A combined radiation-wound injury refers to a radiation injury combined with a traumatic wound, with the characteristics of repeated ulceration and a long and difficult healing process, which is a focus in the field of research on difficult-to-heal wounds. To research combined radiation-wound injuries, the establishment of animal models is a key part, and appropriate animal models are a guarantee of reliable experimental results. This review summarizes the current research progress on various animal models of combined radiation-wound injuries in terms of radiation types, animal species, and injury types and location, aiming to provide a scientific basis for establishing standardized animal models, studying injury mechanisms, and evaluating prevention and treatment efficacy for combined radiation-wound injuries.

Objective To analyze the clinical efficacy of transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) in cardiac implantable electronic lead-related tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Methods The patients with severe TR who underwent LuX-Valve TTVR in 9 Chinese medical centers from June 2020 to August 2021 were retrospectively enrolled. They were divided into a cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) group and a non-CIED group based on whether they had pre-existing CIED implantation. Success of the procedure was defined as safe implantation of the LuX-Valve and complete withdrawal of the delivery system. Prognostic improvement was defined as a decrease of TR grade to≤2+ and an improvement of cardiac function by≥2 grades. Surgical success and postoperative prognosis were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 190 patients were collected, including 50 males and 140 females with a mean age of 66.2±7.8 years. There were 29 patients in the CIED group, and 161 patients in the non-CIED group. In the CIED group, 28 patients were implanted with a permanent pacemaker and 1 patient with a cardioverter-defibrillator. Preoperative New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function class, TR degree, left ventricular ejection fraction, tricuspid annular plane systolic excusion, and cardiac risk scores were comparable between the two groups (P>0.05). Postoperative TR was reduced to≤2+ in all patients, and there was no statistical difference in the incidence of perivalvular leakage between the two groups (P=0.270). Postoperative CT of CIED patients showed the valve was in place, and the lead was not extruded, twisted, or deflected. The in-hospital mortality of the two groups were 10.3% and 1.9%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.047). In addition, there was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative improvement of cardiac function and mortality in the 1- and 2-year follow-up. Conclusion TTVR is feasible, safe, and effective in patients with CIED implantation, and the pre-existing lead has no significant effect on the clinical efficacy.

Background/Aims: Low educational attainment is a well-established risk factor for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in developed areas. However, the association between educational attainment and the risk of NAFLD is less clear in China. Methods: A cross-sectional study including over 200,000 Chinese adults across mainland China was conducted. Information on education level and lifestyle factors were obtained through standard questionnaires, while NAFLD and advanced fibrosis were diagnosed using validated formulas. Outcomes included the risk of NAFLD in the general population and high probability of fibrosis among patients with NAFLD. Logistic regression analysis was employed to estimate the risk of NAFLD and fibrosis across education levels. A causal mediation model was used to explore the potential mediators. Results: Comparing with those receiving primary school education, the multi-adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for NAFLD were 1.28 (1.16 to 1.41) for men and 0.94 (0.89 to 0.99) for women with college education after accounting for body mass index. When considering waist circumference, the odds ratios (95% CIs) were 0.94 (0.86 to 1.04) for men and 0.88 (0.80 to 0.97) for women, respectively. The proportions mediated by general and central obesity were 51.00% and 68.04% for men, while for women the proportions were 48.58% and 32.58%, respectively. Furthermore, NAFLD patients with lower educational attainment showed an incremental increased risk of advanced fibrosis in both genders. Conclusions In China, a low education level was associated with a higher risk of prevalent NAFLD in women, as well as high probability of fibrosis in both genders.

