Melatonin inhibits arrhythmias induced by increased late sodium currents in ventricular myocytes / 药学学报

Melatonin (Mel) has been shown to have cardioprotective effects, but its action on ion channels is unclear. In this experiment, we investigated the inhibitory effect of Mel on late sodium currents (INa.L) in mouse ventricular myocytes and the anti-arrhythmic effect at the organ level as well as its mechanism. The whole-cell patch clamp technique was applied to record the ionic currents and action potential (AP) in mouse ventricular myocytes while the electrocardiogram (ECG) and monophasic action potential (MAP) were recorded simultaneously in mouse hearts using a multichannel acquisition and analysis system. The results demonstrated that the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of Mel on transient sodium current (INa.T) and specific INa.L opener 2 nmol·L-1 sea anemone toxins II (ATX II) increased INa.L were 686.615 and 7.37 μmol·L-1, respectively. Mel did not affect L-type calcium current (ICa.L), transient outward current (Ito), and AP. In addition, 16 μmol·L-1 Mel shortened ATX II-prolonged action potential duration (APD), suppressed ATX II-induced early afterdepolarizations (EADs), and significantly reduced the incidence of ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) in Langendorff-perfused mouse hearts. In conclusion, Mel exerted its antiarrhythmic effects principally by blocking INa.L, thus providing a significant theoretical basis for new clinical applications of Mel. Animal welfare and experimental process are in accordance with the regulations of the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Wuhan University of Science and Technology (2023130).

Regulation mechanism of macrophage transition in renal fibrosis / 器官移植

Renal fibrosis is a common pathological change from development to end-stage renal diseases in all progressive chronic kidney diseases. Renal fibrosis after kidney transplantation will severely affect the renal graft function. Macrophages are characterized with high heterogeneity and plasticity. During the process of kidney injury, macrophages are recruited, activated and polarized by local microenvironment, and participate in the process of renal tissue injury, repair and fibrosis through multiple mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that macrophages may transit into myofibroblasts and directly participate in the formation of renal fibrosis. This process is known as macrophage-myofibroblast transition. Nevertheless, the regulatory mechanism remains elusive. In this article, the role of macrophages in renal fibrosis, the characteristics of macrophage-myofibroblast transition and the possible regulatory mechanism were reviewed, aiming to provide reference for relevant research of renal fibrosis.

A Clinical and Anatomical Study on the Localization of the Temporal Branch of the Facial Nerve Crossing the Zygomatic Arch / Estudio Clínico y Anatómico sobre la Localización del Ramo Temporal del Nervio Facial que Cruza el Arco Cigomático

SUMMARY: To clarify the path of the temporal branch of facial nerve (TB) crossing the zygomatic arch (ZA). Eighteen fresh adult heads specimens were carefully dissected in the zygomatic region, with the location of TB as well as its number documented. The hierarchical relationship between the temporal branch and the soft tissue in this region was observed on 64 P45 plastinated slices. 1. TB crosses the ZA as type I (21.8 %), type II (50.0 %,), and type III (28.1 %) twigs. 2. At the level of the superior edge of the ZA, the average distance between the anterior trunk of TB and the anterior part of the auricle is 36.36±6.56 mm, for the posterior trunk is 25.59±5.29 mm. At the level of the inferior edge of the ZA, the average distance between the anterior trunk of TB and the anterior part of the auricle is 25.77±6.19 mm, for the posterior trunk is 19.16±4.71 mm. 3. The average length of ZA is 62.06±5.36 mm. TB crosses the inferior edge of the ZA at an average of 14.67±6.45 mm. TB crosses the superior edge of the ZA at an average of 9.08±4.54 mm. 4. At the level of the ZA, TB passes on the surface of the pericranium while below the SMAS. The TB obliquely crosses the middle 1/3 part of the superior margin of the ZA and the junction of the middle 1/3 part and the posterior 1/3 part of the inferior margin of the ZA below the SMAS while beyond the periosteum. It is suggested that this area should be avoided in clinical operation to avoid the injury of TB.

