variants, including a maternally derived c. 3172C>T (p.R1058W) and paternal c. 1431delG (p.K477fs*89) in the SCN4A gene were detected. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the c. 3172C>T (p.R1058W) was predicted as a likely pathogenic variant (PM1+ PM2_supporting+ PP3+ PP4), whilst the c. 1431delG (p.K477fs*89) was predicted as a pathogenic variant (PVS1+ PM2_supporting+ PP4). Conclusion:The c. 3172C>T (p.R1058W) and c. 1431delG (p.K477fs*89) compound heterozygous variants of the SCN4A gene probably underlay the CMS16 in the third fetus.

Objective:To explore the clinical and molecular basis for a Chinese pedigree affected with Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS).Methods:A CAIS pedigree presented at Tianjin Medical University General Hospital between 2019 and 2021 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the proband was collected, along with peripheral blood samples from the proband and her family members. Chromosomal karyotyping, sex-determining region of the Y chromosome ( SRY) testing, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) were carried out for the proband, and candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing of her family members. Prenatal diagnosis was provided for the sister of the proband. This study was approved by Medical Ethics Committee of the Tianjin Medical University General Hospital (Ethics No. IRB2023-WZ-070). Results:The 18-year-old proband, who has a social gender of female, underwent laparoscopic examination, which showed no presence of uterus and ovaries. The karyotype of peripheral blood sample was 46, XY, with SRY gene detected. NGS indicated that the proband has harbored a heterozygous c. 1988C>G (p.Ser663Ter) variant of the AR gene. Sanger sequencing confirmed that her mother and sister had both harbored the same variant, whilst her father and younger sister were of the wild-type. Prenatal diagnosis revealed that her sister′s first fetus had harbored carried the same variant, which had led to termination of pregnancy. Her second fetus did not carry the variant, and a healthy boy was born. Based on guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the variant was classified as likely pathogenic (PM2_Supporting+ PM4+ PP3_Moderate+ PP4). Conclusion:The c. 1988C>G (p.Ser663Ter) variant of the AR gene probably underlay the CAIS in the proband. The accurate diagnosis of sex development disorders will rely on the physicians′ thorough understanding of the clinical symptoms and pathogenic genes. Genetic testing and counseling can enable precise diagnosis, prenatal diagnosis, and guidance for reproduction

【Objective】 To investigate the predictive value of high preoperative neutrophile-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for the prognosis of nonurothelial carcinoma of the bladder (NUBC) after radical cystectomy (RC). 【Methods】 Clinical and follow-up data of NUBC patients undergoing RC during Jan.2005 and Dec.2020 were collected. The optimal cut-off value of NLR was determined with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The survival curve was drawn with Kaplan-Meier method to compare the differences in cancer specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) between the high-NLR and low-NLR groups. The independent risk factors of CSS and OS were screened with Cox proportional hazard regression model. 【Results】 Of the 62 eligible cases,34 (54.8%) were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma,17 (27.4%) with squamous cell carcinoma, 6 (9.7%) with small cell carcinoma and 5 (8.1%) with sarcoma. Kaplan-Meier analysis results showed high NLR was associated with poor CSS (P=0.001) and OS (P<0.001). Cox regression results indicated that high NLR (HR=2.42, 95%CI: 1.12-5.23, P=0.025) and advanced pathologic tumor stage (HR=3.21, 95%CI:1.53-6.74,P=0.002) were independent risk factors of unfavorable CSS. Similarly, high NLR (HR=2.75, 95%CI: 1.35-5.56, P=0.005) and advanced pathologic tumor stage (HR=2.81, 95%CI:1.43-5.57, P=0.003) were independent risk factors of unfavorable OS. 【Conclusion】 As an independent risk factor of unfavorable CSS and OS in NUBC patients undergoing RC, high preoperative NLR is of great value in the prediction of long-term prognosis and may help to optimize individualized treatment.

