Daily runoff prediction based on the adaptive fourier decomposition method and multiscale temporal convolutional network.

The non-linearity and non-stationarity of runoff series pose significant challenges to runoff forecasting, and conventional single forecasting models struggle to accurately capture the internal dynamics of the series. To address this issue, we propose a runoff prediction model named AFDM-MTCN, which combines the adaptive Fourier decomposition method (AFDM) and multiscale temporal convolutional network (MTCN). AFDM-MTCN consists of two stages: adaptive decomposition and multi-scale feature extraction. In the adaptive decomposition stage, the improved Fourier decomposition method (IFDM) is optimized using the Sparrow Search Algorithm to enhance its ability to extract temporal patterns. In the multi-scale feature extraction stage, improvements are made to the temporal convolutional network (TCN) through the use of multi-scale convolution kernels, skip connections, and depth-wise separable convolution, to capture information from multiple angles, enhance information propagation, and reduce training parameters. The model was applied to two hydrological stations in the Weihe River Basin and compared with state-of-the-art methods to assess its accuracy and feasibility. The results demonstrate that AFDM-MTCN exhibits satisfactory performance in runoff prediction. Furthermore, compared to other decomposition techniques, AFDM demonstrates stronger capability in extracting patterns from non-stationary runoff data.

Efficacy of Weikang Pian in Patients with Functional Dyspepsia: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: FD (functional dyspepsia) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder, which lacks effective and safe treatment. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been applied in FD treatment for thousands of years with satisfactory clinical outcomes. Zhishi is a classical traditional Chinese medicine used to treat FD. Weikang pian (WKP) is made of flavonoids extracted from zhishi which could effectively alleviate the symptoms of FD. This research aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of WKP in FD treatment. METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled clinical trial. The patients were diagnosed as FD according to RomeIII criteria. Then, FD patients were selected and assigned randomly to either WKP or placebo group. The subjects randomly received WKP or placebo for 4 weeks with 4 tablets each time, 3 times daily. The single dyspepsia symptom (SDS) scale and the gastric emptying function were measured before and after the treatment. Moreover, the safety of the trial and patient compliance were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 60 FD patients were eventually enrolled in the trial, among them 45 patients in the WKP group and 15 patients in the placebo group. The primary outcome was the SDS scale, including assessments of postprandial distension, early satiety, epigastric burning, and pain. The secondary outcome was the gastric emptying function. Compared with the placebo group, the symptoms of FD in the WKP group were relieved after 4 weeks of treatment (P < 0.05). Some minor changes appeared in the four groups, but there were no significant differences in gastric emptying parameters of GER (2-hour gastric emptying rate) and GET/2 (gastric semiempty time) (P > 0.05). Severe adverse events were absent. The compliance to treatment was 94%-96%, and there was no significant difference between the groups. CONCLUSION: WKP can relieve FD symptoms to some extent. This trial is registered with Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR): CTR 20132482.

Pharmacodynamic properties and bioequivalence of dalteparin sodium subcutaneous injection in healthy Chinese male subjects.

1. Dalteparin sodium (DS) is a low molecular weight heparin that is widely used in the treatment of thromboembolism. The purpose of this study was to compare the pharmacodynamic properties and bioequivalence of the two formulations of DS with subcutaneous injection in healthy Chinese male subjects. 2. In this randomized, open-label, two-period crossover study, a total of 24 male subjects were recruited to receive single subcutaneous doses of test and reference DS injection in two different sequences (12 subjects each) with a seven-day washout period. Plasma samples were obtained at different time points after administration of the injection and measured by chromogenic substrate assay. The pharmacodynamic parameters including Emax, AUEC0-T, AUEC0-∞ and Tmax were analyzed to evaluate the bioequivalence of two DS formulations. 3. The relative bioequivalence was 107.7 ± 15.5 and 106.6 ± 29.8 for Anti-Xa and Anti-IIa, two major active metabolites of DS, respectively. The 90% confidence intervals (CIs) of the geometric mean ratio (test/reference) of Emax, AUEC0-T and AUEC0-∞ were 98.71-104.40%, 101.95-112.13% and 102.38-112.10% for Anti-Xa, and 100.88-110.42%, 95.76-112.62% and 92.24-111.32% for Anti-IIa, respectively, and all of the 90% CIs were within 80-125%. The T1/2 of reference and test were 2.88 ± 1.21 h and 2.76 ± 0.97 h for Anti-Xa, 1.87 ± 0.62 h and 1.96 ± 1.52 h for Anti-IIa. 4. Based on the pharmacodynamic parameters and FDA Guidance on DS and regulatory criteria for bioequivalence, the test and reference formulations were bioequivalent in healthy Chinese male subjects.

miR-590-3p mediates the protective effect of curcumin on injured endothelial cells induced by angiotensin II.

Curcumin (Cur) has multiple pharmacological effects including antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cardiovascular protective effects. This research aims to further explore whether the cardiovascular protective effects of Cur are mediated by the miR-590-3p/CD40 pathway. Endothelial cells (ECs) were cultivated with 10-7 mol/L angiotensin II (Ang II) to establish a damage model. Real-time PCR was used to determine the expression of CD40 and eNOS mRNA on ECs. The protein expressions of CD40 and eNOS were detected by Western blot analysis. The intracellular activities of SOD, CAT and MDA level were determined by corresponding detection kits, and the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in ECs was measured by ROS assay kit. Ang II increased both the mRNA and protein level of CD40, while it down-regulated the expression of eNOS at mRNA and protein level. These observations were accompanied by decreased activities of SOD and CAT with increased levels of intracellular MDA and ROS. Cur and miR-590-3p mimics inhibited the expressions of CD40 mRNA and protein induced by Ang II and alleviated the intracellular oxidative stress seen with increased levels of eNOS. However, these beneficial effects caused by Cur were partially reversed in the presence of miR-590-3p inhibitors. Our results indicate miR-590-3p is involved in the anti-inflammatory effects of Cur in ECs damaged by Ang II.

