OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

As the brain's resident immune cells, microglia perform crucial functions such as phagocytosis, neuronal network maintenance, and injury restoration by adopting various phenotypes. Dynamic imaging of these phenotypes is essential for accessing brain diseases and therapeutic responses. Although numerous probes are available for imaging pro-inflammatory microglia, no PET tracers have been developed specifically to visualize anti-inflammatory microglia. In this study, we present an ¹⁸F-labeled PET tracer (QTFT) that targets the P2Y₁₂, a receptor highly expressed on anti-inflammatory microglia. [¹⁸F]QTFT exhibited high binding affinity to the P2Y₁₂ (14.43 nmol/L) and superior blood-brain barrier permeability compared to other candidates. Micro-PET imaging in IL-4-induced neuroinflammation models showed higher [¹⁸F]QTFT uptake in lesions compared to the contralateral normal brain tissues. Importantly, this specific uptake could be blocked by QTFT or a P2Y₁₂ antagonist. Furthermore, [¹⁸F]QTFT visualized brain lesions in mouse models of epilepsy, glioma, and aging by targeting the aberrantly expressed P2Y₁₂ in anti-inflammatory microglia. In a pilot clinical study, [¹⁸F]QTFT successfully located epileptic foci, showing enhanced radioactive signals in a patient with epilepsy. Collectively, these studies suggest that [¹⁸F]QTFT could serve as a valuable diagnostic tool for imaging various brain disorders by targeting P2Y₁₂ overexpressed in anti-inflammatory microglia.

OBJECTIVE: To reveal the effects and potential mechanisms by which synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) influences the distribution of amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the trans-Golgi network (TGN), endolysosomal system, and cell membranes and to reveal the effects of SV2A on APP amyloid degradation. METHODS: Colocalization analysis of APP with specific tagged proteins in the TGN, ensolysosomal system, and cell membrane was performed to explore the effects of SV2A on the intracellular transport of APP. APP, β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) expressions, and APP cleavage products levels were investigated to observe the effects of SV2A on APP amyloidogenic processing. RESULTS: APP localization was reduced in the TGN, early endosomes, late endosomes, and lysosomes, whereas it was increased in the recycling endosomes and cell membrane of SV2A-overexpressed neurons. Moreover, Arl5b (ADP-ribosylation factor 5b), a protein responsible for transporting APP from the TGN to early endosomes, was upregulated by SV2A. SV2A overexpression also decreased APP transport from the cell membrane to early endosomes by downregulating APP endocytosis. In addition, products of APP amyloid degradation, including sAPPβ, Aβ _1-42, and Aβ _1-40, were decreased in SV2A-overexpressed cells. CONCLUSION These results demonstrated that SV2A promotes APP transport from the TGN to early endosomes by upregulating Arl5b and promoting APP transport from early endosomes to recycling endosomes-cell membrane pathway, which slows APP amyloid degradation.
Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/genetics* ; Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics* ; Animals ; Protein Transport ; Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics* ; Humans ; Mice ; Endosomes/metabolism* ; trans-Golgi Network/metabolism*

Objective:Analyze the impact of organizational factors on multidisciplinary teamwork behavior in tertiary public hospitals in Hangzhou,as well as the role mechanism of team atmosphere and team leadership.Provide suggestions for fully mobilizing their teamwork enthusiasm and improving teamwork efficiency.Methods:From January 2022 to March 2022,a questionnaire survey was conducted on multidisciplinary team members in tertiary public hospitals in Hangzhou using purposive sampling,and a total of 452 valid questionnaires were collected;Use the Process plugin in SPSS 26.0 software to test the moderated mediation model.Results:Positive organizational factors have a positive promoting impact on multidisciplinary teamwork behavior(β = 0.128,P<0.001),team atmosphere plays a mediating role between organizational factors and multidisciplinary teamwork behavior(β =0.063,P<0.001),and team leadership plays a negative moderating role between organizational factors and team atmosphere(β =-0.011,P<0.001).Conclusions:The behavior of multidisciplinary teamwork is influenced by multiple factors such as organizational factors,team atmosphere,and team leadership.Therefore,the hospital should actively explore a long-term operation mechanism for multidisciplinary teamwork that conforms to the characteristics of the hospital,improve top-level design,strengthen organizational investment,create a harmonious cooperation atmosphere within the team,enhance team cohesion,use shared leadership for team decision-making,and grant team members sufficient autonomy and decision-making power.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired clonal hematopoietic stem cell disease caused by abnormal expression of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) on the cell membrane due to mutations in the phosphatidylinositol glycan class A(PIGA) gene. It is commonly characterized by intravascular hemolysis, repeated thrombosis, and bone marrow failure, as well as multiple systemic involvement symptoms such as renal dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, swallowing difficulties, chest pain, abdominal pain, and erectile dysfunction. Due to the rarity of PNH and its strong heterogeneity in clinical manifestations, multidisciplinary collaboration is often required for diagnosis and treatment. Peking Union Medical College Hospital, relying on the rare disease diagnosis and treatment platform, has invited multidisciplinary clinical experts to form a unified opinion on the diagnosis and treatment of PNH, and formulated the Expert Consensus of Multidisciplinary Diagnosis and Treatment for Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (2024), with the hope of promoting the standardization of PNH diagnosis and treatment.

