Differentiation and Treatment of Malignant Tumors based on the Theory of Ministerial Fire / 中医杂志

The occurrence of malignant tumors is closely related to the ministerial fire. The variant ministerial fire is the fundamental factor of the formation of cancer toxin， and ministerial fire dislocation and hyperactivity are the basis for the generation of variant ministerial fire. When the ministerial fire cannot keep its position or moves without restraint， burning and exuberant， the variant ministerial fire comes out. Under the guidance of the theory of ministerial fire， the basic treatment methods to differentiate and treat malignant tumors are the direct repulsion of variant ministerial fire， and the regulation of dislocated and hyperactive ministerial fire. The method of clearing heat and resolving toxins is often used， taking a large amounts of bitter and cold herbs to reduce variant ministerial fire. For ministerial fire dislocation， ministerial fire depletion， true yang insufficiency， and the ministerial fire failing to rely on， it is common to have symptoms of upper heat and lower cold， for which the treatment method is to benefit the source of the fire， and Modified Yinhuo Decoction （引火汤加减） is commonly used. For insufficient true yin and lack of support for ministerial fire， it is suggested to nourish kidney essence， and the medicinals of enriching yin and boosting kidney are commonly used. In terms of ministerial fire hyperactivity， the treatment method should be nourishing the heart and calming the mind， and Jiaotai Pills （交泰丸） is often used to clear heart and clam the mind， and return fire to its origin. At the same time， methods such as regulating qi， resolving phlegm， clearing fire， and dispelling stasis are used to clear away tangible pathogens， so that the ministerial fire acts in a controlled manner and keeps its position and destiny.

Research advances in liver cancer organoids / 临床肝胆病杂志

Organoids are a novel disease model that is self-assembled from stem cells or malignant tumors and is used in clinical research. They are similar to tissues and organs in the body and have partially functional 3D cell structures. There are two types of traditional models for liver cancer research， i.e.， in vivo models （animal models of liver cancer established by induction） and in vitro cell experiments using corresponding cell lines. Organoids have the advantages of the two types of traditional models and show unique advantages in tumor research. Traditional models cannot fully reflect the microenvironment of cells， which often leads to the inconsistency with clinical research findings， and the emergence of new research models provides a new direction for the research on liver cancer. This article reviews the research advances in liver cancer organoids， in order to provide a new perspective for future research on liver cancer.

Treatment of Diabetic Rats Mellitus-induced Erectile Dysfunction by Xiaoyaosan Based on Experiments / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action and main active components of Xiaoyaosan in the treatment of diabetic mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction （DMED）. MethodStreptozotocin （STZ） was used to induce a diabetic rat model. The therapeutic efficacy of Xiaoyaosan was evaluated by measuring intracavernous pressure/mean arterial pressure （ICP/MAP） and using Masson's trichrome staining. The main active components， key targets， and potential signaling pathways of Xiaoyaosan for the treatment of DMED were predicted by network pharmacology and molecular docking. The predicted results were then validated by in vitro and in vivo experiments. ResultThe ICP/MAP measurements and Masson's staining results showed that compared with the results in the control group， the erectile function of rats in the model group was significantly reduced （P<0.01）， and the ratio of smooth muscle/collagen fibers was significantly reduced （P<0.01）. After treatment with Xiaoyaosan， compared with the results in the model group， the ICP/MAP value of the diabetic rats was significantly elevated （P<0.01）， and the ratio of smooth muscle/collagen fibers was significantly higher （P<0.01）. The results of network pharmacology showed that Xiaoyaosan acted on key targets such as albumin （ALB）， protein kinase B1 （Akt1）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor （TNF） through its main active components， including quercetin， kaempferol， β-sitosterol， and stigmasterol. These components were involved in the regulation of the advanced glycation end-products/receptor for advanced glycation end-products （AGE/RAGE） signaling pathway and the phosphoinositide 3-kinases（PI3K）/Akt signaling pathway in diabetic complications. The results of molecular docking showed that the key components of Xiaoyaosan had good binding capabilities with core targets， with β-sitosterol showing the strongest binding affinity with ALB. In vivo experiments demonstrated that Xiaoyaosan could significantly increase the protein and mRNA expression of ALB and Akt1 in serum， and inhibit the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α. It also significantly upregulated the expression of protein and mRNA of phosphorylation（p）-PI3K and p-Akt， and inhibited the RAGE expression. The results of cellular thermal shift assay （CETSA） showed that β-sitosterol could significantly inhibit the degradation of ALB protein. ConclusionXiaoyaosan may restore erectile function in diabetic rats by modulating targets such as ALB， Akt1， IL-6， and TNF， and through the RAGE/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， and its main active component is likely β-sitosterol.