Association between Cx37 rs1764390 polymorphism and susceptibility to sepsis in Chinese population.

In this study, we aimed to explore the possible relationship between a functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1764390 in Cx37 and sepsis. We also investigated the difference of Cx37 expression in septic patients and healthy controls. A case-control study was performed in 215 septic patients and in 260 healthy controls. Genotyping of the rs1764390 polymorphism was performed by sequencing method. The expression of Cx37 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from septic patients and healthy controls was determined by real-time PCR and western-blotting. Plasma levels of NO, IL-6, and C reactive protein (CRP) were also detected in septic patients and healthy controls. The frequencies of GG genotype and the rs1764390 G allele were significantly higher in septic patients than in healthy controls. We also observed a decreased expression of Cx37 protein in septic patients compared to the healthy controls accompanied by increased plasma levels of NO, IL-6 and CRP. Furthermore, the carriers of rs1764390 G allele showed higher levels of NO, IL-6 and CRP in septic patients. The rs1764390 G allele is associated with increased susceptibility to sepsis, which may be involved in the process of sepsis via mediating the plasma levels of NO, IL-6 and CRP.

Association of the LOX-1 rs1050283 Polymorphism with Risk for Atherosclerotic Cerebral Infarction and its Effect on sLOX-1 and LOX-1 Expression in a Chinese Population.

AIMS: The interaction between lectin-like oxidized low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-1 (LOX-1) and oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) has been viewed as an important pathogenic factor for cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to explore the association of a functional polymorphism rs1050283 in the 3'-untranslated region of the LOX-1 gene with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction (ACI) susceptibility, and we also investigated the effects of the rs1050283 polymorphism on LOX-1 expression and serum levels of sLOX-1 in patients with ACI. METHODS: A case-controlled study was performed in 526 patients with ACI and 640 healthy controls. Genotyping was performed by DNA sequencing method. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to determine the level of LOX-1 expression. Serum levels of sLOX-1 were quantified using ELISA according to the manufacturer's instruction. RESULTS: The results of the present study showed that the frequency of rs1050283 T allele was significantly higher in patients with ACI than in healthy controls. We also found that the rs1050283 polymorphism T allele was associated with increased LOX-1 expression at mRNA and protein levels in patients with ACI. Furthermore, we also observed that among patients with ACI, those with the rs1050283 T allele showed an increased serum level of sLOX-1. CONCLUSION: Our research demonstrated that the rs1050283 T allele of LOX-1 is strongly associated with an increased risk for ACI in a Chinese population, which also affects levels of LOX-1 and sLOX-1.

miR-145 mediated the role of aspirin in resisting VSMCs proliferation and anti-inflammation through CD40.

BACKGROUND: Aspirin (ASA) is the most widely used medicine to prevent cardiovascular diseases; however, the mechanisms by which ASA exerts its anti-proliferative effect remain not fully understood. This study was designed to investigate whether miR-145 is involved in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cells' (VSMCs) proliferation and to determine the anti-inflammatory effects of ASA via its regulation of CD40 to provide a new theoretical basis for the pharmacological effect of aspirin. METHODS: The TNF-α induced proliferation model of VSMCs was divided into different groups with or without aspirin. Cell proliferation was detected by EdU; Real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of miR-145, CD40, and Calponin, a VSMCs differentiation marker gene. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of CD40; ELISA was used to determine the concentrations of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in cell supernatants. RESULTS: The proliferation of VSMCs was stimulated by TNF-α and accompanied by decreased levels of Calponin. TNF-α also decreased the levels of miR-145 and increased the levels of CD40 and IL-6. Pretreatment with 20 µg/mL of aspirin in VSMCs could partially block the above-mentioned effects induced by TNF-α. The protective effects of ASA in VSMCs were reversed by a pretreatment with a miR-145 inhibitor. We also found that the expression of miR-145 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in ischemic stroke patients was significantly increased after a 10-day treatment with aspirin. CONCLUSION: miR-145 is involved in the anti-proliferation and anti-inflammation effects of aspirin on VSMCs by inhibiting the expression of CD40.

Comparison of ferulic acid content in Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Danggui-Buxue-Tang and Danggui-Sini-Tang.

The aim of the present study was to determine the ferulic acid (FA) content of Radix Angelicae Sinensis (AS), Danggui-Buxue-Tang (DBT) and Danggui-Sini-Tang (DST) using the same ultra performance liquid chromatography system and method. FA was eluted using an Acquity BEH C18 column (100×2.1 mm inner diameter; 1.7 µm). A mobile phase of methanol and 0.5% acetic acid was used and a flow rate of 0.3 ml/min was selected. The calibration curve exhibited a good linear regression (R2=0.9997). The inter- and intra-day precision measurements of FA ranged between 0.27 and 3.03% and the recovery ranged between 98.44 and 101.64% with relative standard deviation (RSD) values ≤4.73%. The method was reliable and simple. The results of the chromatographic analyses indicate that the FA contents of the DBT and DST decoctions were increased compared with that of AS due to the presence of other herbs.