ObjectiveTo investigate the possible mechanism by which Zhiqiao Gancao Decoction （枳壳甘草汤， ZGD） delays intervertebral disc degeneration （IDD） based on the Hippo-yes-associated protein （YAP）/transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif （TAZ） signaling pathway. MethodsA total of 50 SD rats were randomly divided into sham surgery group， model group， low-dose ZGD group， high-dose ZGD group， and high-dose ZGD + inhibitor group， with 10 rats in each group. In the sham surgery group， the rats were pierced in the skin and muscle at the Co6/7/8 segments of the tail with a 21G needle （depth approximately 2 mm） without damaging the intervertebral disc. In the other groups， rats were injected with a 21G needle at the Co6/7/8 segments of the tail to establish an IDD model by piercing the tail intervertebral disc 5 mm. One week after modeling， rats in the low-dose and high-dose ZGD groups were given 6.24 and 12.24 g/（kg·d） of the decoction via gastric gavage， respectively. The high-dose ZGD + inhibitor group was given 12.24 g/（kg·d） of the decoction and an intraperitoneal injection of YAP/TAZ inhibitor Verteporfin 10 mg/kg. The sham surgery and model groups were given 5 ml/（kg·d） of normal saline via gavage. The gavage was given once a day， and the intraperitoneal injection was given every other day. After 4 weeks of continuous intervention， the pathological changes of the tail intervertebral discs were observed using HE staining， Oil Red O-Green staining， and Toluidine Blue staining. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of aggrecan and MMP3 in the nucleus pulposus. TUNEL fluorescence staining was performed to detect apoptosis in the nucleus pulposus， and the apoptosis rate was calculated. Western blot was used to detect the Hippo-YAP/TAZ signaling pathway， including YAP， phosphorylated YAP （p-YAP）， phosphorylated MST1/2 （p-MST1/2）， phosphorylated TAZ （p-TAZ） and apoptosis-related proteins， such as Cleaved Caspase 3， P53， Bcl-2 and Bax. ResultsCompared with sham surgery group， the rats in the model group showed significant degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc. The levels of aggrecan， Bcl-2， and YAP proteins in the nucleus pulposus decreased， while the levels of p-MST1/2， p-YAP， p-TAZ， P53， Bax， Cleaved Caspase 3， MMP3 proteins， and the apoptosis rate increased （P < 0.01）. Compared with the model group， the drug intervention groups showed partial recovery in intervertebral disc degeneration. The levels of aggrecan， Bcl-2， and YAP proteins increased， while the levels of p-MST1/2， p-YAP， p-TAZ， P53， Bax， Cleaved Caspase 3， MMP3 proteins， and the apoptosis rate decreased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The high-dose ZGD group showed more significant recovery in intervertebral disc degeneration compared to the low-dose ZGD group， with a decrease in the levels of p-MST1/2， p-YAP， p-TAZ， P53， Bax， Cleaved Caspase 3， MMP3 proteins， and apoptosis rate， and an increase in the levels of aggrecan， Bcl-2， and YAP proteins （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the high-dose ZGD group， the high-dose ZGD + inhibitor group showed a reduced recovery in intervertebral disc degeneration， with an increase in the levels of p-MST1/2， p-YAP， p-TAZ， P53， Bax， Cleaved Caspase 3， MMP3 proteins， and apoptosis rate， and a decrease in the levels of aggrecan， Bcl-2， and YAP proteins （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionZGD may delay intervertebral disc degeneration by inhibiting the phosphorylation of YAP in the nucleus pulposus， maintaining the function of the Hippo-YAP/TAZ signaling pathway， and reducing apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells.