El objetivo de estudio fue esclarecer el trayecto del ramo temporal del nervio facial (RT) que cruza el arco cigomático (AC). Se disecaron la región cigomática de 18 especímenes de cabezas sin fijar de individuos adultas y se documentó la ubicación del RT y su número de ramos. La relación jerárquica entre el ramo temporal y el tejido blando en esta región se observó en 64 cortes plastinados o P45. 1º El RT cruza el AC como tipo I (21,8 %), tipo II (50,0 %) y tipo III (28,1 %). 2º A nivel del margen superior del AC, la distancia promedio entre el tronco anterior de RT y la parte anterior de la aurícula fue de 36,36±6,56 mm, para el tronco posterior fue de 25,59±5,29 mm. A nivel del margen inferior del AC, la distancia promedio entre el tronco anterior del RT y la parte anterior de la aurícula era de 25,77±6,19 mm, para el tronco posterior era de 19,16±4,71 mm. 3º La longitud media de RT fue de 62,06±5,36 mm. EL RT cruzaba el margen inferior del AC a una distancia media de 14,67±6,45 mm. El RT cruzaba el margen superior del AC a una distancia media de 9,08±4,54 mm. 4º Anivel del AC, el RT pasaba por la superficie del pericráneo mientras se encuentra por debajo del SMAS. El RT cruza oblicuamente el tercio medio del margen superior del AC y la unión del tercio medio y el tercio posterior del margen inferior del AC por debajo del SMAS, más allá del periostio. Se sugiere que esta área debe evitarse en la operación clínica para evitar la lesión de la RT.

SIRT1 is transcriptionally repressed by YY1 and suppresses ferroptosis in rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract Background Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is reported downregulated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the protective effects of SIRT1 on tissue damage and organ failure may be related to cellular ferroptosis. However, the exact mechanism by which SIRT1 regulates RA remains unclear. Methods Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and western blot assays were performed to explore the expressions of SIRT1 and Yin Yang 1 (YY1). CCK-8 assay was used for cytoactive detection. The interaction between SIRT1 and YY1 was validated by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). DCFH-DA assay and iron assay were applied to detect the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and iron ion levels. Results In the serum of RA patients, SIRT1 was downregulated, but YY1 was upregulated. In LPS-induced synoviocytes, SIRT1 could increase cell viability and decrease ROS and iron levels. Mechanistically, YY1 downregulated the expression of SIRT1 by inhibiting its transcription. YY1 overexpression partly revised the effects of SIRT1 on ferroptosis in synoviocytes. Conclusion SIRT1 is transcriptionally repressed by YY1 and inhibits the ferroptosis of synoviocytes induced by LPS, so as to relieve the pathological process of RA. Therefore, SIRT1 might be a new diagnosis and therapeutic target of RA. Highlights Combining SIRT1 with synoviocytes ferroptosis in rheumatoid arthritis for the first time. The transcription factor YY1 combined to the SIRT1 promoter in synovial cells and inhibited its expression and functional roles. The inhibition of SIRT1 with YY1 decreased the ferroptosis in synoviocytes.

Application status and advantages of ecological momentary assessment for evaluation of cognitive function among older adults / 中华老年医学杂志

The dynamic changes of cognitive function has been paid more and more attention by foreign scholars.Dynamic assessment based on ecological momentary assessment(EMA)can capture subtle changes in cognitive function and provide more comprehensive information for early identification and timely intervention of people with cognitive impairment, which is an effective supplement to traditional cognitive assessment.This paper reviewed the concept of ecological momentary assessment, its advantages in cognitive assessment, its feasibility and effectiveness, and its application status in the evaluation of cognitive function in the elderly, so as to provide a reference for making ecological assessment of the cognitive function for older adults that is in line with China's national conditions.

Impact of intrinsic capacity on predicting future falls and readmission in older patients / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the prevalence of the decline of intrinsic capacity(IC)and to explore the effect of intrinsic capacity decline on falls and hospital readmission during 1 year follow-up.Methods:A total of 311 elderly patients treated in Geriatrics Department of Zhejiang Hospital were enrolled.General information and intrinsic ability data, including cognitive(simple mental state inventory), motor(Tinetti-Balance Scale and 4 m test), vitality(grip strength and mini-nutrition assessment table), perception(self-rated vision or hearing impairment), and psychosocial(Geriatric depression scale), were collected at admission.Falls and hospital readmission within 1 year after discharge were followed up.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship of baseline intrinsic ability at admission with falls and hospital readmission during 1-year follow-up.Results:Of 311 elderly hospitalized patients, 282(90.7%)had intrinsic capacity decline.During 1 year follow-up, 38 elderly patients(12.2%)had falls and 69 elderly patients(22.2%)were hospital readmitted.After adjusting for confounding factors such as age, gender, education level, comorbidities, multiple medications, fear of falling, and assistive tool use and so on, Logistic regression analysis showed that decreased balance ability was a risk factor for falls within 1 year in elderly patients( OR=3.515, 95% CI: 1.089-11.346, P=0.036), and slow walking speed was a risk factor for one-year hospital readmission( OR=2.426, 95% CI: 1.181-4.983, P=0.016). Conclusions:Decreased motor capacity is closely associated with falls and hospital readmission within 1 year in older patients.Great attention should be paid to the assessment and intervention of motor ability in elderly patients.

