ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Gelian Tiaotang pills on renal fibrosis in db/db mice based on the nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing receptor 3 （NLRP3）/cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase （Caspase）-1/gasdermin D （GSDMD） signaling pathway. MethodsForty db/db mice were randomly assigned into model， positive control （0.001 3 g·kg·d^-1 dapagliflozin suspension）， and high-， medium-， and low-dose Gelian Tiaotang pills （3.12， 1.56， and 0.78 g·kg·d^-1 suspension of Gelian Tiaotang pills， respectively） groups， with 8 mice in each group. Eight db/m mice were selected as the normal group. The normal group and model group were given equal volumes of pure water， while the drug interventions groups were administrated with corresponding agents by gavage once a day for 12 consecutive weeks. The general conditions of mice were observed daily. The fasting blood glucose （FBG） and body mass were measured every 4 weeks. Kidneys were weighed after sampling， and the kidney index was calculated. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to measure the serum levels of triglyceride （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， serum creatinine （SCr）， and blood urea nitrogen （BUN）. The pathological changes， extracellular matrix deposition， and renal fibrosis degree were examined by hematoxylin-eosin， periodic acid-schiff （PAS）， and Masson staining， respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the levels of interleukin （IL）-1β and IL-18 in the renal tissue. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to detect the localization and expression of fibronectin and collagen Ⅰ in the renal tissue. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of NLRP3， Caspase-1， cleaved Caspase-1， GSDMD， and GSDMD-N in the renal tissue. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group generally had poor general states and increases in the body mass， kidney weight， kidney index， and levels of FBG， TG， TC， SCr， and BUN （P<0.01）. In addition， glomerular pyknosis， increased matrix， vacuolar degeneration of renal tubular epithelial cells， and interstitial infiltration of inflammatory cells were observed in the model group （P<0.01）， together with rises in the levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in the renal tissue （P<0.01） and up-regulated protein levels of NLRP3， Caspase-1， cleaved Caspase-1， GSDMD， GSDMD-N， fibronectin， and collagen Ⅰ in the renal tissue （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， 12 weeks of drug interventions reduced the body mass， kidney weight， and kidney index and lowered the levels of FBG， TG， TC， SCr， and BUN in the serum and IL-1β and IL-18 in the renal tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Furthermore， drug interventions ameliorated the renal lesions and down-regulated the protein levels of NLRP3， Caspase-1， cleaved Caspase-1， GSDMD， GSDMD-N， fibronectin， and collagen Ⅰ in the renal tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The high-dose group of Gelian Tiaotang pills had the best effects. ConclusionGelian Tiaotang pills may inhibit pyroptosis and reduce inflammatory responses by regulating the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD signaling pathway， thus delaying the process of renal fibrosis in diabetes.

Steaming is one of the commonly used methods in the processing of Chinese materia medica,which can be used to change the medicinal properties,expand the scope of use,enhance the efficacy,reduce side effects and facilitate slicing.By reviewing ancient herbal texts and literature,this article summarized the historical development of TCM steaming:from the Spring and Autumn period to the Warring States period,it has mainly gone through the stages of germination,growth,maturity,and prosperity.It further sorted out the research progress of modern steaming from the aspects of steaming technology,chemical composition and drug effect changes before and after steaming,and analyzed and discussed the establishment of quality standards of steamed products and the development of traditional and modern processing techniques,with a view to clarifying the mechanism of steaming,and providing basis for standardizing steaming technology,improving the quality standards of steamed decoction pieces and rational clinical application.