Clinical analysis of aortographic manifestations in 30 child patients with Kawasaki disease / 介入放射学杂志

Objective To summarize the aortographic features of child patients with Kawasaki disease(KD)complicated by coronary artery lesion(CAL)who were treated at the Wuhan Children's Hospital of China.Methods The clinical data of 30 child patients with early recovery stage KD complicated by CAL,who received aortic angiography examination at Wuhan Children's Hospital of China between June 2016 and June 2023,were retrospectively analyzed.Preoperative echocardiography was adopted to evaluate the severity of CAL,and aortic angiography under laryngeal mask general anesthesia was performed.Results Successful aortic angiography examination was accomplished in all the 30 child patients with KD complicated by CAL.After angiography,the CAL risk classification results showed that grade I was seen in 5,grade Ⅱ in 7,grade Ⅲ in 12,grade Ⅲ in 4,and grade V in 2 child patients.Of all child patients,old coronary thrombosis was found in one(grade Ⅲb),and coronary artery stenosis with collateral circulation formation in one(grade Ⅴ).The CAL was located at the proximal segment(n=15),middle segment(n=3)and distal segment(n=2)of the right coronary artery,at the left main coronary artery(n=12),and at the proximal segment of left coronary artery anterior descending branch(n=9).Electrocardiography showed sinus rhythm(n=17),sinus arrhythmia(n=4),right bundle branch block(n=4),atrial premature beat(n=1),ventricular premature beat(n=2),T-wave change(n=1),and Q-wave change(n=1,coronary lesion grade V,echocardiography suggested left heart enlargement).No cardiac enlargement,cardiac functional insufficiency,or valvular regurgitation signs were observed in the remaining child patients.Conclusion It is clinically safe and feasible to perform aortic angiography examination in child patients with early recovery stage KD complicated by CAL.In this series of child patients with KD,CAL mainly occurs at the proximal segment of coronary artery,especially at the proximal segment of right coronary artery as well as at the left main artery and left anterior descending branch.

Differential effects of hypoxia and oxidative stress on paracrine of mesenchymal stem cells from different sources / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:The biological behavior of mesenchymal stem cells is influenced by the survival microenvironment.Pre-treatment of the microenvironment is an important means of regulating the function of mesenchymal stem cells. OBJECTIVE:To compare the differences in paracrine function of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells and adipose mesenchymal stem cells under oxidative stress and hypoxia,and to provide a theoretical basis for selecting appropriate pretreatment of mesenchymal stem cells to treat different diseases. METHODS:Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells and adipose mesenchymal stem cells were cultured by H2O2 or O2 oxygen,respectively,and cell morphology,proliferation,viability and paracrine factor expression were examined. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and transforming growth factor-β were higher in umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells than in adipose mesenchymal stem cells under a normal culture environment,while the expressions of stromal cell-derived factor-1α and tumor necrosis factor stimulating factor-6 in the adipose mesenchymal stem cells were significantly higher than those in the umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells.(2)There was no significant difference in the effect of low and moderate levels(≤100 μmol/L)of H2O2 on the viability of the two mesenchymal stem cells.However,increasing the H2O2 concentration from 50 μmol/L to 100 μmol/L resulted in a distinct increase in vascular endothelial growth factor expression in umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells.The expression of basic fibroblast growth factor,vascular endothelial growth factor,stromal cell-derived factor-1α and interleukin-10 in adipose mesenchymal stem cells was greatly increased by increasing H2O2 concentration in this range.(3)1%O2 hypoxia promoted mesenchymal stem cell proliferation.After 24 hours of culture in 1%O2,gene expression levels were elevated in both mesenchymal stem cells,but the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor,interleukin-10 and tumor necrosis factor stimulating factor-6 were significantly higher in adipose mesenchymal stem cells than in umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells.(4)It is concluded that hypoxia and oxidative stress preconditioning enhances the paracrine function of mesenchymal stem cells.However,mesenchymal stem cells respond differently to hypoxia and oxidative stress.Treating diseases can choose suitable mesenchymal stem cells for appropriate pretreatment to further enhance their therapeutic potential.