Progress in extension lag after knee surgery / 中华骨科杂志

Most literature defines knee extension lag as the failure of the knee joint to achieve the passive extension angle, and some literature defines the inability of the knee to complete the last 15° extension as knee extension lag. Extension lag is one of the common complications after knee surgery, which seriously affects the postoperative knee joint function of patients. Disuse atrophy due to prolonged postoperative bed rest, arthrogenic muscle inhibition due to pain and (or) swelling, direct injury to the knee extensor mechanism during surgery and nerve dysfunction of the quadriceps muscle can all contribute to extension lag. While rehabilitation exercises, physical therapy and medication can significantly improve the patient's symptoms, extension lag due to the knee extension device injury requires surgery if necessary to regain normal knee function. As surgical techniques continue to be refined and rehabilitation interventions advance, the prevention of extension lag and the minimization of angle of knee extension lag need to be given adequate attention by patients, physicians, and researchers. This article reviews clinical studies related to extension lag after knee surgery, focusing on etiology, treatment, prevention and prognosis, with the aim of providing a basis and guidance for the current clinical management.

Diagnostic and prognostic value of bone marrow biopsy in patients with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma based on PET-CT staging / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To analyze the diagnostic and prognostic value of routine bone marrow examination in patients with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL) based on PET-CT staging.Methods:Clinical data of 186 patients who received bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow aspiration in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital from 2013 to 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were divided into bone marrow biopsy + bone marrow aspiration group ( n=186) and PET-CT + bone marrow biopsy group ( n=139). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were compared between two groups. The data were analyzed and plotted. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Results:In the whole cohort, 45 patients were positive for bone marrow biopsy, and 30 of them were positive for bone marrow aspiration. A total of 141 patients who were negative for bone marrow biopsy also achieved negative results for bone marrow aspiration. A total of 139 patients completed PET-CT staging and bone marrow biopsy. And 30 patients were diagnosed with positive bone marrow by PET-CT, in which 22 of them were confirmed positive by bone marrow biopsy. Among 109 patients diagnosed with negative bone marrow by PET-CT, 5 of them were confirmed positive by bone marrow biopsy. All these cases were classified as stage Ⅳ due to distant metastases. PET-CT had a diagnostic sensitivity of 81.5%, a specificity of 92.9%, a positive predictive value of 73.3%, and a negative predictive value of 95.4%. Among early stage (Ⅰ-Ⅱ stage) patients diagnosed with PET-CT, all of them were negative for bone marrow biopsy (the negative predictive value was 100%). In stage Ⅳ patients ( n=55), the 1-year overall survival of patients with bone marrow involvement by bone marrow biopsy or PET-CT ( n=35) compared with their counterparts with the involvement of other organs ( n=20) was 28.7% vs.42.0% ( P=0.13), and 1-year progression free survival rates was 23.2% vs. 23.3% in ( P=0.94). Conclusions:Routine bone marrow biopsy does not change the original staging of patients with early stage ENKTCL based on PET-CT staging. Advanced stage patients with positive bone marrow biopsy tend to obtain worse prognosis, indicating that bone marrow biopsy still has certain value.