Objective:To analyze the incidence and progression of overactive bladder(OAB)symp-toms following radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer patients and to identify related risk factors.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 263 local stage prostate cancer patients who underwent radical prostatectomy at Peking University Third Hospital from January 2013 to May 2017.Clinical base-line information,comprehensive imaging features,perioperative parameters,preoperative urinary control status,pathological diagnosis,and the incidence of OAB within one year postoperatively were collected and analyzed.In the imaging features,two parameters were defined:Bladder wall thickness(BWT)and bladder mucosal smoothness(BMS),which were used to predict the occurrence of OAB.Patients were evaluated based on their clinical baseline characteristics,including age,body mass index(BMI),co-morbidities,and prostate-specific antigen(PSA)levels.The imaging characteristics were assessed using preoperative MRI,focusing on BWT and BMS.Perioperative parameters included operative time,blood loss,and length of hospital stay.The OAB symptoms were assessed using the overactive bladder symptom score(OABSS)and the international prostate symptom score(IPSS).These scores were correlated with the postoperative incidence of OAB.Results:Among the 263 patients who underwent radical prostatecto-my,52(19.8％)exhibited OAB within one year postoperatively.Of the 40 patients with preoperative OAB symptoms,17(42.5％)showed remission postoperatively,while 23(57.5％)had persistent symptoms.Additionally,29 patients developed new-onset OAB,accounting for 55.77％of all postopera-tive OAB cases.Univariate analysis indicated that BWT,BMS,OABSS,and IPSS score were all associ-ated with the occurrence of postoperative OAB.Further multivariate analysis identified BMS as an inde-pendent risk factor for long-term OAB(P＜0.001).Conclusion:Long-term postoperative overactive bladder is a common complication following radical prostatectomy.The findings suggest that preoperative MRI measurements of bladder wall thickness and bladder mucosal smoothness during bladder filling phase can predict the risk of OAB occurrence postoperatively.Identifying these risk factors preoperatively can help in counseling patients about potential complications and in developing strategies to mitigate the risk of developing OAB after surgery.Early detection and management of these parameters might improve the quality of life for patients undergoing radical prostatectomy.

Objective To examine the regulation of malignant progression of colorectal cancer by LINC00626 via the JAK1/STAT3/KHSRP signaling axis and its molecular mechanism.Methods 96 individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer at our hospital during June 11,2021 and June 11,2023 were chosen as research subjects,and their cancerous tissue and nearby normal tissue were collected.Cultivate colorectal cancer cell lines(SW620,HCT116,HT29,DLD-1,LOVO,Caco-2)and normal colorectal cells(NCM460)in vitro,and detect the expression of LINC00626 and KHSRP in colorectal cancer tissue and cell lines using qRT-PCR.Screening out cell lines infected with lentivirus,SW620 and HCT116 cell lines were transfected with knockdown lentivirus and its control,while HT29 and DLD-1 cell lines were transfected with overexpressing lentivirus and its control,respectively.Select stable transfected cell lines for cell function experiments to detect proliferation,migration,and invasion abilities.Detection of the effect of LINC00626 on the growth and migration of colorectal cancer tumors in live mouse experiments.The expression level of KHSRP protein in stable labeled cells was determined using a western blot analysis.Rescue experimental research on the regulatory relationship between LINC00626 and KHSRP.Results qRT-PCR showed low expression of LINC00626 and high expression of KHSRP in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines.Cell function experiments showed that compared with the sh-NC group,the sh-LINC00626 group promoted cell proliferation,migration,and invasion in SW620 and HCT116 cells,while the overexpression group showed the opposite.Cell rescue experiments showed that,LINC00626+KHSRP significantly reversed the promotion effects of knocking down LINC00626 on cell proliferation,migration,and invasion.In the nude mouse experiment,com-pared with the sh-NC group,the sh-LINC00626 group showed a significant increase in tumor volume and weight,cell proliferation rate,and the number of lung metastases from colorectal cancer in the nude mice;Overexpression results in the opposite.The signal pathway experiment revealed that relative to the sh-NC group,the expression levels of JAK1 and STAT3 mRNA in the sh-LINC00626 group were significantly increased,whereas the results in the overexpression group were the opposite.Conclusion LINC00626 suppression the malignant progression of colorec-tal cancer metastasis through the JAK1/STAT3/KHSRP signaling axis.

