Optimization of energy window of yttrium-90 bremsstrahlung SPECT imaging:In vitro experimental study / 中国介入影像与治疗学

Objective To observe the influence of different energy windows of the medium-energy general-purpose(MEGP)collimator on image quality,so as to optimize the energy window of yttrium-90(90Y)bremsstrahlung SPECT imaging.Methods 90Y bremsstrahlung spectrum was acquired,and the sensitivity,percentage of the source counts in useful field of view(S/FOV%)and signal-to-background ratio(S/B)of 90Y bremsstrahlung SPECT imaging at MEGP under different energy windows were compared.Results The energy spectrum of 90Y bremsstrahlung was a continuous curve,with the peak of 76.2 keV with MEGP collimator.The images obtained with MEGP collimator were clear,and no significant differences of S/FOV%nor S/B was found between 10%and 20%window width groups(both P＞0.05),but the sensitivities of the latter was higher than the former(P＜0.05).The sensitivity of 70-90 keV images was relatively high,while the S/FOV%and S/B had decreased.The S/FOV%and S/B of images ranging from 40-60 keV were high,but the sensitivity was low.Images acquired with 100 keV±20%showed fairly high sensitivity,S/FOV%and S/B,which was 69.73%,0.62 and 1.64,respectively.Conclusion When performing 90Y bremsstrahlung SPECT with MEGP collimator,the image quality at 20%window width was better than at 10%window width,and 100 keV±20%showed fairly high sensitivity and not significantly decreased S/FOV%and S/B.

Evaluation of Burosumab in the treatment of X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets in children / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Burosumab in patients with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets.Methods:Clinical data of 9 children diagnosed with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets and treated with Burosumab in the Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Anhui Children′s Hospital from November 2021 to September 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, including the general information, clinical manifestations, auxiliary examination, Burosumab treatment and follow-up.Results:Among the 9 cases, there were 5 males and 4 females, with a median age at diagonosis of 2 years. After traditional treatment, the fluctuation of serum phosphorus ranged from 0.7 to 0.9 mmol/L. The median age at the initiation of Burosumab treatment was 2.8 years, and the initial dosage was 0.8 mg/kg, administrated subcutaneously every 2 weeks. The laboratory and imaging indexes were improved after 6 months of Burosumab treatment, and the mean serum phosphorus level increased from(0.81±0.14) mmol/L to(1.02±0.10) mmol/L at 1 month( t=3.85, P=0.001) and(1.14±0.25) mmol/L at 6 months( t=3.58, P=0.002). The average alkaline phosphatase(ALP) level decreased from(509.89±110.10) U/L before treatment to(447.89±106.76) U/L after 1 month( t=1.21, P=0.243). After 6 months, the ALP level significantly decreased to(385.89±60.33) U/L ( t=2.96, P=0.009). The average height percentile increased from 18.42±10.09 before treatment to 26.56±16.59 after 6 months( t=1.26, P=0.227). Rachitis severity scores of both lower limbs ranged from 4.61±1.36 before treatment to 3.06±1.51 after 6 months( t=2.29, P=0.036). No serious adverse events occurred during treatment. Conclusion:Burosumab is safe and effective in treating X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets, exhibiting minimal side effects and significant clinical applicability value.

Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of ureterosciatic hernia / 现代泌尿外科杂志

Ureterosciatic hernia is a rare type of pelvic floor herniation with no typical symptoms. The resulting ureteral obstruction may lead to hydronephrosis and complications such as urinary tract infection and urosepsis.Fewer than 40 ureterosciatic hernia cases have been reported all over the world. Active surveillance, manual reduction, ureteral stenting and surgical repair are common treatment options. Among them, the safety and effectiveness of laparoscopic herniorrhaphy have been recognized. This article review the advances in the diagnosis and treatment of ureterosciatic hernia.

