ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Zuoguiwan on osteoclast activation induced by breast cancer and its mechanism. MethodsTo simulate breast cancer-induced osteoclastic bone metastasis， RAW264.7 cells were cultured in conditioned medium containing 50% supernatant of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The dosages of Zuoguiwan used in the experiment were sera containing 5% and 10% Zuoguiwan. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase （TRAP） staining was used to detect osteoclast activation. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to measure Cathepsin K secretion from RAW264.7 cells. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of osteocalcin （OCN） and bone sialoprotein （BSP）. Immunoprecipitation was employed to detect the interaction between Runt-related transcription factor 2 （Runx2） and core binding factor β subunit （CBF-β）. Western blot was used to assess the protein expression of Runx2， phosphorylated Runx2 （p-Runx2）， extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 （ERK1/2）， p-ERK1/2， p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， p-p38 MAPK， and CBF-β. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the MDA-MB-231 cell supernatant group showed a significant increase in TRAP-positive cell counts and Cathepsin K secretion. Meanwhile， the expression levels of p-Runx2， Runx2-CBF-β interaction， BSP and OCN mRNA， p-p38 MAPK， and p-ERK1/2 proteins were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the MDA-MB-231 cell supernatant group， Zuoguiwan-containing sera significantly reduced TRAP-positive cell counts and Cathepsin K secretion （P<0.01）， significantly increased p-Runx2， BSP and OCN mRNA expression， as well as p-p38 MAPK and p-ERK1/2 protein levels， and promoted the interaction between Runx2 and CBF-β （P<0.01）. No significant change in Runx2 expression was observed. Compared to the blank group， the BVD-523 group showed significantly lower expression of p-p38 MAPK and p-ERK1/2 proteins （P<0.01）. Compared with the BVD-523 group， both low and high concentration Zuoguiwan-containing sera groups showed significantly higher p-p38 MAPK expression （P<0.01）， and the high concentration Zuoguiwan group also exhibited a significant increase in p-ERK1/2 expression （P<0.01）， while no statistical difference was found in the low-dose group. ConclusionZuoguiwan inhibits osteoclast activation by inducing phosphorylation of the key transcriptional regulator Runx2 in intra-osteoclast bone formation， and this process is closely associated with the activation of the p38 MAPK/ERK signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of Shenge Bushen Capsules （SBC） on sexual development in normal 3-week-old mice. MethodsThe experiment consisted of two parts. In the first part， mice were divided into four groups： The control group and the low， medium， and high-dose SBC groups （234.7， 469.4， 938.7 mg·kg^-1， respectively）. In the second part， mice were divided into four groups： Control group， Pseudostellariae Radix polysaccharide （PRP） group， total flavonoids group， and SBC group， all receiving a dose of 469.4 mg·kg^-1. After 7 days of administration， the vaginal opening of female mice and the descent of testes and scrotum in male mice， as well as the ovarian and testicular organ indices， were observed. After 4 weeks of administration， female and male mice were housed together for 2 days， and the pregnancy rate of females was monitored. After delivery， the pregnant female mice continued receiving the treatment for 4 weeks， and the sexual development of their offspring， including vaginal opening， testicular descent， and organ indices of ovaries and testes， was observed. Serum sex hormones were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， and the expression of gonadotropin-releasing hormone （GnRH） and growth hormone （GH） proteins in the hypothalamus was assessed by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the control group， there was no significant effect on the vaginal opening of female mice or the descent of testes in male mice after 7 days of SBC administration. After 4 weeks of administration， the pregnancy rate in the low-dose group was significantly reduced （P<0.05）， but no significant effects were observed in the other groups. The three doses of SBC did not significantly affect the ovarian or testicular organ indices， and there was no significant upregulation in the expression of GnRH or GH in the hypothalamus. The primary component of SBC， Pseudostellariae Radix polysaccharide， significantly reduced the vaginal opening in female mice after 7 days of administration （P<0.05）. After 4 weeks， the serum estradiol levels of non-pregnant female mice were decreased （P<0.05）， but there was no significant effect on the expression of GnRH or GH proteins in the hypothalamus of either male or female mice. Additionally， there were no significant effects on precocious puberty indicators， such as vaginal opening and testicular descent， in the offspring mice. ConclusionSBC does not significantly promote precocious puberty in young mice， and it does not have any noticeable effects on the pregnancy rate of adult mice or the sexual development of their offspring.

