OBJECTIVE To provide reference for basic analysis of the pharmacodynamic substance in Stahlianthus involucratus. METHODS Overall 24 SD male rats were randomly divided into blank group （purified water）， and administration group （ethanol extract of S. involucratus， 15.75 g/kg， calculated by crude drug）， with 12 rats in each group. They were given drug liquid/purified water intragastrically， twice a day， every 6-8 h， for consecutive 3 days. After medication， the blood， urine and fecal samples were collected from two groups of rats. UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS technology was used to identify the chemical constituents in the ethanol extract of S. involucratus， and metabolites in the blood， urine and fecal of rats after intragastrical administration of the ethanol extract of S. involucratus. Multivariate statistical analysis was employed to screen various serum metabolites. Metabolic pathways were analyzed by MetaboAnalyst 5.0 platform. RESULTS A total of 38 chemical constituents were identified from the ethanol extract of S. involucratus， including fourteen prototype components and three metabolites identified from 5 urine samples， nine prototype components identified from fecal samples， and ten prototype components and one metabolite identified from serum samples. A total of 71 differential metabolites were screened from two groups of rat serum samples， of which 44 differential metabolites， such as ferulic acid， glycyrrhizin， were up-regulated and 27 differential metabolites， such as arachidonic acid， phenylacetylglutamine， were down-regulated. The 71 differential metabolites were mainly enriched in 11 metabolic pathways， including phenylalanine metabolism， linoleic acid metabolism， arachidonic acid metabolism， and tryptophan metabolism. CONCLUSIONS Ferulic acid， liquiritigenin， isofraxidin and formononetin may be the material basis that directly exert pharmacological effects of S. involucratus. S. involucratus may exert anti-inflammatory effects by affecting metabolic pathways， including arachidonic acid metabolism and tryptophan metabolism.

Objective To evaluate the clinical use of the baseline CT angiography(CTA)quantitative score(self-designed collateral circulation quantitative,SD-CCQ)in determining the collateral circulation compensation status in patients with acute ischemic stroke(AIS),as well as the reliability and accuracy of the SD-CCQ score and the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score(ASPECTS).Methods Retrospective analysis was made on the clinical and imaging data,including CT,CTA and DWI image data,of 84 patients who were admitted for acute ischemic stroke to the Department of Neurorehabilitation of Zhongshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to December 2022.Their CTA source images were annotated using a multi-task deep learning method for vascular segmentation.The ASPECTS score and SD-CCQ score were then applied to the CTA images following vascular segmentation in order to assess the collateral circulation compensation of AIS patients.The Kappa test was used to assess the consistency of the two methods used to assess collateral circulation,and the multifactorial Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between the SD-CCQ and the prognosis of the AIS patients.Results ASPECTS score had good consistency with SD-CCQ score in evaluating collateral circulation in AIS patients(κ=0.65,P＜0.001),and the diagnostic accuracy of the latter for benign collateral circulation in AIS was 96.15％.Logistic regression analysis showed that the new collateral circulation score,baseline NIHSS,and DWI infarct volume were the main factors affecting the long-term prognosis of AIS patients.Conclusion The new scoring system SD-CCQ can be used to evaluate the compensatory status of collateral circulation in AIS patients,which may help in clinical treatment decision-making and prognosis prediction.