Research progress in targeting autophagy of traditional Chinese medicine and natural compounds to regulate atherosclerosis / 中国中药杂志

Atherosclerosis(AS) is the common pathological basis of many ischemic cardiovascular diseases, and its formation process involves various aspects such as vascular endothelial injury and platelet activation. Vascular endothelial injury is the initiating factor of AS plaque. Monocytes are recruited to differentiate into macrophages at the damaged endothelial cells, which absorb oxidized low-density lipoprotein(ox-LDL) and slowly transform into foam cells. Smooth muscle cells(SMCs) proliferate and migrate continuously. As the only cell producing interstitial collagen fibers in the fibrous cap, SMCs largely determine whether the plaque ruptured or not. The amplifying inflammatory response during the formation of AS recruits platelets to adhere to the damaged area of vascular endothelium and stimulates excessive platelet aggregation. Autophagy activity is associated with vascular lesions and abnormal platelet activation, and excessive autophagy is considered to be a negative factor for plaque stability. Therefore, precise regulation of different types of vascular autophagy and platelet autophagy to treat AS may provide a new therapeutic perspective for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic ischemic cardiovascular disease. Currently, treatment strategies for AS still focus on lowering lipid levels with high-intensity statins, which often cause significant side effects. Therefore, the development of safer and more effective drugs and treatment modes is the focus of current research. Traditional Chinese medicine and natural compounds have the potential to treat AS by targeted autophagy, and have been playing an increasingly important role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in China. This paper summarizes the experimental studies on different vascular cell types and platelet autophagy in AS, and sums up the published research results on targeted autophagy of traditional Chinese medicine and natural plant compounds to regulate AS, providing new ideas for further research.

Exploration and example interpretation of real-world herbal prescription classification based on similarity matching algorithm / 中国中药杂志

In observational studies, herbal prescriptions are usually studied in the form of "similar prescriptions". At present, the classification of prescriptions is mainly based on clinical experience judgment, but there are some problems in manual judgment, such as lack of unified criteria, labor consumption, and difficulty in verification. In the construction of a database of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19), our research group tried to classify real-world herbal prescriptions using a similarity matching algorithm. The main steps include 78 target prescriptions are determined in advance; four levels of importance labeling shall be carried out for the drugs of each target prescription; the combination, format conversion, and standardization of drug names of the prescriptions to be identified in the herbal medicine database; calculate the similarity between the prescriptions to be identified and each target prescription one by one; prescription discrimination is performed based on the preset criteria; remove the name of the prescriptions with "large prescriptions cover the small". Through the similarity matching algorithm, 87.49% of the real prescriptions in the herbal medicine database of this study can be identified, which preliminarily proves that this method can complete the classification of herbal prescriptions. However, this method does not consider the influence of herbal dosage on the results, and there is no recognized standard for the weight of drug importance and criteria, so there are some limitations, which need to be further explored and improved in future research.

Specific DNA barcodes, germplasm resources, and genetic diversity of Eleutherococcus senticosus / 中国中药杂志

Eleutherococcus senticosus is one of the Dao-di herbs in northeast China. In this study, the chloroplast genomes of three E. senticosus samples from different genuine producing areas were sequenced and then used for the screening of specific DNA barcodes. The germplasm resources and genetic diversity of E. senticosus were analyzed basing on the specific DNA barcodes. The chloroplast genomes of E. senticosus from different genuine producing areas showed the total length of 156 779-156 781 bp and a typical tetrad structure. Each of the chloroplast genomes carried 132 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs. The chloroplast genomes were relatively conserved. Sequence analysis of the three chloroplast genomes indicated that atpI, ndhA, ycf1, atpB-rbcL, ndhF-rpl32, petA-psbJ, psbM-psbD, and rps16-psbK can be used as specific DNA barcodes of E. senticosus. In this study, we selected atpI and atpB-rbcL which were 700-800 bp and easy to be amplified for the identification of 184 E. senticosus samples from 13 genuine producing areas. The results demonstrated that 9 and 10 genotypes were identified based on atpI and atpB-rbcL sequences, respectively. Furthermore, the two barcodes identified 23 genotypes which were named H1-H23. The haplotype with the highest proportion and widest distribution was H10, followed by H2. The haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity were 0.94 and 1.82×10~(-3), respectively, suggesting the high genetic diversity of E. senticosus. The results of the median-joining network analysis showed that the 23 genotypes could be classified into 4 categories. H2 was the oldest haplotype, and it served as the center of the network characterized by starlike radiation, which suggested that population expansion of E. senticosus occurred in the genuine producing areas. This study lays a foundation for the research on the genetic quality and chloroplast genetic engineering of E. senticosus and further research on the genetic mechanism of its population, providing new ideas for studying the genetic evolution of E. senticosus.