Value of cardiac MRI in evaluation of left atrial function in the postoperative tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary stenosis patients / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To explore the value of cardiac MRI (CMRI) in evaluating left atrial function in patients with postoperative tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF) and postoperative pulmonary stenosis (rPS).Methods:Totally 67 pediatric patients (49 with rTOF, 18 with rPS) with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) were recruited between January 2019 and October 2021 in Shanghai Children′s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Thirty-three healthy volunteers, matched in gender and age, were included as controls from July 2017 to August 2018. Left atrial EF, strain and strain rate of three phases (reservoir, conduit and pump), left atrial volume (maximum volume index, minimum volume index and pre-atrial contraction volume index) were measured with corresponding cardiac function analysis software. Then, the differences in these parameters were analyzed between the three groups by ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test with post hoc comparison and Bonferroni correction.Results:Compared with controls, patients with rTOF had lower reservoir function parameters (EF, strain and strain rate), conduit EF, conduit strain, and left atrial maximum volume index ( P<0.05), but higher pump EF ( P<0.05). In patients with rPS, only the reservoir strain rate decreased compared with controls ( P<0.05), and the remaining data showed no significant difference ( P>0.05). The reservoir and conduit EF and strain in patients with rPS were higher than those in patients with rTOF ( P<0.05). Conclusions:In patients with rTOF and rPS, left atrial function has changed despite the preservation of left ventricular EF, which may be an early marker of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. In children with rTOF, left atrial reservoir and conduit functions decreased while the pump function increased. The reservoir and pump functions in rPS were better than those in rTOF. In addition, CMRI can detect left atrial dysfunction early before it enlarged.

Clinical study of drug-coated balloon in the treatment of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of drug-coated balloon (DCB) in the treatment of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis.Methods:Forty-nine patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis treated with DCB in the People′s Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to August 2021 were retrospectively included. The location and number of lesions were as follows: 21 cases of the middle cerebral artery, 11 cases of the intracranial segment of vertebral artery, 12 cases of the basilar artery, and 5 cases of the intracranial segment of internal carotid artery. Pre-dilatation of the lesion with a normal balloon followed by DCB angioplasty. Clinical follow-up (outpatient or telephone) was carried out at 30 days, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after the operation. Imaging follow-up was carried out at 6 months postoperatively. The surgical success rate (defined as the proportion of patients with residual stenosis<50% after balloon dilatation), perioperative safety (any strokes, TIA, and deaths within 1 month), stroke recurrence, and restenosis were analyzed.Results:The operation was performed in all patients successfully. The median stenosis level was 80% (75%, 85%) preoperatively and 20% (15%, 30%) at the time after the operation. The success rate of the operation was 91.8% (45/49). Stenting was given in 11 cases (22.4%, 11/49) for severe flow-limiting vascular entrapment, or non-flow-limiting entrapment, owing to the concern of subsequent progression of the entrapment. Three cases (6.1%, 3/49) had significant vascular elastic retraction and implement stent implantation. One patient (2.0%, 1/49) developed symptomatic cerebral infarction during perioperative period, and the symptoms improved after treatment. No fatal or disabling stroke occurred. All patients were followed-up successfully. The median follow-up time was 12 months. Two patients (4.1%, 2/49) had a stroke in the responsible vascular area, and 1 (2.0%, 1/49) patient had a stroke in the non-responsible vascular area. Thirty-eight patients (77.6%, 38/49) had followed-up images. The median follow-up time of postoperative imaging was 6 months. Restenosis occurred in two cases (1 case had symptomatic restenosis), and the incidence of restenosis was 5.3% (2/38).Conclusions:DCB in the treatment of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis has a high technical success rate, good perioperative safety, and low stroke recurrence rate in short-term follow-up, demonstrating the good feasibility, safety, and efficacy of DCB.

A deep learning prediction model for early evaluation of treatment response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy based on ultrasound images of breast cancer patients / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of deep learning radiomics model in the prediction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) response in breast cancer based on ultrasound images at an early stage.Methods:Between January 2018 and June 2021, 218 patients with breast cancer who underwent NAC were enrolled in the retrospective study. All patients received a full cycle of NAC before surgery and underwent standard ultrasound examination before NAC and after the second cycles of NAC. Of all the patients, 166 patients came from institution 1 (the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University) were allocated into a primary cohort.Based on the architecture of Resnet 50 convolutional neural, a deep learning prediction model was built.Further validation was performed in an external testing cohort ( n=52) from institution 2 (General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command, PLA). The clinical model was constructed using independent clinical variables. To evaluate the predictive performance, areas under the curve (AUCs) of these models and two radiologists were compared by using the DeLong method. Results:The Resnet 50 model predicted the response of NAC with accuracy. The deep learning model, achieving an AUC of 0.923 (95% CI=0.884-0.962) in the primary cohort and an AUC of 0.896 (95% CI=0.807-0.980) in the test cohort, outperformed the clinical model and also performed better than two radiologists′ prediction (all P<0.05). Furthermore, the two radiologists achieved a better predictive efficacy (AUC 0.832 and 0.808 for radiologists 1 and 2, respectively) when assisted by the DL model (all P<0.01). Conclusions:The deep learning radiomics model is able to predict therapy response in the early-stage of NAC for breast cancer patients, which could guide clinicians and provide benefit for timely treatment strategy adjustment.

