miR-429-3p mediates memory decline by targeting MKP-1 to reduce surface GluA1-containing AMPA receptors in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia in the elderly. Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1 (MKP-1) plays a neuroprotective role in AD. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of MKP-1 on AD have not been extensively studied. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, thereby repressing mRNA translation. Here, we reported that the microRNA-429-3p (miR-429-3p) was significantly increased in the brain of APP23/PS45 AD model mice and N2AAPP AD model cells. We further found that miR-429-3p could downregulate MKP-1 expression by directly binding to its 3'-untranslated region (3' UTR). Inhibition of miR-429-3p by its antagomir (A-miR-429) restored the expression of MKP-1 to a control level and consequently reduced the amyloidogenic processing of APP and Aβ accumulation. More importantly, intranasal administration of A-miR-429 successfully ameliorated the deficits of hippocampal CA1 long-term potentiation and spatial learning and memory in AD model mice by suppressing extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2)-mediated GluA1 hyperphosphorylation at Ser831 site, thereby increasing the surface expression of GluA1-containing α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs). Together, these results demonstrate that inhibiting miR-429-3p to upregulate MKP-1 effectively improves cognitive and synaptic functions in AD model mice, suggesting that miR-429/MKP-1 pathway may be a novel therapeutic target for AD treatment.

Influence analysis and promotion countermeasures of green finance policy in China-Traceability based on grounded theory and validation using the csQCA method.

Green finance is closely related to sustainable energy development. Using the NVivo12plus software, a governance model of China's green finance policy was constructed using 22 green finance policy texts at the central level as research objects. Furthermore, based on the csQCA method, Tosmana software was used to develop and verify a theoretical model of 19 policy text cases. The research results demonstrate that policy belief, policy objectives, policy tools, policy feedback, and policy cycle are the main components of China's green finance policy governance. Furthermore, policy instruments are the fundamental factors affecting the governance effectiveness of China's green finance policy. Policy goals and policy feedback dominate the influence pattern of green finance policy in China. There are three modes driving the influence of green finance policies: regulation-oriented, collaborative-driven, and tool-guided. Finally, for the optimization and improvement of green finance policies, three forces must be improved: stimulus force, driving force, and promotion force.

Citrus alkaline extracts improve LPS-induced pulmonary fibrosis via epithelial mesenchymal transition signals.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious life threatening clinical critical illness. ARDS-related pulmonary fibrosis is a common complication of ARDS. The occurrence of early pulmonary fibrosis indicates a higher incidence and mortality of multiple organ failure. LPS-induced ARDS-related pulmonary fibrosis model in mice was established in this study. And we have explored the anti-pulmonary fibrosis effects and molecular mechanisms of the Citrus Alkaline Extracts (CAE) in vivo and in vitro. METHODS: Pulmonary fibrosis mouse model and lung epithelial cell injury model were established in this study. H&E, Masson and Sirius Red staining were used to estimate lung tissue damage. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting were used to analyze proteins expression. Protein-protein interaction was observed by Co-Immunoprecipitation. Systemic impact of CAE on signaling pathway was examined by RNA-seq. RESULTS: Through H&E, Masson and Sirius Red staining, it was convincingly indicated that therapeutic administration of CAE alleviated lung injury and fibrosis, while pretreated administration of CAE showed weak improvement. In vitro experiments showed that CAE had dual regulation to E-cadherin and N-cadherin, the important indicators of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). And it was further demonstrated that CAE reversed TGF-ß1-induced EMT mainly through Wnt/ß-catenin, Stat3/6 and COX2/PGE2 signals. Through RNA-Seq, we discovered important mechanisms by which CAE exerts its therapeutic effect. And network pharmacology analysis demonstrated core potential targets of CAE in EMT. CONCLUSION: Thus, this study provides new therapeutic effects of CAE in anti-fibrosis, and offers potential mechanisms for CAE in LPS-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Comparison of Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy Decompression and Microscopic Decompression Effectiveness in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