ObjectiveTo investigate the key targets of Jianpi Yiqi prescription （JYP） in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） based on network pharmacology and explore the effect of JYP on the invasion and proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via protein tyrosine phosphatase， non-receptor type 1 （PTPN1） by bioinformatics analysis and CRISPR/Cas9. MethodsThe potential targets of JYP in the treatment of HCC were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP）， SwissTargetPrediction， GeneCards， NCBI， and CTD. Additionally， the active components of JYP that could interact with PTPN1 were screened out， and then molecular docking between the targets and active components was performed in Autodock 4.0. UALCAN， HPA， and LinkedOmics were used to analyze the expression of PTPN1 in the HCC tissue， and the relationship of PTPN1 expression with the overall survival （OS） of HCC patients was discussed. CRISPR/Cas9 was used to knock down the expression of PTPN1 in HepG2 and SK-hep-1 cells， and the knockdown effect was examined by sequencing， Real-time PCR， and Western blot. HepG2 cells were classified into blank control， low-， medium-， and high-dose JYP （5.25， 10.5， 21 g·kg^-1）， and PTPN1 knockout groups. Real-time PCR and Western blot were employed to determine the mRNA and protein levels， respectively， of PTPN1 in HepG2 cells of each group. The effects of JYP and PTPN1 knockdown on the proliferation， invasion， and apoptosis of HepG2 cells were detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 （CCK-8）， Transwell， and Annexin V-FITC/PI methods， respectively. ResultsJYP had the most active components targeting PTPN1， and 31 of the active components had the binding energy less than -5.0 kcal·mol^-1 in molecular docking. The mRNA and protein levels of PTPN1 in the HCC tissue were higher than those in the normal tissue （P<0.01）. Compared with that in the normal tissue， the mRNA level of PTPN1 in the HCC tissue was up-regulated at the pathological stages Ⅰ-Ⅲ and grades G₁-G₃ （P<0.01）， and it was not significantly up-regulated at the stage Ⅳ or grade G₄. The mRNA level of PTPN1 in the TP53-mutated HCC tissue was higher than that in the TP53-unmutated HCC tissue （P<0.01）. The high mRNA level of PTPN1 was associated with the OS reduction （P<0.01）. After treatment with the JYP-containing serum or knockdown of PTPN1， HepG2 cells demonstrated decreased proliferation and invasion and increased apoptosis （P<0.01）. ConclusionPTPN1 may be one of the core targets of JYP in the treatment of HCC. It is highly expressed in the HCC tissue and cells， which is associated with the poor prognosis of patients. The expression level of PTPN1 is significantly up-regulated in the HCC tissue of the patients with TP53 mutation. However， TP53 mutation or deletion does not affect the expression of PTPN1 in HCC cells. JYP can significantly down-regulate the expression of PTPN1 to inhibit the proliferation and invasion and promote the apoptosis of HCC cells.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Baoshen prescription in the treatment of stage Ⅳ diabetic nephropathy （DN） in the patients with syndromes of Qi-Yin deficiency and kidney collateral stasis and obstruction， and to explore the mechanism of this prescription delaying the disease progression. MethodsA randomized， controlled， double-blind， multicenter clinical trial was conducted， in which 94 stage Ⅳ DN patients with syndromes of Qi-Yin deficiency and kidney collateral stasis and obstruction were randomly assigned into Baoshen prescription and control groups （47 cases）. The treatment lasted for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy indicators were mainly renal function indexes， including urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio （UACR）， 24-hour urine total protein （24 h-UTP）， serum creatinine （SCr）， and estimated glomerular filtration rate （eGFR）. The secondary efficacy indicators were metabolic memory of hyperglycemia， podocyte epithelial-to-mesenchymal transdifferentiation-related indexes， and TCM syndrome score. ResultsAfter 12 weeks of treatment， the Baoshen prescription group showed lowered levels of advanced glycation end products （lgAGEs）， connective tissue growth factor （CTGF）， type Ⅳ collagen （Col-Ⅳ）， receptor of AGEs （RAGE）， urinary fibroblast-specific protein-1 （FSP-1）， UACR， 24 h-UTP， and glycated hemoglobin （HbAlc） （P<0.05）， and an upward trend of miR-21 mRNA. The control group showed elevated levels of SCr and UREA and lowered levels of urinary FSP-1， eGFR， and HbAlc （P<0.05）. After treatment， the Baoshen prescription group had lower levels of lgAGEs， CTGF， urinary FSP-1， SCr， UACR， and 24 h-UTP and higher levels of Col-Ⅳ and eGFR than the control group （P<0.05）. In addition， the Baoshen prescription group showed statistically significant differences in SCr， eGFR， UACR， and 24 h-UTP before and after treatment （P<0.05）. ConclusionBaoshen prescription can effectively improve the renal function， reduce the urinary protein level， and alleviate clinical symptoms in stage Ⅳ DN patients with syndromes of Qi-Yin deficiency and kidney collateral stasis and obstruction. The mechanism may be related to the metabolic memory of hyperglycemia and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transdifferentiation of podocytes.