Objective:To investigate the value of cystatin C (Cys-C) in the early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) after radical nephrectomy and the predictive value for the prognosis of Cys-C based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR Cys-C) after surgery. Methods:The clinical data of 118 patients who underwent unilateral radical nephrectomy in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the diagnostic criteria of AKI, they were divided into AKI group of 75 cases and no-AKI group of 43 cases. AKI group was (62.7±10.7) years old, with 49 males and 26 females. The no-AKI group was (62.3±12.8) years old, with 21 males and 22 females. The urea nitrogen was (4.9±1.3) mmol/L, creatinine (75.7±14.5)μmol/L, Cys-C (0.85±0.22) mg/L, eGFR Cr(76.3±11.2)ml/(min·1.73m 2), and eGFR Cys-C(101.4±17.4)ml/(min·1.73m 2)in AKI group before operation.In no-AKI group, preoperative urea nitrogen was (4.9±1.5) mmol/L, creatinine (74.5±13.1)μmol/L, Cys-C (0.81±0.29) mg/L, eGFR Cr(78.6±12.5)ml/(min·1.73m 2), and eGFR Cys-C(99.3±18.8)ml/(min·1.73m 2), and there were no significant differences in the values of urea nitrogen, creatinine, Cys-C and eGFR between the two groups before surgery ( P>0.05). ROC curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of urea nitrogen, creatinine, Cys-C, eGFR calculated based on creatinine and Cys-C at 48h after surgery, and binary Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for AKI. The creatinine status of patients diagnosed with SPS was evaluated 6 months after surgery, based on the definition of Cys-C based eGFR being less than 70% of creatinine-based eGFR(SPS=eGFR Cys-C/ eGFR Cr≤0.7). Results:In AKI group, creatinine was(115.2±22.1)μumol/L, Cys-C (1.8±0.27) mg/L, eGFR Cr (51.6±9.6)ml/(min·1.73m 2), and eGFR Cys-C(43.4±8.5)ml/(min·1.73m 2)48 h after operation. The creatinine was(92.7±13.3)μmol/L, Cys-C(1.3±0.23) mg/L, eGFR Cr(62.2±11.3)ml/(min·1.73m 2), and eGFR Cys-C(61.5±9.5)ml/(min·1.73m 2) in no-AKI group, and difference were statistically significant between the two groups ( P<0.01). ROC curve was used to analyze the diagnosis of AKI. Creatinine, Cys-C, eGFR Cr and eGFR Cys-Cwere all of diagnostic value for AKI (all P<0.01), and AUC(Area under curve) were 0.809, 0.889, 0.761 and 0.925 respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve of eGFR Cys-C were 93.3%, 74.4% and 92.5% respectively. Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that creatinine( OR=10.851, 95% CI 2.322-50.688, P=0.004), Cys-C( OR=10.016, 95% CI 2.306-43.362, P=0.001), eGFR Cr( OR=17.923, 95%CI 3.216-53.172, P=0.001) and eGFR Cys-C( OR=19.817, 95% CI 3.367-55.263, P=0.001)were all independent risk factors for AKI. The predictive accuracy of eGFR Cys-C, creatinine, Cys-C, eGFR Cr were 91.6%, 85.7%, 90.2%, 88.5%, respectively. There were 15 cases were confirmed SPS in the AKI group, and only 2 cases were confirmed SPS in the no-AKI group, indicating patients in the AKI group developed more SPS than those in the no-AKI group, with statistically significant difference(Kappa value was 5.22, P=0.02). The 6-month follow-up showed that the creatinine of confirmed SPS was (103.8±23.4)μmol/L and the creatinine of unconfirmed SPS was (86.8±27.2)μmol/L, with statistically significant difference ( P<0.01). Conclusions:eGFR Cys-C calculated based on Cys-C has high sensitivity in diagnosing AKI and has early diagnostic value. Patients diagnosed with SPS based on eGFR Cys-C had higher creatinine 6 months after surgery.