Polysaccharides from Chinese herbal medicine: a review on the hepatoprotective and molecular mechanism / 中国天然药物

Polysaccharides, predominantly extracted from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs such as Lycium barbarum, Angelica sinensis, Astragalus membranaceus, Dendrobium officinale, Ganoderma lucidum, and Poria cocos, represent principal bioactive constituents extensively utilized in Chinese medicine. These compounds have demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory capabilities, especially anti-liver injury activities, while exhibiting minimal adverse effects. This review summarized recent studies to elucidate the hepatoprotective efficacy and underlying molecular mechanisms of these herbal polysaccharides. It underscored the role of these polysaccharides in regulating hepatic function, enhancing immunological responses, and improving antioxidant capacities, thus contributing to the attenuation of hepatocyte apoptosis and liver protection. Analyses of molecular pathways in these studies revealed the intricate and indispensable functions of traditional Chinese herbal polysaccharides in liver injury management. Therefore, this review provides a thorough examination of the hepatoprotective attributes and molecular mechanisms of these medicinal polysaccharides, thereby offering valuable insights for the advancement of polysaccharide-based therapeutic research and their potential clinical applications in liver disease treatment.

A new strategy for evaluating antitumor activity in vitro with time-dimensional characteristics of RTCA technology / 中国药理学通报

Aim To analyze the anti-A549 and HI299 lung ade-nocarcinoma activities via using examples of baicalin, astragalo-side, hesperidin and cisplatin based on real time cellular analysis (RTCA) technology, and to build a new strategy for EC50 e-valuation reflecting the time-dimensional characteristic. Methods Using RTCA Software Pro for data analysis and GraphPad Prism and Origin Pro plotting, the in vitro anti-A549 and H1299 lung adenocarcinoma activities of baicalin, astragaloside, hesperidin, and cisplatin were characterized using the endpoint method and time dimension, respectively. Results (X) There were significant differences in EC50 values of A549 and H1299 cells at 24 h and 48 h endpoint methods. (2) The correlation coefficient of the curve fitted with the four-parameter equation was > 0. 9, and the dynamic change of EC50 remained relatively stable (the linear fitting of EC50 at adjacent 4 points I slope 1

Mechanism and treatment of mucous hypersecretion in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 中国临床药理学与治疗学

Airway mucus hypersecretion is one of the important pathophysiological and clinical manifestations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It has been reported in the literature that COPD patients with chronic airway mucus hypersecretion have more frequent acute exacerbations, more severe lung function decline, and higher hospitalizations and mortality. Therefore, it is particularly critical to understand the pathogenesis of hypersecretion of mucus in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and find out effective treatment. This article focuses on the structure, significance of airway mucus and the mechanism of hypersecretion of mucus in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition, we also summarized drug and non-drug therapy for chronic airway mucus hypersecretion in this article. Drug therapy includes traditional drug therapy, some new targeted drug therapy for pathogenesis and traditional Chinese medicine therapy, and non-drug therapy includes smoking cessation, physical therapy and bronchos-copy therapy. We hope that it will provide new ideas and directions for the treatment of mucus hypersecretion in COPD patients.