Objective To investigate the lifestyle and cardiovascular disease in the elderly and analyze their association. Methods A simple random sampling method was used to select the elderly aged 60 years and above in a community of Xining from September 2022 to September 2023 as the study subjects. General demographic characteristics, prevalence of cardiovascular disease, living habits and activity status were collected by questionnaire. Demographic characteristics and life behavior habits were compared between the diseased and non-diseased groups, and multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of cardiovascular disease in the elderly. Results A total of 784 subjects, 259 (33.04%) suffered from cardiovascular disease, with coronary heart disease and hypertension being the most common. In terms of disease risk, males were 1.378 times higher than females, non-income groups were 1.394 times higher than income groups, receiving health education/popular science < 1 time/month groups were 1.533 times higher than ≥ 2 times/month groups, combined diabetes or obesity groups were 1.490 times and 1.470 times higher than non-diabetes or obesity groups, salty fresh taste groups were 1.690 times higher than light taste groups, fresh fruit intake frequency ≤ 3 times/week groups were 1.492 times higher than ＞7 times/week groups, smoking ≥ 30 cigarettes/month groups were 2.257 times higher than non-smoking groups, drinking ≥ 2 liquors or 500 ml beer/day groups were 1.569 times higher than non-drinking groups, irregular physical examination habits groups were 1.619 times higher than regular physical examination habits groups, aerobic exercise did not reach the standard groups were 1.454 times higher than the standard groups. Conclusion Lifestyle is associated with cardiovascular disease in the elderly. It is important to carry out targeted health education and advocate healthy behavior lifestyle to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease.

Tracheobronchial adenoid cystic carcinoma （TACC） is a low-grade malignant tumor originating from the airway mucosa. Despite its slow progression，it is characterized by high invasiveness，frequent recurrence，and a strong tendency for metastasis. Preclinical studies have shown that vascular-targeted therapy holds significant potential. However，an effective systemic treatment for TACC has not been established yet. This study explored TACC from the perspective of "Feiji" in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） as the starting point. It deeply investigated the mechanisms of abnormal collaterals and tumor vascular recruitment and further elaborated on the theoretical connection between abnormal collaterals and tumor vascular recruitment. Firstly，collateral hyperactivity led to disordered and erratic pulmonary collaterals. Their abnormal structures were similar to the disorderly and tortuous nature of tumor （pseudo）angiogenesis. This resulted in imbalances in the functions of circulation，perfusion，and reverse injection of the pulmonary collaterals，and then led to unrestrained collateral dysfunction and the accumulation of pathogenic factors. Secondly，the remodeling of the extracellular matrix （ECM） and epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） in TACC were critical processes in vascular co-option （VCO），representing the micro-level manifestation of the displacement of nutrient and defense. During this process，ECM remodeling made TACC cells more likely to hijack normal blood vessels，creating a complex vascular microenvironment conducive to tumor growth. In terms of treatment，this study proposed a TCM strategy of "regulating collaterals to expel pathogenic factors and nourishing collaterals to strengthen the healthy Qi"，and listed potential TCM. These were intended to regulate the Qi and blood in the collaterals，repair the functions of abnormal collaterals，and intervene in the vascular recruitment process of TACC. Future research should focus on improving the TCM clinical syndrome characteristics of TACC. Through modern molecular biology techniques，it is necessary to deeply analyze the micro-level pattern of vascular recruitment in TACC. This would enrich the understanding of the profound connection between abnormal collaterals and tumor vascular recruitment，providing empirical evidence for TCM-targeted therapies for vascular recruitment in TACC.

