ObjectiveTo investigate the structural and functional characteristics of gut microbiota in common traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes of irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea （IBS-D）. MethodsIBS-D patients who visited the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine， and healthy participants from the Physical Examination Centre of the same hospital were recruited from 1st January 2020 to 31st March 2021.The IBS-D patients were classified into syndrome of liver constraint and spleen deficiency， and syndrome of spleen deficiency and dampness exuberance； together with the recruited healthy participants， there were liver-constraint group， dampness-exuberance group， and healthy group. General information， including age， gender and body mass index （BMI）， were collected， and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptom Severity Scale （IBS-SSS） as well as Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality of Life Scale （IBS-QOL） scores were additionally collected from IBS-D patients. Fresh fecal samples were also collected and tested by macro-genome sequencing technology for abundance statistical display， PCoA， Anosim， LEfSe bioinformatic analysis of the annotated gut microbiota structure and function. ResultsThere was no statistically significant difference in the general information of the participants in the three groups （P＞0.05）； the difference in the IBS-SSS and IBS-QOL scores between liver-constraint group and dampness-exuberance group were not statistically significant （P＞0.05）. The study included 28 cases each in liver-constraint group， dampness-exuberance group， and healthy group. The number of specific genes to patients in liver-constraint group was 269 135， with 216 156 in dampness-exuberance group and 249 759 in healthy group， accounting of total 1 784 036 in the three groups. There were differences in the relative abundance distribution of the top ten species of gut microbiota among the three groups， with smaller differences at the phylum， class and order levels， and larger differences at the family， genus and species levels. There were differences in the relative abundance of structure and function of the gut microbiota among the three groups. Species PCoA and Anosim analyses at the species level showed significant differences in the composition of the microbiota among the three groups. Further LEfSe analyses showed that patients in liver-constraint group were screened for 14 dominant strains， of which Clostridium sp. CAG 217， Lachnospira pectinoschiza， Anaerotruncus sp. CAG 528， Paeniclostridium sordellii， Eubecterium sp. CAG 76， Bacillus cereus were affected to a greater extent in abundance differences； dampness-exuberance group screened 24 species of dominant bacteria， of which Roseburia inulinivorans， Eubacterium sp. CAG 251， Roseburia hominis， Unclassified Eubacterium rectale， Roseburia intestinalis， and Megamonas funiformis were affected to a greater extent in abundance differences； no dominant functional genes were screened for patients in liver-constraint group， and dampness-exuberance group was screened for flagellum assembly （ko02040）， porphyrin metabolism （ ko00860）， salmonella infection （ko05132）， and benzoic acid degradation （ko00362）. The differentially dominant functional genes in liver-constraint group and dampness-exuberance group may mainly focus on metabolism （including biodegradation and metabolism of exogenous substances， energy metabolism， lipid metabolism， etc.）. ConclusionIBS-D with syndrome of liver constraint and spleen deficiency is characterized by the enrichment of 14 gut microbiota， such as Clostridium sp. CAG 217， while IBS-D with syndrome of spleen deficiency and dampness exuberance is characterized by the enrichment of 24 gut microbiota， such as Roseburia inulinivorans， and 4 functional enrichments， such as flagellum assembly. Clostridium sp. CAG 217 and Roseburia inulinivorans are expected to be biomarkers for IBS-D patients in the two syndromes， respectively.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of a clinical imaging model based on multi-slice helical computer tomography (MSCT) examination in predicting prognosis of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopatho-logical data of 88 patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma who were admitted to the Ningbo Yinzhou No.2 Hospital from January 2019 to January 2021 were collected. There were 62 males and 26 females, aged (60±15)years. All patients underwent preoperative MSCT examination. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range). Count data were expressed as absolute numbers. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using the Logistic regression model. The receiver opera-ting characteristic curve was used to analyze the predictive efficacy of prognosis, and the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity were calculated. Results:(1) Surgical situations and follow-up. All 88 patients underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer and were diagnosed with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma through postoperative pathological examination. All 88 patients were followed up after surgery for 41(range, 36?48)months, with a 3-year overall survival rate of 69.32%. (2) Analysis of factors affecting the prognosis of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma after radical surgery. Results of multivariate analysis showed that preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and extramural venous invasion (EMVI) were independent factors affecting the prognosis of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma after radical surgery ( odds ratio=1.10, 7.72, 95% confidence interval as 1.01?3.82, 1.42?15.42, P<0.05). (3) Construction and evaluation of predictive model. The AUC of predictive efficacy of prognosis for advanced gastric adenocarcinoma of preoperative CEA and EMVI were 0.90 (95% confidence interval as 0.82?0.97) and 0.80 (95% confidence intervalas 0.71?0.89), respectively, with sensitivity of 85.25% and 78.69% and specificity of 100.00% and 81.48%, respec-tively. A predictive model was constructed by combining preoperative CEA and EMVI based on the results of multivariate analysis, and the AUC of the predictive model was 0.93 (95% confidence interval as 0.87?0.98), with sensitivity and specificity of 86.89% and 96.30%. Conclusions:CEA and EMVI are independent factors affecting the prognosis of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma after radical surgery. The predictive model constructed by combining preoperative CEA and EMVI has good predictive efficacy for patient prognosis.