Objective:To assess the effectiveness of a 6-month Ba Duan Jin exercise program in improving the balance of community-dwelling older adults.Methods:A two arms, parallel-group, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 1 028 community residents aged 60-80 years in 40 communities in 5 provinces of China. Participants in the intervention group (20 communities, 523 people) received Ba Duan Jin exercise 5 days/week, 1 hour/day for 6 months, and three times of falls prevention health education, and the control group (20 communities, 505 people) received falls prevention health education same as the intervention group. The Berg balance scale (BBS) score was the leading outcome indicator, and the secondary outcome indicators included the length of time of standing on one foot (with eyes open and closed), standing in a tandem stance (with eyes open and closed), the closed circle test, and the timed up to test.Results:A total of 1 028 participants were included in the final analysis, including 731 women (71.11%) and 297 men (28.89%), and the age was (69.87±5.67) years. After the 3-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 3.05 (95% CI: 2.23-3.88) points ( P<0.001). After the 6-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 4.70 (95% CI: 4.03-5.37) points ( P<0.001). Ba Duan Jin showed significant improvement ( P<0.05) in all secondary outcomes after 6 months of exercise in the intervention group compared with the control group. Conclusions:This study showed that Ba Duan Jin exercise can improve balance in community-dwelling older adults aged 60-80. The longer the exercise time, the better the improvement.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A1(eEF1A1)on the replication of vesicular stomatitis virus(VSV)and Herpes simplex virus 1(HSV-1)to identify a potential target for broad-spectrum regulation of viruses.METHODS Small interfering RNA(si-eEF1A)was transfected into human skin fibroblasts(BJ-5ta)to inhibit the expression of eEF1A1,and the negative control group was set up.The transfection efficiency was detected by real-time fluo-rescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)and Western blotting,the cell model of eEF1A1 gene silencing was constructed.The cell model was infected with VSV,the gene copy number and protein expression of VSV in the cells were detected.The cell model was infected with HSV-1,the mRNA and protein expres-sion of HSV-1 in the cells were detected.The cell models were transfected with polyinosinic acid[Poly(I:C)]or sodium deoxyribonucleic acid(HT-DNA),respectively.The mRNA expression of interferon-β(IFN-β),C-X-C Motif Chemokine 10(CXCL10)and interferon-stimulated gene 56(ISG56)were detected by RT-qPCR.The phosphorylation expression of interferon regulatory factor 3(IRF3)and TANK binding kinase 1(TBK1)were detected by Western blotting.RESULT Compared with the negative control group,the mRNA and protein expression of eEF1A1 in the eEF1A1 gene silencing group were signifi-cantly decreased(P<0.01),the cell model of eEF1A1 gene silencing was successfully constructed.Compared with the negative control group,the VSV gene copy number of the eEF1A1 gene silencing group decreased by 70%-80%.The VSV protein expression decreased significantly(P<0.01).The mRNA expression of HSV-1 was decreased by 50%-60%,and the protein expression of HSV-1 was significantly decreased(P<0.01).After stimulation with Poly(I:C)or HT-DNA,compared with the negative control group.there was no significant difference in the mRNA expressions of IFN-β,ISG56 and CXCL10 and the protein phosphorylation expression of IRF3 and TBK1 in the eEF1A1 gene silencing group.CONCLUSION eEF1A1 silencing can inhibit VSV and HSV-1 virus replication,suggesting that eEF1A1 has a potential broad-spectrum regulatory effect on RNA viruses and DNA viruses,and may not recog-nize activated immune pathways through intracellular nucleic acid recognition.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction(HFpEF)may be a main form of heart failure,with a high mortality and an increasing incidence,which is a significant problem in cardiovascular disease.Although some important advancements in HFpEF has been made in recent years,its pathogenesis remains unclear,and the prognosis and mortality of patients have not significantly improved.Due to a large number of complications and complex pathological mechanism of HFpEF,and traditional treatment medicines of heart failure cannot effectively improve the prognosis of HFpEF patients,it is still lack of accurate diagnostic methods and effective clinical treatment strategies.Exploring and developing effective diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are of great clinical significance.This review summarizes the progress and future research direction in the diagnosis and treatment of HFpEF.

