BACKGROUND:Exercise is an effective method for preventing and treating osteoporosis,but it is unclear whether its effect on postmenopausal osteoporosis is related to changes in bone autophagy levels. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of exercise via cellular autophagy on the morphology and mechanical properties of bone tissue in ovariectomized rats,and to explore the mechanism of exercise on bone mass in ovariectomized rats from the perspective of autophagy. METHODS:A rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis was established,and a 24-week moderate-intensity exercise was used for intervention.After the experiment,serum estradiol levels were measured by ELISA,and bone mineral density and bone microstructure of the cortical and trabecular bone were detected by micro-CT.The biomechanical indicators of the tibia were tested by a three-point bending test.Autophagosomes were observed by transmission electron microscopy.The expression of LC3 and ATG7 proteins was analyzed by western blot. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The serum estradiol level in the ovariectomized group was significantly lower than that of the sham-operation group and ovariectomized+exercise group(P＜0.01).The body mass of rats in each group increased,and the order was the ovariectomized group＞the ovariectomized+exercise group＞the sham-operation group＞the sham-operation+exercise group.The bone mineral density and bone mass of rats in all groups significantly increased(P＜0.01),but the increase in the ovariectomized group was significantly lower than that of the other groups,and the increase in the ovariectomized+exercise group was significantly higher than that of the ovariectomized group.Compared with the sham-operation group,the bone mineral density of the tibial cancellous bone in the sham-operation+exercise group was significantly increased(P＜0.01),while the bone mineral density in the ovariectomized and ovariectomized+exercise groups was significantly decreased(P＜0.01).Compared with the ovariectomized+exercise group,the ovariectomized group showed significantly lower bone volume fraction,number of trabeculae,and bone mineral density of cancellous bone(P＜0.05),extremely significantly lower trabecular thickness(P＜0.01),and significantly higher mean trabecular pattern factor,trabecular separation,and structural model index(P＜0.01).Compared with the ovariectomized group,the LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-I ratio and the relative expression of ATG7 protein significantly increased in the ovariectomized+exercise group(P＜0.05).Compared with the sham-operation and ovariectomized groups,the number of autophagosomes increased in the sham-operation+exercise and ovariectomized+exercise groups,respectively.To conclude,moderate-intensity treadmill exercise can improve the bone microstructure and biomechanical properties of the tibial cancellous bone and increase bone mass in ovariectomized rats by increasing serum estradiol levels and bone autophagy levels.

Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of radiation-induced lymphocytopenia in the survival of patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma receiving radiation therapy. Methods The clinical data of 98 patients with unresectable primary hepatocellular carcinoma who received radiotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. The minimum absolute lymphocyte count (min ALC) was graded in accordance with CTCAE V4.0. The optimal threshold of min ALC for prognosis was calculated by using the receiver operating characteristic curve, and the correlation of min ALC with clinical characteristics and dosimetry parameters was analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was employed to analyze the survival of patients with different levels of min ALC. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional regression models were applied to analyze prognostic factors. Results The baseline and min ALC of 98 patients during radiotherapy were 1.52×10⁹/L and 0.45×10⁹/L, respectively(P<0.001). The optimal cut-off value of min ALC for the prediction of the one-year survival rate was 0.38×10⁹/L. GTV, the mean dose of the liver and spleen, the V5 and V10 of the liver and spleen, and the V15 of the spleen were correlated with min ALC, and the V5 of the liver was an independent predictor of min ALC. The overall survival of patients with high min ALC was higher than that of patients with low min ALC. Independent prognostic factors were min ALC≤0.38×10⁹/L (HR=0.515, P=0.024), min ALC≥grade 3 (HR=0.576, P=0.032), tumor thrombus in the portal/vena cava, Child-Pugh grade A, increase of ≥2 points in the Child-Pugh score after radiotherapy, and received more than two other therapies. Conclusion Min ALC≤0.38×10⁹/L and min ALC≥grade 3 have independent prognostic value in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma receiving radiotherapy.

