ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect and mechanism of action of flavonoid combination of Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma （A. officinarum） against Helicobacter pylori （H. pylori） gastritis in mice. MethodsAfter acclimatization for one week， 56 SPF-grade healthy C57BL/6J mice were gavaged with mixed antibiotics for three consecutive days. They were randomly divided into a normal group， model group， positive drug group （triple therapy group）， and low- and high-dose groups （100， 200 mg·kg^-1） of flavonoid combination of A. officinarum. The H. pylori gastritis mice model was established by gavage with H. pylori bacterial suspension in each group except for the normal group. After successful modeling， mice were administrated with corresponding drugs once a day for two weeks. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes in gastric tissue. Rapid urease test paper was used to detect the positive rate of H. pylori. Silver staining was used to observe the H. pylori adherence on the surface of gastric tissue. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the protein expression of interleukin-8 （IL）-8 and myeloid differentiation factor （MyD88） in gastric tissue. The serum levels of IL-6， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， IL-8， and IL-1β were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The expressions of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） protein were detected by Western blot. ResultsCompared with those in the normal group， mice in the model group had lower gastric weight coefficients， higher pH of gastric juice， 100% H. pylori infection rate， and significantly changed gastric histopathology. The expressions of IL-8 and MyD88 proteins in the gastric tissue of mice in the model group were significantly elevated， and the serum levels of inflammatory factors IL-6， TNF-α， IL-8， and IL-1β were significantly up-regulated in mice. Compared with that in the model group， the gastric weight coefficient of mice in each treatment group of the flavonoid combinations of A. officinarum was elevated （P<0.01）， and the pH of gastric juice was reduced （P<0.01）. The infection rate of H. pylori was reduced. The expressions of IL-8 and MyD88 proteins in the gastric tissue of mice in the treatment groups were significantly reduced （P<0.01）， and the serum levels of inflammatory factors IL-6， TNF-α， IL-8， and IL-1β were significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner （P<0.01）. The flavonoid combinations of A. officinarum down-regulated the expression of PI3K and Akt proteins in H. pylori gastritis-infected cells （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe protective effect of flavonoid combinations of A. officinarum against H. pylori gastritis is associated with the inhibition of H. pylori infection rate and regulation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， resulting in inhibiting the release of inflammatory factors.

eIF3a is a N ⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) reader that regulates mRNA translation by recognizing m⁶A modifications of these mRNAs. It has been suggested that eIF3a may play an important role in regulating translation initiation via m⁶A during infection when canonical cap-dependent initiation is inhibited. However, the death of animal model studies impedes our understanding of the functional significance of eIF3a in immunity and regulation in vivo. In this study, we investigated the in vivo function of eIF3a using eIF3a knockout and knockdown mouse models and found that eIF3a deficiency resulted in splenic tissue structural disruption and multi-organ damage, which contributed to severe sepsis induced by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Ectopic eIF3a overexpression in the eIF3a knockdown mice rescued mice from LPS-induced severe sepsis. We further showed that eIF3a maintains a functional and healthy immune system by regulating B cell function and quantity through m⁶A modification of mRNAs. These findings unveil a novel mechanism underlying sepsis, implicating the pivotal role of B cells in this complex disease process regulated by eIF3a. Furthermore, eIF3a may be used to develop a potential strategy for treating sepsis.

Objective:To investigate the changing trend of mortality rate and death cause spectrum among household-registered residents aged 60 and above in Beijing from 2007 to 2020.Methods:The mortality data was collected from the Beijing Death Information Registration and Management System. We calculated the mortality rates and constituent ratios by gender, age groups, and death causes and estimated the changing trend of mortality rate and average annual percent change (AAPC) by Joinpoint 4.3.1.Results:The crude mortality rate decreased from 27.62‰ in 2007 to 23.55‰ in 2020 (AAPC=-1.18%, P<0.001), and the standard rate also decreased from 25.39‰ in 2007 to 19.85‰ in 2020 (AAPC=-1.68%, P<0.001) among registered residents aged 60 and above in Beijing. The top 5 causes of death were heart diseases, malignant tumors, cerebrovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and endocrine and nutritional metabolic diseases, accounting for 87.1% of the total deaths. The mortality rates of heart diseases (AAPC=-1.08%, P=0.024), cerebrovascular diseases (AAPC=-3.79%, P<0.001), malignant tumors (AAPC=-0.31%, P=0.006) and respiratory diseases (AAPC=-5.56%, P=0.007) showed a decreasing trend. The rate of injury and poisoning showed an increasing trend (AAPC=1.54%, P=0.001), while no statistically significant change was found in endocrine and nutritional metabolic diseases mortality rates (AAPC=-1.46%, P=0.054). Conclusions:The mortality rate of registered residents aged 60 years and over in Beijing showed a downward trend from 2007 to 2020. Heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, malignant tumors, and respiratory diseases should be treated as the key diseases for prevention and control, and targeted measures should be taken to improve the health level of the elderly population.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy(DCM)is a unique myocardial disease caused by diabetes mellitus,which can increase the risk of heart failure and death,and is one of the main causes of death of diabetes mellitus patients worldwide.Although the research on the pathogenesis of DCM has made great progress,it has not yet been fully clarified.Many studies have shown that long noncoding RNAs(lncRNAs)can interact with microRNAs(miRNAs)as competitive endogenous RNAs(ceRNAs),participate in the regulation of gene expression,and then affect the development of DCM.This article gives an overview of lncRNAs and its biological functions as well as ceRNA hypothesis,and focuses on the role of lncRNAs as ceRNAs in regulating the occurrence and development of DCM.

Objective To evaluate the antioxidant function of Chrysanthemum morifolium from different origins and to identify their antioxidant material basis.Methods The HPLC fingerprints of the water extracts of C.morifolium from different origins were established.The antioxidant activities of C.morifolium were assayed by measuring the 2.2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH),hydroxyl radical,ABTS,superoxide anion radical scavenging capacity and ferric ion reducing capacity FRAP.Entropy-weighted TOPSIS was used to calculate the weighting coefficients of the single indexes.Grey relational analysis(GRA)and partial least squares were used for spectrum-effect analysis to identify the antioxidant material basis of C.morifolium.Results A total of 16 common peaks were discovered in the fingerprint of the water extracts of 10 batches of C.morifolium,among which 13 common components were identified.All the C.morifolium samples had good antioxidant capacity,and the results of entropy-weighted TOPSIS analysis showed that the ranking of total antioxidant potency of 10 batches of C.morifolium was follows:S1＞S8＞S3＞S5＞S4＞S10＞S7＞S2＞S9＞S6.The peaks of 1-5,9,10,12,14 were positively correlated with the antioxidant activity and the variable influence on projection(VIP)values were greater than 1.The correlation coefficients of these nine peaks in GRA were all greater than 0.7.Conclusion The entropy-weighted TOPSIS method combined with the spectrum-effect analysis could be used to screen out the antioxidant material basis of C.morifolium and the results provide a basis for establishing quality assessment system for C.morifolium based on Quality-markers thus improving the quality control level.

Objective To screen the anti-Helicobacter pylori gastritis active components of the ethyl acetate extract of Alpinia officinarum Hance.Methods The"knock-out"strategy combined with high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)detection was developed to separate the components of the ethyl acetate extract of A.officinarum while obtaining the negative samples without the components.A human gastric epithelial cell(GES-1)model of H.pylori gastritis was established,and the levels of interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-8(IL-8)and interleukin-1β(IL-1β)in the supernatant of the cells were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results The total flavonoid fraction,the negative fraction without total diphenylheptanoids,the negative fraction without 5-hydroxy-7-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1-phenyl-3-heptanone(DHPA),and galangin significantly reduced IL-6 levels in the supernatant of H.pylori infected GES-1 cells at a concentration of 8 μg·mL-1 with 24 h incubation.The total flavonoid fraction strongly inhibited the release of IL-6,TNF-α,IL-8,and IL-1β from