Objective　To timely understand the current status and distribution of nail snails (Oncomelania hupensis) in Tongjiang River channels in Zhenjiang City, providing a scientific basis for achieving the goal of eliminating schistosomiasis. Methods　From 2019 to 2023, nine Tongjiang River channels on the south bank of the Yangtze River under the jurisdiction of Zhenjiang City were selected as the monitoring area. Snail monitoring was carried out onshore and beach nail snails floats in the Tongjiang River channels, nail snails on attachments in hardened areas, snails induced by straw curtains, and snails carried by boats and domestic animals. Results　The monitoring results of shoreline snail from 2019 to 2023 showed that the snail situation in the Tongjiang River channel and its outer river bank remained relatively stable from 2019 to 2020; however, in 2021, under the influence of the Yangtze River flooding disaster in 2020, the area of snails increased significantly. In 2021, the area with snails in the Tongjiang River channel and the outer river bank increased by 45.70% (11.95/26.15) and 100.00% (20.00/20.00) compared to 2020; the average density of nails snails in the Tongjiang River channel and the outer river bank and the emergence rate of snail frames both showed a significant increase, rising by 94.73% (0.18/0.19) and 68.08% (8.68/12.75) compared to 2020, and by 122.73% (0.81/0.66) and 102.78% (43.26/42.09), respectively. The differences in the increase in the occurrence rate of spiked frames in the Tongjiang River channel Chili River and Renmin River were not statistically significant (χ2=0.329, P>0.05; χ2=0.646, P>0.05). From 2022 to 2023, the density of nail snails and the occurrence rate of framed snails in the Tongjiang River channel showed a decreasing trend (F=4.72, P=0.04 and χ2=372.58, P<0.01). The area of nail snails, density of live snails, and occurrence rate of framed snails in the outer river bank showed a decreasing trend (F=13.96, P=0.02; F=23.43, P<0.01; χ2=1 029.69, P<0.01). During the five years, no nail snails were detected in the ancient canal and 11 tributaries. From 2019 to 2023, 180 times of 3 003 kg of floating objects were salvaged, with a total of 148 live snails detected. A total of 17 live snails were captured on attachments in the hardened berm area; a total of 11 live snails were captured by straw curtain snail baiting;112 boats were inspected, and no snails were found; there were 112 boats surveyed, and no snails were found; 97 cattle were observed, and 2 cattle were found to carry 1 live snail on their hooves; 321 sheep were observed, and no snails were found on their hooves; and no infectious snails were found in the monitoring area in 5 years. Conclusions　Nail snails continue to exist in the Tongjiang River channel, and the risk factors for schistosomiasis transmission have not been completely eliminated. It is still necessary to carry out accurate monitoring of the snail situation in the Tongjiang River and the river bank, so as to grasp the risk of transmission in time and take emergency measures.

Objective To investigate the effect of TRPC5 on intermittent hypoxia-induced myocardial pyroptosis.Methods TRPC5 knock out(TRPC5-/-)and SD rats were each randomly divided into chronic intermit-tent hypoxia group(CIH group)and normoxia group(Control group)(n=6 for each group).The myocardial fibrosis in rats was visualized by Masson staining,the levels of serum inflammatory factors were measured by ELISA and the relative expression levels of TRPC 5 and pyroptosis-related proteins were determined by Western blotting.Results Masson staining showed that the collagen volume fraction in the TRPC5-/--CIH group was higher than that in the TRPC5-/--Control group and lower than that in the WT-CIH group.The ELISA results showed that the serum levels of IL-1,IL-6,and TGF-β in the TRPC5-/--CIH group were higher than those in the TRPC5-/--Control group and lower in the WT-CIH group.Western blotting results showed that the relative expression levels of pyroptosis related proteins caspase-1,NLRP3,GSDMD,and GSDMD-N in the TRPC5-/--CIH group were higher than those in the TRPC5-/--Control group and lower than those in the WT-CIH group.Conclusion TRPC5 deficiency alleviates myocardial pyroptosis and myocardial fibrosis induced by hypoxia.

Scavenger receptor class B, member 2 (SCARB2) is linked to Gaucher disease and Parkinson's disease. Deficiency in the SCARB2 gene causes progressive myoclonus epilepsy (PME), a rare group of inherited neurodegenerative diseases characterized by myoclonus. We found that Scarb2 deficiency in mice leads to age-dependent dietary lipid malabsorption, accompanied with vitamin E deficiency. Our investigation revealed that Scarb2 deficiency is associated with gut dysbiosis and an altered bile acid pool, leading to hyperactivation of FXR in intestine. Hyperactivation of FXR impairs epithelium renewal and lipid absorption. Patients with SCARB2 mutations have a severe reduction in their vitamin E levels and cannot absorb dietary vitamin E. Finally, inhibiting FXR or supplementing vitamin E ameliorates the neuromotor impairment and neuropathy in Scarb2 knockout mice. These data indicate that gastrointestinal dysfunction is associated with SCARB2 deficiency-related neurodegeneration, and SCARB2-associated neurodegeneration can be improved by addressing the nutrition deficits and gastrointestinal issues.
Animals ; Mice ; Dysbiosis/metabolism* ; Mice, Knockout ; Humans ; Lysosomal Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Receptors, Scavenger/genetics* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Myoclonic Epilepsies, Progressive/genetics* ; Vitamin E Deficiency/complications* ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/genetics* ; Bile Acids and Salts/metabolism* ; Male ; Lipid Metabolism ; Intestinal Mucosa/pathology*