This study aimed to compare the safety and effectiveness between unilateral biportal endoscopy (UBE) technique and microscopic decompression (MD) technique in lumbar spinal stenosis treatment. PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and other databases were used to conduct extensive literature searches. RevMan ver. 5.3 software was used for the statistical analysis. Eleven studies were included with 930 patients, including 449 patients in the UBE group and 521 in the MD group. Both techniques revealed similar operative times at -1.77 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI], -7.59 to 4.05 minutes; p =0.55), the postoperative dural expansion area at -1.27 (95% CI, -19.30 to 16.77; p =0.89), the postoperative complications at 0.76 (95% CI, 0.47 to 1.22; p =0.26), the preoperative Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for leg pain, and the last follow-up (>12 months) VAS for leg pain at -0.04 (95% CI, -0.14 to 0.06; p =0.47), the preoperative Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and the last follow-up (>12 months) ODI scores at -0.18 (95% CI, -0.76 to 0.40; p =0.54), and patient satisfaction (the modified MacNab score) at 1.15 (95% CI, 0.54 to 2.42; p =0.72). However, intraoperative bleeding was lower following the UBE technique at -52.78 mL (95% CI, -93.47 to -12.08 mL; p =0.01) and was shorter following the UBE technique at -3.06 (95% CI, -3.84 to -2.28; p <0.01). UBE and MD technology have no significant differences in efficacy or safety in the treatment of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis based on this meta-analysis. However, the UBE technique has less intraoperative bleeding and a shorter hospital stay. It has a slight advantage and is a better surgical option than the MD technique. It can be an alternative minimally invasive spinal surgery method.

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension: analysis of 118 patients ' clinical characteristics / 中华神经科杂志

Objective:To summarize the clinical features, radiological characteristics, therapy, and outcome of patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH).Methods:The general information, clinical manifestations, auxiliary examinations, treatment, and outcomes in consecutive patients of SIH hospitalized in the Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University from November 2018 to October 2022 were analyzed.Results:A total of 118 patients with a female-to-male ratio of 5∶4 were included and the ages were 17.00-71.00[39.00(34.00,46.75)]years with a preponderance in the age of 30-49 years. Almost all patients had orthostatic headaches (117/118, 99.2%), accompanied by nausea (90/118, 76.3%), vomiting (70/118, 59.3%), neck stiffness (88/118, 74.6%), tinnitus (57/118, 48.3%), and ear fullness (57/118, 48.3%). Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed dural enhancement (97/113, 85.8%), enlarged venous sinus (88/113, 77.9%), subdural fluid collection (46/113, 40.7%), decreased suprasellar cistern (86/113, 76.1%), effacement of the prepontine cistern (86/113, 76.1%), diminished mamillopontine distance (80/113, 70.8%). The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks were detected in 90.7% (107/118) of the patients by magnetic resonance myelography but 54.3% (25/46) and 52.6% (20/38) by CT myelography and magnetic resonance myelography with gadolinium. Lumber puncture found CSF pressure<60 mmH 2O (1 mmH 2O=0.009 8 kPa) in 18.4% (19/103) of patients, increased CSF red blood cell counts in 50.6% (44/87) of patients, CSF pleocytosis in 44.8% (39/87) of patients, increased CSF protein concentrations in 57.5% (50/87) of patients. The headache completely disappeared after conservative treatment in 24.6% (31/118) of patients and after a single targeted epidural blood patch in 89.7% (78/87) of patients. A rebound headache after epidural blood patch treatment occurred in 66.0% (58/87) of patients. Conclusions:The patients with SIH almost manifested with orthostatic headache, and brain MRI and magnetic resonance myelography were suggested in those patients instead of CSF pressure by lumber puncture. Targeted epidural blood patch was effective and safe in SIH patients.

Clinical features and stroke etiology in 10 patients with bilateral middle cerebellar peduncle infarctions: a preliminary study / 中华神经科杂志