Effect of remnant cholesterol levels on carotid intima thickness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus evaluated by ultra-high frequency ultrasound / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To discuss the effect of remnant cholesterol (RC) levels on carotid intima thickness (CIT) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by ultra-high frequency ultrasound.Methods:A total of 60 patients with T2DM who received treatment in Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from May 2021 to July 2022 were prospectively recruited, and they were divided into a higher RC group (31 cases) and a lower RC group (29 cases) according to the RC levels. Thirty-one age, sex and body mass index(BMI)-matched healthy volunteers were selected as control group. Carotid CIT, carotid media thickness(CMT) and intima-media thickness(CIMT) were measured by 24 MHz ultra-high frequency ultrasound probe. The difference of general clinical data, laboratory indicators and CIMT, CIT, CMT among the three groups were compared, and the influencing factors of CIT in T2DM patients were explored by multivariate regression analysis.Results:①There were no statistical significances in gender, age, BMI, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and CMT among the three groups (all P>0.05). There were no statistical significances in duration of diabetes, fasting blood-glucose and glycated haemoglobin between the two subgroups of T2DM (all P>0.05). ②Compared with the control group, CIMT and CIT were thicker in the T2DM group (both P<0.05). ③CIT was thicker in the higher RC group than in the lower RC group ( P<0.05), while the difference of CIMT was not statistically significant the two groups ( P>0.05). ④Multivariate regression analysis showed that RC was the influence factor of CIT in patients with T2DM(β=0.610, P=0.005). Conclusions:CIT is significantly thicker in T2DM patients with higher RC than in those with lower RC, and RC is the influence factor of CIT, which suggests that more attention should be paid to the detection of RC in T2DM patients.

Value of vascularity index in joints synovial to evaluate rheumatoid arthritis activity / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To explore the vascularity index of joints synovial quantitatively evaluate activity degree of rheumatoid arthritis(RA).Methods:From January to April 2022, 102 cases of RA patients in Henan Provincial People′s Hospital were conducted ultrasound examination of 28 joints including the bilateral metacarpophalangeal joints (1-5), 1st interphalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints (2-5), wrist joints, elbow joints, shoulder joints and knee joints. Superb microvascular imaging (SMI) was used to visualize and calculate the vascularity index (VI) in the hyperplastic synovium. Summary Vascularity index (VIsum) was calculated by adding the VI of 28 joints. Standard vascularity index (VIstand) was obtained by dividing VIsum by the number of positive joints. The mean vascular index (VImean) was obtained by dividing the VIsum by 28, which is the number of joints examined. The disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28) was calculated, including DAS28-CRP and DAS28-ESR. Serological results related to RA were collected. The correlation between VIsum, VIstand, VImean and the above data were analyzed respectively. DAS28-ESR and DAS28-CRP stages were used as the criteria, receiver operating curve (ROC) was used, to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy, sensitivity and specificity of VI parameters in assessing RA activity.Results:VIsum, VIstand and VImean were positively correlated with DAS28-ESR, DAS28-CRP, ESR and CRP. The r values of VIsum and DAS28-ESR, DAS28-CRP, ESR and CRP were 0.703, 0.728, 0.467 and 0.529, respectively. The r values of VIstand and DAS28-ESR, DAS28-CRP, ESR and CRP were 0.665, 0.705, 0.538 and 0.605, respectively. The r values of VImean and DAS28-ESR, DAS28-CRP, ESR and CRP were 0.677, 0.690, 0.441 and 0.501, respectively (all P<0.01). Using DAS28-ESR as grouping standard, the area of ROC curve(AUC) of VIsum, VIstand, and VImean were 0.815, 0.816 and 0.814, respectively. With the cut-off value of VIstand being 12.83, the specificity and sensitivity of VIstand diagnosis were 0.882 and 0.676, respectively. Using DAS28-CRP as grouping standard, the AUC of VIsum, VIstand, and VImean were 0.812, 0.878 and 0.811, respectively. With the cut-off value of VIstand being 13.97, the specificity and sensitivity of VIstand diagnosis were 0.997 and 0.710, respectively. Conclusions:Synovitis VI can objectively evaluate the degree of synovitis activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Synovial VI has high diagnostic efficacy for the activity of RA patients.