Objective:To analyze the differentially expressed genes in PBMCs of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by bioinformatics methods screening and analyzing the key genes related to ferroptosis, and explore the possible mechanism of ferroptosis involved in the pathogenesis of SLE at the transcription level.Methods:The data sets and samples of healthy people (HC) and SLE patients who met the screening criteria were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), a sub-database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). The differentially expressed genes, GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were analyzed by GEO2R, R language and related software packages. The protein interaction network (PPI) of differential genes was analyzed by STRING, Cytoscape and other tools to explore the key genes and pathways. In addition, real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to verify the expression of key genes. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the expression of key genes in PBMCs between the two groups. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between SLE disease activity and the level of key genes. Results:Six data sets were included in this study. A total of 166 genes related to ferroptosis were differentially expressed between SLE and HC groups. The differential genes were specifically expressed in alveolar macrophages, neutrophils, CD49 + cells and CD31 + cells. GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in multiple signaling pathways closely related to SLE, such as oxidative stress response, infection and TNF signaling pathway. Hub genes screened by different algorithms all suggested RELA as a key gene, and RT-qPCR confirmed that compared with the RELA gene expression level in the HC group [0.75(0.37,1.13)], the expression level in SLE group [2.02 (1.19,4.06)] was increased, the difference was statistically significant ( Z=-3.08, P=0.002), and was positively correlated with the corresponding SLEDAI score of SLE samples ( r=0.52, P=0.019). Conclusion:The ferroptosis of many immune cells, including alveolar macrophages and CD49 + NK cells, is involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. RELA may be involved in the ferroptosis of PBMCs in SLE through the NF-κB pathway.

Objective To evaluate the short-term efficacy and quality of life of primary hepatocellular carcinoma patients after radiotherapy and pregabalin treatment for neuropathic pain with bone metastasis. Methods 32 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma bone metastases were treated with radiotherapy combined with pregabalin treatment.Then, we prospectively studied the analgesic efficacy for neuropathic pain and quality of life, used the brief pain inventory and douleur neuropathique 4 questionnaire (DN4) to evaluate pain at baseline, one and two months after radiotherapy, assessed pain response using the international consensus endpoint definition of bone metastasis, and used European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Research and Treatment Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and bone metastasis module (QLQ-BM22) for quality of life assessment. Results One and two months after radiotherapy, the average DN4 score of neuropathic pain decreased, and the objective pain relief rates were 62.8% and 68.6%, respectively.The physical, emotional, social, and role functional scores of EORTC QLQ-C30 functional scale significantly increased in the first month after radiotherapy.Symptom scale of pain (P=0.015), insomnia (P=0.035), and loss of appetite (P=0.022) improved, and fatigue was aggravated (P < 0.05).Two months after radiotherapy, the mean overall health score and all functional scale scores significantly increased than those at baseline.The scores of all symptom scales decreased, except fatigue, constipation, and financial difficulties (P < 0.05).In addition, pain responders showed significant improvement in emotional function (P=0.025) and physical function (P=0.029) in the functional scale and in pain (P=0.014) and fatigue (P=0.035) in the symptom scale.The QLQ-BM22 score showed that the painful sites (P=0.021) and pain characteristics (P=0.04) of the responders significantly improved compared with those of nonresponders two months after radiotherapy. Conclusion Radiotherapy combined with pregabalin can relieve neuropathic pain caused by bone metastasis from primary hepatocellular carcinoma and greatly improve the quality of life, particularly in pain responders.

