ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Hei Xiaoyaosan in improving the cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease （AD） from cell apoptosis mediated by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/nuclear factor kappa B （NF-κB） signaling pathway. MethodsFour-month-old SD male rats were randomly assigned into a blank group， a sham group， a model group， a donepezil hydrochloride （0.45 mg·kg^-1） group， and high-， medium-， and low-dose （15.30， 7.65， and 3.82 g·kg^-1， respectively） Hei Xiaoyaosan groups， with 10 rats in each group. The sham group received bilateral hippocampal injection of 1 μL normal saline， while the other groups received bilateral hippocampal injection of 1 μL beta-amyloid 1-42 （Aβ_1-42） solution for the modeling of AD. Rats were administrated with corresponding agents once a day for 42 consecutive days. The Morris water maze test was carried out to assess the learning and memory abilities of rats. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe pathological changes in the hippocampus of rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the levels of cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 （Caspase-3）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of PI3K， Akt， and NF-κB. A cell model of AD was established by co-culturing Aβ_1-42 and PC12 cells in vitro. Cell viability and apoptosis were detected by the cell-counting kit 8 （CCK-8） assay and flow cytometry （FC）， respectively. ResultsAnimal experiments showed that compared with the blank group， the model group had a prolonged escape latency （P<0.01）， a reduced number of crossing platforms （P<0.01）， disarrangement and a reduced number of hippocampal neurons， up-regulated expression of Bax and Caspase-3， down-regulated expression of Bcl-2 （P<0.01）， decreased p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt levels， and an increased p-NF-κB/NF-κB level （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， donepezil hydrochloride and high- and medium-dose Hei Xiaoyaosan shortened the escape latency and increased the number of crossing platforms （P<0.05， P<0.01）， improved the arrangement and increased the number of hippocampal neurons， down-regulated the expression levels of Bax and Caspase-3， up-reguated the expression level of Bcl-2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and reduced the p-NF-κB/NF-κB level （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Cell experiments showed that compared with the blank group， the model group exhibited an increased apoptosis rate （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the serum containing Hei Xiaoyaosan at various doses improved the cell viability （P<0.01）， and the serum containing Hei Xiaoyaosan at the high dose decreased the cell apoptosis （P<0.01）. ConclusionHei Xiaoyaosan may improve the learning and memory abilities of AD model rats by regulating cell apoptosis， while increasing the vitality and reducing the apoptosis rate of AD model cells via the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the factors affecting the occurrence of new postoperative cardiac complications in patients undergoing esophageal cancer surgery with concomitant coronary heart disease. Methods Clinical data of patients who underwent esophageal cancer surgery with coronary heart disease at the Affiliated Huai'an No.1 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from December 2019 to June 2023 were collected. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether they experienced postoperative cardiac complications. Using the occurrence of cardiac complications as the dependent variable, a multivariate logistic regression model was established to identify related influencing factors. Results A total of 223 patients were included, comprising 148 males and 75 females, with an average age of (71.78±6.31) years (range 53-88 years). Seventy-one (31.84%) patients experienced at least one new cardiac complication postoperatively, including 2 acute coronary syndrome, 13 heart failure, and 59 new-onset postoperative arrhythmias. Univariate analysis showed that age, systemic immune-inflammation index, pulmonary infection, need for invasive mechanical ventilation due to respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute delirium, pleural effusion requiring drainage, and acute renal failure were risk factors for postoperative new-onset cardiac complications (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified age, postoperative length of hospital stay, ARDS, and systemic immune-inflammation index as independent risk factors for new cardiac complications in esophageal cancer patients with coronary heart disease. Conclusion Strengthening perioperative management of esophageal cancer patients, ranging from preoperative evaluation to postoperative complication treatment, is crucial. Particular attention should be paid to age, ARDS, and other indicators to improve postoperative prognoses in patients with coronary heart disease complicated by esophageal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of a multidisciplinary weight management intervention, so as to provide a reference for the formulation of overweight and obesity intervention measures. Methods: From April to September 2025, overweight and obese residents aged 18-60 years who participated in a weight loss competition at the Health Management Center of Beilun People's Hospital in Ningbo City were selected as study subjects. They were divided into a control group and an intervention group. The control group received conventional weight management, while the intervention group received the multidisciplinary integrated weight management in addition to the conventional weight management, for a total intervention period of 8 weeks. Weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and blood pressure were collected before and after the intervention through physical examinations and laboratory tests. The generalized estimating equations (GEE) method was employed to analyze the differences in indicators between the two groups before and after the intervention. Results: The control group comprised 241 participants, including 161 females (66.80%), with a mean age of (35.66±7.80) years. The intervention group consisted of 127 participants, including 86 females (67.72%), with a mean age of (36.80±7.05) years. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups at baseline in terms of age, gender, weight, BMI, or waist-to-hip ratio (all P>0.05). Results from the GEE analysis indicated significant interactions between group and time for weight, BMI, waist circumference, and hip circumference (all P<0.05) with greater reductions in these parameters observed in the intervention group compared to the control group before and after the intervention. Similarly, significant interactions between group and time were observed for FBG, TG, TC, and LDL-C (all P<0.05), with the intervention group demonstrating larger decreases in these markers compared to the control group. However, no statistically significant interactions between group and time were observed for waist-to-hip ratio, HDL-C, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure (all P>0.05). Following the intervention, a weight loss exceeding 10% was achieved by 13 participants (5.39%) in the control group and 62 participants (48.82%) in the intervention group. The proportion of individuals with a weight loss exceeding 10% was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Compared to conventional weight management, multidisciplinary integrated weight management demonstrated greater efficacy in improving weight-related indicators and blood glucose, blood lipids, and enhancing weight loss outcomes among overweight and obese residents.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the leading cause of respiratory failure with high morbidity and mortality. Pulmonary surfactant (PS)-based complementary therapies have exhibited potential for ARDS healing and applied as an adjunctive therapy strategy. Coacervate (Coac) has the characteristics of softness, deformability and excellent molecular enrichment properties, and has attracted extensive attention in the biomedical field. Here PS and coacervate were combined for the potential ARDS treatment. The Coac, fabricated from polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by simple mixing, exhibited soft droplet property and high enrichment for dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DSP). To avoid the fusion effect of membraneless coacervate and endow it with biological functions of PS, liposomes with PS-biomimetic lipid components (PS-lipo) were further introduced to construct PS-biomimetic membranized coacervate (DSP@PS-Coac). The DSP@PS-Coac demonstrated high lung targeting effect and significant penetration efficiency after intravenous injection. Furthermore, PS-lipo replenished the endogenous PS pool and facilitated the distribution of DSP in inflammatory cells in the lung. In the ARDS mouse model, PS-Coac and DSP exerted synergetic anti-inflammatory functions, via reducing the recruitment of inflammatory neutrophils and modulating macrophages into anti-inflammatory phenotype. The overall results confirmed that DSP@PS-Coac may provide a promising delivery option for the treatment of ARDS.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the value of ferroptose-related genes in the diagnosis and prediction of ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: We used UC dataset from the GEO database to screen for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in UC. The DEGs related to ferroptositis were screened from the FerrDb database and their functions were analyzed. The hub genes were identified by constructing the protein-protein interaction network (PPI), the differences in immune infiltration levels between UC and the control group were evaluated using CIBERSORT, and the diagnostic values of the hub genes for UC were verified by using the training set. In a mouse model of UC, we examined the expression levels of the hub genes in the colon tissues of the mice using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR). RESULTS: We identified a total of 76 DEGs related to ferroptosis. Functional enrichment analysis showed that these genes were significantly enriched in ferroptosis and hypoxia pathways. The PPI network identified 10 hub genes, and 9 of them were highly expressed in UC. Analysis of immune cell infiltration showed that 27 cell types were significantly increased in UC (P<0.05), and the immune checkpoints-related genes had the strongest correlation with the hub gene PPARG (P<0.05). Verification analysis using the training set showed that P4HB, PPARG and STAT3 had the best predictive value for UC (P<0.05). In the UC mouse model, the expression of PPARG was significantly decreased and the expressions of P4HB and STAT3 were significantly increased in the colon tissues of the mice as compared with the normal mice. CONCLUSIONS Ferroptose-related genes have significant value for diagnosis and prediction of UC.
Colitis, Ulcerative/genetics* ; Animals ; Mice ; Ferroptosis/genetics* ; Humans ; Protein Interaction Maps ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gene Expression Profiling ; STAT3 Transcription Factor/genetics*

Five previously undescribed diterpenoids, named succipenoids D‒H (1‒5), along with four undescribed lignans, named succignans A‒D (6‒9), were isolated from the dichloromethane extract of Chinese medicinal succinum. Compounds 1‒5 were characterized as nor-abietane diterpenoids, while compounds 6‒9 were identified as lignans polymerized from two groups of phenylpropanoid units. The structures of these novel compounds, including their absolute configurations, were determined through spectroscopic and computational methods. Biological assessments of renal fibrosis demonstrated that compounds 6 and 7 effectively reduce the expression of proteins associated with renal fibrosis, including α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I, and fibronectin in transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) induced normal rat kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells (NRK-52e).