Temporal dynamics of microglia-astrocyte interaction in neuroprotective glial scar formation after intracerebral hemorrhage / 药物分析学报

The role of glial scar after intracerebral hemorrhage(ICH)remains unclear.This study aimed to inves-tigate whether microglia-astrocyte interaction affects glial scar formation and explore the specific function of glial scar.We used a pharmacologic approach to induce microglial depletion during different ICH stages and examine how ablating microglia affects astrocytic scar formation.Spatial transcriptomics(ST)analysis was performed to explore the potential ligand-receptor pair in the modulation of microglia-astrocyte interaction and to verify the functional changes of astrocytic scars at different periods.During the early stage,sustained microglial depletion induced disorganized astrocytic scar,enhanced neutrophil infiltration,and impaired tissue repair.ST analysis indicated that microglia-derived insulin like growth factor 1(IGF1)modulated astrocytic scar formation via mechanistic target of rapamycin(mTOR)signaling activation.Moreover,repopulating microglia(RM)more strongly activated mTOR signaling,facilitating a more protective scar formation.The combination of IGF1 and osteopontin(OPN)was necessary and sufficient for RM function,rather than IGF1 or OPN alone.At the chronic stage of ICH,the overall net effect of astrocytic scar changed from protective to destructive and delayed microglial depletion could partly reverse this.The vital insight gleaned from our data is that sustained microglial depletion may not be a reasonable treatment strategy for early-stage ICH.Inversely,early-stage IGF1/OPN treatment combined with late-stage PLX3397 treatment is a promising therapeutic strategy.This prompts us to consider the complex temporal dynamics and overall net effect of microglia and astrocytes,and develop elaborate treatment strategies at precise time points after ICH.

Predictive value of BMI combined with preoperative oxygenation index for postoperative hypoxemia in Stanford type A aortic dissection / 解放军医学杂志

Objectives To analyze the risk factors and their predictive value for postoperative hypoxemia in Type-A aortic dissection(TAAD).Methods A single-center retrospective study was conducted among 146 consecutive patients diagnosed as TAAD and undergone aortic arch surgery from January 2018 to June 2021 in Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University.According to the lowest postoperative PaO2/FiO2 ratio within 24 hours,the patients were classified into two groups:hypoxemia group(PaO2/FiO2≤200 mmHg)and non-hypoxemia group(PaO2/FiO2>200 mmHg).The difference of preoperative oxygen index,duration of mechanical ventilation and mortality in hospital were analyzed between the two groups.The independent risk factors for postoperative hypoxemia were evaluated by multivariate logistic regression and the predictive value was analyzed by receiver operator character(ROC)curves.Results For TAAD patients,the incidence of postoperative hypoxemia was 45.9%.Compared to non-hypoxemia group,hypoxemia group exhibited longer duration of mechanical ventilation(P<0.001)and longer intensive care unit(ICU)length of stay(P<0.05).Moreover,patients with hypoxemia presented higher mortality during hospital(P=0.011).Multivariate regression analysis identified BMI as independent risk factor(OR=1.701,P<0.001)and preoperation PaO2/FiO2 ratio as protective factors for postoperative hypoxemia in patients with TAAD(OR=0.987,P=0.004).Area under the ROC curve of BMI was 0.848,the optimal cut-off point of BMI was 25.8 kg/m2.Area under the ROC curve of pre-operation PaO2/FiO2 ratio was 0.808,the optimal cut-off point of preoperation PaO2/FiO2 ratio was 265 mmHg.Conclusions BMI higher than 25.8 kg/m2 is an independent risk factor and preoperation PaO2/FiO2 ratio higher than 265 mmHg is a protective factor for postoperative hypoxemia in patients with TAAD.Subjects with hypoxemia had longer duration of mechanical ventilation,ICU stay and higher mortality.