Objective:To explore the relative concentration changes of oxygenated hemoglobin (Oxy Hb) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and brain region activation during emotional face recognition tasks in women with perimenopausal depression.Methods:From February to April 2023, forty perimenopausal women were recruited, including 20 women with perimenopausal depression (experimental group) and 20 women with non-perimenopausal depression (control group). All participants were evaluated by the modified Kupperman score, 24-item Hamilton depression scale (HAMD-24), and patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9). Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) equipment was used to measure the relative concentration of Oxy-Hb in the PFC in two groups under the emotional face recognition task. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 26.0 software. Data were analyzed by a t-test, rank sum test, and Pearson correlation. Results:There were statistically significant differences in the results of the modified Kupperman score((23.20±3.66), (18.10±1.28)), HAMD-24((15.95±5.47), (3.35±1.84)), and PHQ-9(7.00(5.00, 10.75), 1.50(1.00, 3.00)) scales between the the experimental group and control group ( P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between the modified Kupperman score and the HAMD-24 score in the experimental group ( r=0.685, P=0.01). The reaction time of the experimental group in identifying negative and neutral emotional faces was statistically significant compared to the control group( t=4.01, 4.80, both P<0.05). Compared with identifying neutral emotions, PFC activation was stronger in the experimental group and control group when identifying negative emotions ( P<0.05). The PFC activation in the experimental group was stronger than that in the control group when identifying negative emotions ( P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the activation level between the two groups when identifying neutral emotions ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Women with perimenopausal depression exhibit specificity in emotional processing, with increased PFC activation when identifying negative emotions, impaired emotional processing function of PFC, and dysfunction of aerobic metabolism.

Objective:To analyze the risk factors of radiation-based sarcopenia in patients with multiple myeloma (MM).Methods:A total of 185 clinical and imaging data of patients with MM admitted to Beijing Chaoyang Hospital from September 2009 to October 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The area of the erector spinae muscle and the area of fatty infiltration (FI) in the fascial compartment were measured by Image-pro Ρlus software, and the area of the fat-free erector spinae muscle and the fat infiltration rate (FI%) were calculated. Sarcopenia was defined as an erector spinae area of less than 3 197 mm 2 in males and 2 895 mm 2 in females. The differences in gender, age, body mass index, disease duration, hemoglobin, leukocytes, platelets, albumin, serum calcium, lactate dehydrogenase, serum creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, M-protein, serum β 2-microglobulin, bortezomib chemotherapy, receipt of stem cell transplantation, osteopathy, stage, recurrence and progression of MM between the sarcopenia group and the normal muscle group were compared. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors of sarcopenia in MM patients. Kaplan-Meier curves were drawn to compare the survival rates between the two groups. Results:53.0% (98/185) of MM patients were complicated with sarcopenia: there were 30 males, whose fat-free erector spinae area was 25.0±6.0 cm 2, the FI of erector spinae was 12.0±4.8 cm 2, and the FI% was 31.5%±12.0%, while there were 68 females, whose fat-free erector spinae area was 22.7±4.2 cm 2, the FI of erector spinae was 10.7±4.1 cm 2, and the FI% was 30.2%±9.8%. 47.0% (87/185) of MM patients had normal muscle mass: there were 62 males, whose fat-free erector spinae area was 40.6±6.5 cm 2, the FI of erector spinae was 9.3±4.8 cm 2, and the FI% was 17.9%±7.4%, while there were 25 females, whose fat-free erector spinae area was 33.6±5.1 cm 2, the FI of erector spinae was 9.9±3.0 cm 2, and the FI% was 21.9%±5.7%. There were statistically significant differences in the gender composition ratio (χ 2=30.47, P<0.001), hemoglobin ( t=-2.73, P=0.007), serum creatinine ( Z=-2.26, P=0.024), receipt of stem cell transplantation (χ 2=4.32, P=0.038), and MM recurrence and progression (χ 2=3.85, P=0.050) between the two groups. However, there were no significant differences in age, body mass index, course of disease, leukocytes, platelets, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, serum calcium, M-protein, serum β 2-microglobulin, bortezomib chemotherapy, osteopathy or MM stage ( P>0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that female was an independent risk factor for sarcopenia in MM patients. The survival rates at 2, 3, 4, and 5 years were 87.9%, 71.8%, 64.4%, and 53.7% in the sarcopenia group, and 92.1%, 75.8%, 66.8%, and 66.8% in the normal muscle group, respectively, with no statistically significant differences ( HR=0.71, P=0.364). Conclusion:The incidence of radiation-based sarcopenia in MM patients is 53.0%. Low hemoglobin and blood creatinine levels, not receiving stem cell transplantation, and recurrence or progression of MM are associated with sarcopenia in MM patients, and female is an independent risk factor for sarcopenia in MM patients.