Background::Transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS) is a vascular complication after kidney transplantation associated with poor outcomes. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of low-dose aspirin for preventing TRAS.Methods::After kidney transplantation, patients were enrolled from January 2018 to December 2020 in Henan Provincial People’s Hospital. A total of 351 enrolled recipients were randomized to an aspirin group with low-dose intake of aspirin in addition to standard treatment ( n = 178), or a control group with only standard treatment ( n = 173). The patients was initially diagnosed as TRAS (id-TRAS) by Doppler ultrasound, and confirmed cases were diagnosed by DSA (c-TRAS). Results::In the aspirin and control groups, 15.7% (28/178) and 22.0% (38/173) of the recipients developed id-TRAS, respectively, with no statistical difference. However, for c-TRAS, the difference of incidence and cumulative incidence was statistically significant. The incidence of c-TRAS was lower in the aspirin group compared with the control group (2.8% [5/178] vs. 11.6% [20/173], P = 0.001). Kaplan–Meier estimates and Cox regression model identified the cumulative incidence and hazard ratio (HR) of TRAS over time in two groups, showing that recipients treated with aspirin had a significantly lower risk of c-TRAS than those who were not treated (log-rank P = 0.001, HR = 0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.09–0.62). The levels of platelet aggregation rate ( P < 0.001), cholesterol ( P = 0.028), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( P = 0.003) in the aspirin group were decreased compared with the control group in the third-month post-transplantation. For the incidence of adverse events, there was no statistical difference. Conclusion::Clinical application of low-dose aspirin after renal transplant could prevent the development of TRAS with no significant increase in adverse effects.Trial Registration::Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04260828.

Objective:To investigate the effect of self fixing mesh with " Y-shaped" placement in laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal repair of female inguinal hernia.Methods:From February 2019 to September 2020, a total of 40 female patients who underwent TAPP (Keyhole method) in Shaanxi Provincial People′s Hospital were researched.Random number table method was used.According to different patch placement methods, the patients were divided into the self fixing mesh with " Y-shaped" placement group (21 cases) and with normal placement group (19 cases). The operative time, placement time, length of stay, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), postoperative complication were compared between two groups.Results:All 40 patients completed TAPP, and all patients were followed up successfully, with a median follow-up time of 12.5 months.The operation time and patch placement time were (54.9±9.0) min and (10.8±2.5) min in the Y-shaped placement method group and (62.8±11.2) min and (20.3±3.5) min in the conventional placement method group, respectively; the differences between the two groups were statistically significant ( t=2.490, P=0.017; t=.925, P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in length of stay, VAS score 1 day after surgery and postoperative complications(all P>0.05). Conclusion:In laparoscopic female inguinal hernia repair (keyhole method), the " Y" shape placement method can effectively shorten the time of self fixing patch placement, thus shorten the operation time, and does not increase the risk of complications.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety in the treatment of the visceral artery aneurysms (VAAs) by Viabahn stent graft and the detachable coils combined with Onyx embolization.Methods:A retrospective study on clinical and follow up results of 46 patients in the treatment of visceral aneurysms (VAAs) from Jun 2012 to Jun 2018 was carried out.Result:In 18 patients of VAAs treated with Vabahn endovascular stent grafting, the aneurysm cavity was completely isolated after injection of contrast and the technical success rate was 100% (18/18). In 28 patients of VAAs treated with the detachable coils combined with Onyx embolization, the aneurysm cavities of 26 patients among the 28 cases were filled tightly. In 2 patients the aneurysm neck was still visible. The average follow-up period was (36.5±2.3) months by CTA. After treating VAAs with the Viabahn stent graft, the complete isolation rate and the patency of aneurysm bearing artery were respectively 100% (18/18) and 94.4% (17/18). When VAAs was treated with the detachable coils combined with Onyx embolization, the complete isolation rate and the patency of aneurysm bearing artery were respectively 85.7% (24/28) and 92.9% (26/28) (χ 2=3.915, P=0.048), the difference of the patency of aneurysm bearing artery between the two groups was no significant difference (χ 2=0.074, P=0.786). Conclusion:VAAs treated with Viabahn endovascular stent grafting or detachable coils combined with Onyx embolization are both safe and effective.