The prognostic and predictive value of plasma D-dimer in children with neuroblastoma: a 7-year retrospective analysis at a single institution

Purpose@#Elevated plasma D-dimer level is a poor prognostic factor for many solid tumors. However, limited research has been conducted on D-dimer in children with neuroblastoma (NB), and its clinical significance remains unclear. The present study investigated the clinical and prognostic significance of D-dimer in pediatric NB patients. @*Methods@#A retrospective analysis of all newly admitted NB patients was conducted from January 2014 to December 2020.Baseline clinicopathological features, preoperative laboratory parameters, and follow-up information were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the relationship between D-dimer level, clinical features, and the prognostic value. @*Results@#Among 266 patients, the median value of D-dimer was 2.98 ng/mL, of which 132 patients showed elevated D-dimer levels before surgery (>2.98 ng/mL). Univariate analysis revealed that elevated D-dimer was significantly associated with age, hemoglobin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, neuron-specific enolase, 24-hour vanillylmandelic acid, overall survival, and so on (P < 0.05). Patients with elevated D-dimer levels had shorter median overall survival time when compared with normal D-dimer levels (P = 0.01). The prognosis was better in patients with normal D-dimer levels when combined with lower age, ganglioneuroblastoma tumor type, lower stage on International Neuroblastoma Staging System, low-risk group, and without bone metastasis or bone marrow metastasis. The continuous increase of D-dimer level after treatment indicated tumor recurrence or progression. @*Conclusion@#A high D-dimer level is associated with low overall survival, and an elevated D-dimer level after treatment indicates tumor recurrence and progression. D-dimer can be used as one of the evaluation factors for NB treatment or prognosis.

Analysis and prospects of common problems in clinical data mining of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions / 中国中药杂志

Mining data from traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) prescriptions is one of the important methods for inheriting the experience of famous doctors and developing new drugs. However, current research work has problems such as to be optimized research plans and non-standard statistics. The main problems and corresponding solutions summarized by the research mainly include four aspects.(1)The research plan design needs to consider the efficacy and quality of individual cases.(2)The significance of the difference in confidence order of association rules needs to be further considered, and the lift should not be ignored.(3)The clustering analysis steps are complex. The selection of clustering variables should comprehensively consider factors such as the frequency of TCM, network topology parameters, and practical application significance. The selection of distance calculation and clustering methods should be improved based on the characteristics of TCM clinical data. Jaccard distance and its improvement plan should be given attention in the future. A single, unexplained clustering result should not be presented, but the final clustering plan should be selected based on a comprehensive consideration of TCM clinical characteristics and objective evaluation indicators for clustering.(4)When calculating correlation coefficients, algorithms that are only suitable for continuous variables should not be applied to binary variables. This article explained the connotations of the above problems based on the characteristics of TCM clinical research and statistical principles and proposed corresponding suggestions to provide important references for future data mining research work.