Objective:To characterize clinical and neuroimaging features, etiologies, and mechanisms of bilateral middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP) infarctions.Methods:Consecutive patients with bilateral MCP infarctions treated in the Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University between January 1, 2020 and April 30, 2022 were enrolled in this retrospective study. The demographic data, vascular risk factors, clincial manifestations and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were collected. Brain diffusion-weighted imaging was used to assess the regions of cerebral infarction, and the extracranial and intracranial segments of the vertebrobasilar artery were evaluated using magnetic resonance angiography, or computed tomography angiography. The stroke etiology and underlying mechanism were evaluated according to the Chinese Ischemic Stroke Subclassification.Results:Ten patients with bilateral MCP infarctions (8 men and 2 women) were analyzed ultimately. The onset age were 51.0-86.0 (64.8±11.4) years. NIHSS scores were 2.0-12.0 (4.9±2.9) points at admission. All patients had vascular risk factors, most of which were hypertension (10 cases) and dyslipoproteinemia (8 cases). The most common clinical manifestations were vertigo (10 cases), followed by ataxia (9 cases) and dysarthria (8 cases). Four cases were isolated bilateral MCP infarctions, while 6 patients were combined with other vertebrobasilar artery infarctions, 4 of which were combined with cerebellar hemisphere infarctions, consistent with the clinical symptoms. The etiology in all patients was large atherosclerosis (severe stenosis or occlusion of V4 segment of vertebral artery and anterior inferior cerebellar artery; 9 cases). Five patients were classified as hypoperfusion/impaired emboli clearance, while 4 patients were considered as artery-to-artery embolism, and 1 was considered as the parent artery (plaque or thrombosis) occluding penetrating artery.Conclusions:Bilateral MCP infarctions are an extremely rare cerebrovascular disease characterized by vertigo, ataxia, and dysarthria. Cerebral infarction can be isolated or often combined with cerebellar hemisphere infarction. The etiology was mostly stenosis or occlusion of V4 segment of vertebral artery and anterior inferior cerebellar artery.

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension caused by high-flow spinal cerebrospinal fluid leaks: analysis of 6 patients / 中华神经科杂志

Objective:To analyze the clinical features of 6 patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension caused by high-flow spinal cerebrospinal fluid leaks.Methods:The clinical characteristics, auxiliary examinations, treatment, and outcomes in 6 patients of spontaneous intracranial hypotension caused by high-flow spinal cerebrospinal fluid leaks enrolled in the Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University from February 2021 to April 2022 were retrospectively reviewed.Results:All the 6 patients had orthostatic headaches. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed dural enhancement and brain sagging and magnetic resonance myelography showed longitudinal extradural collection in all the patients. The high-flow spinal cerebrospinal fluid leaks were demonstrated in upper thoracic segments by the dynamic myelography. The headache disappeared after conservative treatment in 2 patients and treatment with targeted epidural blood patch in 4 patients.Conclusions:The diagnosis of spontaneous intracranial hypotension caused by high-flow spinal cerebrospinal fluid leaks with typical orthostatic headache and brain magnetic resonance imaging and myelography findings is not difficult. However, the localization of the site of high-flow spinal cerebrospinal fluid leaks in spontaneous intracranial hypotension depends on the dynamic myelography. Targeted epidural blood patch is effective, but conservative treatment does not always work.

Bibliometrics and visualized analysis of research hotspots and current status in clinical management of osteoporotic fractures / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective:Based on Web of Science database, this study aimed to explore the current status, research hotspots and development trends of countries regarding clinical management of osteoporotic fractures using bibliometrics and visualized analysis.Methods:We collected literatures in the field of clinical management of osteoporotic fractures included in Web of Science database, and applied bibliometrics to analyze the publication dates, countries, institutions, journals, authors, highly cited literatures and research hotspots. Visualization was drawn by VOSviewer software.Results:Analysis of the 2 508 articles revealed 3 types of data. (1) The analysis of basic information of the literature showed that: ①The country with the largest number of publications was the United States, which published 672 articles, followed by the United Kingdom and Canada, and China ranked fourth; ②The top three authors in the number of publications were Kanis JA, Cooper C and McCloskey EV respectively; ③The institution with the highest number of publications was the University of Sheffield, UK, followed by the University of Southampton, UK and the University of Toronto, Canada. (2) Network visualization of highly cited literatures showed that 118 highly cited literatures were mainly divided into 5 clusters, which were related to osteoporotic fracture diagnosis, treatment, medication adherence, management consensus and strategies of preventing refracture. (3) Temporal overlay visualization of research hotspots showed that early research mainly focused on traditional therapeutic drugs, and current research hotspots were mainly molecular targeted drugs, trabecular bone score and fracture liaison services.Conclusion:This study shows that the research activity of clinical management of osteoporotic fractures is increasing worldwide, and there is still a huge gap between China and Europe or the United States. Current research hotspots and development trends mainly focus on molecular targeted drugs, osteoporotic fracture treatment concepts, emerging fracture risk assessment tools, and fracture prevention and management models.