OBJECTIVE： To study therapeutic effects of Spider toxin oral ulcer powder on recurrent aphthous ulcer （RAU） model rats and its mechanism. METHODS： In vitro antimicrobial activity of the powder was determined by disk diffusion method. 50 healthy SD rats were randomly divided into normal group， model group， positive group （Guilin watermelon frost， 100 mg/kg） and oral ulcer powder high-dose and low-dose groups （70， 35 mg/kg）， with 10 rats in each group. Except for normal group， RAU model was established in the right oral submucosa of rats in other groups by acetic acid method. After modeling， administration groups were smeared with corresponding drugs on ulcers for 3 days. Normal group and model group were not treated. The ulcer surface of rats was observed and the ulcer area was measured on the 1st and 3rd days after administration. The morphological changes of ulcer tissues were observed. The serum levels of SOD， MDA， GSH， TNF-α， IL-1， IL-6 and IFN-γ were detected. The protein expressions of MMP-9， NF-κB， Caspase-3 and PARP in ulcer tissues of rats were detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS： The oral ulcer powder showed obvious in vitro bacteriostasis effect. Compared with blank group， oral ulcer and histopathological changes were obvious in model group； serum levels of TNF-α， IL-1， IL-6 and MDA were increased significantly， while the levels of IFN-γ， SOD and GSH were decreased significantly （P＜0.01）； the expression of MMP-9， NF-κB， Caspase-3 and PARP in ulcer tissue were increased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with model group， the ulcer area of rats in each dosage group was significantly reduced （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01） or nearly healed， the pathological changes of  tissue were significantly alleviated； serum levels of MDA， TNF-α， IL-1 and IL-6 were decreased significantly， while the levels of SOD， GSH and IFN-γ were increased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； the expression of MMP-9， NF-κB， Caspase-3 and PARP in ulcer tissue were decreased significantly （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS： Spider toxin oral ulcer powder shows strong bacteriostasis， detumescence and repair effects， and has obvious therapeutic effect on RAU model rats. Its mechanism may be related to reducing the level of inflammatory factors， mediating the expression of apoptotic factors and regulating immune imbalance.

Objective To evaluate the relationship between different levels of central venous pres-sure (CVP) and blood loss during pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Methods Pediat-ric patients underwent LDLT in Renji Hospital from 2006 to August 10, 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the different CVP levels before peritoneum closure:central venous pressure<10 mmHg group ( group L) and CVP≥10 mmHg group ( group H) . The primary outcome measure was intraoperative blood loss. The secondary outcome measures were duration of mechani-cal ventilation in intensive care unit (ICU), duration of ICU stay, length of postoperative hospital stay, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative blood transfusion, intraoperative volume of liquid infused, opera-tion time and anesthesia time. Results A total of 442 pediatric patients were enrolled in this study, with 209 cases in group L and 233 cases in group H. Compared with group H, the intraoperative blood loss was significantly decreased, the anesthesia time, operation time and length of postoperative hospital stay were shortened ( P<0. 05) , and no significant change was found in intraoperative blood transfusion, intraopera-tive volume of liquid infused, duration of mechanical ventilation in ICU or duration of ICU stay in group L ( P>0. 05) . Conclusion Maintaining intraoperative CVP<10 mmHg can markedly reduce the blood loss during LDLT and is helpful for postoperative recovery in pediatric patients.

Objective:To explore the correlation between carotid lesion severity detected by ultrasound and pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP‐A) expression in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) .Methods :A to‐tal of 78 ACS patients hospitalized in our hospital from Feb 2012 to May 2015 were regarded as ACS group ,mean‐while ,another 78 healthy subjects were enrolled as healthy control group .Correlation between carotid lesion severi‐ty detected by ultrasound and PAPP‐A expression was analyzed . Results:Compared with healthy control group , there were significant rise in serum PAPP‐A concentration [ (0.97 ± 0.32) mg/L vs .(1.56 ± 0.19) mg/L] ,carotid intima‐media thickness [IMT ,(0.84 ± 0.13) mm vs .(1.28 ± 0.16) mm] and Crouse plaque score [ (2.98 ± 1.92) scores vs .(8.24 ± 1.13) scores] in ACS group ,P<0.01 all .Linear correlation analysis indicated that serum PAPP‐A concentration was significant positively correlated with Crouse plaque score and IMT ( r= 0.342、0.243 , P<0.05 all) .Multi‐factor gradual linear regression analysis indicated that carotid Crouse plaque score and IMT were in‐dependent risk factors for PAPP‐A (partial regression coefficient=1.932 ,17.722 ,P<0.01 both) .Conclusion:Ca‐rotid ultrasound Crouse plaque score ,IMT are significantly positively correlated with PAPP‐A expression ,which can indirectly reflect coronary artery disease severity in ACS patients ,it is worth extending .