Objective·To study the alterations in vestibular hair cell morphology and function of ATPase plasma membrane Ca2+transporting 2 oblivion(Atp2b2 Oblivion)heterozygous mice at different ages.Methods·Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous male mice aged 2 months and 8 months were selected with ten in each kind and C57BL/6J wild-type mice with the same gender,age and number were selected as the control group.Expression patterns of ATP2B2 in vestibular hair cells and numbers of hair cells in the striola zone and the extra striola zone in the two groups of mice at different ages were observed and calculated respectively through immunofluorescence assay.Hair bundle structures were detected by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and mitochondria and ribbon synapse structures were observed by transmission electron microscopy(TEM).Vestibular evoked potential(VsEP),vestibular evoked myogenic potential(VEMP),rotarod rod test,and balance beam test were adopted for the evaluation of vestibular functions.Results·ATP2B2 was mainly expressed in the hair bundle of vestibular hair cells in the two groups of mice.Hair cell numbers in the striola zone and the extra-striola zone did not exhibit any differences between Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice and wild-type mice of 2-month-old and 8-month-old.No visible structural abnormality in the hair bundle could be seen through SEM.TEM results implied no morphological abnormality in mitochondria or ribbon synapses in the 2-month-old heterozygous mutant mice,while vacuolar degeneration was discovered in the mitochondria under the cuticular plate in the 8-month-old heterozygous mutant mice with the normal ribbon synapses and the normal mitochondria near the innervation site.VsEP and VEMP thresholds of 2-month-old and 8-month-old Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice were significantly elevated compared with the wild-type mice.Analysis of VsEP waveform manifested prolonged P1 latency and declined P1N1 amplitude in heterozygous mutant mice(P＜0.05).Results of rotarod rod test and balance beam test acquired from 2-month-old Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice were not significantly different from the wild-type mice,while the ability of the mutant mice to accomplish the tests descended significantly at 8 months of age compared with the wild-type mice(P＜0.05).Conclusion·Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice showed defective vestibular electrophysiological function at 2 months old,and abnormalities in vestibule-related behaviors can be detected at 8 months old.The vestibular function ofAtp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice deteriorate progressively.