Background: and Purpose We investigated the causal relationships between the gut microbiota (GM), stroke, and potential metabolite mediators using Mendelian randomization (MR). Methods: We leveraged the summary statistics of GM (n=18,340 in the MiBioGen consortium), blood metabolites (n=115,078 in the UK Biobank), and stroke (cases n=60,176 and controls n=1,310,725 in the Global Biobank Meta-Analysis Initiative) from the largest genome-wide association studies to date. We performed bidirectional MR analyses to explore the causal relationships between the GM and stroke, and two mediation analyses, two-step MR and multivariable MR, to discover potential mediating metabolites. Results: Ten taxa were causally associated with stroke, and stroke led to changes in 27 taxa. In the two-step MR, Bifidobacteriales order, Bifidobacteriaceae family, Desulfovibrio genus, apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), phospholipids in high-density lipoprotein (HDL_PL), and the ratio of apolipoprotein B to ApoA1 (ApoB/ApoA1) were causally associated with stroke (all P<0.044). The causal associations between Bifidobacteriales order, Bifidobacteriaceae family and stroke were validated using the weighted median method in an independent cohort. The three GM taxa were all positively associated with ApoA1 and HDL_PL, whereas Desulfovibrio genus was negatively associated with ApoB/ApoA1 (all P<0.010). Additionally, the causal associations between the three GM taxa and ApoA1 remained significant after correcting for the false discovery rate (all q-values <0.027). Multivariable MR showed that the associations between Bifidobacteriales order, Bifidobacteriaceae family and stroke were mediated by ApoA1 and HDL_PL, each accounting for 6.5% (P=0.028) and 4.6% (P=0.033); the association between Desulfovibrio genus and stroke was mediated by ApoA1, HDL_PL, and ApoB/ApoA1, with mediated proportions of 7.6% (P=0.019), 4.2% (P=0.035), and 9.1% (P=0.013), respectively. Conclusion The current MR study provides evidence supporting the causal relationships between several specific GM taxa and stroke and potential mediating metabolites.

A new definition of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has recently been proposed. We aim to examine the associations of MAFLD, particularly its discordance from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), with the progression of elevated brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and albuminuria in a community-based study sample in Shanghai, China. After 4.3 years of follow-up, 778 participants developed elevated baPWV and 499 developed albuminuria. In comparison with the non-MAFLD group, the multivariable adjusted odds ratio (OR) of MAFLD group for new-onset elevated baPWV was 1.25 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.55) and 1.35 (95% CI 1.07-1.70) for albuminuria. Participants without NAFLD but diagnosed according to MAFLD definition were associated with higher risk of incident albuminuria (OR 1.77; 95% CI 1.07-2.94). Patients with MAFLD with high value of hepamet fibrosis score or poor-controlled diabetes had higher risk of elevated baPWV or albuminuria. In conclusion, MAFLD was associated with new-onset elevated baPWV and albuminuria independently of body mass index, waist circumference, and hip circumference. Individuals without NAFLD but diagnosed as MAFLD had high risk of albuminuria, supporting that MAFLD criteria would be practical for the evaluation of long-term risk of subclinical atherosclerosis among fatty liver patients.
Humans ; Pulse Wave Analysis ; Albuminuria ; Ankle Brachial Index ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/diagnosis* ; Vascular Stiffness ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology*

Bone homeostasis is a relative balance between bone formation and resorption. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which is closely related to bone homeostasis, takes part in multiple intracellular and extracellular signal pathways. STAT3 participates in the process of osteoblast differentiation regulated by several factors. It can also maintain bone homeostasis by regulating the recruitment, differentiation and activation of osteoclasts. In addition, STAT3 is involved in the interaction between osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Patients with STAT3 mutations can have several inherited bone metabolism diseases. Furthermore, STAT3 plays a critical role in load-driven bone remodeling. Mechanical stimulation promotes osteoblast differentiation and bone formation through activating or enhancing STAT3 expression during bone remodeling process. This review summarizes the participation of STAT3 in maintaining bone homeostasis together with its possible mechanisms and discusses the connection between STAT3 and mechanical stimulation in bone remodeling, so as to provide a potential pharmacological target for the treatment of bone diseases.

The transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NF-B) is activated in hepatocytes in the pathogenesis of hepatic steatosis. However, the action mechanism of NF-B remains to be established in the hepatic steatosis. In this study, the subunit of NF-B was found to promote the hepatic steatosis through regulation of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) in hepatocytes. The activity was supported by the phenotypes of knockout (-KO) mice and knockout (-KO) mice. Hepatic steatosis was reduced in the -KO mice, but not in the -KO mice. The reduction was a result of inhibition of HDAC1 activity in the -KO cells. Knockdown of gene led to suppression of hepatocyte steatosis in HepG2 cells. A decrease in sterol-regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP1c) protein was observed in the liver of -KO mice and in cell with knockdown. The decrease was associated with an increase in succinylation of SREBP1c protein. The study suggests that stabilizes HDAC1 to support the SREBP1c activity in hepatic steatosis in the pathophysiological condition. Interruption of this novel pathway in the -KO, but not the -KO mice, may account for the difference in hepatic phenotypes in the two lines of transgenic mice.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been associated with a high prevalence of depression.We aimed to determine the causal relation by performing a Mendelian randomization (MR) study using 34 T2D risk genetic variants validated in East Asians as the instrumental variable (IV). An MR analysis was performed involving 11 506 participants from a large longitudinal study. The T2D genetic risk score (GRS) was built using the 34 typical T2D common variants. We used T2D_GRS as the IV estimator and performed inverse-variance weighted (IVW) and Egger MR analysis. The T2D_GRS was found to be associated with depression with an OR of 1.21 (95% CI: 1.07-1.37) after adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, current smoking and drinking, physical activity, education, and marital status. Using T2D_GRS as the IV, we similarly found a causal relationship between genetically determined T2D and depression (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.25-2.70). Though we found no association between the combined effect of the genetic IVs for T2D and depression with EggerMR(OR: 0.95, 95%CI: 0.42-2.14), we found an association for T2D and depression with IVW (OR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.31-2.46) after excluding pleiotropic SNPs. Overall, the MR analyses provide evidence inferring a potential causal relationship between T2D and depression.
Aged ; Causality ; China ; epidemiology ; Depression ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; complications ; genetics ; psychology ; Female ; Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Risk Factors ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Objective To evaluate medium-term valvular functionality after transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement in sheep using a novel polymeric prosthetic pulmonary valve(PPHV). Methods In this study, we designed a novel polymeric trileaflet transcatheter pulmonary valve with a balloon-expandable stent, and the valve leaflet was made of 0. 1mm expanded polytetrafluoroethylene( ePTFE) . We chose bovine pericardium valve as control. Pulmonary valve stents were implanted in situ by right ventricular apical approach in 12 healthy sheep(10 for polymeric valve and 2 for bovine pericardium valve) weighing anaverageof(22.1±2.3)kg. Echocardiography,angiography,64-rowcomputedtomography(CT),andautopsywereusedto assess valvular function 12 weeks after implantation. Results Two PPHVs failed to be implanted in situ of pulmonary valve po-sition. Implantation was successful in the other 10 sheep. One sheep died of pneumonia, and the other 9 sheep survived at the end of follow-up. Echocardiography 12 weeks after implantation showed all the PPHVs exhibited good functionality and no sig-nificant insufficiency. The peak-peak transvalvular pressure gradient of the PPHVs was(28.2 ±8.0)mmHg(16-38 mmHg) (1 mmHg=0. 133 kPa), while that of two bovine pericardium valves were 16 and 21 mmHg. Angiography and CT 12 weeks after implantation demonstrated orthotopic position and normal operation of the valves,and no deformation of the valved stents. Pathological examination of the explanted PPHVs 12 weeks after implantation showed no degradation or damage of the ePTFE leaflets and most of the leaflets were thin and pliable, without significant thrombus or calcification, while visible pannus over-growth was found at the bottom of the valve leaflets, in the commissural areas and on the sealing cuff. Conclusion The medi-um-term effects of the novel ePTFE pulmonary valve after transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation in sheep is good. The no-vel PPHV exhibits good anti-adhesion, anti-degradation, anti-thrombus, anti-calcification performance and good biomechanical property. The hemodynamic parameter of PPHV is comparable to bovine pericardium valve. Optimizing the valve design might eliminate the problem about pannus overgrowth.