The liver is one of the organs most commonly affected by rheumatic diseases. Hepatic abnormalities in patients with rheumatic diseases can result from a variety of factors， including direct liver involvement by the disease itself， coexistence with primary liver disease， and drug-induced liver injury. When liver indicators are abnormal， a thorough differential diagnosis is required. For unexplained liver dysfunction， routine testing for autoantibodies should be performed to facilitate early identification of underlying autoimmune liver disease. If the etiology remains unclear， a liver biopsy is recommended for a final diagnosis if feasible. Alongside active management of rheumatic diseases， it is necessary to closely monitor liver function， avoid the use of agents that may exacerbate hepatic damage， particularly anti-rheumatic drugs with strong hepatotoxicity， and tailor treatment strategies according to personal specific conditions， so as to minimize liver damage and improve long-term outcome.

Rheumatic diseases are chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases that can affect multiple organs and systems. In clinical practice， most patients with rheumatic diseases present with asymptomatic liver function abnormalities during the course of the disease， and the etiology of such diseases may be associated with the rheumatic disease itself， medications， metabolism， viruses， or the presence of other chronic liver diseases. Immune-mediated inflammatory responses play a significant role in liver involvement （including hepatocyte injury， intrahepatic vascular lesions， and hepatic fibrosis） in rheumatic diseases. This article discusses the clinical features and management of liver involvement secondary to rheumatic diseases， in order to enhance the understanding of this condition among specialists in related fields.

The organoid co-culture model, as a novel tool for recreating a three-dimensional microenvironment to study cell-cell interactions, has demonstrated significant application potential in biomedical research in recent years. By simulating the in vivo tissue microenvironment, this model provides a more precise experimental platform for investigating complex cellular interactions, particularly in areas such as tumor immune evasion mechanisms, drug sensitivity testing, and the pathological characterization of neurodegenerative diseases, where it has demonstrated significant value. However, the organoid co-culture model still faces several challenges in terms of standardized procedures, large-scale cultivation, ethical guidelines, and future development. In particular, in the field of laboratory animal science, how to effectively combine organoids with traditional animal models, and how to select the most appropriate model for different research needs while exploring its potential for replacement, remain pressing issues. In the context of ethical approval and the replacement of animal experiments, the organoid co-culture model offers an experimental approach that better aligns with the "3R" principle (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement), potentially becoming an important tool for replacing traditional animal models. To this end, this paper reviews the latest advances and key challenges in this field, providing a detailed description of the construction methods for organoid co-culture models and discussing their applications in disease mechanism research and drug screening. The paper also systematically compares the organoid co-culture models with traditional animal models, exploring the criteria for selecting the appropriate model for specific applications. Furthermore, this paper discusses the potential value of organoid co-culture models as alternatives to animal experiments and anticipates future development trends of this technology. Through these discussions, the paper aims to promote the innovation and development of organoid co-culture technology and provide new perspectives and scientific evidence for future research.

The organoid co-culture model, as a novel tool for recreating a three-dimensional microenvironment to study cell-cell interactions, has demonstrated significant application potential in biomedical research in recent years. By simulating the in vivo tissue microenvironment, this model provides a more precise experimental platform for investigating complex cellular interactions, particularly in areas such as tumor immune evasion mechanisms, drug sensitivity testing, and the pathological characterization of neurodegenerative diseases, where it has demonstrated significant value. However, the organoid co-culture model still faces several challenges in terms of standardized procedures, large-scale cultivation, ethical guidelines, and future development. In particular, in the field of laboratory animal science, how to effectively combine organoids with traditional animal models, and how to select the most appropriate model for different research needs while exploring its potential for replacement, remain pressing issues. In the context of ethical approval and the replacement of animal experiments, the organoid co-culture model offers an experimental approach that better aligns with the "3R" principle (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement), potentially becoming an important tool for replacing traditional animal models. To this end, this paper reviews the latest advances and key challenges in this field, providing a detailed description of the construction methods for organoid co-culture models and discussing their applications in disease mechanism research and drug screening. The paper also systematically compares the organoid co-culture models with traditional animal models, exploring the criteria for selecting the appropriate model for specific applications. Furthermore, this paper discusses the potential value of organoid co-culture models as alternatives to animal experiments and anticipates future development trends of this technology. Through these discussions, the paper aims to promote the innovation and development of organoid co-culture technology and provide new perspectives and scientific evidence for future research.