Analysis of 19 cases of resection of abdominal metastases after liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To evaluate the reoperation of abdominal metastasis after liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:The data of 2748 patients with liver cancer undergoing surgical resection at the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery of Li Huili Hospital of Ningbo Medical Center from January 2010 to January 2022 were retrospectively screened. A total of 19 patients with abdominal metastases after liver resection undergoing reoperation were enrolled, which were all males with a median age of 53 years (27 to 68). The surgical procedures and diagnosis for abdominal metastases were recorded, and the recurrence and survival of patients were followed up.Results:During the follow-ups of initial resection of HCC, 10 patients were diagnosed with postoperative abdominal metastasis by enhanced CT, and seven patients were diagnosed by MRI. MRI and PET/CT were negative in two patients. Abdominal metastasis was found during reoperation in one case and liver transplantation in the other case due to postoperative liver recurrence. All 19 patients successfully underwent radical resection of abdominal metastases. Eighteen patients underwent open surgery and one underwent laparoscopic surgery. Among them, nine cases underwent simple metastases resection, six combined liver resection, one combined liver resection and right hemicolectomy, one combined partial rectal resection, one combined partial small bowel resection, and one combined liver transplantation. The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year disease-free survival rates were 26.3%, 15.8%, 10.5%, respectively. The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival rates were 94.7%, 26.3%, 15.8%, respectively. Three patients are currently surviving disease-free for 154.3 months, 67.3 months, and 33.4 months, respectively. These three patients all had single abdominal metastase and did not receive any targeted or immune treatments after surgery.Conclusion:For patients with localized or single abdominal metastases after HCC surgery, reoperation for metastases can bring survival benefits.

Chemical constituents from the leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus and their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities / 中成药

AIM To study the chemical constituents from the leaves of Cyanocarya paliurus(Batalin)Iljinskaja and their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities.METHODS The 95%ethanol extract from the leaves of C.paliurus was isolated and purified by macroporous resin,silica gel,Sephadex LH-20,polyamide,C18 reversed-phase silica gel and semi-preparative HPLC,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.Their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities were evaluated by PNPG.RESULTS Fifteen compounds were isolated and identified as cyclopaloside C(1),cyclopaloside A(2),juglanosides E(3),vaccinin A(4),ent-murin A(5),kaempferol 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside(6),kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(7),kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucuronide methyl ester(8),kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucuronide ethyl ester(9),kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucuronide butyl ester(10),quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside(11)quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(12),quercetin-3-O-β-D-galactopyranoside(13),quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucuronide butyl ester(14),dihydrokaempferol(15).The IC50 value of total extracts ihibited α-glucosidase was(1.83±0.04)μg/mL,and the IC50 values of compounds 1,4-5 were(29.48±1.86),(0.50±0.07),(0.71±0.07)μmol/L,respectively.CONCLUSION Compound 1 is a new tetrahydronaphthalene glycoside.Compounds 4-5,8-10 and 14 are isolated from the leaves of C.paliurus for the first time.Compounds 4-5 are relatively rare flavonoid lignans with potential inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase.

Role of ion channels in the pathogenesis of rosacea / 中华皮肤科杂志

External physicochemical factors and emotional changes often lead to intermittent facial flushing in patients with rosacea, accompanied by burning, stinging, and itching sensations. Many studies have demonstrated that neurovascular dysfunction and neurogenic inflammation induced by neuropeptides released following the activation of ion channels were associated with the occurrence of rosacea. This review summarizes research progress on the role of ion channels in the pathogenesis of rosacea and provides evidence for further research on ion channels as potential therapeutic targets for rosacea.

The progress of the application of machine learning in epilepsy / 中华神经科杂志

Epilepsy is an episodic, transient, stereotypic brain dysfunction caused by highly synchronized abnormal neuronal discharges in the brain, with unpredictable timing of seizures, for which the main treatment modalities are antiepileptic drugs and surgery. Its diagnosis and treatment require a large number of aids and clinical experience. For multiple clinical aspects of epilepsy, such as seizure prediction, drug therapy prognosis, and surgical treatment evaluation, machine learning can incorporate multiple clinical and imaging factors through deep mining of data, establish corresponding learning models, improve the efficiency and accuracy of epilepsy diagnosis, realize individualized application of antiepileptic drugs, and improve the preoperative evaluation and prognosis of epilepsy patients.

