This study aims to investigate the antipyretic effects and mechanisms of ethanol extracts from Arisaematis Rhizoma fermented with bile from different sources on a rat model of fever induced by a dry-yeast suspension. The rat model of fever was established by subcutaneous injection of 20% dry-yeast suspension into the rat back. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6) in the serum, as well as prostaglandin E_2(PGE_2) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP) in the hypothalamus, were determined by ELISA. Metabolomics analysis was then performed on serum and hypothalamus samples based on UPLC-Q-TOF MS to explore the potential biomarkers and metabolic pathways. The results showed that the body temperatures of rats significantly rose 4 h after modeling. After oral administration of high-dose ethanol extracts of Arisaematis Rhizoma fermented with bovine bile(NCH) and porcine bile(ZCH), the body temperatures of rats declined(P<0.05), and the NCH group showed better antipyretic effect than the ZCH group. Additionally, compared with the model group, the NCH and ZCH groups showed lowered levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, PGE_2, and cAMP(P<0.01). The results of serum and hypothalamus metabolomics analysis indicated that both NCH and ZCH exerted antipyretic effects by regulating phenylalanine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Collectively, both NCH and ZCH can play an obvious antipyretic role in the rat model of dry yeast-induced fever, and the underlying mechanism might be closely associated with inhibiting inflammation and regulating metabolic disorders. Moreover, NCH demonstrates better antipyretic effect.
Animals ; Rats ; Male ; Fermentation ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rhizome/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Bile/chemistry* ; Antipyretics/chemistry* ; Fever/metabolism* ; Cattle ; Swine ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Ethanol/chemistry* ; Interleukin-6/blood* ; Interleukin-1beta/blood*

Based on the high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia rat model, this study aimed to evaluate the lipid-lowering effect of Arisaema Cum Bile and explore its mechanisms, providing experimental evidence for its clinical application. Biochemical analysis was used to detect serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), triglycerides(TG), and total cholesterol(TC) to assess the lipid-lowering activity of Arisaema Cum Bile. Additionally, 16S rDNA sequencing and metabolomics techniques were employed to jointly elucidate the lipid-lowering mechanisms of Arisaema Cum Bile. The experimental results showed that high-dose Arisaema Cum Bile(PBA-H) significantly reduced serum ALT, AST, LDL-C, TG, and TC levels(P<0.01), and significantly increased HDL-C levels(P<0.01). The effect was similar to that of fenofibrate, with no significant difference. Furthermore, Arisaema Cum Bile significantly alleviated hepatocyte ballooning and mitigated fatty degeneration in liver tissues. As indicated by 16S rDNA sequencing results, PBA-H significantly enhanced both alpha and beta diversity of the gut microbiota in the model rats, notably increasing the relative abundance of Akkermansia and Subdoligranulum species(P<0.01). Liver metabolomics analysis revealed that PBA-H primarily regulated pathways involved in arachidonic acid metabolism, vitamin B_6 metabolism, and steroid biosynthesis. In summary, Arisaema Cum Bile significantly improved abnormal blood lipid levels and liver pathology induced by a high-fat diet, regulated hepatic metabolic disorders, and improved the abundance and structural composition of gut microbiota, thereby exerting its lipid-lowering effect. The findings of this study provide experimental evidence for the clinical application of Arisaema Cum Bile and the treatment of hyperlipidemia.
Animals ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Rats ; Male ; Metabolomics ; Hyperlipidemias/microbiology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Hypolipidemic Agents/pharmacology* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Humans ; Alanine Transaminase/metabolism* ; Triglycerides/metabolism* ; Aspartate Aminotransferases/metabolism*

OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of prophylactic phenytoin (PHT) or levetiracetam (LEV) on busulfan (BU) blood concentration in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. METHODS: Pediatric patients conditioned with BU plus cyclophosphamide and fludarabine at the First People's Hospital of Chenzhou from September 2023 to February 2025 were retrospectively included. Patients were grouped by prophylactic antiepileptic regimen into PHT (n=24) and LEV (n=26). BU blood concentrations at the end of infusion (0 hour) and at 1, 2, and 4 hours post-infusion were compared between groups. RESULTS: At 0 hour post-infusion, BU blood concentrations did not differ significantly between groups (P>0.05). At 1, 2, and 4 hours post-infusion, BU blood concentrations were higher in the LEV group than in the PHT group (P<0.05). The area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to ∞ (AUC_0-∞) was greater in the LEV group (P<0.001), and the attainment rate of AUC_0-∞ was higher in the LEV group than in the PHT group (73% vs 21%, P<0.001). No significant differences were observed between groups in time to hematopoietic engraftment or in the incidence of BU-related adverse drug reactions (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Compared with PHT, LEV prophylaxis is associated with higher BU blood concentration and a higher AUC_0-∞ attainment rate. There is no observed difference in BU efficacy or safety between PHT and LEV.
Humans ; Levetiracetam/therapeutic use* ; Busulfan/pharmacokinetics* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Phenytoin/pharmacology* ; Infant ; Retrospective Studies ; Anticonvulsants/pharmacology* ; Adolescent

Objective:To investigate the value of serum ferritin,folic acid and vitamin B12 in the treatment of multiple myeloma(MM)with bortezomib combined with chemotherapy.Methods:Clinical data of 40 MM patients admitted to our hospital from January 2020 to August 2022 and 40 hematology outpatients during the same period were reviewed.All MM patients were treated with bortezomib combined with chemotherapy.The diagnostic efficacy of serum ferritin,folic acid and vitamin B12 on MM was analyzed by ROC curve.The changes of serum ferritin,folic acid and vitamin B12 in MM patients before and after treatment were compared.According to the mean values of serum ferritin,folic acid and vitamin B12,patients were divided into high and low expression groups,and the survival of patients between the groups was compared.Results:Before treatment,the levels of serum ferritin and vitamin B12 in MM patients were significantly higher than those in control group,while folic acid was lower(all P＜0.001).The area under the curve(AUC)of MM patients diagnosed with ferritin,folic acid and vitamin B12 were 0.928,0.843 and 0.867,the specificity was 100％,67.50％and 72.50％,and the sensitivity was 80.00％,95.00％and 87.50％,respectively.After 4 cycles of chemotherapy,there were 9 cases of complete remission(CR),19 cases of very good partial remission(VGPR),6 cases of PR,4 cases of stable disease(SD)and 2 cases of progression disease(PD)in 40 MM patients.In CR group,ferritin and vitamin B12 decreased but folic acid increased after treatment compared with before treatment(all P＜0.05).The overall survival(OS)rates of patients in low expression group of ferritin and vitamin B12 were significantly higher than those in high expression group(both P＜0.01).The OS rate of patients in high expression group of folic acid was significantly higher than that in low expression group(P＜0.01).Cox regression analysis showed that ferritin was an independent prognostic factor for MM patients(HR=8.850,95％CI:2.267-34.553,P=0.002).Conclusion:Serum ferritin,folic acid and vitamin B12 have some auxiliary value in the diagnosis and efficacy evaluation of MM,and ferritin is an independent prognostic factor for MM.

Objective To assess the value of the MRI-based ovarian-adnexal reporting and data system (O-RADS MRI) for the diagnosis of adnexal masses. Methods A total of 407 patients who underwent dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE)-MRI and pathological examination (gold standard) at the Department of Radiology,Central Hospital of Wuhan between May 2017 and December 2022 were enrolled in this study.Two radiologists performed the O-RADS MRI scoring of adnexal masses according to MRI features and calculated the malignancy rate of adnexal masses by O-RADS MRI score,enhancement type,and mass type.Moreover,receiver operating characteristic curves were established to further evaluate the diagnostic values of O-RADS MRI score,enhancement type,and mass type for adnexal masses. Results A total of 502 adnexal masses were identified in the 407 patients enrolled in this study,including 364 benign masses and 138 malignant masses (including junctional masses).Radiologist 1 reported the malignancy rates of 0,0,5.4%,80.0%,and 89.7% and radiologist 2 reported the malignancy rates of 0,0,5.8%,86.2%,and 83.0% for the adnexal masses with the O-RADS MRI scores of 1-5,respectively.With O-RADS MRI ≥4 indicating malignant masses,the sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,false negative rate,and false positive rate were 94.2%,93.6%,93.8%,84.9%,97.7%,2.3%,and 15.1% for radiologist 1 and 93.4%,93.6%,93.6%,85.4%,97.4%,3.6%,and 14.6% for radiologist 2,respectively.The malignancy rates of the adnexal masses presenting no enhancement,cystic wall enhancement,type Ⅰ curve,type Ⅱ curve,and type Ⅲ curve were 0,1.3%,5.7%,81.2%,and 89.0% as reported by radiologist 1 and 0,1.2%,11.3%,87.6%,and 80.0% as reported by radiologist 2,respectively.The malignancy rates of the adnexal masses that were cystic lesions,cystic segregated lesions,solid lesions,cystic solid lesions,and cystic solid segregated lesions were 0,7.1%,38.7%,79.1%,and 89.8% as reported by radiologist 1 and 0,8.1%,37.8%,72.4%,and 89.6% as reported by radiologist 2,respectively.With type Ⅱ and type Ⅲ curves as the criteria for malignancy,the sensitivity of radiologists 1 and 2 was lower for cystic segregated lesions,both at 50.0%.For the masses containing solid components,radiologists 1 and 2 demonstrated low specificity,which was 57.7% and 56.5%,respectively.False-positive masses contained solid components and were mostly fibroadenomas or adnexal leiomyomas,while false-negative masses were mostly junctional cystadenomas with no or few solid components. Conclusions The O-RADS MRI risk stratification has a high diagnostic value for adnexal masses.Further evaluation and refinement are needed to reduce the false-positive rate.
Humans ; Female ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adnexal Diseases/diagnosis* ; Ovarian Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Ovary/pathology* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Adnexa Uteri/diagnostic imaging* ; Young Adult ; Data Systems ; Aged

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at investigating the carrier rate of, and molecular variation in, α- and β-globin gene mutations in Hunan Province. METHODS: We recruited 25,946 individuals attending premarital screening from 42 districts and counties in all 14 cities of Hunan Province. Hematological screening was performed, and molecular parameters were assessed. RESULTS: The overall carrier rate of thalassemia was 7.1%, including 4.83% for α-thalassemia, 2.15% for β-thalassemia, and 0.12% for both α- and β-thalassemia. The highest carrier rate of thalassemia was in Yongzhou (14.57%). The most abundant genotype of α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia was -α ^3.7/αα (50.23%) and β ^IVS-II-654/β ^N (28.23%), respectively. Four α-globin mutations [CD108 (ACC>AAC), CAP +29 (G>C), Hb Agrinio and Hb Cervantes] and six β-globin mutations [CAP +8 (C>T), IVS-II-848 (C>T), -56 (G>C), beta nt-77 (G>C), codon 20/21 (-TGGA) and Hb Knossos] had not previously been identified in China. Furthermore, this study provides the first report of the carrier rates of abnormal hemoglobin variants and α-globin triplication in Hunan Province, which were 0.49% and 1.99%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates the high complexity and diversity of thalassemia gene mutations in the Hunan population. The results should facilitate genetic counselling and the prevention of severe thalassemia in this region.
Humans ; beta-Thalassemia/genetics* ; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Hemoglobinopathies/genetics* ; China/epidemiology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing

Humans ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genetics* ; Microspheres ; Antitubercular Agents/pharmacology* ; Mutation ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Fluoroquinolones ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial/genetics* ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant/microbiology*

Objective: To explore the feasibility and safety of the gasless transoral vestibular robotic thyroidectomy using skin suspension. Methods: The clinical data of 20 patients underwent gasless transoral vestibular robotic thyroidectomy in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from February 2022 to May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 18 were females and 2 were males, aged (38.7±8.0) years old. The intraoperative blood loss, operation time, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative drainage volume, postoperative pain visual analogue scale (VAS) score, postoperative swallowing function swallowing impairment score-6 (SIS-6), postoperative aesthetic VAS score, postoperative voice handicap index-10 (VHI-10) voice quality, postoperative pathology and complications were recorded. SPSS 25.0 was used for statistical analysis of the data. Results: The operations were successfully completed without conversion to open surgery in all patients. Pathological examination showed papillary thyroid carcinoma in 18 cases, retrosternal nodular goiter in 1 case, and cystic change in goiter in 1 case. The operative time for thyroid cancer was 161.50 (152.75, 182.50) min [M (P₂₅, P₇₅), the same below] and the average operative time for benign thyroid diseases was 166.50 minutes. The intraoperative blood loss 25.00 (21.25, 30.00) ml. In 18 cases of thyroid cancer, the mean diameter of the tumors was (7.22±2.02) mm, and lymph nodes (6.56±2.14) were dissected in the central region, with a lymph node metastasis rate of 61.11%. The postoperative pain VAS score was 3.00 (2.25, 4.00) points at 24 hours, the mean postoperative drainage volume was (118.35±24.32) ml, the postoperative hospital stay was 3.00 (3.00, 3.75) days, the postoperative SIS-6 score was (4.90±1.58) points at 3 months, and the postoperative VHI-10 score was 7.50 (2.00, 11.00) points at 3 months. Seven patients had mild mandibular numbness, 10 patients had mild cervical numbness, and 3 patients had temporary hypothyroidism three months after surgery and 1 patient had skin flap burn, but recovered one month after surgery. All patients were satisfied with the postoperative aesthetic effects, and the postoperative aesthetic VAS score was 10.00 (10.00, 10.00). Conclusion: Gasless transoral vestibular robotic thyroidectomy using skin suspension is a safe and feasible option with good postoperative aesthetic effect, which can provide a new treatment option for some selected patients with thyroid tumors.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Thyroidectomy/adverse effects* ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; Hypesthesia/surgery* ; Neck Dissection/adverse effects* ; Thyroid Neoplasms/surgery* ; Pain, Postoperative/surgery* ; Postoperative Complications/etiology*

Continuous spermatogenesis depends on the self-renewal and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). SSCs, the only male reproductive stem cells that transmit genetic material to subsequent generations, possess an inherent self-renewal ability, which allows the maintenance of a steady stem cell pool. SSCs eventually differentiate to produce sperm. However, in an in vitro culture system, SSCs can be induced to differentiate into various types of germ cells. Rodent SSCs are well defined, and a culture system has been successfully established for them. In contrast, available information on the biomolecular markers and a culture system for livestock SSCs is limited. This review summarizes the existing knowledge and research progress regarding mammalian SSCs to determine the mammalian spermatogenic process, the biology and niche of SSCs, the isolation and culture systems of SSCs, and the biomolecular markers and identification of SSCs. This information can be used for the effective utilization of SSCs in reproductive technologies for large livestock animals, enhancement of human male fertility, reproductive medicine, and protection of endangered species.
Adult Germline Stem Cells ; Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Male ; Spermatogenesis ; Spermatogonia ; Stem Cells

OBJECTIVE: To build a helical CT projection data restoration model at random low-dose levels. METHODS: We used a noise estimation module to achieve noise estimation and obtained a low-dose projection noise variance map, which was used to guide projection data recovery by the projection data restoration module. A filtering back-projection algorithm (FBP) was finally used to reconstruct the images. The 3D wavelet group residual dense network (3DWGRDN) was adopted to build the network architecture of the noise estimation and projection data restoration module using asymmetric loss and total variational regularization. For validation of the model, 1/10 and 1/15 of normal dose helical CT images were restored using the proposed model and 3 other restoration models (IRLNet, REDCNN and MWResNet), and the results were visually and quantitatively compared. RESULTS: Quantitative comparisons of the restored images showed that the proposed helical CT projection data restoration model increased the structural similarity index by 5.79% to 17.46% compared with the other restoration algorithms (P < 0.05). The image quality scores of the proposed method rated by clinical radiologists ranged from 7.19% to 17.38%, significantly higher than the other restoration algorithms (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The proposed method can effectively suppress noises and reduce artifacts in the projection data at different low-dose levels while preserving the integrity of the edges and fine details of the reconstructed CT images.
Algorithms ; Artifacts ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods*