This study aims to explore the effects and action mechanisms of the active ingredients in Buyang Huanwu Decoction(BYHWD), namely tetramethylpyrazine(TMP) and hydroxy-safflor yellow A(HSYA), on oxygen-glucose deprivation/reglucose-reoxygenation(OGD/R)-induced inflammation and oxidative stress of microglia(MG). Network pharmacology was used to screen the effective monomer ingredients of BYHWD and determine the safe concentration range for each component. Inflammation and oxidative stress models were established to further screen the best ingredient combination and optimal concentration ratio with the most effective anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. OGD/R BV2 cell models were constructed, and BV2 cells in the logarithmic growth phase were divided into a normal group, a model group, an HSYA group, a TMP group, and an HSYA + TMP group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the levels of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β(IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and interleukin-6(IL-6). Oxidative stress markers, including superoxide dismutase(SOD), nitric oxide(NO), and malondialdehyde(MDA), were also measured. Western blot was used to analyze the protein expression of both inflammation-related pathway [Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)] and oxidative stress-related pathway [nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)]. Immunofluorescence was used to assess the expression of proteins such as inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS) and arginase-1(Arg-1). The most effective ingredients for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in BYHWD were TMP and HSYA. Compared to the normal group, the model group showed significantly increased levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, NO, and MDA, along with significantly higher protein expression of NF-κB, TLR4, Nrf2, and HO-1 and significantly lower SOD levels. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant. Compared to the model group, both the HSYA group and the TMP group showed significantly reduced levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, NO, and MDA, lower expression of NF-κB and TLR4 proteins, higher levels of SOD, and significantly increased protein expression of Nrf2 and HO-1. Additionally, the expression of the M1-type MG marker iNOS was significantly reduced, while the expression of the M2-type MG marker Arg-1 was significantly increased. The results of the HSYA group and the TMP group had statistically significant differences from those of the model group. Compared to the HSYA group and the TMP group, the HSYA + TMP group showed further significant reductions in IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, NO, and MDA levels, along with significant reductions in NF-κB and TLR4 protein expression, an increase in SOD levels, and elevated Nrf2 and HO-1 protein expression. Additionally, the expression of the M1-type MG marker iNOS was reduced, while the M2-type MG marker Arg-1 expression increased significantly in the HSYA + TMP group compared to the TMP or HSYA group. The differences in the results were statistically significant between the HSYA + TMP group and the TMP or HSYA group. The findings indicated that the combined use of HSYA and TMP, the active ingredients of BYHWD, can effectively inhibit OGD/R-induced inflammation and oxidative stress of MG, showing superior effects compared to the individual use of either component.
Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Cell Line ; Inflammation/genetics* ; Oxygen/metabolism* ; Pyrazines/pharmacology* ; Microglia/metabolism* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/immunology* ; NF-kappa B/immunology* ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/immunology* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology* ; Humans

This study aims to comprehensively analyze the material basis of toad visceral oil(hereafter referred to as toad oil), and explore the pharmacological effect of toad oil on atopic dermatitis(AD). Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-linear ion trap/orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry(UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) were employed to comprehensively identify the chemical components in toad oil. The animal model of AD was prepared by the hapten stimulation method. The modeled animals were respectively administrated with positive drug(0.1% hydrocortisone butyrate cream) and low-and high-doses(1%, 10%) of toad oil by gavage. The effect of toad oil on AD was evaluated with the AD score, ear swelling rate, spleen index, and pathological section results as indicators. A total of 99 components were identified by UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS, including 14 bufadienolides, 7 fatty acids, 6 alkaloids, 10 ketones, 18 amides, and other compounds. After methylation of toad oil samples, a total of 20 compounds were identified by GC-MS. Compared with the model group, the low-and high-dose toad oil groups showed declined AD score, ear swelling rate, and spleen index, alleviated skin lesions, and reduced infiltrating mast cells. This study comprehensively analyzes the chemical composition and clarifies the material basis of toad oil. Meanwhile, this study proves that toad oil has a good therapeutic effect on AD and is a reserve resource of traditional Chinese medicine for external use in the treatment of AD.