Myocardial fibrosis is a serious cause of heart failure and even sudden cardiac death. However, the mechanisms underlying myocardial ischemia-induced cardiac fibrosis remain unclear. Here, we identified that the expression of sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (SARM1), was increased significantly in the ischemic cardiomyopathy patients, dilated cardiomyopathy patients (GSE116250) and fibrotic heart tissues of mice. Additionally, inhibition or knockdown of SARM1 can improve myocardial fibrosis and cardiac function of myocardial infarction (MI) mice. Moreover, SARM1 fibroblasts-specific knock-in mice had increased deposition of extracellular matrix and impaired cardiac function. Mechanically, elevated expression of SARM1 promotes the deposition of extracellular matrix by directly modulating P4HA1. Notably, by using the Click-iT reaction, we identified that the increased expression of ZDHHC17 promotes the palmitoylation levels of SARM1, thereby accelerating the fibrosis process. Based on the fibrosis-promoting effect of SARM1, we screened several drugs with anti-myocardial fibrosis activity. In conclusion, we have unveiled that palmitoylated SARM1 targeting P4HA1 promotes collagen deposition and myocardial fibrosis. Inhibition of SARM1 is a potential strategy for the treatment of myocardial fibrosis. The sites where SARM1 interacts with P4HA1 and the palmitoylation modification sites of SARM1 may be the active targets for anti-fibrosis drugs.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy of toric implantable collamer lens (Toric-ICL) and femtosecond laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) for myopia correction in patients with moderate to high myopia complicated with astigmatism. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data from 64 patients (aged 18-42 years) with moderate to high myopia complicated with astigmatism (128 eyes) undergoing either Toric-ICL (28 patients/56 eyes) or FS-LASIK (36 patients/72 eyes) at our department between January, 2019 and December, 2020. The changes of uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCVA), spherical equivalent (SE), mean astigmatism correction index (CI), corneal endothelial cell density (ECD) and intraocular pressure (IOP) following the procedures were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In FS-LASIK group, all the eyes (72/72) achieved an UCVA≥1.0, similar to the rate in Toric-ICL group (55/56 eyes; P=0.2374). The postoperative SE was also comparable between FS-LASIK and Toric-ICL groups [0.43±0.06 D (range: -1.0 to 1.50 D) vs 0.38±0.05 D (range: -0.75 to 1.00 D); P=0.56]. The mean astigmatism CI was significantly higher in FS-LASIK group than in Toric-ICL group (0.8561 vs 0.7176; P<0.0001), and 88.89% of the eyes in FS-LASIK group and 69.64% in Toric-ICL group had postoperative astigmatism ≤0.50 D. No significant changes were observed in postoperative corneal ECD in FS-LASIK group, whereas ECD decreased significantly after the procedure in Toric-ICL group (P=0.0057). The patients undergoing Toric-ICL exhibited no significant changes of postoperative IOP, but the patients receiving FS-LASIK had significantly reduced IOP after the procedure (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Although the patients included in Toric-ICL group had higher myopia and astigmatism, Toric-ICL still showed better predictability and efficacy for astigmatic correction in Toric-ICL group. Toric-ICL is an effective and safe equivalent of FS-LASIK for correcting moderate myopia but can be more advantageous for correcting high myopia with astigmatism.
Humans ; Astigmatism/complications* ; Myopia/complications* ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Visual Acuity ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Male ; Lens Implantation, Intraocular/methods* ; Female ; Phakic Intraocular Lenses ; Intraocular Pressure

Objective:To investigate the protective effect of quercetin against LasB-induced apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in THP-1 macrophages, providing valuable insights into the use of quercetin as a virulence inhibitor for Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection treatment. Methods:This was an experimental study. The experimental strain was the standard strain. The LasB protein was obtained utilizing protein recombination technology, while the enzyme activity of LasB was assessed through both the Elastin Congo red assay and fluorescently labelled elastin assay. The LasB-induced THP-1 macrophage infection model was established, and quercetin was utilized for intervention. Cell viability was evaluated via CCK-8 assay, while cell morphology was observed under an inverted microscope. Apoptosis detection involved employing both TUNEL and Annexin V/PI staining. The mRNA expression and protein levels of inflammatory cytokines and COX-2 were determined by RT-qPCR and ELISA respectively. Intracellular ROS levels were quantified using the DCFH-DA fluorescent probe. One-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis, and Tukey test was used for multiple comparisons. Results:The pLasB with a molecular weight of 33 000 and acceptable enzymatic activity (purity>90%), was successfully obtained. THP-1 macrophages treated with pLasB at a concentration of 100 μg/ml presented significantly decreased viability and integrity rate when compared with the normal control group. Additionally, pLasB promoted apoptosis, up-regulated the levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, and TNF-α, increased intracellular ROS fluorescence intensity, and elevated COX-2 mRNA expression level. Furthermore, the viability of THP-1 macrophages was significantly enhanced under quercetin intervention at concentrations of 2.5 μmol/L, 5 μmol/L and 10 μmol/L. The apoptosis rate exhibited a significant reduction from 18.32%±0.17% to 13.17%±0.20%, 11.43%±0.06% and 7.74%±0.04%, respectively ( F=1 679, P<0.05). There was a notable down-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12 and TNF-α while the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 showed a significant up-regulation. Both intracellular ROS fluorescence intensity ( F=86.92, P<0.05) and COX-2 level ( F=24.62, P<0.05) demonstrated a substantial decrease. Conclusion:Quercetin demonstrates significant efficacy in inhibiting LasB-induced apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in THP-1 macrophages, which highlights immense potential as a potent virulence inhibitor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

To investigate the clinical assessment of dual-enhanced antiplatelet therapy after cerebrovascular intervention to reduce the risk of cerebral infarction recurrence, and to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of cerebral infarction recurrence risk. 202 patients with cerebral infarction who underwent cerebrovascular intervention in Tianjin Fifth Central Hospital from January 2018 to October 2022 were selected as study subjects. The patients were divided into a treatment group ( n=104) based on randomized controlled single-blind method with 61 males and 43 females with a mean age of (62.33±2.57) years old and a control group ( n=98) with 56 males and 42 females with a mean age of (62.49±2.36) years old. The control group was given aspirin mono-antiplatelet therapy, and the treatment group was given clopidogrel doublet augmented antiplatelet therapy on the basis of the control group, and both groups continued the treatment for 2 months. Platelet counts, coagulation indexes and inflammatory factors were compared between the two groups before and after treatment, and the America National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was used to assess the neurological functions of the two groups before and after treatment, and the recurrence of cerebral infarction in the two groups was counted within 6 months after treatment. In addition, the patients in the treatment group were divided into the cerebral infarction recurrence group and the cerebral infarction non-recurrence group according to whether they had cerebral infarction recurrence within 6 months after treatment, and the clinical data of the patients in the treatment group were collected to analyze the influencing factors of the dual-enhancement antiplatelet therapy for the recurrence of cerebral infarction in patients with cerebral infarction after cerebral vascular intervention by multifactorial logistic regression. The results showed that after treatment, patients in the treatment group had an international normalized ratio (INR) of (1.76±0.38), a platelet activation rate of (39.52±4.79)%, a platelet aggregation rate of (48.54±5.21)%, a tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) of (28.37±4.47)ng/L, an interleukin 6 (IL-6) of (24.77±3.52)ng/L, a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) of (7.39±1.53)mg/L and an NIHSS score of (6.11±1.39) were lower than those of the control group (2.32±0.41), (44.81±6.37)%, (51.39±5.58)%, (39.66±4.51) ng/L, (29.25±4.04) ng/L, (9.03±1.78) mg/L and (9.93±1.46) points (all P<0.05). At 6-month follow-up of all patients, cerebral infarction recurred in 16 (15.38%) patients in the treatment group and in 33 (33.67%) patients in the control group ( χ2=9.185, P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier results showed a statistically significant difference in the rate of recurrence without cerebral infarction in the treatment group compared with the control group(LogRank χ2=4.595, P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that smoking history, cervical vascular plaque, post-treatment NIHSS score, post-treatment stenosis score, post-treatment INR, post-treatment hs-CRP and CYP2C19 gene polymorphism were independent influences on the recurrence of cerebral infarction in cerebral infarction patients with cerebral vascular interventions followed by doublet augmentation of antiplatelet therapy (all P<0.05). In conclusion, dual-enhanced antiplatelet therapy may be an effective measure to reduce the risk of cerebral infarction recurrence after cerebrovascular intervention in patients with cerebral infarction, but it is still influenced by more factors.

Objective:To investigate the protective effect of quercetin against LasB-induced apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in THP-1 macrophages, providing valuable insights into the use of quercetin as a virulence inhibitor for Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection treatment. Methods:This was an experimental study. The experimental strain was the standard strain. The LasB protein was obtained utilizing protein recombination technology, while the enzyme activity of LasB was assessed through both the Elastin Congo red assay and fluorescently labelled elastin assay. The LasB-induced THP-1 macrophage infection model was established, and quercetin was utilized for intervention. Cell viability was evaluated via CCK-8 assay, while cell morphology was observed under an inverted microscope. Apoptosis detection involved employing both TUNEL and Annexin V/PI staining. The mRNA expression and protein levels of inflammatory cytokines and COX-2 were determined by RT-qPCR and ELISA respectively. Intracellular ROS levels were quantified using the DCFH-DA fluorescent probe. One-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis, and Tukey test was used for multiple comparisons. Results:The pLasB with a molecular weight of 33 000 and acceptable enzymatic activity (purity>90%), was successfully obtained. THP-1 macrophages treated with pLasB at a concentration of 100 μg/ml presented significantly decreased viability and integrity rate when compared with the normal control group. Additionally, pLasB promoted apoptosis, up-regulated the levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, and TNF-α, increased intracellular ROS fluorescence intensity, and elevated COX-2 mRNA expression level. Furthermore, the viability of THP-1 macrophages was significantly enhanced under quercetin intervention at concentrations of 2.5 μmol/L, 5 μmol/L and 10 μmol/L. The apoptosis rate exhibited a significant reduction from 18.32%±0.17% to 13.17%±0.20%, 11.43%±0.06% and 7.74%±0.04%, respectively ( F=1 679, P<0.05). There was a notable down-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12 and TNF-α while the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 showed a significant up-regulation. Both intracellular ROS fluorescence intensity ( F=86.92, P<0.05) and COX-2 level ( F=24.62, P<0.05) demonstrated a substantial decrease. Conclusion:Quercetin demonstrates significant efficacy in inhibiting LasB-induced apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in THP-1 macrophages, which highlights immense potential as a potent virulence inhibitor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

To investigate the clinical assessment of dual-enhanced antiplatelet therapy after cerebrovascular intervention to reduce the risk of cerebral infarction recurrence, and to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of cerebral infarction recurrence risk. 202 patients with cerebral infarction who underwent cerebrovascular intervention in Tianjin Fifth Central Hospital from January 2018 to October 2022 were selected as study subjects. The patients were divided into a treatment group ( n=104) based on randomized controlled single-blind method with 61 males and 43 females with a mean age of (62.33±2.57) years old and a control group ( n=98) with 56 males and 42 females with a mean age of (62.49±2.36) years old. The control group was given aspirin mono-antiplatelet therapy, and the treatment group was given clopidogrel doublet augmented antiplatelet therapy on the basis of the control group, and both groups continued the treatment for 2 months. Platelet counts, coagulation indexes and inflammatory factors were compared between the two groups before and after treatment, and the America National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was used to assess the neurological functions of the two groups before and after treatment, and the recurrence of cerebral infarction in the two groups was counted within 6 months after treatment. In addition, the patients in the treatment group were divided into the cerebral infarction recurrence group and the cerebral infarction non-recurrence group according to whether they had cerebral infarction recurrence within 6 months after treatment, and the clinical data of the patients in the treatment group were collected to analyze the influencing factors of the dual-enhancement antiplatelet therapy for the recurrence of cerebral infarction in patients with cerebral infarction after cerebral vascular intervention by multifactorial logistic regression. The results showed that after treatment, patients in the treatment group had an international normalized ratio (INR) of (1.76±0.38), a platelet activation rate of (39.52±4.79)%, a platelet aggregation rate of (48.54±5.21)%, a tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) of (28.37±4.47)ng/L, an interleukin 6 (IL-6) of (24.77±3.52)ng/L, a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) of (7.39±1.53)mg/L and an NIHSS score of (6.11±1.39) were lower than those of the control group (2.32±0.41), (44.81±6.37)%, (51.39±5.58)%, (39.66±4.51) ng/L, (29.25±4.04) ng/L, (9.03±1.78) mg/L and (9.93±1.46) points (all P<0.05). At 6-month follow-up of all patients, cerebral infarction recurred in 16 (15.38%) patients in the treatment group and in 33 (33.67%) patients in the control group ( χ2=9.185, P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier results showed a statistically significant difference in the rate of recurrence without cerebral infarction in the treatment group compared with the control group(LogRank χ2=4.595, P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that smoking history, cervical vascular plaque, post-treatment NIHSS score, post-treatment stenosis score, post-treatment INR, post-treatment hs-CRP and CYP2C19 gene polymorphism were independent influences on the recurrence of cerebral infarction in cerebral infarction patients with cerebral vascular interventions followed by doublet augmentation of antiplatelet therapy (all P<0.05). In conclusion, dual-enhanced antiplatelet therapy may be an effective measure to reduce the risk of cerebral infarction recurrence after cerebrovascular intervention in patients with cerebral infarction, but it is still influenced by more factors.