Study on the toxic mechanism of Mahuang xixin fuzi decoction based on fecal metabolomics / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To study the toxic mechanism of Mahuang xixin fuzi decoction （MXF） on normal mice. METHODS Totally 48 SPF grade BABL/C mice were randomly divided into blank group， MXF low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups， with 12 mice in each group. MXF low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups were given drug intragastrically at the dose of 11.262， 33.786， 45.050 g/kg， respectively. Blank group was administered with equal volume of normal saline， once a day， for consecutive 7 d. The body weight， anal temperature and survival rate were recorded， organ index and serum biochemical factors were detected. After the last administration， fecal samples of mice were collected and detected by UHPLC-QE/MS. RESULTS Compared with blank group， the body weight was decreased significantly from the 3rd to the 5th day after administration in MXF medium-dose group， and from the 2nd to the 7th day after administration in MXF high-dose group significantly （P＜0.05）. There was no significant difference in anal temperature among the treatment groups； the average survival rates of MXF medium-dose and high-dose groups were 58.33% and 50.00%， respectively. Compared with blank group， there were significant difference in the indexes of spleen， lung， thymus， adrenal gland and creatine kinase in MXF low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups， the testis index in MXF low-dose and high-dose groups， the creatine kinase isoenzyme/creatine kinase ratio in MXF low-dose group， the α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase， lactate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase in MXF medium-dose group， the urine and cystatin C in MXF medium-dose and high-dose groups （P＜0.05）. The fecal metabonomic analysis showed that 19 biomarkers such as phenylpyruvate， L-tyrosine， phosphatidylcholine， glycerol 3-phosphate in MXF low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups were significantly different from those in the blank group. CONCLUSIONS When MXF reaches a certain dose， it will have adverse effects on the body weight， multiple organs and serum biochemical indicators of mice， thus showing a certain toxic effect. Its mechanism may be related to disrupting the intestinal flora metabolism， causing inflammatory reaction and immune disorders.

An investigation of frequency of radiation services in medical institutions in Hangzhou, China, 2020 / 中国辐射卫生

@#<b>Objective</b> To investigate radiation resources in medical diagnosis and treatment and their use frequency in medical institutions in Hangzhou, China, and to provide a basis for relevant departments to rationally allocate and scientifically supervise the resources. <b>Methods</b> From April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020, a survey was conducted on the basic information, radiation staff, equipment configuration, and frequency of radiation diagnosis and treatment of all medical institutions in Hangzhou using a questionnaire. <b>Results</b> There were 1001 institutions with radiation services in Hangzhou, with 6714 radiation staff members and 2742 pieces of radiation equipment. The frequency of conventional X-ray diagnosis was 788.43 per 1000 population. The frequency of computed tomography diagnosis was 531.93 per 1000 population. The frequency of mammography and dental photography diagnosis was 246.34 per 1000 population. The frequency of interventional diagnosis and treatment was 10.01 per 1000 population. The frequency of radiotherapy was 2.39 per 1000 population. The frequency of nuclear medicine diagnosis was 8.90 per 1000 population. The frequency of nuclear medicine treatment was 0.99 per 1000 population. <b>Conclusion</b> Medical institutions have developed rapidly in Hangzhou, but with an unbalanced situation. In order to better protect the health of examinees, we recommend relevant departments optimize resource allocation and strengthen supervision on radiation protection in medical institutions.

Liver cell therapies: cellular sources and grafting strategies / 医学前沿

The liver has a complex cellular composition and a remarkable regenerative capacity. The primary cell types in the liver are two parenchymal cell populations, hepatocytes and cholangiocytes, that perform most of the functions of the liver and that are helped through interactions with non-parenchymal cell types comprising stellate cells, endothelia and various hemopoietic cell populations. The regulation of the cells in the liver is mediated by an insoluble complex of proteins and carbohydrates, the extracellular matrix, working synergistically with soluble paracrine and systemic signals. In recent years, with the rapid development of genetic sequencing technologies, research on the liver's cellular composition and its regulatory mechanisms during various conditions has been extensively explored. Meanwhile breakthroughs in strategies for cell transplantation are enabling a future in which there can be a rescue of patients with end-stage liver diseases, offering potential solutions to the chronic shortage of livers and alternatives to liver transplantation. This review will focus on the cellular mechanisms of liver homeostasis and how to select ideal sources of cells to be transplanted to achieve liver regeneration and repair. Recent advances are summarized for promoting the treatment of end-stage liver diseases by forms of cell transplantation that now include grafting strategies.