Animals ; Dermatitis, Atopic/immunology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; Male ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Humans ; Bufonidae ; Oils/administration & dosage* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Female ; Mice, Inbred BALB C

The auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) gene family is an important regulator for plant growth hormone signaling, involved in plant growth, development, as well as response to environmental stresses. In the present study, we identified SmIAA7 which is potentially associated with Salvia miltiorrhiza leaf development through comparatively analyzed the transcriptome data from different pinnate leaves. SmIAA7 was successfully isolated from S. miltiorrhiza using the specific primers. Then subsequent bioinformatic analysis, prokaryotic expression and purification, subcellular localization, and induction expression analysis under auxin and abiotic stress were performed. The full-length of SmIAA7 contained an ORF of 684 bp encoding a protein of 227 amino acid with a molecular weight of 25.3 kD. Conserved domain analysis showed that SmIAA7 contains the conserved Aux_IAA domain (pfam02309). Sequence analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis results indicated SmIAA7 was phylogenetically close to IAA7 and IAA14 from other plants, suggesting SmIAA7 involved in plant growth and development as well as response to environmental stresses. The prokaryotic expression vector pET28a-SmIAA7 was constructed and SmIAA7 recombinant protein was successfully expressed in E. coli Rosetta (DE3) strain. Subcellular localization experiment demonstrated that SmIAA7 localized in the nucleus of plant cells. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR results showed that the expression level of SmIAA7 was upregulated in response to auxin. Drought, low temperature, and salt stress significantly increased the transcript level of SmIAA7 gene. This study lays a foundation for further elucidating the role of SmIAA7 in leaf development, signal transduction, and stress defense in S. miltiorrhiza.

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma is insidious in onset and often causes obstructive jaundice due to bile stasis,leading to impaired liver function.For tumors with malignant obstructive jaundice,biliary drainage is often performed before surgery in clinical practice.Currently,the commonly used drainage methods are percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage(PTBD)and endoscopic retrograde biliary drain-age(ERBD),but there are controversies over the advantages and disadvantages of the two drainage methods.PTBD drainage can often lead to tumor implantation metastasis,but the underlying mechanism remains unclear.We detected tumor cells in PTBD and ERBD bile samples from hilar cholangiocarcino-ma patients,subsequently explored their tumorigenicity and mechanisms through tumorsphere assay in vitro and xenograft tumor models in vivo.The experiments included benign gallstones group(30 cases)as a negative control,PTBD group(14 cases)and ERBD group(13 cases).Tumorsphere formation was i-dentified in 3 cases(23％)among the 13 cases of ERBD group,in 6 cases(42％)among the 14 cases of PTBD group,but there were no tumor cells or formed tumorspheres in the 30 cases of benign gallstone group.The tumor sphere formation ability of cells in the PTBD group was significantly higher than that in ERBD group.Subcutaneous xenograft tumor assays showed that tumor growth in the PTBD group was sig-nificantly higher than that in the ERBD group.Tumor cells in PTBD bile possessed stronger tumorigenici-ty compared with the ERBD group.Mechanically,stem cell transcription factor Nanog mRNA levels were significantly higher in the PTBD group compared to the ERBD group.Both tumorsphere formation and xenograft tumor growth were reduced by Nanog knockdown in three cases of the PTBD group,indicating the important roles of Nanog in tumorigenicity of PTBD group tumor cells.The half-life of Nanog mRNA was longer in PTBD group cells than in ERBD group cells,suggesting potential post-transcriptional regu-lation on Nanog mRNA.The Nanog m6A level was higher in PTBD group tumor cells compared to the ERBD group.Analysis of methyltransferases and demethylases,ALKBH5(α-ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenase alkb family homolog 5)mRNA levels were lower in the PTBD group than in the ERBD group and significantly correlated with the m6A level of Nanog.ALKBH5 knockdown led to an increase in the m6A level of Nanog,while ALKBH5 overexpression decreased the