Objective:To investigate the features and influencing factors of language in children with various types of speech disorders.Methods:A case-control study was carried out, 262 children with speech disorder had been diagnosed at the language-speech clinic of the Center of Children′s Healthcare, Children′s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January 2021 to November 2023, the children with speech sound disorder as the speech sound disorder group, the children with developmental stuttering as the stuttering group. There were 100 typically-developed children who underwent physical checkups at the Center of Healthcare during the same period as the healthy group. All children experienced a standardized evaluation of language with diagnostic receptive and expressive assessment of mandarin‐comprehensive(DREAM-C) and questionnaire, One-way ANOVA and LSD test were conducted to compare the differences in overall language, receptive language, expressive language, semantics, and syntax scores among 3 groups of children. According to the results of DREAM-C, the children with speech disorder were divided into language normal group and language delay group. Chi‐square test and multivariate Logistic regression were implemented to analyze the association between the linguistic development of children with speech disorder and potential influential factors.Results:There were 145 children in the speech sound disorder group, including 110 males and 35 females respectively, with an age of (5.9±1.0) years; 117 children in the stuttering group, including 91 males and 26 females, with an age of (5.8±1.0) years; 100 children in the healthy group, including 75 males and 25 females, with an age of (5.7±1.2) years. The variations in overall language, expressive language, and syntax scores among 3 groups of children were statistically significant (92±18 vs.96±11 vs. 98±11, 81±18 vs. 84±14 vs. 88±13, 87±16 vs. 89±11 vs. 91±10, F=5.46, 4.69, 3.68, all P<0.05). Pairwise comparison revealed that the speech sound disorder group had lower scores in overall language, expressive language, and syntactic compared to the healthy group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.01) and the overall language score was lower than that of children with stuttering ( P<0.05). In terms of overall language and expressive language, there was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of language delay among the three groups of children (15.9% (23/145) vs. 20.5% (24/117) vs. 7.0% (7/100), 46.2% (67/145) vs. 39.3% (46/117) vs. 26.0% (26/100); χ2=7.93, 10.28; both P<0.05). In terms of overall language, the stuttering group took up the highest proportion. In terms of expressive language, the speech sound disorder group accounted for the highest amount. The incidence of language delay in children with speech disorder was 44.3% (116/262). Non-parent-child reading, daily screen time ≥1 hour and screen exposure before 1.5 years of age are risk factors for the development of language in children with speech disorder ( OR=1.87, 2.18, 2.01; 95% CI 1.07-3.27, 1.23-3.86, 1.17-3.45; all P<0.01). Negative family history are protective factors for the progress of language ability ( OR=0.37, 95% CI 0.17-0.81, P<0.05). Conclusions:Children with speech disorder tend to have easy access to language delay, especially in expressive language and syntax. The occurrence of language delay in children with speech disorder is tightly connected with factors such as the family medical history, parent-child reading, screen time, etc. Attention should be paid to the development of language in children who suffer from speech disorder.

Traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome (TSOFS) is a symptom complex caused by nerve entrapment in the supraorbital fissure after skull base trauma. If the compressed cranial nerve in the supraorbital fissure is not decompressed surgically, ptosis, diplopia and eye movement disorder may exist for a long time and seriously affect the patients′ quality of life. Since its overall incidence is not high, it is not familiarized with the majority of neurosurgeons and some TSOFS may be complicated with skull base vascular injury. If the supraorbital fissure surgery is performed without treatment of vascular injury, it may cause massive hemorrhage, and disability and even life-threatening in severe cases. At present, there is no consensus or guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS that can be referred to both domestically and internationally. To improve the understanding of TSOFS among clinical physicians and establish