Discovery and bioassay of disubstituted β-elemene-NO donor conjugates: synergistic enhancement in the treatment of leukemia / 中国天然药物

Natural products are essential sources of antitumor drugs. One such molecule, β-elemene, is a potent antitumor compound extracted from Curcuma wenyujin. In the present investigation, a series of novel 13,14-disubstituted nitric oxide (NO)-donor β-elemene derivatives were designed, with β-elemene as the foundational compound, and subsequently synthesized to evaluate their therapeutic potential against leukemia. Notably, the derivative labeled as compound 13d demonstrated a potent anti-proliferative activity against the K562 cell line, with a high NO release. In vivo studies indicated that compound 13d could effectively inhibit tumor growth, exhibiting no discernible toxic manifestations. Specifically, a significant tumor growth inhibition rate of 62.9% was observed in the K562 xenograft tumor mouse model. The accumulated data propound the potential therapeutic application of compound 13d in the management of leukemia.

Comparison of Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy Decompression and Microscopic Decompression Effectiveness in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This study aimed to compare the safety and effectiveness between unilateral biportal endoscopy (UBE) technique and microscopic decompression (MD) technique in lumbar spinal stenosis treatment. PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and other databases were used to conduct extensive literature searches. RevMan ver. 5.3 software was used for the statistical analysis. Eleven studies were included with 930 patients, including 449 patients in the UBE group and 521 in the MD group. Both techniques revealed similar operative times at −1.77 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI], −7.59 to 4.05 minutes; p =0.55), the postoperative dural expansion area at −1.27 (95% CI, −19.30 to 16.77; p =0.89), the postoperative complications at 0.76 (95% CI, 0.47 to 1.22; p =0.26), the preoperative Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for leg pain, and the last follow-up (>12 months) VAS for leg pain at −0.04 (95% CI, −0.14 to 0.06; p =0.47), the preoperative Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and the last follow-up (>12 months) ODI scores at −0.18 (95% CI, −0.76 to 0.40; p =0.54), and patient satisfaction (the modified MacNab score) at 1.15 (95% CI, 0.54 to 2.42; p =0.72). However, intraoperative bleeding was lower following the UBE technique at −52.78 mL (95% CI, −93.47 to −12.08 mL; p =0.01) and was shorter following the UBE technique at −3.06 (95% CI, −3.84 to −2.28; p <0.01). UBE and MD technology have no significant differences in efficacy or safety in the treatment of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis based on this meta-analysis. However, the UBE technique has less intraoperative bleeding and a shorter hospital stay. It has a slight advantage and is a better surgical option than the MD technique. It can be an alternative minimally invasive spinal surgery method.

Two Test Assembly Methods With Two Statistical Targets.

In educational measurement, exploring the method of generating multiple high-quality parallel tests has become a research hotspot. One purpose of this research is to construct parallel forms item by item according to a seed test, using two proposed item selection heuristic methods [minimum parameters-information-distance method (MPID) and minimum information-parameters-distance method (MIPD)]. Moreover, previous research addressing test assembly issues has been limited mainly to situations in which the information curve of the item pool or seed test has a normal or skewed distribution. However, in practice, the distributions of information curves for tests are diverse. These include multimodal distributions, the most common type of which is the bimodal distribution. Therefore, another main aim of this article is to extend the information curves of unimodal distributions to bimodal distributions. Thus, this study adopts simulation research to compare the results of two item, response, theory (IRT)-based item matching methods (MPID and MIPD) using different information curve distributions for item pools or seed tests. The results show that the MPID and MIPD methods yield rather good performance in terms of both two statistical targets when the information curve has a unimodal distribution, and two new methods yield better performance than two existing methods in terms of test information functions target when the information curve has a bimodal distribution.

Effect of fixed-time artificial insemination on corpus luteum gene expression at the day 16 and 25 pregnancy of gilt.

Utilization of female livestock can be optimized by application of Fixed-Time Artificial Insemination (FTAI), which plays an important role in large-scale livestock production. However, molecular mechanism of FTAI affecting reproductive performance remains unclear. To investigate the effects of FTAI on corpus luteum in 16 and 25 days of pregnancy gilts, 12 pregnancy gilts were selected from Altrenogest + PMSG + GnRH (APG) group and control group. The number of left and right CL in APG group were significantly higher than control (p < 0.05). Furthermore, result showed the number of differentially expressed genes between 16APG group and 16 C group was obviously larger than that between 25APG and 25 C group (2394 vs. 1476). Up regulated genes in APG were mainly associated with cytokine production and secretion, cell communication and transport (day 16) and angiogenesis, cell cycle and cell-cell signaling (day 25). The expression of differentially expressed genes (RPL10, CYP17A1, DCN, IL18, LDLR and PRLR) in luteal tissue were verified by real-time PCR. In summary, APG program significantly improve reproductive efficiency of gilts through up regulation of cytokine production/secretion, cell communication and transport in Day 16 pregnancy and angiogenesis, cell cycle and cell-cell signaling at Day 25 pregnancy in porcine.