Animals ; Rats ; Lignans/isolation & purification* ; Diterpenes/isolation & purification* ; Fibrosis/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Molecular Structure ; Cell Line ; Kidney Diseases/pathology* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/genetics* ; Kidney/metabolism* ; Actins/genetics* ; Fibronectins/genetics* ; Collagen Type I/genetics* ; Epithelial Cells/metabolism*

Objective·To investigate the current situation and distribution characteristics of chronic comorbidities,and to provide reference for further improving the self-management of comorbidities and implementing the whole course and all-round management of comorbidity.Methods·Two thousand and forty-five inpatients in the Department of Geriatrics,Renji Hospital,Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were enrolled in this study from December 2020 to February 2023.The general vital signs,routine laboratory examination and disease status were collected.The epidemiological distribution characteristics of chronic diseases and comorbidities were analyzed.Results·The incidence of chronic diseases in the surveyed population was 99.6％,and the incidence of comorbidities was 94.2％.The top 5 chronic diseases were hypertension(43.68％),diabetes mellitus(24.81％),malignant tumor(21.48％),hyperlipidemia(18.38％)and coronary heart disease(11.99％).The detection rates of hypertension,diabetes mellitus,coronary heart disease,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,stoke and chronic kidney disease in males were significantly higher than those in females(P＜0.05).The proportion of patients with 5 chronic diseases was the highest(11.99％),followed by 7 chronic diseases(10.26％)and 6 chronic diseases(10.04％).Among the patients of different ages,the comorbidity rate was the highest in the patients aged 50-59 years(27.78％).In different age groups,patients aged 50 to 59 with 2 chronic diseases had the highest incidence of comorbidity,which was as high as 40.82％.Although the overall proportion of comorbidities among male patients(95.37％)was higher than that among females(93.77％),there was no statistically significant difference(P=0.125).However,the proportions of male patients with 2 and 5 chronic diseases were 70.41％and 60.63％,respectively,which were significantly higher than those of female patients(29.59％and 39.37％).The correlations between coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus,hypertension and coronary heart disease,hypertension and diabetes mellitus were higher(r=0.24,r=0.27,r=0.35,all P＜0.05).Conclusion·The prevalence of chronic diseases and comorbidities is high in the middle-aged and elderly population,and the number of comorbidities increases significantly with the increase of age.

Objective:To study on anti-osteoporosis effect of different extracts of Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata on zebrafish.Methods:Three kinds extracts of Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata, anthraquinone and stilbene glycosides and the removal of anthraquinone and stilbene glycosides were prepared. Prednisolone was used to construct the osteoporosis model of young zebrafish. Normal control group, model group, disodium etidronate group and low-, medium- and high-dosage groups of different extracts of Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata were set up. Alizarin red staining was used to investigate the mineralized skull area and bone density of juvenile zebrafish in each group. Alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) kits were used to detect the activity of osteoblast and osteoclast enzymes in zebra larvae. The qRT PCR method was used to detect the mRNA expressions of osteoporosis related genes Runx2b, col1a2, sparc, and vdrb in each group of zebrafish.Results:Compared with model group, the skull mineralized area and bone mineral density in different extracts of Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata significantly increased ( P<0.01). Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata, anthraquinone and stilbene glycosides and the removal of anthraquinone and stilbene glycosides (medium- and high-dosage) could significantly increase the AKP activity of zebrafish ( P<0.01), and lower the TRAP activity of zebrafish ( P<0.01); the mRNA expression levels of Runx2b, col1a2, sparc and vdrb in juvenile zebrafish osteoporosis model were significantly up-regulated by different extracts of Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata. ( P<0.01). Conclusion:Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata, Anthraquinone and stilbene glycosides and the removal of anthraquinone and stilbene glycosides show better anti-osteoporosis effects. The comparison of the efficacy of three extracts from Polygonum multiflorum shows that in addition to anthraquinone and stilbene glycosides, other chemical components of Polygonum multiflorum have anti-osteoporosis effects.

Artemisia argyi (A. argyi), a plant with a longstanding history as a raw material for traditional medicine and functional diets in Asia, has been used traditionally to bathe and soak feet for its disinfectant and itch-relieving properties. Despite its widespread use, scientific evidence validating the antifungal efficacy of A. argyi water extract (AAWE) against dermatophytes, particularly Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Microsporum gypseum, remains limited. This study aimed to substantiate the scientific basis of the folkloric use of A. argyi by evaluating the antifungal effects and the underlying molecular mechanisms of its active subfraction against dermatophytes. The results indicated that AAWE exhibited excellent antifungal effects against the three aforementioned dermatophyte species. The subfraction AAWE6, isolated using D101 macroporous resin, emerged as the most potent subfraction. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of AAWE6 against T. rubrum, M. gypseum, and T. mentagrophytes were 312.5, 312.5, and 625 μg·mL^-1, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results and assays of enzymes linked to cell wall integrity and cell membrane function indicated that AAWE6 could penetrate the external protective barrier of T. rubrum, creating breaches ("small holes"), and disrupt the internal mitochondrial structure ("granary"). Furthermore, transcriptome data, quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), and biochemical assays corroborated the severe disruption of mitochondrial function, evidenced by inhibited tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and energy metabolism. Additionally, chemical characterization and molecular docking analyses identified flavonoids, primarily eupatilin (131.16 ± 4.52 mg·g^-1) and jaceosidin (4.17 ± 0.18 mg·g^-1), as the active components of AAWE6. In conclusion, the subfraction AAWE6 from A. argyi exerts antifungal effects against dermatophytes by disrupting mitochondrial morphology and function. This research validates the traditional use of A. argyi and provides scientific support for its anti-dermatophytic applications, as recognized in the Chinese patent (No. ZL202111161301.9).
Antifungal Agents/chemistry* ; Arthrodermataceae ; Artemisia/chemistry* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Mitochondria ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests