It is estimated that approximately seven million people worldwide are affected by inflammatory bowel disease(IBD),causing a huge burden on healthcare systems and society.In the occurrence,progression,and treatment of IBD,the intestinal microbiota and its key metabolic product,bile acids,play a crucial role.The intestinal microbiota not only participates in the biotransformation of bile acids,enriching the diversity of bile acids,but also regulates their synthesis and transport through the farnesoid X receptor(FXR).Meanwhile,bile acids contribute to regulating the structure and function of the intestinal microbiota by supporting microbial diversity,exerting direct toxicity,participating in indirect antimicrobial pathways,and influencing microbial metabolic capabilities.Furthermore,under normal physiological conditions,intestinal microbiota-derived bile acids facilitate the repair process of the intestinal epithelial barrier.They also promote the balance of the immune system by modulating the functions of various immune cells including helper T(Th)cells 17,regulatory T(Treg)cells,CD8+T cells and natural killer T(NKT)cells,thereby slowing down the development of IBD.This article focuses on exploring the role of intestinal microbiota and bile acids in the onset and progression of IBD,and investigating new effective treatment strategies by targeting intestinal microbiota and bile acids,such as bile acid receptor modulators,probiotics,prebiotics,fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT),and phage therapy.

Objective:To summarize the clinical manifestations, experiences in diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) in children.Methods:A retrospective analysis of the clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, radiological features, treatment and follow-up results was conducted in 11 children diagnosed with ACM at the center of congenital heart disease, Beijing anzhen hospital from May 2010 to March 2022.Results:A total of 11 patients aged 2 to 16 years, including 5 males and 6 females were diagnosed with ACM. The clinical manifestations included decreased activity tolerance (7 patients), heart failure (4 patients), syncope or sudden death (3 patients), palpitation (3 patients), and chest tightness and pain (3 patients). Electrocardiogram showed right bundle branch block in 9 cases, paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia in 4 cases, frequent premature ventricular contraction in 4 cases, ventricular pre-excitation in 1 case, left bundle branch block in 1 case, and first degree atrioventricular block in 2 cases. Echocardiography showed enlargement of the right heart, widening of the right ventricular outflow tract, and thinning and bulging of the local wall of the right ventricle with reduced pulsation. Ventricular thrombosis was found in 2 cases. Six children underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, which mainly showed severe enlargement of the right heart, thin free wall of the right ventricle, decreased right heart function, enhanced right ventricular myocardium, and formation of right ventricular aneurysm. Two children underwent myocardial biopsy examination and presented with typical pathological changes of ACM. Genetic tests in five patients revealed DSG2 gene mutation in 2 cases, PKP2 gene mutation in 2 cases, and MYH6 gene mutation in 1 case. All patients received anti heart failure treatment and antiarrhythmic drugs. Two children received anticoagulant treatment due to ventricular thrombosis. Radiofrequency ablation was performed in 2 patients. Glenn procedure was performed in 4 patients, and heart transplantation was performed in 1 patient due to progressive heart failure. The follow-up period ranged from 6 months to 12 years. Two cases died of right heart failure, 6 cases had different degrees of heart failure, 1 case had intermittent chest tightness and pain, and 2 cases were stable.Conclusions:ACM is a progressive genetic cardiomyopathy characterized by decreased activity tolerance, cardiac failure and arrhythmia in pediatric patients. The diagnosis is mainly based on clinical manifestations, electrocardiogram, cardiac imaging changes, and genetic testing. Early detection, diagnosis, and personalized treatment can improve the prognosis.