Background Schizophrenic patients have metabolic disorders,impaired language and information processing function.Inflammatory factors may play an important role in the occurrence and development of schizophrenia.Objective To explore the relationship of the inflammatory factor levels with metabolic levels,language fluency and information processing function in patients with schizophrenia,so as to provide references for clinical understanding of the neuropathological mechanisms of schizophrenia.Methods A total of 96 patients with schizophrenia were included in the study group,who were hospitalized in the Fourth People's Hospital of Hefei from January 2021 to December 2022 as well as met the diagnostic criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,fifth edition(DSM-5)and Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview(MINI)6.0.Meanwhile,population who underwent physical examination at the same hospital were included in the control group(n=42).A high-sensitivity multi factor electrochemiluminescence analyzer was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors IL-4,IL-5,IL-7,IL-8,IL-10 and IL-13.A fully automated biochemical analyzer was used to detect the levels of metabolic indicators such as fasting blood glucose,triglycerides,high-density lipoprotein,apolipoprotein A,creatinine and urea nitrogen.Verbal fluency and information processing function of all participants were assessed by using Verbal Fluency Test(VFT)and Stroop Color Word Test(SCWT).Results There were statistically significant differences in the levels of IL-4,IL-5,IL-7,IL-8,IL-10,IL-13 and IL-15 between the study group and the control group(P<0.05).There were statistically significant differences in BMI,waist circumference,fasting blood glucose,triglycerides,high-density lipoprotein,urea nitrogen,apolipoprotein A and creatinine levels between the two groups(P<0.05).The differences in the correct number of household appliances,animals,fruits,vegetables,names starting with"water"and"self"in VFT between the two groups were statistically significant(P<0.05).The differences in point reaction time,character reaction time and character color reaction time in SCWT between the two groups were statistically significant(P<0.05).Correlation analysis showed that except for creatinine levels,the levels of IL-4 and IL-5 in patients with schizophrenia were correlated with other indicators(P<0.05).IL-7 levels were correlated with creatinine levels,household appliances,animals,fruits,correct number of names starting with"water"in VFT,point reaction time and word reaction time in SCWT(P<0.05).IL-8 levels were correlated with triglyceride levels,household appliances,animals,fruits,vegetables,correct number of names starting with"water"and"self"in VFT and word reaction time in SCWT(P<0.05).Except for creatinine levels and the correct number of names starting with"self",IL-10 levels were correlated with all other indicators(P<0.05).Except for creatinine and urea nitrogen levels,IL-13 levels were correlated with other indicators(P<0.05).Conclusion The levels of inflammatory factors in patients with schizophrenia may be related to their metabolic levels,language fluency and information processing function.

Objective To explore the effect of exposure to noise of 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)on children's cochlear function.Methods We prospectively recruited 72 children who underwent cranial MRI examination at our hospital from May to November 2018;3M earplugs and sponge mats were used for hearing protection during MRI scanning.Noise level(dBA)of each MRI sequence was detected with a nonmagnetic microphone and a sound level meter.Distortion product otoacoustic emissions(DPOAE)test at 2-7 kHz was performed 24 hours before and 30 minutes after the MRI examination.Paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze differences in DPOAE amplitude before and after the MRI examination.Results The average noise level of MRI measured in the study was(107.7±3.92)dBA.Compared with that before the MRI examination,the DPOAE amplitude(dB)changed little after the MRI examination;the range of amplitude differences in each age group was as follows:left ear(-0.24-1.10)and right ear(-0.24-0.74)in the 0-1 year-old group;left ear(-0.07-0.59)and right ear(-0.57-0.75)in the 2-5 year-old group;left ear(-0.36-0.44)and right ear(-0.30-0.57)in the 6-12 year-old group.No statistically significant difference was found(correction P＞0.05).Conclusion No potential impact of 3.0T MRI noise on children's cochlear function was observed under routine hearing protection.

Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of recombinant human anti-severe acute respiratory syn-drome coronavirus 2(anti-SARS-CoV-2)monoclonal antibody injection(F61 injection)in the treatment of patients with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)combined with renal damage.Methods Patients with COVID-19 and renal damage who visited the PLA General Hospital from January to February 2023 were selected.Subjects were randomly divided into two groups.Control group was treated with conventional anti-COVID-19 therapy,while trial group was treated with conventional anti-COVID-19 therapy combined with F61 injection.A 15-day follow-up was conducted after drug administration.Clinical symptoms,laboratory tests,electrocardiogram,and chest CT of pa-tients were performed to analyze the efficacy and safety of F61 injection.Results Twelve subjects(7 in trial group and 5 in control group)were included in study.Neither group had any clinical progression or death cases.The ave-rage time for negative conversion of nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2 in control group and trial group were 3.2 days and 1.57 days(P=0.046),respectively.The scores of COVID-19 related target symptom in the trial group on the 3rd and 5th day after medication were both lower than those of the control group(both P＜0.05).According to the clinical staging and World Health Organization 10-point graded disease progression scale,both groups of subjects improved but didn't show statistical differences(P＞0.05).For safety,trial group didn't present any infusion-re-lated adverse event.Subjects in both groups demonstrated varying degrees of elevated blood glucose,elevated urine glucose,elevated urobilinogen,positive urine casts,and cardiac arrhythmia,but the differences were not statistica-lly significant(all P＞0.05).Conclusion F61 injection has initially demonstrated safety and clinical benefit in trea-ting patients with COVID-19 combined with renal damage.As the domestically produced drug,it has good clinical accessibility and may provide more options for clinical practice.

Objective:To explore the role and mechanism of neurotrophin-3(NT-3)in promoting neurological func-tion recovery after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.Methods:Twenty-four SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group(Sham),middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion(MCAO/R)group,and MCAO/R+NT-3 group.The neurological function scores of rats in each group were evaluated using the modified Garcia score.Western Blot was used to detect the expression of NT-3 and LC3B in brain tissues of rats.Culture dishes with the same density of neurons were randomly divided into normal group(Normal),oxygen-glucose deprivation(OGD)group,OGD+NT-3 group,OGD+NT-3+PF-06273340(TrkC inhibitor)group,OGD+NT-3+ZSTK474(PI3K inhibitor)group,and OGD+NT-3+CCT128930(AKT inhibitor)group.Western Blot was used to detect the expression of TrkC,the phosphorylation of PI3K/AKT,and LC3B in neurons.The morphological changes of neurons and the phenomenon of neuronal autophagy were observed using autophagy-specific fluorescent staining.Results:The animal experiment found that the expression of NT-3 increased in the brain tissue with ischemia-reperfusion injury(P＜0.05),and after the treatment with exogenous NT-3,the modified Garcia score increased(P＜0.05),and the level of autophagy weakened(P＜0.05).The cell experiment found that NT-3 can inhibit neuronal autophagy under ischemic hypoxia and maintain the neuronal morphology to the maximum extent.After using PF-06273340,the expression of p-PI3K and p-AKT de-creased(P＜0.05).After using ZSTK474 and CCT128930,the autophagy-inhibiting effect of NT-3 weakened(P＜0.05).Conclusion:NT-3 inhibits autophagy via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to maintain neuronal survival,thereby promoting the recovery of neurological function after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.

Cerebrocardiac syndrome refers to secondary cardiac damage caused by various craniocere-bral injury lesions,which can exacerbate existing heart disease.In the practice of forensic pathology,cerebral-cardiac interaction is often ignored in cases of death with a short time after craniocerebral in-jury,especially those with underlying heart disease.This article reviews the pathogenesis of cerebrocar-diac syndrome by summarizing recent research results of cerebrocardiac syndrome at home and abroad and discusses its significance in the field of forensic medicine.The aim is to provide assistance for fo-rensic medicine practice of cerebrocardiac syndrome.