BACKGROUND:Animal models of diabetic encephalopathy that have been studied mainly include streptozotocin-induced model,high-sugar and high-fat diet-induced model and spontaneous animal model.Establishing a simple,easy,short-cycle,safe and effective model of diabetic encephalopathy can help to explore the subsequent pathogenesis and screen therapeutic drugs. OBJECTIVE:To further explore and evaluate the method of building diabetic encephalopathy rat models. METHODS:Twenty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control(n=10)and model(n=10)groups.Rats in the model group were given a single injection of 45 mg/kg streptozotocin in the left lower abdominal cavity,and those in the control group were given the same amount of citrate buffer.During the experiment,the body mass,feed intake,water intake and blood glucose were measured.After 8 weeks,the glucose tolerance and oxidative stress levels were measured,and the pathological changes of brain tissue and the expression of apoptotic proteins were compared between groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the control group,the food intake,water intake,encephalization quotient,blood glucose and area under the blood glucose curve were significantly increased in the model group,while the body mass decreased significantly(P<0.01).Histopathological examination of the brain showed that compared with the control group,the number of surviving nerve cells was significantly reduced in the model group(P<0.01),with more significant pathological damage of nerve cells.Compared with the control group,the activities of serum superoxide dismutase,catalase and glutathione in the model group were significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the content of oxidative malondialdehyde was significantly increased(P<0.05).The expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins Bax and Caspase-3 in brain tissue increased in the model group compared with the control group,while the expression of Bcl-2 decreased(P<0.01).In conclusion,an 8-week injection of 45 mg/kg streptozotocin can cause obvious pathological damage to the brain tissue of diabetic rats,to successfully establish the rat model of diabetic encephalopathy.

Objective:To construct an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted system based on deep learning for corneal in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) image recognition and to evaluate its value in clinical applications. Methods:A diagnostic study was conducted.A total of 18 860 corneal images were collected from 331 subjects who underwent IVCM examination at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University and Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from May 2021 to September 2022.The collected images were used for model training and testing after being reviewed and classified by corneal experts.The model design included a low-quality image filtering model, a corneal image diagnosis model, and a 4-layer identification model for corneal epithelium, Bowman membrane, stroma, and endothelium, to initially determine normal and abnormal corneal images and corresponding corneal layers.A human-machine competition was conducted with another 360 database-independent IVCM images to compare the accuracy and time spent on image recognition by three senior ophthalmologists and the AI system.In addition, 8 trainees without IVCM training and with less than three years of clinical experience were selected to recognize the same 360 images without and with model assistance to analyze the effectiveness of model assistance.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University (No.WDRY2021-K148).Results:The accuracy of this diagnostic model in screening high-quality images was 0.954.Its overall accuracy in identifying normal/abnormal corneal images was 0.916 and 0.896 in the internal and external test sets, respectively.Its accuracy reached 0.983, 0.925 in the internal test sets and 0.988, 0.929 in the external test sets in identifying corneal layers of normal and abnormal images, respectively.In the human-machine competition, the overall recognition accuracy of the model was 0.878, which was similar to the average accuracy of the three senior physicians and was approximately 300 times faster than the experts in recognition speed.Trainees assisted by the system achieved an accuracy of 0.816±0.043 in identifying corneal layers of normal and abnormal images, which was significantly higher than 0.669±0.061 without model assistance ( t=6.304, P<0.001). Conclusions:A deep learning-based assistant system for corneal IVCM image recognition is successfully constructed.This system can discriminate normal/abnormal corneal images and diagnose the corresponding corneal layer of the images, which can improve the efficiency of clinical diagnosis and assist doctors in training and learning.

We retrospectively analyzed therapy efficacy and the adverse reactions of 10 patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with intestinal involvement treated with rituximab (RTX). Patients were hospitalized in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2015 to January 2023. Among the 10 patients, two were men and eight were women. The age of the cohort was (41.9±8.8) years. The age at disease onset was (28.8±9.2) years. The total course of the SLE diagnosis was(109.6±59.9) months. The course of the diagnosis of SLE with intestinal involvement was (89.3±50.2) months. The time from the appearance of intestinal symptoms to the diagnosis of SLE with intestinal involvement was 1.5 (1.0,8.0) months. The time from the diagnosis of SLE with intestinal involvement to RTX use was 13.0 (1.0,46.3) months. Follow-up duration after application of RTX treatment was (55.3±28.4) months. There were five cases of abdominal pain, four cases of abdominal distension, nine cases of diarrhea, three cases of nervous-system involvement, nine cases of lupus nephritis, and seven cases of serositis. All 10 patients underwent computed tomography and radiology of the abdomen. Eight patients had intestinal-wall edema, seven suffered intestinal dilation, four had target signs, three suffered congestion of mesenteric blood vessels, eight had increased mesenteric-fat density, and six had false intestinal obstruction. All 10 patients showed a low level of complement C3 (250-750 mg/L). Nine cases showed a low level of complement C4 (10-90 mg/L). The SLE disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) at baseline in 10 patients was 20.5 (17.8, 30.0). After receiving RTX (0.5 g: day 1, day 14, or 375 mg/m 2: day 1, day 14) induction treatment, the intestinal symptoms of 10 cases were relieved completely. Four patients had adverse reactions, of which three received a high-dose glucocorticoid combined with RTX treatment simultaneously. Adverse reactions manifested mainly as a reduced level of IgG and infection with herpes simplex virus in one case, reduced level of IgG and lung infection in one patient, lung infection in one case, and reduced IgG level in one patient. RTX may an efficacious treatment strategy for patients suffering from refractory SLE with intestinal involvement.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has become an increasingly important health challenge, with a substantial rise linked to changing lifestyles and global obesity. Ursolic acid, a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid, has been explored for its potential therapeutic effects. Given its multifunctional bioactive properties, this research further revealed the pharmacological mechanisms of ursolic acid on MASLD. Methods: Drug target chips and bioinformatics analysis were combined in this study to explore the potential therapeutic effects of ursolic acid on MASLD. Molecular docking simulations, surface plasmon resonance analyses, pull-down experiments, and co-immunoprecipitation assays were used to verify the direct interactions. Gene knockdown mice were generated, and high-fat diets were used to validate drug efficacy. Furthermore, initial CD4+ T cells were isolated and stimulated to demonstrate our findings. Results: In this study, the multifunctional extracellular matrix phosphorylated glycoprotein secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) was investigated, highlighting its capability to induce Th17 cell differentiation, amplifying inflammatory cascades, and subsequently promoting the evolution of MASLD. In addition, this study revealed that in addition to the canonical TGF-β/IL-6 cytokine pathway, SPP1 can directly interact with ITGB1 and CD44, orchestrating Th17 cell differentiation via their joint downstream ERK signaling pathway. Remarkably, ursolic acid intervention notably suppressed the protein activity of SPP1, suggesting a promising avenue for ameliorating the immunoinflammatory trajectory in MASLD progression. Conclusions Ursolic acid could improve immune inflammation in MASLD by modulating SPP1-mediated Th17 cell differentiation via the ERK signaling pathway, which is orchestrated jointly by ITGB1 and CD44, emerging as a linchpin in this molecular cascade.