Anatomical and histological investigation of the area anterior to the anorectum passing through the levator hiatus / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To document the anatomical structure of the area anterior to the anorectum passing through the levator hiatus between the levator ani slings bilaterally. Methods: Three male hemipelvises were examined at the Laboratory of Clinical Applied Anatomy, Fujian Medical University. (1) The anatomical assessment was performed in three ways; namely, by abdominal followed by perineal dissection, by examining serial cross-sections, and by examining median sagittal sections. (2) The series was stained with hematoxylin and eosin to enable identification of nerves, vessels, and smooth and striated muscles. Results: (1) It was found that the rectourethralis muscle is closest to the deep transverse perineal muscle where the longitudinal muscle of the rectum extends into the posteroinferior area of the membranous urethra. The communicating branches of the neurovascular bundle (NVB) were identified at the posterior edge of the rectourethralis muscle on both sides. The rectum was found to be fixed to the membranous urethra through the rectourethral muscle, contributing to the anorectal angle of the anterior rectal wall. (2) Serial cross-sections from the anal to the oral side were examined. At the level of the external anal sphincter, the longitudinal muscle of the rectum was found to extend caudally and divide into two muscle bundles on the oral side of the external anal sphincter. One of these muscle bundles angled dorsally and caudally, forming the conjoined longitudinal muscle, which was found to insert into the intersphincteric space (between the internal and external anal sphincters). The other muscle bundle angled ventrally and caudally, filling the gap between the external anal sphincter and the bulbocavernosus muscle, forming the perineal body. At the level of the superficial transverse perineal muscle, this small muscle bundle headed laterally and intertwined with the longitudinal muscle in the region of the perineal body. At the level of the rectourethralis and deep transverse perineal muscle, the external urethral sphincter was found to occupy an almost completely circular space along the membranous part of the urethra. The dorsal part of the external urethral sphincter was found to be thin at the point of attachment of the rectourethralis muscle, the ventral part of the longitudinal muscle of the rectum. We identified a venous plexus from the NVB located close to the oral and ventral side of the deep transverse perineal muscle. Many vascular branches from the NVB were found to be penetrating the longitudinal muscle and the ventral part of rectourethralis muscle at the level of the apex of the prostate. The rectourethral muscle was wrapped ventrally around the membranous urethra and apex of the prostate. The boundary between the longitudinal muscle and prostate gradually became more distinct, being located at the anterior end of the transabdominal dissection plane. (3) Histological examination showed that the dorsal part of the external urethral sphincter (striated muscle) is thin adjacent to the striated muscle fibers from the deep transverse perineal muscle and the NVB dorsally and close by. The rectourethral muscle was found to fill the space created by the internal anal sphincter, deep transverse perineal muscle, and both levator ani muscles. Many tortuous vessels and tiny nerve fibers from the NVB were identified penetrating the muscle fibers of the deep transverse perineal and rectourethral muscles. The structure of the superficial transverse perineal muscle was typical of striated muscle. These findings were reconstructed three-dimensionally. Conclusions: In intersphincteric resection or abdominoperineal resection for very low rectal cancer, the anterior dissection plane behind Denonvilliers' fascia disappears at the level of the apex of the prostate. The prostate and both NVBs should be used as landmarks during transanal dissection of the non-surgical plane. The rectourethralis muscle should be divided near the rectum side unless tumor involvement is suspected. The superficial and deep transverse perineal muscles, as well as their supplied vessels and nerve fibers from the NVB. In addition, the cutting direction should be adjusted according to the anorectal angle to minimize urethral injury.

Decolorization and biodegradation of acid orange 7 by white-rot fungi / 生物工程学报

Azo dyes are widely used in textile, paper and packing industries, and have become one of the research hot spots in dye wastewater treatment because of their carcinogenicity, teratogenic mutagenicity, stable structure and degradation difficulty. In this study, the biodecolorization of acid orange 7 (AO7), an azo dye, by different white rot fungi was investigated, and the effect of different conditions on the decolorization rate of the dye was analyzed. At the same time, the degradation liquor was analyzed and the phytotoxicity experiment was performed to deduce the possible degradation pathway of AO7 and assess the toxicity of its degradation products. The results showed that the decolorization rate reached 93.46% in 24 h at pH 4.5, 28 ℃ by Pleurotus eryngii and Trametes versicolor when AO7 concentration was 100 mg/L. The biodegradation pathway of AO7 was initiated by the cleavage of the azo bond of AO7, generating p-aminobenzenesulfonic acid and 1-amino-2-naphthol. Subsequently, the sulfonic acid group of p-aminobenzene sulfonic acid was removed to generate hydroquinone. Moreover, the 1-amino-2-naphthol was de-ringed to generate phthalic acid and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and then further degraded into benzoic acid. Finally, hydroquinone and benzoic acid may be further oxidized into other small molecules, carbon dioxide and water. Phytotoxicity experiment showed that the toxicity of AO7 could be reduced by P. eryngii and T. versicolor.