Diabetic kidney disease(DKD)is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide and one of the major microvascular complications of diabetes.The pathogenesis of DKD is multifactorial,and its pathological process involves multiple pathways.Ferroptosis is a regulatory cell death characterized by iron dependent lipid peroxidation.Recently,an increasing number of studies have shown that ferroptosis is a key driving factor for the occurrence and development of DKD and has been identified to play a crucial role in the occurrence,development,and treatment of various kidney diseases.Traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in preventing and delaying the progression of DKD due to the characteristics of multi-component,multi-target,and multi-pathway.This article focuses on summarizing the impact of key regulatory factors and signaling pathways of ferroptosis on the pathological process of DKD,as well as the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine in regulating ferroptosis key factors and pathways for preventing and treating DKD.The aim of this study is to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of DKD and the development of new traditional Chinese medicine drugs.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of serological indicators and evaluate the diagnostic value of a new established combined serological model on identifying the minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in patients with compensated cirrhosis.Methods:This prospective multicenter study enrolled 263 compensated cirrhotic patients from 23 hospitals in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China between October 2021 and August 2022. Clinical data and laboratory test results were collected, and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was calculated. Ammonia level was corrected to the upper limit of normal (AMM-ULN) by the baseline blood ammonia measurements/upper limit of the normal reference value. MHE was diagnosed by combined abnormal number connection test-A and abnormal digit symbol test as suggested by Guidelines on the management of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis. The patients were randomly divided (7∶3) into training set ( n=185) and validation set ( n=78) based on caret package of R language. Logistic regression was used to establish a combined model of MHE diagnosis. The diagnostic performance was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve. The internal verification was carried out by the Bootstrap method ( n=200). AUC comparisons were achieved using the Delong test. Results:In the training set, prevalence of MHE was 37.8% (70/185). There were statistically significant differences in AMM-ULN, albumin, platelet, alkaline phosphatase, international normalized ratio, MELD score and education between non-MHE group and MHE group (all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that AMM-ULN [odds ratio ( OR)=1.78, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.05-3.14, P=0.038] and MELD score ( OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.20, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for MHE, and the AUC for predicting MHE were 0.663, 0.625, respectively. Compared with the use of blood AMM-ULN and MELD score alone, the AUC of the combined model of AMM-ULN, MELD score and education exhibited better predictive performance in determining the presence of MHE was 0.755, the specificity and sensitivity was 85.2% and 55.7%, respectively. Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve showed that the model had good calibration ( P=0.733). The AUC for internal validation of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.752. In the validation set, the AUC of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.794, and Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good calibration ( P=0.841). Conclusion:Use of the combined model including AMM-ULN, MELD score and education could improve the predictive efficiency of MHE among patients with compensated cirrhosis.

Objective:To compare the differences in the prevalence of mild micro-hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) among patients with cirrhosis by using the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) and the Stroop smartphone application (Encephal App) test.Methods:This prospective, multi-center, real-world study was initiated by the National Clinical Medical Research Center for Infectious Diseases and the Portal Hypertension Alliance and registered with International ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05140837). 354 cases of cirrhosis were enrolled in 19 hospitals across the country. PHES (including digital connection tests A and B, digital symbol tests, trajectory drawing tests, and serial management tests) and the Stroop test were conducted in all of them. PHES was differentiated using standard diagnostic criteria established by the two studies in China and South Korea. The Stroop test was evaluated based on the criteria of the research and development team. The impact of different diagnostic standards or methods on the incidence of MHE in patients with cirrhosis was analyzed. Data between groups were differentiated using the t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ2 test. A kappa test was used to compare the consistency between groups. Results:After PHES, the prevalence of MHE among 354 cases of cirrhosis was 78.53% and 15.25%, respectively, based on Chinese research standards and Korean research normal value standards. However, the prevalence of MHE was 56.78% based on the Stroop test, and the differences in pairwise comparisons among the three groups were statistically significant (kappa = -0.064, P < 0.001). Stratified analysis revealed that the MHE prevalence in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C was 74.14%, 83.33%, and 88.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Chinese researchers, while the MHE prevalence rates in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C were 8.29%, 23.53%, and 38.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Korean researchers. Furthermore, the prevalence rates of MHE in the three groups of patients with Child-Pugh grades A, B, and C were 52.68%, 58.82%, and 73.53%, respectively, according to the Stroop test standard. However, among the results of each diagnostic standard, the prevalence of MHE showed an increasing trend with an increasing Child-Pugh grade. Further comparison demonstrated that the scores obtained by the number connection test A and the number symbol test were consistent according to the normal value standards of the two studies in China and South Korea ( Z = -0.982, -1.702; P = 0.326, 0.089), while the other three sub-tests had significant differences ( P < 0.001). Conclusion:The prevalence rate of MHE in the cirrhotic population is high, but the prevalence of MHE obtained by using different diagnostic criteria or methods varies greatly. Therefore, in line with the current changes in demographics and disease spectrum, it is necessary to enroll a larger sample size of a healthy population as a control. Moreover, the establishment of more reliable diagnostic scoring criteria will serve as a basis for obtaining accurate MHE incidence and formulating diagnosis and treatment strategies in cirrhotic populations.

Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury is common in sports medicine. Arthroscopic reconstruction of PCL has become a routine procedure to stabilize the knee joint after PCL injury. The location of tibial tunnel during operation is crucial to a successful surgery. This article reviews the current studies on transtibial PCL reconstruction from the aspects of the anatomy related to the tibial tunnel, the anteromedial and anterolateral tibial tunnels, the maximum angle and optimal angle of tibial tunnel, and the anatomical and non-anatomical tibial tunnels, hoping to provide helpful references for the treatment of PCL injury.

Objective:To explore the genetic basis for a patient with factor XIII (FXIII) deficiency.Methods:All exons of the F13A1 and F13B genes were amplified by PCR and sequenced directly. The sequencing was performed with a reverse primer if a variant was found. Conservation of variant site was analyzed by the ClustalX software. Four online bioinformatic software including MutationTaster, PolyPhen-2, PROVEAN and SIFT were used to predict the function of the mutation site. The Swiss-PdbViewer software was applied to analyze the changes in the protein model and intermolecular force. Results:The proband was found to harbor a novel c. 515G>C (p.Arg171Pro) variant of the F13A1 gene. The corresponding amino acid Arg171 is conserved among homologous species. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that Arg171Pro variant may affect the protein function. Protein model analysis showed that in the wild-type, there is one hydrogen bond between Arg171 and Pro27; one hydrogen bond between Arg171 and Thr28; two hydrogen bonds between Arg171 and Glu102. When Arg171 was mutated to Pro171, the three hydrogen bonds between Arg171 and Pro27, Glu102 are all disappeared and formed a new benzene ring which might affect the stability of the protein structure. No variant was found in the F13B gene. Conclusion:The Arg171Pro variant may account for the decreased FXIII level. Above finding has enriched the spectrum of F13A1 gene variants.

Objective:To explore the effect of different pregnancy termination timings on the delivery safety of maternal women with pernicious placenta previa after 34 weeks.Methods:A total of 84 patients with pernicious placenta previa in Laoshan Campus of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from March 2018 to March 2019 were selected. The time of admission for delivery was more than 34 weeks. Forty women who pregnant from 34 weeks to 36 weeks of pregnancy was in the study group, 44 women who pregnant over 36 weeks was in the control group, and the pregnancy outcomes of the maternal fetuses of the two groups were compared.Results:The postpartum hemorrhage and the incidence of interventional surgery in the study group were less than those in the control group: (754.58 ± 20.35) ml vs. (1 449.26 ± 512.32) ml, 17.5%(7/40) vs. 52.27%(23/44), the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The changes in hematocrit after delivery and before delivery, the amount of hemoglobin after delivery and before delivery, the rate of uterine gauze packing, the rate of Xinmupei, the rate of hysterectomy, the incidence of blood transfusion, the rate of postoperative ICU transfer between two groups hand no significant differences ( P>0.05). The incidence of neonatal birth weight less than 2 500 g and the proportion of transfer to neonatology in the study group were higher than those in the control group: 75.0%(30/40) vs. 11.36%(5/44), 80.0%(32/40) vs. 11.36%(5/44), the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). There was no significant differences in Apgar scores and mortality rate of newborns after birth between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:When the pernicious placenta previa is delivered after 34 weeks, the termination of pregnancy before 36 weeks of gestation is more secure for maternal and fetal health. If the fetal development rate is slow, it is necessary to appropriately extend the delivery time, but don′t exceed 36 weeks.