The study aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of rituximab in the treatment of 23 cases of lupus nephritis and explore the prospect of half-dose rituximab in lupus nephritis treatment. Twenty-three patients with lupus nephritis hospitalized in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology at the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from May 2013 to December 2021 were selected. Eighteen patients received rituximab 375 mg/m 2 on the first and 14th days, 5 patients received 500 mg of rituximab on the first and 14th days, and rituximab was used as needed 6 months later. Methylprednisolone (80-120 mg) was given together with rituximab. Afterward, 1 mg/kg prednisone was used for 4 weeks, which was progressively tapered to maintenance doses or discontinued. B lymphocyte level, renal function, 24-h urine protein level, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI2K) score before and after treatment were recorded. The efficacy and adverse reactions were analyzed. The results showed that 11 patients suffered from renal insufficiency [creatinine (162.7±58.6) μmol/L ] at baseline, while the creatinine level of 9 patients returned to normal 12 months after the treatment [ (66.3±10.1)μmol/L ]. Normal renal function of the other 12 patients was maintained during treatment. After 12 months, the 24-h urine protein level decreased from 4.00 (2.00,6.80) g in the baseline period to 0.10 (0.08,0.40) g. SLEDAI2K score decreased from 22 (18,26) in the baseline period to 3 (0,6) 12 months after the treatment. The B lymphocyte level reached 0.00 (0.00,0.01)% at 3 months. Of 23 patients, 13 patients achieved complete remission, and 7 patients achieved partial remission after 6 months of rituximab treatment. Five patients experienced adverse reactions related to rituximab, including 1 case of transfusion reaction, 1 case of perioral herpes with pulmonary infection, and 3 cases of decreased IgG levels. Therefore, rituximab regimen used in this study can be an effective treatment strategy for lupus nephritis.

Cognitive frailty is a state of weakness and mild cognitive impairment in patients without dementia.It directly affects the health of patients with cardiovascular disease, increasing disability risk and reducing quality of life.This article reviews the concept, assessment, epidemiology, prognosis, mechanisms and intervention of cognitive frailty in elderly patients with cardiovascular disease.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer characterized with intense invasion, early recurrence, rapid progression, short survival time and easy invasion and metastasis. Due to its high heterogeneity and lack of specific targeted therapy, its pathogenesis has become an important target of current research. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a class of non-coding RNA with more than 200 nucleotide sequences in length. More and more studies have found lncRNA plays an important role in the occurrence and progression of TNBC. This article reviews the biological characteristics of lncRNA, the current research status of the expression, function and regulation of lncRNA in TNBC to provide theoretical basis for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of TNBC.

Background::Ubiquitination plays an essential role in many biological processes, including viral infection, and can be reversed by deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs). Although some studies discovered that DUBs inhibit or enhance viral infection by various mechanisms, there is lack of information on the role of DUBs in virus regulation, which needs to be further investigated.Methods::Immunoblotting, real-time polymerase chain reaction, in vivo/ in vitro deubiquitination, protein immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, and co-localization biological techniques were employed to examine the effect of ubiquitin-specific protease 3 (USP3) on APOBEC3G (A3G) stability and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication. To analyse the relationship between USP3 and HIV disease progression, we recruited 20 HIV-infected patients to detect the levels of USP3 and A3G in peripheral blood and analysed their correlation with CD4 + T-cell counts. Correlation was estimated by Pearson correlation coefficients (for parametric data). Results::The results demonstrated that USP3 specifically inhibits HIV-1 replication in an A3G-dependent manner. Further investigation found that USP3 stabilized 90% to 95% of A3G expression by deubiquitinating Vif-mediated polyubiquitination and blocking its degradation in an enzyme-dependent manner. It also enhances the A3G messenger RNA (mRNA) level by binding to A3G mRNA and stabilizing it in an enzyme-independent manner. Moreover, USP3 expression was positively correlated with A3G expression ( r= 0.5110) and CD4 + T-cell counts ( r= 0.5083) in HIV-1-infected patients. Conclusions::USP3 restricts HIV-1 viral infections by increasing the expression of the antiviral factor A3G. Therefore, USP3 may be an important target for drug development and serve as a novel therapeutic strategy against viral infections.