H.pylori gastritis GES-1 cells at a concentration of 16 μg·mL-1.Conclusions The total flavonoid fraction is the major anti-H.pylori gastritis active component of the ethyl acetate extract of A.officinarum.The results lay the foundation for further elucidation of the material basis of A.officnarum against H.pylori gastritis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of modified Shuyuwan （SYW） on hippocampal myelin sheath injury in vascular dementia （VD） model rats. MethodSixty male SD rats of SPF grade were randomly divided into sham operation group， model group， and high-， medium- and low-dose modified SYW groups， with 12 rats in each group. The VD model was induced by bilateral carotid artery ligation in rats of the groups except for those of the sham operation group. After modeling， rats were screened by the water maze test， followed by drug treatment by gavage. Specifically， rats in the modified SYW groups were treated with modified SYW at 10， 5， 2.5 g·kg^-1·d^-1， accordingly， and those in other groups were administered with the same amount of normal saline. After intragastric administration for 28 days， the spatial learning and memory abilities of rats were detected by the water maze test. The hippocampal neuron structure was observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The content of hippocampal tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and glutamate （Glu） was observed by biochemical detection. The hippocampal expression of myelin basic protein （MBP）， astrocyte activation marker glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP）， and connexin 43 （Cx43） was detected by immunofluorescence detection. The myelin sheath structure in the hippocampus was observed by the electron microscope. The α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid receptor （AMPAR） and Cx43 protein expression was detected by Western blot. ResultCompared with the sham operation group， the model group showed prolonged escape latency （P<0.01）， decreased times of crossing the original platform and percentage of target quadrant detention time （P<0.01）， disordered neuron structure in the hippocampal CA1 region， loose myelin sheath lamella with blurry edge， up-regulated expression levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and Glu in the hippocampal CA1 region， especially Glu （P<0.01）， reduced expression of AMPAR （P<0.01）， increased protein expression of p-AMPAR and Cx43 （P<0.01）， significantly dwindled protein expression of MBP in the myelin sheath， and enhanced fluorescence co-labeled by GFAP and Cx43. Compared with the model group， the modified SYW groups showed shortened escape latency （P<0.05）， increased times of crossing the original platform and percentage of target quadrant detention time （P<0.05）， closely arranged hippocampal neuron structure， denser myelin sheath lamella with clear edge， down-regulated expression levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and Glu in the hippocampal CA1 region， especially Glu （P<0.01）， up-regulated AMPAR （P<0.01）， reduced protein expression of p-AMPAR and Cx43， especially in the high-dose group （P<0.01）， significantly elevated protein expression of MBP in the myelin sheath， and weakened fluorescence co-labeled by GFAP and Cx43， especially in the high-dose group. ConclusionModified SYW can improve the learning and memory abilities of VD rats， and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of Cx43 expression， reduction of the release of Glu， inhibition of AMPAR-mediated inflammatory response to reduce the production of astrocyte marker GFAP， and promotion of the expression of MBP protein to alleviate myelin injury.

Objective:To understand the construction status of research wards in the first model research wards in Beijing, and provide reference for promoting their high-quality development.Methods:From July to September 2022, a questionnaire survey was conducted on the setting mode, facility deployment, operational efficiency, and implementation of supportive policies of the research wards among the first batch of model research wards in Beijing. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the questionnaire data.Results:The 8 hospitals surveyed had all set up specialized research wards; 5 of them had shared research wards, including 4 general hospitals and 1 specialized hospital. The number of research ward beds in each hospital ranged from 31 to 120, with only 1 hospital having research ward beds accounting for 11.3% of the hospital′s beds, while the other 7 hospitals were less than 10.0%. Compared with 2020, the number of clinical research projects carried out in the research wards of 8 hospitals in 2021 have increased by a total of 403, while the ethical review time was less than or equal to 14 working days, 2.5 working days shorter than 2020; 4 hospitals could complete the experimental project approval within 60 working days and the first visit within 22 working days, while 5 hospitals could complete the research conclusion within 14 working days. There were 2 hospitals that link the performance evaluation of research wards with salary distribution, and 3 hospitals link it with professional title evaluation and employment.Conclusions:The model research wards in Beijing have adopted different setting modes for the construction of research wards, all operating well. It is recommended to further improve such areas as selecting a research ward setting mode to fit the needs of the hospital, optimizing and integrating the resource allocation of research wards, improving operational efficiency to increase market competitiveness, and effectively implementing supportive policies related to human resource management. These practices can better promote the high-quality construction of research wards and comprehensively enhance the supportive role of clinical research in pharmaceutical and healthcare collaborative innovation.