Analysis of changes in cardiac structure and function in 363 patients with maintenance hemodialysis / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of cardiac structure and function changes in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients.Methods:The information of 363 MHD patients with dialysis age ≥3 months who were registered in Huadu District People′s Hospital of Guangzhou City before January 2020 was collected, and the echocardiographic screening was performed to analyze the changes in cardiac structure and function.Results:The most common abnormal changes of heart structure and function in MHD patients were valve regentation (69.7%), left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) (51.8%), left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (29.8%), valve calcification (11.6%), and left ventricular systolic dysfunction (10.2%). With the increase of age, the left ventricular ejection fraction of MHD patients decreased, and the proportion of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, left atrial enlargement and pulmonary hypertension increased (all P<0.05). Among 363 MHD patients, 188(51.8%) had LVH. It was found that LVH patients had higher average single ultrafiltration volume, higher brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level, more type 2 diabetes, lower left ventricular ejection fraction (all P<0.05), and were more prone to chest tightness, chest pain, post activity shortness of breath, heart failure and other symptoms compared with the non-LVH patients (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Most MHD patients have different degrees of cardiac structural changes. Early intervention, reduction of single ultrafiltration volume and control of blood glucose are beneficial to improve the dialysis quality of MHD patients and reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular events.

Mediating effects of self-perceptions of aging between frailty and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To explore the mediating role of self-perceptions of aging between frailty and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults.Methods:From February to July 2021, a total of 528 elderly people in Xinxiang community were investigated with the frailty phenotype, the brief self-perceptions ageing questionnaire and the Mini-mental state examination(MMSE) scale.According to the MMSE total score and education level, the subjects were divided into cognitive impairment group (illiteracy≤17, primary school≤20, junior high school and above≤24, n=74) and cognitive normal group( n=454). SPSS 25.0 software was used for common method deviation test, descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, while AMOS 24.0 software was used to build structural equation model and Bootstrap method was used for intermediary effect test. Results:(1)The prevalence of cognitive impairment among the elderly in the community was 14.1%. The differences between the cognitively normal group and cognitively impaired group were statistically significant in terms of age, education, number of chronic diseases suffered and depression ( χ2=59.21, 6.53, 9.84, 25.47, all P<0.05). The differences were statistically significant in terms of frailty( χ2=75.65, P<0.001) and self-perceptions of aging ( t=77.67, P<0.001). (2)Self-perceptions of aging in the cognitively impaired group (47.39±8.66) was higher than that in the cognitively normal group (38.22±8.24) ( t=77.67, P<0.001) .Frailty score in cognitively impaired group (2.00 (1.00, 3.00)) was higher than that in the cognitively normal group (0.00 (0.00, 1.00))( Z=-8.63, P<0.001) . (3)Frailty was negatively correlated with cognitive function ( r=-0.492, P<0.01), and positively correlated with self-perceptions of aging ( r=0.540, P<0.01). Self-perceptions of aging was negatively correlated with cognitive function ( r=-0.541, P<0.01) . After controlling the influencing factors such as age, education level, chronic diseases and depression, the correlation was still significant (all P<0.01) . (4) Self-perceptions of aging played a partially mediating role in the relationship between frailty and cognitive function, the mediating effect accounted for 58.5% of the total effect. Conclusion:Frailty and self-perceptions of aging have a significant impact on the cognitive function of the elderly in the community, and self-perceptions of aging plays a partial intermediary role between the frailty and cognitive function of the elderly in the community.