Objective:To explore the correlation between transcranial sonography (TCS) combined with serum homocysteine (Hcy), blood glucose, blood lipids, the cognitive status of Parkinson′s disease (PD) patients, and to analyze the clinical application value of these parameters in assessing the cognitive status of PD patients.Methods:A total of 152 PD patients admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2020 to June 2023 were retrospectively collected as the PD group, and 101 healthy examinees matched for age and gender during the same period were selected as control group. Clinical data [age, gender, duration of illness, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, Unified Parkinson′s Disease Rating Scale Part Ⅲ (UPDRS-Ⅲ) score, Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) stage, etc.], serum tests (Hcy, blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein concentration), and TCS examination results (third ventricular width, midbrain area, peak systolic velocity of bilateral middle cerebral arteries, bilateral middle cerebral artery resistance index, bilateral substantia nigra hyperechoic area) were collected. The two groups were divided into pure PD group and PD group with elevated Hcy, pure control group and control group with elevated Hcy, based on an Hcy concentration threshold of ≥15 μmol/L. The differences in the above parameters among the four groups were compared. The correlation between Hcy and cognitive status (MoCA score, MMSE score) of PD patients and the above parameters were analyzed.Results:The MoCA score and MMSE score of the PD group with elevated Hcy were lower than those of the pure PD group, and the UPDRS-Ⅲ score and H-Y stage were higher than those of the pure PD group (all P<0.001). The order of Hcy concentration from high to low was PD group with elevated Hcy, pure Hcy elevation group, pure PD group, and pure control group. The differences in serum data and TCS data among the four groups were statistically significant (all P<0.001). Spearman correlation analysis showed: ①In the PD group, the concentration of Hcy was positively correlated with glucose concentration, H-Y stage, low-density lipoprotein concentration, right middle cerebral artery resistance index, UPDRS-Ⅲ score, total cholesterol concentration, triglyceride concentration, left middle cerebral artery resistance index, third ventricular width, and age ( rs=0.422, 0.350, 0.348, 0.334, 0.325, 0.300, 0.293, 0.283, 0.221, 0.164, all P<0.05); Hcy concentration was negatively correlated with midbrain area, MMSE score, MoCA score, peak systolic velocity of right middle cerebral artery, peak systolic velocity of left middle cerebral artery, and high-density lipoprotein concentration ( rs=-0.328, -0.282, -0.245, -0.229, -0.224, -0.192, all P<0.05). ②Clinical data, serum data, and TCS data of PD patients were all correlated with MoCA score and MMSE score, with midbrain area showing the largest positive correlation ( rs=0.524, 0.516; both P<0.05) and H-Y stage showing the largest negative correlation( rs=-0.490, -0.468; both P<0.05). Conclusions:PD patients with elevated Hcy have lower cognitive scores than pure PD patients. The correlation between Hcy concentration and blood glucose concentration is the highest in PD patients, followed by H-Y stage. The cognitive scores of PD patients are most correlated with midbrain area and unrelated to substantia nigra hyperechoic area. Lowering serum Hcy concentration in PD patients may be one of the ways to delay cognitive impairment.

Objective:To explore the adjunctive diagnostic value of transcranial sonography (TCS) combined with olfactory test in early Parkinson′s disease (PD) and the clinical value of both in the cognitive function of PD patients.Methods:TCS and olfactory test were performed in 157 early PD patients(PD group) and 157 healthy controls(control group) in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2018 to January 2022. The differences in clinical characteristics, TCS, and olfactory test results between the two groups were analyzed. The values of TCS, olfactory test, and their combination in diagnosing early PD were evaluated using clinical diagnosis as the gold standard. The correlations of the midbrain area, the midbrain substantia nigra hyperechoic area, and the third ventricle width in TCS examination with the cognitive score were analyzed in the PD group. According to the olfactory test scores, 157 patients with early PD were divided into two groups: 110 cases of PD with olfactory dysfunction (PD-OD) and 47 cases of PD without olfactory dysfunction (PD-NOD). The differences in clinical scores and TCS results between the two groups were compared.Results:The midbrain substantia nigra hyperechoic area, substantia nigra hyperechoic positivity rate, third ventricle width, and olfactory dysfunction rate were higher in the PD group compared to the control group, while the midbrain area and olfactory test scores were lower than those in the control group (all P<0.001). The sensitivity and the coincidence rate of TCS combined with the olfactory test for early PD diagnosis (90.0%, 77.1%) were higher than those of TCS alone (60.0%, 71.3%) and olfactory test alone (70.1%, 72.3%), but the specificity (63.7%) was lower than that of both alone (82.8% for TCS and 75.2% for olfactory test), (all P<0.001). MoCA score, visual space and executive ability, memory, attention, and language were positively correlated with the area of the midbrain ( rs=0.38, 0.32, 0.27, 0.25, 0.23; all P<0.05) and negatively correlated with the width of the third ventricle ( rs=-0.39, -0.22, -0.39, -0.22, -0.32; all P<0.05), and orientation was negatively correlated only with the width of the third ventricle ( rs=-0.24, P<0.05). The MoCA score of PD-OD group[22(18, 25)] was lower than that of PD-NOD group[24(20, 26)]( P=0.040). Conclusions:The combination of TCS and olfactory test can enhance the sensitivity and diagnostic agreement rate for early PD diagnosis, providing some auxiliary value. The cognitive function of PD patients is positively correlated with the midbrain area and negatively correlated with the width of the third ventricle. The cognitive function of PD patients with olfactory dysfunction is lower than that of PD patients without olfactory dysfunction. TCS and olfactory test may help assess cognitive function in PD patients.

Objective:To explore the pathological mechanism of SN hyperechogenicity by investigating the characteristics of substantia nigra (SN) hyperechogenicity on transcranial sonography (TCS) and serum iron metabolism parameters in the postural instability gait difficulty and tremor dominant subtypes of Parkinson′s disease (PD), and the correlation between them.Methods:A total of 155 PD patients recruited in Parkinson′s Disease Specialty in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2019 to December 2021 were divided into postural instability gait difficulty group( n=95) and tremor dominant group( n=60). Meanwhile, 49 healthy gender- and age-matched healthy individuals who sought for physical examination during the same period were included as the control group. All subjects underwent TCS and blood test, and the echo of SN between the postural instability gait difficulty group and tremor dominant group, serum iron metabolism parameters among the three groups were compared. The postural instability gait difficulty group and tremor dominant group were subdivided into with SN hyperechogenicity (SN+ )subgroup and without SN hyperechogenicity (SN-) subgroup respectively according to TCS results, and the differences in serum iron metabolism parameters between the subgroups were further compared. The association between SN hyperechogenicity and serum iron metabolism parameters of the postural instability gait difficulty group and tremor dominant group were further analyzed. Results:The total area of bilateral SN+ , the area of SN+ on the larger side, and the ratio of the total area of SN+ to the midbrain area (S/M) in postural instability gait difficulty group were larger than those in tremor dominant group (all P<0.001). The value of serum ceruloplasmin and transferrin in both postural instability gait difficulty group and tremor dominant group were lower than those in control group (all P<0.001), and compared with tremor dominant group and control group, the postural instability gait difficulty group had lower serum ferritin(all P<0.01). In both postural instability gait difficulty group and tremor dominant group, serum ceruloplasmin in SN+ subgroup was lower than that in SN-subgroup ( P=0.001, 0.032). Moreover, there was a negative correlation between serum transferrin and the area of SN hyperechogenicity in two subgroups(postural instability gait difficulty group: rs=-0.454, P<0.001; tremor dominant group: rs=-0.494, P<0.001). Conclusions:Compared with the tremor dominant patients, the postural instability gait difficulty patients have larger area of SN hyperechogenicity and lower serum ferritin level. The area of SN hyperechogenicity is significantly negatively correlated with serum transferrin level, indicating that the production of this imaging characteristics is related to iron metabolism.

Background At present, domestic and foreign studies on the association between dietary magnesium and diabetes risk are not consistent, and there are relatively few prospective studies in China and the study population is relatively limited. Objective To explore the association between dietary magnesium intake and diabetes risk in Chinese adults in 15 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities), and to provide a scientific basis for revising dietary magnesium intake reference for Chinese residents. Methods A total of 8061 adults aged 18-64 who participated in at least two follow-up surveys in the China Health and Nutrition Survey in 2009, 2015, and 2018, had complete survey data, and did not report diabetes at baseline were selected as subjects. Food consumption data were collected from 3-day 24-hour dietary recalls and by weighing household cooking oil and condiments. The average daily dietary magnesium intake was calculated based on the food composition table. Multiple Cox proportional risk regression model and restricted cubic spline (RCS) model were used to analyze the association and dose-response relationship between dietary magnesium intake and diabetes risk. Diabetes was defined according to the Chinese Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes (2020 edition). Results A total of 47237.46 person-years were followed up, with an average follow-up of 5.86 years. Among 8061 subjects, the incidence rate was 8.86%. Compared with those in the top quintile of magnesium intake (Q5), those with lower dietary magnesium intake were more likely to be female, have higher income, higher education, live in urban areas, and have lower intakes of energy, dietary fiber, and dietary calcium. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and dietary factors, compared with adults in the lowest quintile of dietary magnesium intake, the results of Cox proportional risk regression model showed that the second (median: 220.96 mg·d⁻¹), third (median: 263.01 mg·d⁻¹), and fourth (median: 312.33mg·d⁻¹) quintile dietary magnesium intake reduced the risk of diabetes by 45% (HR=0.55, 95%CI: 0.43-0.71), 39% (HR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.47-0.78), and 34% (HR=0.66, 95%CI: 0.51-0.78), respectively. The results of RCS analysis showed that dietary magnesium intake and the risk of diabetes were U-shaped overall. Taking the 5th percentile magnesium intake as reference, when dietary magnesium intake was lower than 240 mg·d⁻¹, the risk of diabetes gradually decreased with the increase of magnesium intake; the risk was the lowest at 240 mg·d⁻¹, followed by a slight increase in risk at 240-400 mg·d⁻¹; and no statistical difference presented in the association between dietary magnesium and diabetes risk after 650 mg·d⁻¹. Conclusion The study findings suggest an association between dietary magnesium intake and diebetes risk. The association is negative and non-linear when dietary magnesium intake is below 240 mg·d⁻¹.