Systematic review and Meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules in treatment of influenza / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to systematically review the efficacy and safety of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules in the treatment of influenza. The randomized controlled trial(RCT) of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules alone or in combination with conventional western medicine for treating influenza were retrieved from PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and ClinicalTrails.gov. The data analysis was performed in RevMan 5.4.1. The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of the involved RCT, and GRADEpro GDT to assess the quality of the evidence. A total of 11 RCTs involving 1 836 patients were included in this study. Compared with conventional western medicine, Shufeng Jiedu Capsules/Shufeng Jiedu Capsules + conventional western medicine improved the response rate(RR=1.09, 95%CI[1.03, 1.15], P=0.002), shortened the time to relief of cough, and increased the 3-day sore throat relief rate, whereas there was no significant difference in the time to fever abatement, the time to relief of sore throat, 3-day cough relief rate, or 3-day runny nose relief rate. Subgroup-analysis showed that Shufeng Jiedu Capsules + conventional western medicine improved the response rate(RR=1.11, 95%CI[1.08, 1.15], P<0.000 01), shortened the time to relief of cough, and increased the 3-day relief rate of symptoms(cough, sore throat, and runny nose) compared with conventional western medicine alone, while there was no significant difference in the time to fever abatement or the time to relief of sore throat. Shufeng Jiedu Capsules alone could not improve the response rate(RR=0.97, 95%CI[0.93, 1.02], P=0.19). In addition, Shufeng Jiedu Capsules/Shufeng Jiedu Capsules + conventional western medicine vs conventional western medicine were no significant difference in adverse reactions(RR=0.98, 95%CI[0.57, 1.69], P=0.95). The available evidence suggests that Shufeng Jiedu Capsules is effective and safe in the treatment of influenza, and the combination of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules with conventional western medicine can accelerate the relief of symptoms. However, since the number and quality of the included studies were low, the above findings remained to be further verified by multicenter RCT with large sample sizes.

Imaging evaluation of vulnerability of intracranial atherosclerotic plaques / 国际脑血管病杂志

Intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is an important cause of ischemic stroke. Accurate clinical and imaging evaluation is helpful to its hierarchical management and individualized treatment. With the gradual maturation of intracranial artery wall imaging technology, the stroke mechanism of ICAD can be further understood through plaque vulnerability characteristics and the optimal stroke prevention strategy can be developed. This article reviews the different vulnerable characteristics, evaluation methods and current research progress of intracranial atherosclerotic plaques.

Regulation of Flavonoid Monomers on Signaling Pathways in Ovarian Cancer： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumor of female reproductive system with high morbidity and mortality. Currently， ovarian cancer patients are mainly treated by primary debulking surgery combined with taxotere/cyclophosphamide （TC） chemotherapy， with the five-year survival rate of 36%-46%. Chinese medicinal materials play a positive role in preventing the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer via multiple targets. The flavonoid monomers in representative Chinese herbal medicines， such as Epimedii Folium， Scutellariae Radix， Curcumae Longae Rhizoma， Ginkgo Folium， Bupleuri Radix， and Longicerae Japonicae Flos， have been proved to have significant anti-tumor activity and been widely used in the treatment of malignant tumors. We reviewed the relevant literature and summarized that flavonoid monomers can regulate multiple signaling pathways to inhibit cell proliferation， block tumor cell cycle， induce apoptosis and autophagy， reduce the ability of cell invasion and migration， inhibit tumor angiogenesis， and reverse platinum resistance， thereby inhibiting the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer. Such pathways include phosphatidylinositol 3- kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway， Janus kinase （JAK）/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3） signaling pathway， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway， secreted glycoprotein （Wnt）/β-catenin signaling pathway， Notch signaling pathway， and nuclear factor kappaB （NF-κB） signaling pathway. By reviewing the regulatory effect of flavonoid monomers on the signaling pathways of ovarian cancer， we aim to provide a theoretical basis for the research on the roles of flavonoid monomers in inhibiting the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer.