Clinical application value of Huanglian Jiedu Pills in improving syndrome of excess heat and fire toxin based on phase Ⅱ clinical trial study on plasma ATP, 4-HNE, and ACTH levels / 中国中药杂志

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center phase Ⅱ clinical trial design was used in this study to recruit subjects who were in line with the syndrome of excess heat and fire toxin, and were diagnosed as recurrent oral ulcers, gingivitis, and acute pharyngitis. A total of 240 cases were included and randomly divided into a placebo group and a Huanglian Jiedu Pills group. The clinical efficacy of Huanglian Jiedu Pills in treating the syndrome of excess heat and fire toxin was evaluated by using the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndrome scale. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to determine and evaluate the levels of adenosine triphosphate(ATP), 4-hydroxynonenal(4-HNE), and adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH) in plasma of the two groups before and after administration and to predict their application value as clinical biomarkers. The results showed that the disappearance rate of main symptoms in the Huanglian Jiedu Pills group was 69.17%, and that in the placebo group was 50.83%. The comparison between the Huanglian Jiedu Pills group and the placebo group showed that 4-HNE before and after administration was statistically significant(P<0.05). The content of 4-HNE in the Huanglian Jiedu Pills group decreased significantly after administration(P<0.05), but that in the placebo group had no statistical significance and showed an upward trend. After administration, the content of ATP in both Huanglian Jiedu Pills group and placebo group decreased significantly(P<0.05), indicating that the energy metabolism disorder was significantly improved after administration of Huanglian Jiedu Pills and the body's self-healing ability also alleviated the increase in ATP level caused by the syndrome of excess heat and fire toxin to a certain extent. ACTH in both Huanglian Jiedu Pills group and placebo group decreased significantly after administration(P<0.05). It is concluded that Huanglian Jiedu Pills has a significant clinical effect, and can significantly improve the abnormal levels of ATP and 4-HNE in plasma caused by the syndrome of excess heat and fire toxin, which are speculated to be the effective clinical biomarkers for Huanglian Jiedu Pills to treat the syndrome of excess heat and fire toxin.

Mechanism of Xiaoer Chiqiao Qingre Granules in clearing heat and removing food stagnation in suckling rats with fever and food accumulation based on metabolomics / 中国中药杂志

Children's fever is often accompanied by food accumulation. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that removing food stagnation while clearing heat of children can effectively avoid heat damage. To systematically evaluate the efficacy of Xiaoer Chiqiao Qingre Granules(XRCQ) in clearing heat and removing food accumulation and explore its potential mechanism, this study combined suckling SD rats fed with high-sugar and high-fat diet with injection of carrageenan to induce rat model of fever and food accumulation. This study provided references for the study on the pharmacodynamics and mechanism of XRCQ. The results showed that XRCQ effectively reduced the rectal temperature of suckling rats, improved the inflammatory environment such as the content of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-2(IL-2), interferon-γ(IFN-γ), white blood cells, and monocytes. XRCQ also effectively repaired intestinal injury and enhanced intestinal propulsion function. According to the confirmation of its efficacy of clearing heat, the thermolytic mechanism of XRCQ was further explored by non-targeted and targeted metabolomics methods based on LTQ-Orbitrap MS/MS and UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS. Non-target metabolomics analysis of brain tissue samples was performed by QI software combined with SIMCA-P software, and 22 endogenous metabolites that could be significantly regulated were screened out. MetaboAnalyst pathway enrichment results showed that the intervention mechanism was mainly focused on tyrosine metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, inositol phosphate metabolism, and other pathways. At the same time, the results of targeted metabolomics of brain tissue samples showed that XRCQ changed the vitality of digestive system, and inhibited abnormal energy metabolism and inflammatory response, playing a role in clearing heat and removing food stagnation from multiple levels.

Occupational health literacy level and its influencing factors among key populations in China in 2022 / 中国职业医学