Objective:To evaluate the detection accuracy of hepatitis B virus (HBV) serological markers among grassroots medical institutions in the demonstration areas of infectious diseases.Methods:A fixed sampling method was used among the followed-up hepatitis B cohort in general population of six infectious disease demonstration areas nationwide. Blood samples of chosen objects were collected, in which HBsAg and anti-HBs were tested by grassroots medical institutions and were also parallely tested by the third-party platform. The test results were compared between the two groups. Statistical analyses were conducted by SAS 9.4 software.Results:A total of 5 756 and 5 263 samples of HBsAg and anti-HBs were successfully tested, respectively. Comparing the results of HBsAg and anti-HBs from grassroots medical institutions with the results from the third platform, the agreement of HBsAg and anti-HBs was 97.13% and 77.33%, respectively. The Kappa value was 0.56 (95% CI 0.50-0.62) for HBsAg and 0.54 (95% CI 0.52-0.56) for anti-HBs, respectively; and the McNemar tests indicated the difference between the results (all P<0.01). There were also significant differences in agreement of testing results with the third platformin among different regions ( P<0.05 or <0.01). The Kappa values indicated that Jiangsu province and Guangdong province had high accordance rates of HBsAg (0.87 and 0.81, respectively), and Gansu province and Guangdong province had high accordance rates of anti-HBs (Both were 0.74). Regarding the results from the third platform as the standard, the sensitivity of HBsAg testing in grassroots medical institutions was moderate (40.51%) and the specificity was well (99.96%). The sensitivity of anti-HBs testing was substantial (73.18%) and the specificity was well (84.31%). Guangdong province (Youden index: 0.69) and Jiangsu province (Youden index: 0.80) had high identification ability for HBsAg, and for indicator of anti-HBs, Gansu province (Youden index: 0.78) and Guangdong province (Youden index: 0.76) had high identification ability. Conclusion:There are certain differences in results of HBV serological markers tests between the grassroots medical institutions in the demonstration areas of infectious diseases and the third platform. Current testing strategies in grassroots medical institutions are suitable for identifying people without hepatitis B infection, while it is necessary to pay attention to the situation of potential false negative error.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of epidermal growth factor receptor-forkhead transcription factor A2 (EGFR-FOXA2) pathway-involved high secretion of mucus in human bronchial epitheli-um (HBE) cells after respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and to evaluate the effects of intervention using agonist ( rosiglitazone ) and antagonist ( GW9662 ) of peroxidase proliferation activated receptor γ( PPARγ) and EGFR inhibitor ( AG1478 ) . Methods HBE cells were randomly divided into six groups: A group ( AG1478+RSV) , B group ( rosiglitazone+RSV) , C group ( GW9662+RSV) , D group ( RSV) , E group (0. 1％ dimethyl sulfoxide DMSO) and F group (HBE cell control group). Two hours before RSV infection, A, B and C groups were respectively treated with 10 μmol/L of AG1478, rosiglitazone and GW9662. Expression of EGFR, PPARγ and FOXA2 at mRNA level in each group was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR 12 h, 24 h and 48 h after HBE cells were infected with or without RSV. Expression of phosphorylated-EGFR ( p-EGFR) and EGFR at protein level was detected by Western blot. ELISA was performed to measure the expression of mucin-5AC (MUC5AC). Results Compared with F group, EGFR expression at mRNA lev-el, p-EGFR/EGFR protein ratio and MUC5AC expression at protein level were increased in a time-dependent manner in A, B, C and D groups at 12 h, 24 h and 48 h. Compared with group F, the expression of PPARγat mRNA level in A, B, and D groups increased at each time point. Moreover, PPARγ expression gradually in-creased over time in A and B groups, reaching the peaks at 48 h, but was in decline in D group. Expression of FOXA2 at mRNA level in RSV-infected HBE cells was declined at each time point compared with that in group F, especially in D group. Compared with group D, A and B groups showed significantly decreased EGFR ex-pression at mRNA level, p-EGFR/EGFR protein ratio and MUC5AC expression at protein level, but markedly increased FOXA2 expression at mRNA level. Conclusions RSV infection increased the expression of MUC5AC at protein level in HBE cells. PPARγand EGFR-FOXA2 signaling pathways were involved in the hypersecretion of airway mucus during RSV infection.