Regulation of Flavonoid Monomers on Signaling Pathways in Ovarian Cancer： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumor of female reproductive system with high morbidity and mortality. Currently， ovarian cancer patients are mainly treated by primary debulking surgery combined with taxotere/cyclophosphamide （TC） chemotherapy， with the five-year survival rate of 36%-46%. Chinese medicinal materials play a positive role in preventing the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer via multiple targets. The flavonoid monomers in representative Chinese herbal medicines， such as Epimedii Folium， Scutellariae Radix， Curcumae Longae Rhizoma， Ginkgo Folium， Bupleuri Radix， and Longicerae Japonicae Flos， have been proved to have significant anti-tumor activity and been widely used in the treatment of malignant tumors. We reviewed the relevant literature and summarized that flavonoid monomers can regulate multiple signaling pathways to inhibit cell proliferation， block tumor cell cycle， induce apoptosis and autophagy， reduce the ability of cell invasion and migration， inhibit tumor angiogenesis， and reverse platinum resistance， thereby inhibiting the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer. Such pathways include phosphatidylinositol 3- kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway， Janus kinase （JAK）/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3） signaling pathway， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway， secreted glycoprotein （Wnt）/β-catenin signaling pathway， Notch signaling pathway， and nuclear factor kappaB （NF-κB） signaling pathway. By reviewing the regulatory effect of flavonoid monomers on the signaling pathways of ovarian cancer， we aim to provide a theoretical basis for the research on the roles of flavonoid monomers in inhibiting the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer.

Specific antitumor activity and mechanism of protonic bis-phenanthroline / 药学学报

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor worldwise. The incidence rate of HCC is high and is easy to metastasis and recurrence, which seriously affects human health. Traditional chemical drugs have some challenges such as toxicity, side effects, and multidrug resistance, thus it is urgent to find new drugs and effective targets. Here we synthesized a novel chemical, protonic bis-phenanthroline (H-BP), and the antitumor effect was investigated in the study. The results showed that H-BP could selectively inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells and cause HCC apoptosis. And also, in HCC tumor-bearing mice, H-BP could effectively prevent the growth of tumor mass, even completely eliminate the tumor at medium dose (5 mg·kg-1) and high dose (10 mg·kg-1), and meanwhile H-BP has no significant effect on the body weight of mice. The experimental protocol was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Southwest University, and the experimental operation was strictly carried out in accordance with the ethical principles of animal use and care. Mechanism studies showed that H-BP induced HCC apoptosis was related to down-regulation the expression of pleomorphic adenoma gene like-2 (PLAGL2), a oncogene transcription factor, resulting in the down-regulation of PLAGL2 downstream proteins hypoxia inducible factor and β-catenin. This study not only introduces the dimerization method to form novel compounds that will provide a new approach for drug design, but also suggests that PLAGL2 may be an effective target in tumor therapy.

Vascular endothelial growth factor induces inflammatory injury of pancreatic tissue by activating autophagy in hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis rats / 生理学报