Objective To analyze the level of occupational health literacy (OHL) and its influencing factors among key populations in China. Methods The front-line workers from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China were selected as the research subjects using a combination of stratified cluster random sampling and probability proportional sampling. The Occupational Health Literacy Questionnaire of National Key Populations was used to investigate the OHL level. Results In 2022, a total of 340 506 people from 23 industries were surveyed. Among them, 168 455 and 172 051 people were surveyed in the secondary and tertiary industries, respectively. The OHL level of the research subjects was 52.6%. The OHL levels of workers in the secondary and tertiary industries were 56.5% and 48.9%, respectively. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, marital status, educational level, household registration, monthly income, employment nature, years of service and industry category were independent influencing factors for OHL level of the research subjects (all P<0.01). Specifically, females had a higher OHL level than males (P<0.01); the older the age, the higher the education level, the higher the monthly income level, the higher the OHL level (all P<0.01); the level of OHL in unmarried people was higher than that in married people (P<0.01); the OHL level of workers with non-agricultural household registration was higher than that of workers with agricultural household registration (P<0.01); the OHL levels of workers in state-owned enterprises, foreign-funded enterprises and public institutions were higher than those in private enterprises (all P<0.01); the level of OHL in the group with 21.0-43.0 years of service was lower than that in the other years of service groups (all P<0.01); the OHL level of workers in the secondary industry was higher than that in the tertiary industry (P<0.01). Conclusion The workers in the key industries selected by the tertiary industry, the private enterprises in the secondary industry, those with more than 21.0 years of service, and the disadvantaged groups with younger age low income, low education level, and the agricultural household registration are the key groups for the improvement of OHL level in the future. Appropriate intervention methods and strategies should be actively explored to improve the OHL of these key populations.

Mechanism of Tongmai Yangxin pill to reduce the no-reflow after myocardial ischemia and reperfusion by activating HIF-1α/eNOS signaling pathway up-regulated by GPER / 药学学报

The Tongmai Yangxin pill (TMYX) has potential clinical effects on no-reflow (NR); however, the effective substances and mechanisms by which this occurs remain unclear. This study evaluates the cardioprotective effects and molecular mechanisms of TMYX against NR. We used a myocardial NR rat model (2 h after myocardial ischemia and 2 h after reperfusion) to confirm the effect and mechanism of action of TMYX in alleviating NR. In vitro studies in isolated coronary microvasculature of NR rats and in silico network pharmacology analyses were performed to reveal the underlying mechanisms of TMYX and determine the main components, targets, and pathways of TMYX, respectively. The experiment was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine (LLBH-202212160001). TMYX showed therapeutic effects on NR by improving cardiac structure and function, reducing NR, ischemic areas, and cardiomyocyte injury, and decreasing the content of cardiac troponin I (cTnI). Moreover, the mechanism of TMYX predicted by network pharmacology is related to the hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathways. TMYX increased the expression of G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER), phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK), and HIF-1α. In vitro, TMYX enhanced the diastolic function of coronary microvascular cells; however, this effect was inhibited by GPER inhibitor (G-15), eNOS inhibitor (L-NAME), and sGC inhibitor (ODQ). This study integrates pharmacology and experimental evaluation to reveal that TMYX activates HIF-1α/eNOS signaling pathway by upregulating GPER to relax coronary microvessels, thereby significantly alleviating NR.

Terpine-4-ol on inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cell calcification by improving mitochondrial dynamics / 药学学报

The aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of terpinen-4-ol (T4O) on high glucose (HG) -induced calcification in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC). To investigate the role of T4O on HG-induced calcium deposition, osteogenic phenotypic transformation and mitochondrial dynamics in VSMC, Mdivi-1, a mitochondrial dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp-1) inhibitor, was used to analyze the correlation between mitochondrial dynamics and VSMC calcification and the role of T4O. Alizarin red S staining was used to observe calcium salt deposition and flow cytometry to detect intracellular Ca2+ content; Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression of phenotypic switching-related markers α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) and Runt related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), and mitochondrial dynamics-related markers mitofusin 1 (MFN1), mitofusin 2 (MFN2) and Drp-1. The results showed that low and high doses of T4O could inhibit HG-induced down-regulation of α-SMA, MFN1 and MFN2 expression levels, and up-regulation of BMP2, Runx2 and Drp-1 expression levels, reduce intracellular Ca2+ content and calcium salt deposition, and effectively inhibit HG-induced VSMC calcification and mitochondrial dynamics disorders. The T4O group, Mdivi-1 group and T4O+Mdivi-1 group were able to up-regulate the expression levels of HG-induced α-SMA, MFN1 and MFN2, down-regulate the protein expression levels of BMP2, Runx2 and Drp-1, and inhibit calcium salt deposition, and there was no significant difference between the above indexes in the T4O and T4O+Mdivi-1 groups. The above findings suggest that T4O can inhibit the expression level of Drp-1, regulate the disturbance of mitochondrial dynamics, and suppress HG-induced VSMC calcification.