Candida albicans is the most abundant fungal species in oral cavity. As a smart opportunistic pathogen, it increases the virulence by switching its forms from yeasts to hyphae and becomes the major pathogenic agent for oral candidiasis. However, the overuse of current clinical antifungals and lack of new types of drugs highlight the challenges in the antifungal treatments because of the drug resistance and side effects. Anti-virulence strategy is proved as a practical way to develop new types of anti-infective drugs. Here, seven artemisinins, including artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin, artemisinic acid, dihydroartemisinic acid, artesunate, artemether and arteether, were employed to target at the hyphal development, the most important virulence factor of C. albicans. Artemisinins failed to affect the growth, but significantly inhibited the hyphal development of C. albicans, including the clinical azole resistant isolates, and reduced their damage to oral epithelial cells, while arteether showed the strongest activities. The transcriptome suggested that arteether could affect the energy metabolism of C. albicans. Seven artemisinins were then proved to significantly inhibit the productions of ATP and cAMP, while reduced the hyphal inhibition on RAS1 overexpression strain indicating that artemisinins regulated the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway to inhibit the hyphal development. Importantly, arteether significantly inhibited the fungal burden and infections with no systemic toxicity in the murine oropharyngeal candidiasis models in vivo caused by both fluconazole sensitive and resistant strains. Our results for the first time indicated that artemisinins can be potential antifungal compounds against C. albicans infections by targeting at its hyphal development.
Animals ; Mice ; Candida albicans ; Candidiasis, Oral/drug therapy* ; Antifungal Agents/pharmacology* ; Hyphae ; Artemisinins/pharmacology*

OBJECTIVE To study the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of the ethanol extract and the drug-containing serum of Zhuang medicine Stahlianthus involucratus on lipopolysaccharide （LPS）-induced RAW264.7 cell inflammation. METHODS The drug-containing serum or blank serum was obtained by intragastrical administration of ethanol extract of S. involucratus （75.35 g/kg） or purified water. Using RAW264.7 cells as objects， RAW264.7 cells were divided into normal control group， LPS group （1 μg/mL）， S. involucratus ethanol extract high-dose， medium-dose and low-dose groups （50， 25， 12.5 μg/mL）， 4% or 15% blank serum groups， 4% or 15% blank serum+LPS groups， 4% or 15% drug-containing serum groups， 4% or 15% drug-containing serum+LPS groups. After culturing for 24 h， cell viability， the contents of nitric oxide tumor necrosis factor α （TNF-α）， interleukinand IL-6 as well as mRNA expressions of Toll-like eceptor 4 （TLR4） and nuclear factor κB （NF- κB） and protein expressions of nitric oxide synthase （NOS） and cyclooxygenase 2 （COX-2） were all detected in each group. 0771-4953513。E-mail：zhuhuagx@163.com RESULTS After culturing for 24 h， there was no statisticalsignificance in the difference of cell viability. Compared with normal control group， the contents of NO， TNF-α， IL-1β and IL-6， mRNA expressions of TLR4 and NF-κB， and protein expressions of NOS and COX-2 were increased significantly in LPS group （P＜0.05）. Compared with 4% or 15% blank serum groups， the levels of above indexes were increased significantly in 4% or 15% blank serum+LPS groups （P＜0.05）. Compared with LPS group， the levels of above indexes were decreased significantly in S. involucratus ethanol extract groups （P＜0.05）. Compared with 4% or 15% blank serum+LPS groups， the levels of above indexes were decreased significantly in 4% or 15% drug-containing serum+LPS groups （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The ethanol extract and the drug-containing serum of S. involucratus can significantly alleviate LPS-induced inflammatory reaction， the mechanism of which may be associated with inhibiting the activity of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway， down-regulating the protein expressions of COX-2 and NOS， and reducing the release of inflammatory factors.

Lacunar stroke (LS) is one of the subtypes of small cerebral vascular disease. Recent studies have shown that LS has a high risk of cognitive impairment, which imposes a heavy burden on patients, their families and society. However, at present, there is a lack of comprehensive discussion on the related factors, pathogenic mechanism, clinical features, prevention and treatment of cognitive impairment in LS patients. Therefore, this article reviews the relationship between LS and cognitive impairment, in order to provide clinical basis for early prevention and rehabilitation plan, and improve long-term follow-up awareness and comprehensive management ability of cognitive function in LS patients.