Chinese consensus guidelines for therapeutic drug monitoring of polymyxin B, endorsed by the Infection and Chemotherapy Committee of the Shanghai Medical Association and the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Committee of the Chinese Pharmacological Society / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Polymyxin B, which is a last-line antibiotic for extensively drug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections, became available in China in Dec. 2017. As dose adjustments are based solely on clinical experience of risk toxicity, treatment failure, and emergence of resistance, there is an urgent clinical need to perform therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) to optimize the use of polymyxin B. It is thus necessary to standardize operating procedures to ensure the accuracy of TDM and provide evidence for their rational use. We report a consensus on TDM guidelines for polymyxin B, as endorsed by the Infection and Chemotherapy Committee of the Shanghai Medical Association and the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Committee of the Chinese Pharmacological Society. The consensus panel was composed of clinicians, pharmacists, and microbiologists from different provinces in China and Australia who made recommendations regarding target concentrations, sample collection, reporting, and explanation of TDM results. The guidelines provide the first-ever consensus on conducting TDM of polymyxin B, and are intended to guide optimal clinical use.

Discrimination of cultivation modes of Dendrobium nobile based on content of mineral elements and ratios of nitrogen stable isotopes / 中国中药杂志

This study explored the feasibility of mineral element content and ratios of nitrogen isotopes to discriminate the cultivation mode of Dendrobium nobile in order to provide theoretical support for the discrimination of the cultivation mode of D. nobile. The content of 11 mineral elements(N, K, Ca, P, Mg, Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, and B) and nitrogen isotope ratios in D. nobile and its substrate samples in three cultivation methods(greenhouse cultivation, tree-attached cultivation, and stone-attached cultivation) were determined. According to the analysis of variance, principal component analysis, and stepwise discriminant analysis, the samples of different cultivation types were classified. The results showed that the nitrogen isotope ratios and the content of elements except for Zn were significantly different among different cultivation types of D. nobile(P<0.05). The results of correlation analysis showed that the nitrogen isotope ratios, mineral element content, and effective component content in D. nobile were correlated with the nitrogen isotope ratio and mineral element content in the corresponding substrate samples to varying degrees. Principal component analysis can preliminarily classify the samples of D. nobile, but some samples overlapped. Through stepwise discriminant analysis, six indicators, including δ~(15)N, K, Cu, P, Na, and Ca, were screened out, which could be used to establish the discriminant model of D. nobile cultivation methods, and the overall correct discrimination rates after back-substitution test, cross-check, and external validation were all 100%. Therefore, nitrogen isotope ratios and mineral element fingerprints combined with multivariate statistical analysis could effectively discriminate the cultivation types of D. nobile. The results of this study provide a new method for the identification of the cultivation type and production area of D. nobile and an experimental basis for the quality evaluation and quality control of D. nobile.

Hepatocellular carcinoma segmentation and pathological differentiation degree prediction method based on multi-task learning / 生物医学工程学杂志

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver malignancy, where HCC segmentation and prediction of the degree of pathological differentiation are two important tasks in surgical treatment and prognosis evaluation. Existing methods usually solve these two problems independently without considering the correlation of the two tasks. In this paper, we propose a multi-task learning model that aims to accomplish the segmentation task and classification task simultaneously. The model consists of a segmentation subnet and a classification subnet. A multi-scale feature fusion method is proposed in the classification subnet to improve the classification accuracy, and a boundary-aware attention is designed in the segmentation subnet to solve the problem of tumor over-segmentation. A dynamic weighted average multi-task loss is used to make the model achieve optimal performance in both tasks simultaneously. The experimental results of this method on 295 HCC patients are superior to other multi-task learning methods, with a Dice similarity coefficient (Dice) of (83.9 ± 0.88)% on the segmentation task, while the average recall is (86.08 ± 0.83)% and an F1 score is (80.05 ± 1.7)% on the classification task. The results show that the multi-task learning method proposed in this paper can perform the classification task and segmentation task well at the same time, which can provide theoretical reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment of HCC patients.

Mechanism study of IGHG1 on proliferation,apoptosis,and invasion of THP-1 cells in acute myeloid leukemia / 中国比较医学杂志

Objective To investigate the expression of immunoglobulin γ-1 heavy chain constant region(IGHG1)in acute myeloid leukemia(AML)THP-1 cells and its influence on cell proliferation,apoptosis,and invasion via its regulation of the transforming growth factor β(TGF-β)/Smad pathway.Methods Bone marrow specimens from nine children with AML and eight children with fractures,human bone marrow stromal HS-5 cells,and human AML THP-1 and HL60 cells were used in the research.Western blot was used to detect IGHG1 protein expression.THP-1 cells were divided into a blank group(without any treatment),si-NC group,si-IGHG1-1 group,si-IGHG1-2 group,si-IGHG1-3 group,TGF-β group,si-IGHG1-1+TGF-β group,and si-IGHG1-1+TGF-β +LY364947 group.Cell proliferation was measured by CCK-8 method.Flow cytometry and Transwell experiment were performed to measure apoptosis and invasion.Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of IGHG1,TGF-β,p-Smad2 and p-Smad3 in each group of cells.Results Compared with the bone marrow of children with fractures,the bone marrow of children with AML(P<0.05)had significantly higher expression levels of IGHG1((0.24±0.03)vs(0.87±0.12)).Compared with HS-5 cells,human AML THP-1 and HL60 cells had significantly increased expression levels of IGHG1((0.89±0.14)(0.75±0.08)vs(0.21±0.02))(P<0.05).Compared with the blank group,the si-IGHG1-1 group of THP-1 cells showed significantly reduced OD450 values(24 h,48 h,72 h),invading cell numbers and protein expression of TGF-β,p-Smad2,p-Smad3 and their apoptosis rate was increased(P<0.05),while the corresponding indexes showed the opposite trend in the TGF-β group(P<0.05).TGF-β reversed the effects of silencing IGHG1 on the proliferation,apoptosis and invasion of THP-1 cells.Compared with the si-IGHG1-1+TGF-β group,the si-IGHG1-1+TGF-β+LY364947 group had significantly decreased TGF-β,p-Smad2,p-Smad3 and protein levels,OD450 values and cell invasion numbers and the apoptosis rate was increased(P<0.05).Conclusions IGHG1 is highly expressed in AML cells.Silencing the IGHG1 gene can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of AML cells and promote the apoptosis of AML cells.This mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the TGF-β/Smad pathway.

Active components and mechanism of Jinwugutong Capsules in treatment of osteoporosis: a study based on UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS combined with network pharmacology / 中国中药杂志

UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS and network pharmacology were employed to preliminarily study the active components and mechanism of Jinwugutong Capsules in the treatment of osteoporosis. Firstly, UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS was employed to characterize the chemical components of Jinwugutong Capsules, and network pharmacology was employed to establish the "drug-component-target-pathway-disease" network. The key targets and main active components were thus obtained. Secondly, AutoDock was used for the molecular docking between the main active components and key targets. Finally, the animal model of osteoporosis was established, and the effect of Jinwugutong Capsules on the expression of key targets including RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase(AKT1), albumin(ALB), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). A total of 59 chemical components were identified from Jinwugutong Capsules, among which coryfolin, 8-prenylnaringenin, demethoxycurcumin, isobavachin, and genistein may be the main active components of Jinwugutong Capsules in treating osteoporosis. The topological analysis of the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network revealed 10 core targets such as AKT1, ALB, catenin beta 1(CTNNB1), TNF, and epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR). The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment showed that Jinwugutong Capsules mainly exerted the therapeutic effect by regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(AKT) signaling pathway, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathway, Rap1 signaling pathway and so on. Molecular docking showed that the main active components of Jinwugutong Capsules well bound to the key targets. ELISA results showed that Jinwugutong Capsules down-regulated the protein levels of AKT1 and TNF-α and up-regulated the protein level of ALB, which preliminarily verified the reliability of network pharmacology. This study indicates that Jinwugutong Capsules may play a role in the treatment of osteoporosis through multiple components, targets, and pathways, which can provide reference for the further research.