m6A level of Nanog.Dual-luciferase activity assays demonstrated that ALKBH5 knockdown significantly enhanced luciferase activity,whereas ALKBH5 overexpression reduced it.Further studies confirmed that ALKBH5 knockdown upregulated both the mRNA and protein levels of Nanog,whereas overexpressing ALKBH5 downregulated them.ALKBH5 mediated the demethylation modification of Nanog mRNA,and the lower levels of ALKBH5 expression in the PTBD group promoted Nanog's m6A modification.Overexpressing ALKBH5 decreased tumorsphere growth,while ALKBH5 knockdown increased it,which was subsequently reduced by the simultaneous Nanog knockdown again.In sum,tumor cells in PTBD and ERBD drainage bile from hilar cholangiocar-cinoma patients exhibited tumorigenicity.Compared to the ERBD group,tumor cells in PTBD bile with lower ALKBH5 expression levels enhanced Nanog's m6A modification to upregulate Nanog expression levels,resulting in stronger tumorigenicity.These findings are significant for elucidating propensity to tumor implantation metastasis from PTBD drainage.

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma is insidious in onset and often causes obstructive jaundice due to bile stasis,leading to impaired liver function.For tumors with malignant obstructive jaundice,biliary drainage is often performed before surgery in clinical practice.Currently,the commonly used drainage methods are percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage(PTBD)and endoscopic retrograde biliary drain-age(ERBD),but there are controversies over the advantages and disadvantages of the two drainage methods.PTBD drainage can often lead to tumor implantation metastasis,but the underlying mechanism remains unclear.We detected tumor cells in PTBD and ERBD bile samples from hilar cholangiocarcino-ma patients,subsequently explored their tumorigenicity and mechanisms through tumorsphere assay in vitro and xenograft tumor models in vivo.The experiments included benign gallstones group(30 cases)as a negative control,PTBD group(14 cases)and ERBD group(13 cases).Tumorsphere formation was i-dentified in 3 cases(23％)among the 13 cases of ERBD group,in 6 cases(42％)among the 14 cases of PTBD group,but there were no tumor cells or formed tumorspheres in the 30 cases of benign gallstone group.The tumor sphere formation ability of cells in the PTBD group was significantly higher than that in ERBD group.Subcutaneous xenograft tumor assays showed that tumor growth in the PTBD group was sig-nificantly higher than that in the ERBD group.Tumor cells in PTBD bile possessed stronger tumorigenici-ty compared with the ERBD group.Mechanically,stem cell transcription factor Nanog mRNA levels were significantly higher in the PTBD group compared to the ERBD group.Both tumorsphere formation and xenograft tumor growth were reduced by Nanog knockdown in three cases of the PTBD group,indicating the important roles of Nanog in tumorigenicity of PTBD group tumor cells.The half-life of Nanog mRNA was longer in PTBD group cells than in ERBD group cells,suggesting potential post-transcriptional regu-lation on Nanog mRNA.The Nanog m6A level was higher in PTBD group tumor cells compared to the ERBD group.Analysis of methyltransferases and demethylases,ALKBH5(α-ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenase alkb family homolog 5)mRNA levels were lower in the PTBD group than in the ERBD group and significantly correlated with the m6A level of Nanog.ALKBH5 knockdown led to an increase in the m6A level of Nanog,while ALKBH5 overexpression decreased the m6A level of Nanog.Dual-luciferase activity assays demonstrated that ALKBH5 knockdown significantly enhanced luciferase activity,whereas ALKBH5 overexpression reduced it.Further studies confirmed that ALKBH5 knockdown upregulated both the mRNA and protein levels of Nanog,whereas overexpressing ALKBH5 downregulated them.ALKBH5 mediated the demethylation modification of Nanog mRNA,and the lower levels of ALKBH5 expression in the PTBD group promoted Nanog's m6A modification.Overexpressing ALKBH5 decreased tumorsphere growth,while ALKBH5 knockdown increased it,which was subsequently reduced by the simultaneous Nanog knockdown again.In sum,tumor cells in PTBD and ERBD drainage bile from hilar cholangiocar-cinoma patients exhibited tumorigenicity.Compared to the ERBD group,tumor cells in PTBD bile with lower ALKBH5 expression levels enhanced Nanog's m6A modification to upregulate Nanog expression levels,resulting in stronger tumorigenicity.These findings are significant for elucidating propensity to tumor implantation metastasis from PTBD drainage.

Objective To survey and analysis of cephalometric indicators of Wa adults in China.Methods Cephalometric parameters were measured in 1996 cases(858 males and 1138 females)of Wa adults in China,including 927 cases(381 males and 546 females)of the Baraoke ethnic group,564 cases(241 males and 323 females)of the A Wa ethnic group,and 505 cases(236 males and 269 females)of the Wa ethnic group by using sliding caliper and spreading caliper.Seventeen direct cephalofacial parameters and one indirect parameter for each of the three dialect ethnic groups were derived separately and analyzed for age correlations,inter-sex u-tests,and multiple comparisons.Finally,the three dialect ethnic groups were subjected to cluster analysis and principal component analysis with 15 ethnic groups in China.Results Nose breadth,mouth breadth and physiognomic ear length were significantly and positively correlated with age for both sexes in the three Wa dialect ethnic groups,while head breadth and lip height were significantly and negatively correlated with age.Except for the interocular breadth,there were gender differences between males and females in the cephalometric parameters of the three Wa dialect ethnic groups.The cephalofacial features of the Baraoke,A Wa and Wa ethnic groups were different,as evidenced by the fact that males and females of the Baraoke and Wa dialect ethnic group had higher lip height,wider nasal breadth and wider mouth breadth,while males and females of the A Wa ethnic group had lower nasal height.Conclusion The cephalofacial features of the three Wa dialect ethnic groups are close to those of the Khmus and Mang,who have their origins in the ancient Baipu people and are also members of the Mon-Khmer language group of the Austroasiatic linguistic.

Purpose/Significance A prediction model is constructed based on real-world data to achieve prediction and early screening of type 2 diabetic microvascular complications.Method/Process Based on the real world data of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital in the past 10 years,a particle swarm optimization based deep belief network(PSO-DBN)prediction model for microvascular complica-tions in type 2 diabetes mellitus is constructed by taking test results and medical record documents into consideration.Result/Conclusion The PSO-DBN model can predict diabetic microvascular complications,and the performance is better than that of random forest and sup-port vector machine(SVM)benchmark models,it provides references for the research of disease prediction model of real-world data.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a clinical syndrome characterized by a rapid decline in renal function. Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (RIRI) is one of the main causes of AKI with the underlying mechanism incompletely clarified. The liver X receptors (LXRs), including LXRα and LXRβ, are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily. It has been shown that LXRs play an important role in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism, cholesterol efflux, and inflammation. The purpose of this study was to explore the role and mechanism of LXRs in RIRI. We determined the effects of LXR activation on renal function and histological changes in a mouse RIRI model and a cellular model of hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). In vivo results showed that LXRs agonist GW3965 significantly inhibited the increase of serum creatinine and urea nitrogen levels induced by RIRI. Both HE and PAS staining of kidney tissues revealed that GW3965 alleviated the morphological damages caused by RIRI. Immunohistochemical staining showed that GW3965 mitigated 4-HNE and GRP78 levels induced by RIRI. Furthermore, TUNEL assay indicated that GW3965 reduced RIRI-induced renal cell apoptosis. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) analysis revealed that GW3965 attenuated RIRI-induced IL-6 and IL-1β mRNA expression. Compared with wild-type group, LXRα gene deficiency had little effect on RIRI-associated renal functional decline and morphological damages. Additionally, in vitro study demonstrated that GW3965 alleviated H/R-induced decrease of HK-2 human renal proximal tubule cell viability and restored the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) after H/R. Western blot results showed that GW3965 mitigated the increase of 4-HNE and GRP78 protein expression levels after H/R; However, knockdown of LXRβ using the small interfering RNA (siRNA) technique reduced cell viability compared to GW3965-treated group. Taken together, the LXRs agonist GW3965 significantly alleviates RIRI in mice possibly by reducing apoptosis, oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress and inflammation. These results also preliminarily confirm that the renal protective effects of LXRs agonists are dependent on LXRβ.