Research advances on current situation and management strategies of re-fractures after osteoporotic fractures / 中华骨科杂志

The incidence of osteoporosis and its resulting osteoporotic fractures is increasing year by year. More and more scholars pay attention to the fact that the 2 years after osteoporotic fractures is a high-risk period for re-fractures and the key window period for secondary fracture prevention. Osteoporotic fractures are important risk factors for re-fractures, and many other factors, such as the time interval after fracture and fracture site, affect the occurrence of re-fractures. Therefore, traditional fracture risk assessment tools are not suitable for the re-fracture risk assessment, while preliminary reports of emerging re-fracture risk assessment tools have been available. In recent years, with the worldwide promotion of fracture liaison service (FLS), the comprehensive management strategies have effectively improved the diagnosis rate, treatment rate and drug compliance of patients with osteoporotic fractures, while reducing the risk of re-fractures. However, there are a variety of FLS projects with different models around the world, clinicians in some countries and regions have insufficient understanding and attention to the absence of management after osteoporotic fractures, and the risk of re-fractures is still imminent. Therefore, this article systematically elaborated the latest status of re-fractures after osteoporotic fractures, risk factors affecting re-fractures and new re-fracture risk assessment tools. The prevention and management strategies of re-fractures are summarized from three aspects: the standardized anti-osteoporosis drug therapy, the multidisciplinary FLS, as well as the early and personalized rehabilitation therapy, in order to provide references for clinical management of osteoporotic fractures in China.

Coma in spontaneous intracranial hypotension complicated with subdural hematoma: a case report / 中华神经科杂志

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension can frequently result in several complications including subdural hygroma, subdural hematoma and cerebral venous thrombosis, but coma rarely. A case of spontaneous intracranial hypotension presented with orthostatic headaches was described. He experienced somnolence, disorientation, incontinence, and then coma, though received conservative treatment. Brain imaging demonstrated acute-on-chronic subdural hematoma, magnetic resonance myelography using heavily T 2-weighted fast spin-echo pulse sequences showed spinal longitudinal extradural collection, and magnetic resonance myelography with intrathecal gadolinium revealed cerebrospinal fluid leak at the level of T 6, T 7. The patient recovered consciousness after surgical evacuation of the hematoma, and the headache disappeared after a targeted epidural blood patch. The hematoma resolved 2 months later and the patient kept free from headache during follow-up.

Management experience of brain metastasis after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华器官移植杂志

Objective:To explore the pathogenesis and prognostic factors of brain metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)after liver transplantation(LT).Methods:Retrospective review was performed for 17 HCC cases with brain metastasis after liver transplantation from 2000 to 2020.All cases were diagnosed as hepatitis B cirrhosis complicated with HCC.All of them were beyond the Milan Criteria.The immunosuppressive regimen consisted of baliximab + mycophenolate mofetil + calcineurin inhibitors(CNIs)+ corticosteroids in early postoperative period with a gradual tapering of corticosteroids and mycophenolate mofetil.Three patients received sirolimus immunotherapy after tumor recurrence and withdrew CNIs.One of three cases received sorafenib.Results:Other organ involvements included lung metastasis( n=16, 94.1%), bone metastasis( n=5, 29.4%)and liver metastasis( n=6, 35.3%). The median survival time after brain metastasis was 7 months and the 1-year cumulative survival rate 29.4%.The median survival time post-LT was 14 months and the 1-year cumulative survival rate 64.7%.Among 7 patients with a resection of brain metastasis, two deaths at Month 1 post-operation were due to cerebral hemorrhage.The longest survival time was 214 months and the median survival time 9 months. Conclusions:The prognosis of brain metastasis post-LT remains poor.However, early detection and reasonable treatment can prolong patient survival time and even achieve long-term survival.Most brain metastases are accompanied by lung metastases.And the finding of lung metastatic tumor hints at a presence of intracranial lesions.