standardized diagnosis and treatment plans, the Skull Base Trauma Group of the Neurorepair Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Traumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized relevant experts to formulate Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome ( version 2024) based on evidence of evidence-based medicine and clinical experience of diagnosis and treatment. This consensus puts forward 12 recommendations on the diagnosis, classification, treatment, efficacy evaluation and follow-up of TSOFS, aiming to provide references for neurosurgeons from hospitals of all levels to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between complement C3 and urine protein level and proteinuria remission status in patients with primary membranous nephropathy (PMN), and better guide individualized clinical treatment.Methods:It was a single-center retrospective study. The clinical data of PMN patients who underwent renal biopsy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2017 to June 2022 were collected. Patients with 24 h urinary protein ≥ 3.5 g were followed up after receiving standard treatment, and the last outpatient or inpatient review was used as the end point of follow-up. 24 h urine protein was collected to evaluate the remission status of proteinuria. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the correlation between serum and renal complements and proteinuria remission. Cox regression analysis method was used to analyze the correlation between serum C3 level and renal tissue C3 deposition and proteinuria remission.Results:This study included 507 PMN patients with 312 (61.54%) males, aged 54 (43, 64) years old. Compared with 24 h urinary protein < 3.5 g group, proportion of males ( χ2=22.479, P<0.001), age ( Z=-2.521, P=0.012), systolic blood pressure ( Z=-4.148, P<0.001), diastolic blood pressure ( Z=-4.084, P<0.001), serum anti-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) antibody titer ( Z=-7.019, P<0.001), total cholesterol ( Z=-8.796, P<0.001), triglyceride ( Z=-6.158, P<0.001), low density lipoprotein cholesterol ( Z=-8.716, P<0.001), serum creatinine ( Z=-7.368, P<0.001), serum C3 ( Z=-3.663, P<0.001), serum C4 ( Z=-6.560, P<0.001), proportion of glucocorticoid use ( χ2=116.417, P<0.001) and proportion of immunosuppressant use ( χ2=53.839, P<0.001) were all higher, while serum albumin ( Z=12.518, P<0.001), estimated glomerular filtration rate ( Z=6.345, P<0.001) and serum IgG ( Z=7.321, P<0.001) were all lower in 24 h urinary protein ≥3.5 g group. There were 268 patients included in the follow-up cohort with baseline 24 h urinary protein of 7.15 (5.14, 10.24) g, serum anti-PLA2R antibody titer of 61.44 (14.35, 193.24) RU/ml, serum C3 of 1.005 (0.864, 1.150) g/L, and serum C4 of 0.260 (0.214, 0.317) g/L. Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the incomplete remission rate of proteinuria in serum C3 > 1.005 g/L group was lower than that in serum C3 ≤ 1.005 g/L group (log-rank χ2=4.757, P=0.029). There was no significant difference in the incomplete remission rate of proteinuria between serum C4 ≤ 0.260 g/L group and serum C4 > 0.260 g/L group (log-rank χ2=3.543, P=0.060). Renal C1q (log-rank χ2=0.167, P=0.683) and C4 (log-rank χ2=1.927, P=0.165) deposition had no significant effects on proteinuria remission in PMN patients. The incomplete remission rate of proteinuria in patients with renal C3 deposition was higher than that in patients without renal C3 deposition (log-rank χ2=7.018, P=0.008). Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that serum C3 level and C3 deposition in renal tissues were influencing factors of incomplete remission of proteinuria (both P<0.05), while adjusting for gender, age, mean arterial pressure, serum anti-PLA2R antibody, serum albumin and 24 h urinary protein, serum C3 ≤ 1.005 g/L ( HR=1.374, 95% CI 1.021-1.849, P=0.036), C3 deposition in renal tissues ( HR=1.949, 95% CI 1.098-3.460, P=0.023), and serum C3 ≤ 1.005 g/L combined with C3 deposition in renal tissues ( HR=1.472, 95% CI 1.093-1.983, P=0.011) were independent influencing factors of incomplete remission of proteinuria. Conclusions:The serum C3 level and C3 deposition in renal tissues are closely related to urinary protein level and proteinuria remission status in PMN patients. The patients with higher urinary protein have higher serum C3. For patients with massive proteinuria, serum C3 ≤ 1.005 g/L, C3 deposition in renal tissues, serum C3 ≤ 1.005 g/L combined with C3 deposition in renal tissues are independent risk factors of incomplete remission of proteinuria.

Objective: To understand the infection status of Enterovirus (EV) in cases of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in Luohe City, Henan Province from 2017 to 2021, and analyze the prevalence and type composition of EV in ARIs. Methods: From October 2017 to May 2021, pharyngeal swab samples were collected from 1 828 patients with ARIs in Luohe Central Hospital and the clinical epidemiological data of these cases were also collected. EV-positive samples were identified by Quantitative Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). The 5'-untranslated region (5'UTR) was amplified by Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). The results of 5'UTR region were initially typed by Enterovirus Genotyping Tool Version 1.0. Based on the typing results, the full-length of VP1 region was amplified by RT-PCR. The EV typing was identified again by VP1 region. Results: Among 1 828 cases of ARIs, 56.7% (1 036) were males. The median (Q₁, Q₃) age was about 3 (1, 5) years. Patients under 5 years old accounted for 71.6% (1 309 cases). Among all cases, a total of 71 EV-positive samples were identified by qPCR, with a detection rate of 3.88% (71/1 828). The EV detection rates for men and women were 3.28% (34/1 036) and 4.67% (37/792), without statistically significant differences (χ²=2.32, P=0.14). The EV detection rates for 2 to <6 years, 6 months to <2 years, 6 to <10 years, and <6 months were 6.29% (48/763), 3.00% (18/600), 2.52% (4/159), and 1.67% (1/60) (χ²=27.91, P<0.001). The EV detection rate was 0.92% (3/326) in autumn and winter of 2017. The EV detection rates were 1.18% (6/508), 2.47% (12/485) and 8.31% (34/409) in each year from 2018 to 2020, with an increasing trend year by year(χ²_trend=29.76, P<0.001). The main prevalent seasons were summer and autumn. The detection rate in spring of 2021 was 4.00% (4/100). A total of 12 types were identified and classified as CVA2, CVA4, CVA5, CVA6, CVA10, CVB3, CVB5, E5, E11, E30, PV-1, and EV-D68. The types of CVA2, CVA10, CVA6, and CVB3 were the dominant phenotypes. In 59 sample of EV typing, the main clinical manifestation was upper respiratory tract infection (36/59, 61.01%). The dominant types detected in upper respiratory tract infections were CVA10 (10/36, 27.78%), CVA6 (9/36, 25.00%) and CVB3 (8/36, 22.22%). The dominant type detected in lower respiratory tract infections was CVA2 (7/19, 36.84%). Conclusion: In Luohe City, Henan Province from 2017 to 2021, EV infection in ARIs cases has clear seasonal and age-specific patterns, and the dominant types of upper and lower respiratory tract infections are different.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Enterovirus/genetics* ; 5' Untranslated Regions ; Enterovirus Infections/epidemiology* ; Phenotype ; Antigens, Viral/genetics* ; Respiratory Tract Infections/epidemiology* ; Phylogeny

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the relationship between the body composition of children aged 3-5 years and breastfeeding status and duration. METHODS: The study was conducted using data from the National Nutrition and Health Systematic Survey for children 0-17 years of age in China (CNHSC), a nationwide cross-sectional study. Breastfeeding information and potential confounders were collected using standardized questionnaires administered through face-to-face interviews. The body composition of preschool children was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. A multivariate linear regression model was used to assess the relationship between breastfeeding duration and body composition after adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: In total, 2,008 participants were included in the study. Of these, 89.2% were ever breastfed and the median duration of breastfeeding was 12 months (IQR 7-15 months). Among children aged 3 years, the height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) for the ever breastfed group was lower than that for never breastfed group (0.12 vs. 0.42, P = 0.043). In addition, the weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ) of the ever breastfed group was lower than that of the never breastfed group (0.31 vs. 0.65, P = 0.026), and the WAZ was lower in children aged 4 years who breastfed between 12 and 23 months than in those who never breastfed. Compared to the formula-fed children, the fat-free mass of breastfed infants was higher for children aged 3 years (12.84 kg vs. 12.52 kg, P = 0.015) and lower for those aged 4 years (14.31 kg vs. 14.64 kg, P = 0.048), but no difference was detected for children aged 5 years (16.40 kg vs. 16.42 kg, P = 0.910) after adjusting for potential confounders. No significant difference was detected in the weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ), body mass index (BMI)-for-age Z-score (BAZ), fat-free mass index, and body fat indicators in the ever breastfed and never breastfed groups and among various breastfeeding duration groups for children aged 3-5 years. CONCLUSION No obvious associations were detected between breastfeeding duration, BMI, and fat mass indicators. Future prospective studies should explore the relationship between breastfeeding status and fat-free mass.
Infant ; Female ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Child ; Adolescent ; Breast Feeding ; Prospective Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Body Mass Index ; Body Composition

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is considered to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis are not fully understood. Endothelial dysfunction is a key initiating factor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, which is commonly observed in almost all HHcy-induced vascular diseases. HHcy promotes oxidative stress, inhibits nitric oxide production, suppresses hydrogen sulfide signaling pathway, promotes endothelial mesenchymal transition, activates coagulation pathways, and promotes protein N-homocysteination and cellular hypomethylation, all of which can cause endothelial dysfunction. This article reviews the specific links between HHcy and endothelial dysfunction, and highlights recent evidence that endothelial mesenchymal transition contributes to HHcy-induced vascular damage, with a hope to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of HHcy-related vascular diseases.
Humans ; Atherosclerosis ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Endothelium, Vascular ; Homocysteine/metabolism* ; Hyperhomocysteinemia/complications* ; Oxidative Stress ; Risk Factors