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics of liver function of patients with autoimmune liver disease (AILD) complicated with gallbladder stone (GS), so as to guide clinical practice.Methods:From November 2009 to October 2018, at General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, the clinical data of 386 patients with AILD were retrospectively analyzed. According to the relevant diagnostic criteria, 208 cases of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), 129 cases of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and 49 cases of PBC-AIH overlap syndrome were screened out. The incidence, clinical characteristics and the changes of laboratory indicators including albumin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) of AILD patients complicated with GS were analyzed. Chi-square test, t test and rank sum test were performed for statistical analysis. Results:There was no significant difference in the incidence between AILD, AIH, PBC and PBC-AIH overlap syndrome patients complicated with GS (32.9%, 127/386; 28.8%, 60/208; 36.4%, 47/129 and 40.8%, 20/49; respectively; P>0.05). Gallstones of AILD patients complicated with GS mostly were multiple and small stones with maximum diameter <1 cm (45.7%, 58/127 and 57.7%, 60/104, respectively). The age of initial diagnosis, the proportion of liver cirrhosis at inital diagnosis and the levels of ALP and GGT were higher in AILD patients complicated with GS than those of AILD patients without GS ((60.5±11.5) years vs. (57.6±11.5) years; 53.5%, 68/127 vs. 42.1%, 109/259; 154.00 U/L (89.00 U/L, 257.00 U/L) vs. 125.00 U/L (86.00 U/L, 212.00 U/L); 169.00 U/L (79.00 U/L, 343.00 U/L) vs. 128.60 U/L (48.00 U/L, 284.00 U/L); respectively); however the albumin level was lower than that of AILD patients without GS ((36.46±7.30) g/L vs. (38.34±7.58) g/L), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=-2.361, χ2=4.506, Z=-2.192, -2.443, t=2.322; all P<0.05). The incidence of GS in AILD patients≥60 years old was higher than that AILD patients<60 years old (37.6%, 73/194 vs. 28.1%, 54/192), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=3.948, P=0.047). The incidence of GS in AILD patients and AIH patients complicated with liver cirrhosis was higher than that in patients without liver cirrhosis (38.4%, 68/177 vs. 28.2%, 59/209; 35.7%, 35/98 vs. 22.7%, 25/110; respectively), and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=4.506 and 4.259, P=0.034 and 0.039). Conclusions:AILD patients complicated with GS are common, most are multiple and small stones. When complicated with GS, the initial diagnosis may be delayed and the rate of liver cirrhosis at initial diagnosis may increase. The incidence of GS is high in AILD patients with older age and liver cirrhosis.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP)levels and frailty in elderly hospitalized patients.Methods:A total of 604 patients aged 65 years or older(with a mean age of 74.9±6.5)admitted to Beijing Hospital from September 2018 to February 2019 were consecutively enrolled in this cross-sectional study.Patients with clinical diagnosis of heart failure or left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)>50% were excluded.Participants were divided into the non-frail(n=130, 21.5%), pre-frail(n=327, 54.1%)and frail(n=147, 24.3%)groups based on the Fried phenotype.Clinical data, laboratory test results and echocardiographic data were collected.Blood levels NT-proBNP were measured.The ability of daily living activities was evaluated.The relationship of NT-proBNP levels with frailty and the diagnostic value of NT-proBNP levels for frailty screening were analyzed.Results:As the severity of frailty increased, elevated NT-proBNP levels were observed( P<0.01). NT-proBNP levels were higher in the frail group than in the pre-frail group [235.7(104.1, 650.3)ng/L vs. 123.2(67.7, 281.7)ng/L, P<0.01] and higher in the pre-frail group than in the non-frail group [123.2(67.7, 281.7)ng/L vs.88.2(49.9, 203.1)ng/L, P<0.01]. With increased severity of frailty, the anterior and posterior diameter of the left atrium increased( P<0.05), while LVEF decreased( P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that NT-proBNP levels were independently associated with frailty( P<0.01). The level of NT-proBNP had a certain diagnostic value for frailty, and the area under the receiver-operating characteristics(ROC)curve was 0.688( P<0.01). Conclusions:The level of NT-proBNP is elevated in elderly frail inpatients, it is an independent factor for frailty.Measuring NT-proBNP levels in frail groups can help clinicians pay attention to patients' cardiac function and give appropriate interventions as early as possible.