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on muscle strength and duration of mechanical ventilation through cumulative Meta-analysis and sequential trial analysis (TSA).Methods:Randomized controlled trial (RCT) of NMES intervention in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with mechanical ventilation were searched from PubMed database of US National Library of Medicine, EMbase database of Netherlands Medical Abstract, Web of Science, SinoMed database of China, CNKI, Wanfang data, VIP and other Chinese and English databases from database construction to July 15, 2021. The control group received ICU routine nursing or rehabilitation exercise; the experimental group received NMES (low frequency electric current through electrode stimulation to make muscle groups twitch or contract) based on routine care in ICU. Relevant data were screened, evaluated and extracted by two researchers independently. After extracting data, STATA 15.0 and TSA software were used to analyze the data and evaluate the research results. Results:A total of 9 studies were enrolled, including 619 subjects. Among the 9 articles included, 2 were grade A and 7 were grade B, indicating good overall quality. Cumulative Meta-analysis showed that compared with ICU routine care, NMES improved muscle strength of patients undergoing mechanical ventilation [standardized mean difference ( SMD) = 0.64, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 0.07 to 1.21] and shortened the duration of mechanical ventilation ( SMD = -1.84, 95% CI was -2.58 to -1.10). TSA analysis of the two outcomes showed that the sample size of muscle strength outcome index ( n = 518) and mechanical ventilation outcome index ( n = 419) did not meet the expected information (RIS; n values of 618 and 685); the cumulative Z-value line of the muscle strength outcome index crossed the traditional boundary line and TSA boundary line, indicating that more tests were not needed to verify this result. In the outcome index of mechanical ventilation duration, it was found that the cumulative Z-value line only crossed the traditional boundary line, but did not cross the TSA boundary line, indicating that further studies in this area should be carried out in the future to demonstrate this result. Conclusion:NMES can improve ICU patients' muscle strength and reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of adult Chinese patients with syncope.Methods:This is a cross-sectional survey study. Patients with preliminary diagnosis of syncope in the Emergency Department, Geriatrics and Cardiology Outpatient Department, or Syncope Unit of 37 hospitals in 19 provinces, autonomous regions and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from June 2018 to March 2021 were included in this study. The clinical features of these patients with syncope were analyzed.Results:A total of 4 950 consecutive patients with syncope were included in this study. The age was (56.3±16.8)years, and 2 604 cases (52.6%) were male. The most common type of syncope was neurally mediated syncope (2 345 (47.4%)), followed by cardiac syncope (1 085 (21.9%)), orthostatic hypotensive syncope (311 (6.3%)), and unexplained syncope accounted for nearly one third (1 155 (23.3%)). Predisposing syncope was more common in patients under 65 years of age(2 066(72.4%) vs. 786(27.6%),χ 2=136.5, P<0.001). Presyncope was more common in patients with neurally mediated syncope (1 972(79.0%) vs.1 908(73.9%), χ 2=17.756, P<0.001). Premonitory symptoms were more common in women(1 837(80.0%) vs. 1 863(73.0%),χ 2=33.432, P<0.001). Presyncope syndrome was more common in patients under 65 years of age (2 482(77.8%) vs. 1 218(73.4%),χ 2=17.523, P=0.001). Cyanosis was more common in ≥65 years old patients (271(18.2%) vs. 369(12.7%), χ 2=23.235, P<0.001). Urinary incontinence was more common in old patients aged ≥65 years(252(15.2%) vs. 345(10.8%), χ 2=19.313, P<0.001). Family history was more common in patients with cardiogenic syncope compared with other types of syncope (264(24.3%) vs. 754(19.5%), χ 2=11.899, P=0.001). Hypertention(1 480(30.5%)), coronary heart disease(1 057(21.4%)), atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation(359(7.2%)), second degree atrioventricular block(236(4.8%)) were common complications of syncope. The proportion of patients with coronary heart disease was significantly higher in cardiac syncope than that of other types of syncope(417(38.4%) vs. 640(16.6%), χ 2=241.376, P<0.001). Other common complications included cerebrovascular diseases (551 (11.1%)) and diabetes mellitus (632(12.8%)). Conclusions:Neurally mediated syncope is the most common syncope in adult Chinese population. Patients with predisposing conditions and premonitory conditions are younger. Presyncope is more common in women. The proportion of family history and coronary heart disease is higher in patients with cardiogenic syncope.