This study was to investigate the changes of autophagy in pancreatic tissue cells from hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis (HLAP) rats and the molecular mechanism of autophagy to induce inflammatory injury in pancreatic tissue cells. Male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were intraperitoneally injected with caerulein to establish acute pancreatitis (AP) model and then given a high fat diet to further prepare HLAP model. The HLAP rats were treated with autophagy inducer rapamycin or inhibitor 3-methyladenine. Pancreatic acinar (AR42J) cells were treated with caerulein to establish HLAP cell model. The HLAP cell model were treated with rapamycin or transfected with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) siRNA. The inflammatory factors in serum and cell culture supernatant were detected by ELISA method. The histopathological changes of pancreatic tissue were observed by HE staining. The changes of ultrastructure and autophagy in pancreatic tissue were observed by electron microscopy. The expression levels of Beclin-1, microtubule- associated protein light chain 3-II (LC3-II), mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), and VEGF were measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. The results showed that, compared with control group, the autophagy levels and inflammatory injury of pancreatic tissue cells from HLAP model rats were obviously increased, and these changes were aggravated by rapamycin treatment, but alleviated by 3-methyladenine treatment. In HLAP cell model, rapamycin aggravated the autophagy levels and inflammatory injury, whereas VEGF siRNA transfection increased mTORC1 protein expression, thus alleviating the autophagy and inflammatory injury of HLAP cell model. These results suggest that VEGF-induced autophagy plays a key role in HLAP pancreatic tissue cell injury, and interference with VEGF-mTORC1 pathway can reduce the autophagy levels and alleviate the inflammatory injury. The present study provides a new target for prevention and treatment of HLAP.

Effects of Zhongfeng capsule on autophagy related proteins expressions of brain tissue in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury / 中国应用生理学杂志

Objective: To investigate the effects of Zhongfeng capsule on the autophagy-related proteins expression in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (CI/ RI), and to explore its neural protection mechanisms of the decoction. Methods: Rat middle cerebral artery ischemia/reperfusion injury model (ischemia for 2 h, reperfusion for 24 h) was prepared by the improved line plug method. Sixty male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group, butylphthalide group(0.054 g/kg), Zhongfeng capsule high-dose groups (1.08 g/kg), Zhongfeng capsule middle-dose groups (0.54 g/kg), Zhongfeng capsule low-dose groups (0.27 g/kg), with 10 rats in each group. Rats were treated with Zhongfeng capsule by gavage once a day for 10 days. The rats were sacrificed and the brain tissue was obtained after the experiment in each group. Score neurological deficit was evaluated after 24 h of the last intervention in rat of each group. The pathological changes of brain tissue were observed by HE staining. The serum levels of estradiol (E2) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) were determined by ELISA. The expressions of key genes and proteins of PI3K/Akt/Beclin1 signaling pathway in brain tissue were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot respectively. Results: Compared with the sham operation group, the body weight and protein expressions of p-PI3k and p-Akt in brain tissue of rats were decreased significantly in the model group, while the brain index, neurological deficit score, gene and protein expressions of Beclin1 and LC3 were increased markedly in the model group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01). In the model group, nerve cells of brain tissue were loosely packed, interstitial edema, triangular in shape, nuclear pyknosis and dark-blue staining were observed. Compared with the model group, the body weight of rats was increased obviously, the neurological deficit score was decreased significantly and the pathological injury of brain tissue was alleviated evidently in high-dose of Zhongfeng capsule group (P＜0.05). The brain index, the gene and protein expressions of Beclin1 and LC3 were decreased apparently in Zhongfeng capsule treatment groups(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01), while the expressions of p-PI3k and p-Akt in brain tissue were increased evidently in Zhongfeng capsule treatment groups(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01). Conclusion: Zhongfeng capsule can inhibit autophagy and improve brain neurons lesion of CIRI rats, the mechanism may be related to regulate the expression of Beclin1 and LC3 in PI3K/Akt/Beclin1 signaling pathway.

Application and significance of mixed methods research in traditional Chinese medicine and narrative medicine / 中国中药杂志

Since narrative medicine was introduced in China, it has been widely used in medical education and clinical practice. The research on narrative medicine in China is especially characterized by its combination with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). At present, the research on narrative medicine in China is still in the stage of small-scale practicing and theory advocating. Besides, there is also a lack of guidance on experimental design methodology for clinical application, which leads to few high-quality studies in this field. The present study reviewed the current high-quality research on narrative medicine to discuss the value and prospects of mixed methods research in narrative medicine. In addition, the common design, application procedures, and notes of mixed methods research were explained to provide references for the extensive applications of narrative medicine in the medical field, especially TCM clinical practice, education, and scientific research.