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator (rt-PA) in elderly patients with early-stage mild ischemic stroke (IS). Methods: This was a prospective, open-label, controlled study.Ninety-four elderly patients with mild IS admitted to our hospital from January 2014 to December 2017 were randomized into a thrombolysis arm (TA, n=46) and a control arm (CA, n=48). The short-term endpoints were the National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) scores on 3^rd, 7^th, 14^thday after admission and the secondary endpoints were the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score and the morbidity of recurrence IS within 90 days.Safety was evaluated by the incidence of intracranial hemorrhage (IH) and early neurological deterioration (END) during hospitalization. Results: The baseline NIHSS scores of patients in the TA and CA groups were similar [(4.1±0.7) vs.(4.1±0.7)]. However, there were significant differences in the NIHSS score on 3^rd [(3.4±1.2) vs.(4.2±1.4)], 7^th[(3.0±1.8) vs.(4.1±1.6)] and 14^thday [(2.5±2.0) vs.(3.4±1.6)], respectively, between the TA group and the CA group.Furthermore, the TA group was associated with a significantly higher proportion of patients with good prognosis (mRS, 0-2), compared with the CA group (71.7% vs.35.4%, P<0.01). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that patients with baseline NIHSS>3 could benefit from thrombolytic therapy.There were 1 case of symptomatic IH and 1 case of progressive stroke in the TA group, and 1 case of IH and 2 cases of progressive stroke in the control group.There were no significant differences in the rate of either END or IH between the two groups (P>0.05). Two patients in the TA group and three patients in the control group had recurrent IS within 90 days and the recurrence rate of IS was also similar within 90 days (P>0.05). Conclusions Intravenous thrombolytic therapy with rt-PA can improve the prognosis of elderly patients with mild stroke without increased risk of END, IH, or recurrence of IS.

Objective To investigate the application effect of case-based teaching versus traditional teaching in the optional course of maternal and child nutrition for medical undergraduates.Methods The students who completed the course through the traditional teaching method in 2016 were enrolled as control group,and those who completed the course through the case-based teaching method in 2017 were enrolled as experimental group.In the process of teaching,the teachers in the experimental group needed to write cases,prepare lessons collectively,give guidance and inspiration,and summarize after class.During the learning process,the students in the experimental group needed to collect information before class and perform role play,group discussion,and intergroup communication about the case during class.After the course ended,a questionnaire for nutrition during pregnancy preparation,pregnancy,and lactation,breastfeeding,and complementary feeding was developed for assessment.With sex and grade as related factors,SPSS 18.0 was used for the chi-square test of two sample rates according to knowledge points,and the correct rate of each item was analyzed.Results A total of 107 valid questionnaires were collected from the control group,and 109 valid questionnaires were collected from the experimental group.For the questions on the knowledge of maternal and child nutrition,the experimental group had slightly higher correct rates than the control group (all P＞0.05).For the questions on the comprehension and practical application of the knowledge of maternal and child nutrition,the experimental group had significantly higher correct rates than the control group (all P＜0.05).Further stratified analysis based on sex and grade showed that the experimental group had higher correct rates than the control group.Conclusion Compared with traditional teaching,case-based teaching may not have advantages in enhancing students' memorizing ability,but it can make it easier for students to understand the theoretical knowledge of matemal and child nutrition and master the practical application of such knowledge.