Analysis of epidemiological characteristics and pathogenic factors of sepsis-related acute liver injury / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological characteristics, high risk factors and pathogenic factors of sepsis-related liver injury patients by collecting epidemiological data and the sequencing results.Methods:A total of 288 sepsis patients been admited to the Emergency Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University from January 1, 2018 to December 31,2019 were selected and divided into sepsis liver injury group ( n = 44) and sepsis without liver injury group ( n = 244) according to whether acute liver injury occurred or not. The differences ofthe general data, hematological parameters, severity of illness and other indicators at admission between the two groups were compared and analyzed. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of sepsis-related liver injury. Total of 8 septic patients with liver injury and 4 septic patients without liver injury were selected for RNA-sequencing. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cell of patients, detected using RNA-seq, and differential genes were screened and analyzed. Results:Compared with the sepsis without liver injury group, patients in the liver injury group suffered less hypertension (11.4% vs. 30.3%) and relatively more chronic renal insufficiency (40.9% vs. 12.1%); more patients were admitted to the emergency department due to renal disease (43.2% vs. 24.6%), higher sequential organ failure score (SOFA) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score (SOFA (points) 9.86 ± 3.59 vs. 5.41 ± 3.13, APACHE Ⅱ (points) (16.07 ± 4.41) vs. (14.46 ± 3.77), with prolonged hospital days (d): 8 (4.75, 13.75) vs. 6 (2, 9)]; in the liver injury group, the incidence of infection in respiratory and digestive systems (70.5% vs. 18.0%) andthe chance of infection with Staphylococcus aureus were higher (9.1% vs. 2.0%), and laboratory parameters (procalcitonin (PCT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), partial thromboplastin time (APTT), direct bilirubin (DBIL), aspartate aminotransferase (ALT), alanine aminotransferase (AST)) were significantly increased [PCT (μg/L) (23.90 ± 33.22) vs. (10.95 ± 20.18), LDH (U/L) 540.00 (370.50, 1177.00) vs. 168.00 (98.65, 875.18), APTT (s) (41.50 ± 3.13) vs. (36.23 ± 5.27), DBIL (μmol/L) 18.50 (10.10, 58.85) vs. 10.30 (7.60, 16.85), ALT (U/L) 67.00 (41.25, 164.00) vs. 29.00 (18.00, 51.25), AST (U/L), 101.00 (51.25, 174.75) vs. 35.00 (25.00, 65.50)], while platelet (PLT) and albumin (Alb) were significantly lower than those in the sepsis without liver injury group [PLT (× 10 9/L) 62.50 (38.50, 164.25) vs. 90.5 (66.25, 165.5), Alb (g/L) (30.17 ± 7.16) vs. (34.20 ± 6.50)] (all P < 0.05).Logistic regression analysis revealed that Staphylococcus aureus infection, thrombocytopenia, elevated procalcitonin, elevated lactate dehydrogenase, elevated total bilirubin, and elevated glutamyltransferase were associated with sepsis with acute liver injury (odds ratio, OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 0.1167 (0.0380~0.7300), 0.9836 (1.0060~1.0290), 0.9986 (1.0000~1.0001), 0.9745 (1.0040~1.0170), 1.0020 (0.9940~1.0000), and 0.9931 (1.0000~1.0001), respectively. A total of 311 significantly differential expressed genes (DEGs) were selected, with 151 up-regulated genes and 160 down-regulated genes compared with the septic non-liver injury group. Further bioinformatics analysis reveled that the top 10 GO sequences are:①platelet α granules,② platelet α granule cavity,③wound healing,④cell migration,⑤multicellular organism process,⑥anatomical structure development,⑦cartilage ossification,⑧tissue development,⑨ keratinization,⑨Multicellular biological development. And KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that human disease-related pathways were dominant, mainly including purine metabolism, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, mineral nutrient absorption, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, and FoXo signaling pathway. Conclusions:Staphylococcus aureus infection, thrombocytopenia, elevated procalcitonin, elevated lactate dehydrogenase, elevated total bilirubin, and elevated glutamyltransferase were independent risk factors for sepsis liver injury. Coagulation dysfunction, apoptosis, and metabolic level changes may be important mechanisms of sepsis-associated liver injury, which are related to purine metabolism, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism and the expression of genes related to FoXo signaling pathway, Hippo signaling pathway, and p53 signaling pathway.