Animals ; Liver X Receptors/genetics* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Benzoates/pharmacology* ; Benzylamines/pharmacology* ; Male ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Apoptosis ; Acute Kidney Injury/prevention & control* ; Kidney/pathology* ; Humans

Here,5 important pathogens carried by ticks in Maanshan City,Anhui Province,China were identified.In to-tal,642 ticks were collected from 13 villages around Maanshan City and identified by morphological and mitochondrial COI genes.The 16S rRNA gene of Francisella tularensis,ssrA gene of Bartonella,16S rRNA,ompA and ompB genes of Rickett-sia,16S rRNA and gltA genes of Anaplasma,and groEL and rpoB genes of Coxiella were sequenced.Reference sequences were retrieved from a public database.Phylogenetic trees were constructed with MEG A1 1.0 software.In total,36 Rickettsiae isolates were detected in 640 Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks,which included 20 isolates of Rickettsia heilongjian-gensis,16 of Candidatus Rickettsia jingxinensis,2 of Ana-plasma bovis,and 186 of Coxiella-like endosymbiont.R.hei-longjiangensis HY2 detected in this study and Anhui B8 strain,Ca.R.jingxinensis QL3 and those from Shanxi Prov-ince and Jiangsu Province,A.bovis JX4 and those from Shanxi Province were clustered on the same branch.Overall,17 ticks had combined infections and none of the 5 bacteria were detected in two Amblyomma testudinarium ticks.This is the first report of Ca.R.jingxinensis detected in H.longicornis ticks from Anhui Province.It is recommended that the two types of Rickettsia that cause spotted fever and A.bovis should be reported to local health authorities to initiate appropriate prevention and control measures.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was employed to analyze the chemical components in Curcuma longa tuberous roots(HSYJ), C. longa tuberous roots processed with vinegar(CHSYJ), and rat serum after the administration. The active components of HSYJ and CHSYJ absorbed in serum were identified based on the secondary spectrum of database and literature. The targets of primary dysmenorrhea was screened out from database. The protein-protein interaction network analysis, gene ontology(GO) functional annotation, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed for the common targets shared by the drug active components in serum and primary dysmenorrhea, and the component-target-pathway network was constructed. AutoDock was used to conduct molecular docking between the core components and targets. A total of 44 chemical components were identified from HSYJ and CHSYJ, including 18 absorbed in serum. On the basis of network pharmacology, we identified 8 core components(including procurcumenol, isobutyl p-hydroxybenzoate, ferulic acid, and zedoarondiol) and 10 core targets \[including interleukin-6(IL-6), estrogen receptor 1(ESR1), and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2(PTGS2)\]. The core targets were mainly distributed in the heart, liver, uterus, and smooth muscle. The molecular docking results showed that the core components were well bound to the core targets, indicating that HSYJ and CHSYJ may exert therapeutic effect on primary dysmenorrhea via estrogen, ovarian steroidogenesis, tumor necrosis factor(TNF), hypoxia-inducible factor-1(HIF-1), IL-17 and other signaling pathways. This study clarifies the HSYJ and CHSYJ components absorbed in serum, as well as the corresponding mechanism, providing a reference for further elucidating the therapeutic material basis and clinical application of HSYJ and CHSYJ.
Female ; Humans ; Animals ; Rats ; Acetic Acid ; Curcuma ; Dysmenorrhea ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Cyclooxygenase 2