AIM: To delineate the specific mutation responsible for retinitis pigmentosa(RP)in a Yi pedigree, and to analyze the correlation of RHO gene mutation with clinical phenotype.METHODS:A comprehensive clinical evaluation was conducted on the proband diagnosed with RP and other familial members, complemented by a thorough ophthalmic examination. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from the proband and familial members, from which genomic DNA was extracte. Subsequent whole exome sequencing(WES)was employed to identify the variant genes in the proband. The identified variant gene was validated through Sanger sequencing, then an in-depth analysis of the mutation genes was carried out using genetic databases to ascertain the pathogenic mutation sites. Furthermore, an exhaustive analysis was performed to delineate the genotype and phenotype characteristics.RESULTS:The RP pedigree encompasses 5 generations with 42 members, including 19 males and 23 females. A total of 13 cases of RP were identified, consisting of 4 males and 9 females, which conforms to the autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. The clinical features of this family include an early onset age, rapid progression, and a more severe condition. The patients were found to have night blindness around 6 years old, representing the earliest reported case of night blindness in RP families. The retina was manifested by progressive osteocytoid pigmentation of the fundus, a reduced visual field, and significantly decreased or even vanished a and b amplitudes of ERG. The combined results of WES and Sanger sequencing indicated that the proband had a heterozygous missense mutation of the RHO gene c.1040C>T:p.P347L, where the 1 040 base C of cDNA was replaced by T, causing codon 347 to encode leucine instead of proline. Interestingly, this mutation has not been reported in the Chinese population.CONCLUSION:This study confirmed that the mutant gene of RP in a Yi nationality pedigree was RHO(c.1040C>T). This variant leads to the change of codon 347 from encoding proline to encoding leucine, resulting in a severe clinical phenotype among family members. This study provides a certain molecular, clinical, and genetic basis for genetic counseling and gene diagnosis of RHO.

AIM: To delineate the specific mutation responsible for retinitis pigmentosa(RP)in a Yi pedigree, and to analyze the correlation of RHO gene mutation with clinical phenotype.METHODS:A comprehensive clinical evaluation was conducted on the proband diagnosed with RP and other familial members, complemented by a thorough ophthalmic examination. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from the proband and familial members, from which genomic DNA was extracte. Subsequent whole exome sequencing(WES)was employed to identify the variant genes in the proband. The identified variant gene was validated through Sanger sequencing, then an in-depth analysis of the mutation genes was carried out using genetic databases to ascertain the pathogenic mutation sites. Furthermore, an exhaustive analysis was performed to delineate the genotype and phenotype characteristics.RESULTS:The RP pedigree encompasses 5 generations with 42 members, including 19 males and 23 females. A total of 13 cases of RP were identified, consisting of 4 males and 9 females, which conforms to the autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. The clinical features of this family include an early onset age, rapid progression, and a more severe condition. The patients were found to have night blindness around 6 years old, representing the earliest reported case of night blindness in RP families. The retina was manifested by progressive osteocytoid pigmentation of the fundus, a reduced visual field, and significantly decreased or even vanished a and b amplitudes of ERG. The combined results of WES and Sanger sequencing indicated that the proband had a heterozygous missense mutation of the RHO gene c.1040C>T:p.P347L, where the 1 040 base C of cDNA was replaced by T, causing codon 347 to encode leucine instead of proline. Interestingly, this mutation has not been reported in the Chinese population.CONCLUSION:This study confirmed that the mutant gene of RP in a Yi nationality pedigree was RHO(c.1040C>T). This variant leads to the change of codon 347 from encoding proline to encoding leucine, resulting in a severe clinical phenotype among family members. This study provides a certain molecular, clinical, and genetic basis for genetic counseling and gene diagnosis of RHO.