Objective:To monitor the cerebral vascular blood flow parameters in the early stage of simulated acute exposure to high altitude hypoxia by transcranial color Doppler (TCCD), and to evaluate the change trend of cerebral hemodynamics and cerebrovascular reactivity.Methods:Sixty-four healthy volunteers were selected to observe the changes of peak systolic flow velocity(Vs), end diastolic flow velocity(Vd), mean flow velocity(Vm), resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) of middle cerebral artery (MCA) 30 minutes after they quickly entered the simulated altitude of 4 500 meters. Combined with breath holding test, breath holding index (BHI) was used to evaluate cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), and subjects were divided into ≤30 years old group and >30 years old group, and the changes of CVR after hypoxia of the two groups were compared.Results:In the early stage of hypoxic environment, compared with baseline, SpO 2 decreased, heart rate increased, and blood flow velocity of middle cerebral artery(Vs, Vd, Vm) increased significantly, BHI showed a decreasing trend (all P<0.01). After hypoxia, the BHI rate of change in >30 years old was lower than that of the subjects ≤30 years old ( P<0.05). After breath holding, cerebral blood flow velocity increased significantly, PI and RI decreased significantly (all P<0.01). Conclusions:Cerebral blood flow is very sensitive to hypoxia. The application of TCCD technology can evaluate the trend of cerebral blood flow dynamics and cerebrovascular reserve capacity in real time and accurately, which is helpful to provide objective basis and research basis for the prevention and treatment of high altitude hypoxia.

A case of varicella pneumonia, hepatitis and pancreatitis after kidney transplantation was retrospectively analyzed. One week after kidney transplantation, the patient had a papule with pruritus, which was diagnosed as varicella by dermatologist as well as high-throughput sequencing. The patient was found to have pneumonia, hepatitis and pancreatitis. The individualized treatment regimen was used, including the dosage reduction of immunosuppressive agents, the blood drug concentration monitoring, antiviral therapy, anti-infection therapy, supportive treatment, and symptomatic alleviation for complications. The treatment was adjusted according to the indicators'variation. The timely review of the indicators and immunosuppressant blood concentration were performed to protect the transplanted kidney function, and the patient recovered in time. This rare case of postoperative complications of kidney transplantation were summarized and analyzed in order to accumulate clinical experience for the treatment of renal transplantation.

Objective To investigate the treatment status of patients over 65 years old with hypertension and multimorbidity in Qinghai, so as to provide reference for clinical treatment. Methods A total of 530 patients aged over 65 years old with hypertension involved multimorbidity in Qinghai were enrolled. The main disease types and polypharmacy were analyzed. Living with Medicines Questionnaire (LMQ) was used to assess the medical burden of patients, and the potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) was measured using screening tool of older people's prescriptions (STOPP) and screening tool to alert to right treatment (START) criteria. Various indexes were analyzed, including age, gender, working status, marital status, educational level, solitary life, primary caregiver, sources of income, types of diseases, number of drugs per prescription and ways of obtaining prescriptions. The independent factors of irrational drug use in patients with hypertension and multimorbidity were discussed. Results ① Among the 530 subjects, the proportion of patients complicated with two diseases, three diseases, and four or more diseases was 71.70%, 20.00% and 8.30%, respectively. ② The top five combination types of multimorbidity were hypertension with coronary heart disease (26.04%), hypertension with dyslipidemia (16.04%), hypertension with diabetes (13.02%), hypertension with coronary heart disease and dyslipidemia (7.55%), hypertension with coronary heart disease and diabetes (3.96%).③ The types of drugs per prescription ranged from 1 to 11, with an average of 6.13 types, and the multiple medication rate reached 83.02% (440/530). ④ LMQ scale indicated that drug burden of patients with multimorbidity was at moderate to severe degree. ⑤ Taking STOPP/START as standard, the incidence of PIM was 32.64%.⑥ Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that education level and prescription obtained from secondary or above level hospitals were protective factors for PIM in patients with hypertension and multiple diseases, while the type of medication was a risk factor for PIM. Conclusion The elderly patients with hypertension and multiple diseases in Qinghai have a high multiple medication rate, and are in a state of moderate to severe drug burden, moreover, the PIM rate is also relatively high, so clinical standardization of drug use and reduction of drug burden are of vital importance.