Characteristic manifestations of ΔCT in hepatitis B cirrhosis with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and establishment of a predictive model / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To investigate the CT characteristics of hepatitis B cirrhosis, and to predict the risk of bleeding by establishing a predictive model for upper gastrointestinal bleeding in liver cirrhosis. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 101 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis who were admitted to Tianjin First Central Hospital from January 2015 to June 2021, and these patients were divided into upper gastrointestinal bleeding group and non- bleeding group. The two groups were compared in terms of laboratory findings and CT values in plain scan, arterial phase, portal vein phase, and venous phase measured by contrast-enhanced CT, and the changes in CT values (ΔCT) across different phases were calculated. The t -test or the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict the related risk factors; The discrimination of the model was evaluated by calculating the area under the working characteristic curve of the subjects, and the model calibration criteria were determined by Hosmer-lemeshow. Based on the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis, Rstudio4.1.2 R package was used to establish a predictive model, and draws the corresponding ROC curve, calibration curve and clinical decision curve. Results There were significant differences in serum TBil, WBC and PLT levels between the non-bleeding group and the bleeding group (all P < 0.05). There were significant differences in liver-plain, spleen-P-plain and spleen-P-A ΔCT(all P < 0.05). The univariate logistic analysis showed that there were significant differences in leukocytes (odds ratio [ OR ]=0.770, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 0.624-0.952, P =0.016), platelets ( OR =0.979, 95% CI : 0.965-0.994, P =0.006), liver plain scan ( OR =1.142, 95% CI : 1.058-1.233, P =0.001), ΔCT value of the spleen from portal vein phase to plain scan ( OR =0.979, 95% CI : 0.959-1.000, P =0.050), and ΔCT value of the spleen from portal vein phase to arterial phase ( OR =0.979, 95% CI : 0.944-0.994, P =0.015) between the hepatitis B cirrhosis patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and those without bleeding. The multivariate logistic analysis showed that platelets ( OR =0.968, 95% CI : 0.944-0.993, P =0.011), liver plain phase ( OR =1.148, 95% CI : 1.047-1.259, P =0.003), and ΔCT value of the spleen from portal vein phase to arterial phase ( OR =0.951, 95% CI : 0.908-0.995, P =0.030) were independent risk factors for upper gastrointestinal bleeding. A predictive model for upper gastrointestinal bleeding in hepatitis B cirrhosis was established based on the results of the multivariate logistic analysis, and a calibration curve was plotted. This model had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.801 at the cut-off value of 0.433, with a sensitivity of 81.4% and a specificity of 77.6%. The calibration curve of the model fitted well with the ideal curve. Conclusion There are special ΔCT changes in hepatitis B cirrhosis, and the predictive model based on ΔCT has a good predictive ability for upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis.

MicroRNAs are potential regulators of the timed artificial insemination effect in gilt endometrium.

To determine effects of timed artificial insemination (TAI) hormonal treatments on reproductive performance of gilts/sows and explore molecular mechanisms, gilts (TAI: 90; Control:149; Total: 239) and sows (TAI: 370; Control: 492) were utilized. Results indicated the estrus/farrowing rate and number of piglets born alive and weaned in the TAI group were greater than in the control group for both gilts and sows. To explore the molecular mechanism for TAI hormonal effects, the small RNA of the gilt endometrium at 16 and 25 of gestation were sampled and sequenced to determine potential functions of microRNA (MiRNA); 358 known and 142 novel MiRNAs were detected. With comparison of TAI and control groups, there were 54 differentially abundant MiRNAs, and functional analysis results indicated "binding," "protein/ion binding," and "immune response" were mostly enriched. In addition, representative MiRNAs were selected based on criteria including being regulated on both day 16 and 25 of gestation (ssc-miR-10a-5p, ssc-miR-345-5p, ssc-miR-370) along with reproduction-related target genes (ssc-miR-424-5p, ssc-miR-142-5p). Furthermore, target genes of selected MiRNAs were screened, and functional enrichment of those genes also indicated that the "binding" and "immune response" were mainly enriched. Results from the present study confirmed TAI-hormonal treatments improved estrous/farrowing rate and number of piglets born alive/weaned of gilts/sows and that hormonal treatment regimens leading to behavioral estrus at timed artificial insemination in gilts results in microRNA patterns in the endometrium that are more supportive of pregnancy. Results contribute valuable information for future studies of effects of TAI hormonal treatments on pig reproductive performance.

Comparative study of metagenomics next generation sequencing of cerebrospinal fluid in the diagnosis test of the pathogen of neurobrucellosis / 中华神经科杂志

Objective:To explore the value of metagenomics next generation sequencing of cerebrospinal fluid in the diagnosis test of the pathogen of neurobrucellosis.Methods:Medical records of neurobrucellosis patients who were admitted to Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University from May 2017 to February 2021 were reviewed. Seven patients who underwent cerebrospinal fluid metagenomics next generation sequencing were enrolled. Their clinical characteristics, cerebrospinal fluid results, serological and pathogenic results were analyzed.Results:Among the seven neurobrucellosis patients, including five males and two females, the age was from 21 to 49 [38 (24, 47)] years. Three patients had a history of exposure to cattle and sheep. The duration from onset to diagnosis was 2 to 30 [12 (5, 18)] months. The main neurological manifestations were headache for seven patients, loss of hearing for three patients, paralysis for four patients and urinary and fecal dysfunction for four patients. The blood tests showed that the rose bengal test was positive in three of seven patients, Brucella serum agglutination test was positive in four of six patients, and the blood culture was negative in four patients. The cerebrospinal fluid tests showed that rose bengal test was positive in one of five patients, Brucella serum agglutination test was positive in two of four patients, and the cerebrospinal fluid culture was positive in two of five patients. Cerebrospinal fluid metagenomics next generation sequencing was positive for Brucella in five patients.Conclusions:Comparing with the cerebrospinal fluid Brucella serum agglutination test and cerebrospinal fluid culture, cerebrospinal fluid metagenomics next generation sequencing is sensitive to the diagnosis of neurobrucellosis. It is recommended to perform cerebrospinal fluid metagenomics next generation sequencing in patients with clinically suspected neurobrucellosis or central nervous system infections of which the pathogen cannot be confirmed.

Anterolateral thigh flap combined with great saphenous vein transplantation in the treatment of extensive elbow soft tissue defects accompanied by brachial artery embolism / 中华创伤杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical outcomes of anterolateral thigh flap combined with great saphenous vein transplantations for the treatment of extensive elbow soft tissue defects accompanied by brachial artery embolism.Methods:A retrospective case series study was carried out to investigate the clinical data of 19 patients with extensive elbow soft tissue defects accompanied by brachial artery embolism admitted to Fuyang People's Hospital of Anhui Medical University from March 2017 to March 2020. There were 15 males and 4 females，aged 14-59 years［（37.6±14.1）years］. The areas of elbow soft tissue defects ranged from 7 cm×3 cm to 12 cm×5 cm. Before operation，angiography test was performed to confirm brachial artery embolism of the affected upper limb. The length of embolization ranged from 5 to 12 cm［（7.3±1.6）cm］. All patients were treated using the anterolateral thigh flap combined with great saphenous vein transplantation. The operation time and intraoperative blood loss were recorded. Angiography test was re-examined one week after operation. The degree of flap swelling，elbow Broberg-Morrey functional score and scar contracture were evaluated at postoperative 3，6，and 12 months. Healing of donor site and postoperative complications were observed.Results:All patients were followed up for 12-24 months［（18.1±3.0）months］. The operation duration was 3.5-6.4 hours［（4.9±0.8）hours］，with intraoperative blood loss of 200-600 ml［（338.7±101.6）ml］. The blood flow of repaired brachial artery was unobstructed in all patients one week after operation，with all flaps survived. The degree of flap swelling was（0.9±0.3）cm at postoperative 12 months，significantly reduced from that at postoperative 3 and 6 months［（1.2±0.3）cm，（1.1±0.3）cm］（ P<0.05）. The elbow Broberg-Morrey functional score was（87.8±4.8）points，significantly higher than those at postoperative 3 and 6 months［（71.4±7.0）points，（80.2±4.8）points］（ P<0.05）. The rating of elbow function score was excellent in 9 patients，good in 8 and fair in 2 at postoperative 12 months，with the excellent and good rate of 90%. The rate of scar contracture was 63%（12/19）at postoperative 12 months，significantly higher than that at postoperative 3［11%（2/19）］（ P<0.05），while not different from that at postoperative 6 months［42%（8/19）］（ P>0.05）. The donor site was healed in all patients，without complications related to blood vessels or flaps. Conclusions:For extensive elbow soft tissue defect accompanied by brachial artery embolism，the anterolateral thigh flap combined with great saphenous vein transplantations can successfully restore the blood supply of the distal site of the affected limb with a high survival rate of the flap and well recovered limb function，and hence is a feasible method for severe elbow trauma. However，due to various factors such as elbow joint immobilization during perioperative period，scar contracture is prone to occur in the area of the flap.