There are some limitations in the localization of epileptogenic zone commonly used by human eyes to identify abnormal discharges of intracranial electroencephalography in epilepsy. However, at present, the accuracy of the localization of epileptogenic zone by extracting intracranial electroencephalography features needs to be further improved. As a new method using dynamic network model, neural fragility has potential application value in the localization of epileptogenic zone. In this paper, the neural fragility analysis method was used to analyze the stereoelectroencephalography signals of 35 seizures in 20 patients, and then the epileptogenic zone electrodes were classified using the random forest model, and the classification results were compared with the time-frequency characteristics of six different frequency bands extracted by short-time Fourier transform. The results showed that the area under curve (AUC) of epileptic focus electrodes based on time-frequency analysis was 0.870 (delta) to 0.956 (high gamma), and its classification accuracy increased with the increase of frequency band, while the AUC by using neural fragility could reach 0.957. After fusing the neural fragility and the time-frequency characteristics of the γ and high γ band, the AUC could be further increased to 0.969, which was improved on the original basis. This paper verifies the effectiveness of neural fragility in identifying epileptogenic zone, and provides a theoretical reference for its further clinical application.
Humans ; Electroencephalography/methods* ; Epilepsy/diagnosis* ; Seizures ; Stereotaxic Techniques

Objective:To evaluate the right ventricular function in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) by four-dimensional automatic right ventricular quantitative analysis (4D Auto RVQ), and compare with the right ventricular ejection fraction measured by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR-RVEF), and to explore the clinical application value of 4D Auto RVQ technique in evaluating the right ventricular function of patients with DCM.Methods:A prospective study was conducted to select 52 patients with DCM who were treated in Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March to October 2022 as DCM group, and 52 healthy volunteers were selected as the control group during the same period. The four-dimensional right ventricular ejection fraction (4D-RVEF), right ventricular stroke volume index (RVSVI), right ventricular end-diastolic volume index (RVEDVI), right ventricular end-systolic volume index (RVESVI), four-dimensional right ventricular basal diameter (4D-RVDd-base), four-dimensional right ventricular middle diameter (4D-RVDd-mid), four-dimensional right ventricular long axis diameter (4D-RVLd), four-dimensional tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (4D-TAPSE) and four-dimensional right ventricular fractional area change (4D-RVFAC) were obtained by 4D Auto RVQ technique. The differences of the above parameters between DCM group and control group were compared.Pearson linear correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between echocardiographic parameters and CMR-RVEF. The ROC curve was used to find the most sensitive parameters for evaluating right ventricular function, and the area under the ROC curve ( AUC ) was calculated and compared.Results:Compared with the control group, RVEDVI, RVESVI, 4D-RVDd-base and 4D-RVDd-mid in the DCM group were increased, and the absolute values of 4D-RVEF, 4D-TAPSE, 4D-RVFAC, right ventricular global longitudinal strain(RVGLS) and right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain(RVFWLS) were decreased (all P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that 4D-RVEF was positively correlated with CMR-RVEF ( r=0.711, P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that 4D-RVEF was superior to other parameters in evaluating right ventricular function in DCM patients (AUC: 0.916). Conclusions:4D Auto RVQ technique can quantitatively evaluate right ventricular function in DCM patients. 4D-RVEF has a significant correlation with CMR-RVEF, and 4D-RVEF has the best efficacy in evaluating right ventricular function in DCM patients.

Purpose: Tumor regression grade (TRG) has been widely used in gastrointestinal carcinoma to assess pathological responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT). There are various standards without a consensus, and it is still unclear which kind of system has better predictive value. This study aims to investigate and compare the predictive ability of the Mandard and Becker TRGs in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: A total of 290 patients with locally advanced gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent NCT and curative surgery were studied. Survival analysis for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were based on the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards method. Predictive values of TRGs and models were assessed by time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the area under the ROC curve (AUC), nomogram, and calibration curve. Results: In multivariable analysis, the Mandard TRG was associated with OS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.806; p=0.026) and DFS (HR, 1.792; p=0.017). The Becker TRG was also related to OS (HR, 1.880; p=0.014) and DFS (HR, 1.919; p=0.006). The Mandard and Becker TRG AUCs for 5-year survival were 0.72 and 0.71, respectively. The whole models showed an increased predictive value, with AUCs of 0.85 and 0.86, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two TRGs and two models. Conclusion TRG was an independent predictor for survival, and there was no significant difference between these two systems.