Immobilized enzyme-based enzyme electrode biosensors, characterized by high sensitivity and efficiency, strong specificity, and compact size, demonstrate broad application prospects in life science research, disease diagnosis and monitoring, etc. Immobilization of enzyme is a critical step in determining the performance (stability, sensitivity, and reproducibility) of the biosensors. Random immobilization (physical adsorption, covalent cross-linking, etc.) can easily bring about problems, such as decreased enzyme activity and relatively unstable immobilization. Whereas, directional immobilization utilizing amino acid residue mutation, affinity peptide fusion, or nucleotide-specific binding to restrict the orientation of the enzymes provides new possibilities to solve the problems caused by random immobilization. In this paper, the principles, advantages and disadvantages and the application progress of enzyme electrode biosensors of different directional immobilization strategies for enzyme molecular sensing elements by specific amino acids (lysine, histidine, cysteine, unnatural amino acid) with functional groups introduced based on site-specific mutation, affinity peptides (gold binding peptides, carbon binding peptides, carbohydrate binding domains) fused through genetic engineering, and specific binding between nucleotides and target enzymes (proteins) were reviewed, and the application fields, advantages and limitations of various immobilized enzyme interface characterization techniques were discussed, hoping to provide theoretical and technical guidance for the creation of high-performance enzyme sensing elements and the manufacture of enzyme electrode sensors.

Collagen is a major structural protein in the matrix of animal cells and the most widely distributed and abundant functional protein in mammals. Collagen’s good biocompatibility, biodegradability and biological activity make it a very valuable biomaterial. According to the source of collagen, it can be broadly categorized into two types: one is animal collagen; the other is recombinant collagen. Animal collagen is mainly extracted and purified from animal connective tissues by chemical methods, such as acid, alkali and enzyme methods, etc. Recombinant collagen refers to collagen produced by gene splicing technology, where the amino acid sequence is first designed and improved according to one’s own needs, and the gene sequence of improved recombinant collagen is highly consistent with that of human beings, and then the designed gene sequence is cloned into the appropriate vector, and then transferred to the appropriate expression vector. The designed gene sequence is cloned into a suitable vector, and then transferred to a suitable expression system for full expression, and finally the target protein is obtained by extraction and purification technology. Recombinant collagen has excellent histocompatibility and water solubility, can be directly absorbed by the human body and participate in the construction of collagen, remodeling of the extracellular matrix, cell growth, wound healing and site filling, etc., which has demonstrated significant effects, and has become the focus of the development of modern biomedical materials. This paper firstly elaborates the structure, type, and tissue distribution of human collagen, as well as the associated genetic diseases of different types of collagen, then introduces the specific process of producing animal source collagen and recombinant collagen, explains the advantages of recombinant collagen production method, and then introduces the various systems of expressing recombinant collagen, as well as their advantages and disadvantages, and finally briefly introduces the application of animal collagen, focusing on the use of animal collagen in the development of biopharmaceutical materials. In terms of application, it focuses on the use of animal disease models exploring the application effects of recombinant collagen in wound hemostasis, wound repair, corneal therapy, female pelvic floor dysfunction (FPFD), vaginal atrophy (VA) and vaginal dryness, thin endometritis (TE), chronic endometritis (CE), bone tissue regeneration in vivo, cardiovascular diseases, breast cancer (BC) and anti-aging. The mechanism of action of recombinant collagen in the treatment of FPFD and CE was introduced, and the clinical application and curative effect of recombinant collagen in skin burn, skin wound, dermatitis, acne and menopausal urogenital syndrome (GSM) were summarized. From the exploratory studies and clinical applications, it is evident that recombinant collagen has demonstrated surprising effects in the treatment of all types of diseases, such as reducing inflammation, promoting cell proliferation, migration and adhesion, increasing collagen deposition, and remodeling the extracellular matrix. At the end of the review, the challenges faced by recombinant collagen are summarized: to develop new recombinant collagen types and dosage forms, to explore the mechanism of action of recombinant collagen, and to provide an outlook for the future development and application of recombinant collagen.