Objective To study the effect of magnetic rewarming on the morphology and biomechanical properties of vitrified umbilical artery. Methods The vitrified umbilical artery was rewarmed by magnetothermal method and traditional water bath. The temperature distribution and stress in the solution system were analyzed, and the rewarming effect was evaluated by tissue staining and mechanical test. Results Compared with water bath rewarming, the temperature gradient and thermal stress generated by magnetic rewarming were smaller, which could effectively reduce the thermal stress damage during the rewarming stage and achieve rapid and uniform rewarming. Magnetic rewarming could effectively avoid umbilical artery fractures and micro-cracks. After rewarming, the extracellular matrix, collagen fibers, elastic fibers and muscle fibers of the umbilical artery were evenly distributed, which preserved the macro and micro structures of the umbilical artery. The umbilical artery showed different degrees of hardening after water bath and magnetic rewarming, but the elastic modulus and limit stress of the latter were not significantly different from those of fresh umbilical artery, and the latter had unidirectional stretching characteristics similar to that of fresh umbilical artery, showing good elasticity and toughness. Conclusions Compared with water bath rewarming, magnetothermal method can effectively reduce the damage of rewarming stage, ensure the macroscopic, microscopic structure integrity of umbilical artery and better biomechanical properties. The research findings provide important references for cryopreservation of large tissues or organs such as umbilical artery.

In recent years, the prevalence of metabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and metabolic syndrome, increased significantly. Fatigue is common in metabolic diseases and may lead to functional disability. This complicated feeling imposes a huge influence on patients with metabolic diseases physically and psychologically, which seriously affects the quality of life and brings serious burden to the social economy. There were an increasing number of researches on fatigue and metabolic diseases. This article reviews the evidences of the linkages between fatigue and metabolic diseases.

OBJECTIVE:To study the effects of rosiglitazone(RH)on body weight,FPG,FFA and other indicators in diabe-tes model rabbit. METHODS:18 rabbits were evenly randomized into control group,model group and dextran group. The latter 2 groups were given alloxan intravenously to induce diabetes model. 3 groups were given RH(0.5 mg/kg)intragastrically,and dex-tran group was additionally given dextran 40 glucose injection(5 ml/kg)intravenously,once a day,for consecutive 3 weeks. Body weight,serum level of FPG,FFA,AngⅡ and NO were determined before and after medication. RESULTS:Compared with be-fore medication,body weight of rabbits in control group were increased after medication,while the levels of FFA and AngⅡ were decreased;the levels of FPG and FFA were decreased in model group;body weight of rabbits were decreased in dextran group af-ter medication,with statistical significance (P<0.01 or P<0.05);other indicators had no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). The level of FFA in dextran group was higher than in model group after medication,with statistical significance(P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS:Rosiglitazone can lead to weight gain by a mechanism which reduce the level of FFA.

Objective To explore the value of ocular fundus artery hemodynamics in diabetes by the correlation study between ocular fundus artery and glycosylated hemoglobin(GHb).Methods GHb was checked in 98 patients (196 eyes) in diabetes,including 49 cases (98 eyes) before treatment and 49 cases (98 eyes) after treatment,and normal group of 100 cases (200 eyes)An all cases,color Doppler ultrasonography was used for monitorind ophthalmic artery(OA),central retinal artery(CRA) and posterior ciliary artery (PCA).Finally,the differences of the parameters vauels of the the OA,CRA,and PCA between diabetic and normal group were studied in order to find out the relationship with GHb.Results Of 98 patients in diabetes,peak systolic velocity and end diastolic velocity of fundus artery decreased,resistance index increased(RI).There was significant difference between diabetic and normal group(P ＜0.05),and a significant difference was exited between diabetic group before and after treatment(P ＜0.05).GHb were negatively correlated with the velocity of fundus artery,and positively correlated with RI.Conclusions Evaluation of ocular fundus artery hemodynamics in diabetes can provide useful information for diabetic retinal perfusion and function change.For evaluation of diabetic retinal disease,it is of great value in clinical application.