Kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome is a common geriatric disease that underlies chronic conditions such as diabetic nephropathy, chronic kidney disease, and osteoporosis. As age progresses, the kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome showcases increasingly pronounced manifestations, emerging as a key factor in the comorbidities experienced by elderly patients and affecting their quality of life and overall health status. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has been extensively utilized in the treatment of kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome, with Epimedii Folium, Cinnamomi Cortex, and Lycii Fructus widely used in clinical settings. Despite the complexity of the molecular mechanisms involved in treating kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome, the potential therapeutic value of TCM remains compelling. Delving into the mechanisms of TCM treatment of kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome by regulating the neuro-endocrine-immune system can provide a scientific basis for targeted treatments of this syndrome and lay a foundation for the modernization of TCM. The pathophysiology of kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome involves multiple systems, including the interaction of the neuro-endocrine-immune system, the decline in renal function, the intensification of oxidative stress responses, and energy metabolism disorders. Understanding these mechanisms and their interrelationships can help untangle the etiology of kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome, aiding clinicians in making more precise diagnoses and treatments. Furthermore, the research on the specific applications of TCM in research on these pathological mechanisms can enhance the international recognition and status of TCM, enabling it to exert a greater global influence.
Humans ; Yang Deficiency/physiopathology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Kidney Diseases/physiopathology* ; Neurosecretory Systems/physiopathology* ; Animals ; Kidney/physiopathology* ; Endocrine System/physiopathology* ; Immune System/physiopathology*

Aim To explore whether platelet-derived growth factor C(PDGFC)derived from cancer-associat-ed fibroblasts(CAFs)can promote resistance of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin(DOX)and the underlying mechanisms.Methods CAFs and normal fibroblasts(NFs)were extracted from freshly resected breast cancer tissue and adjacent normal breast tissue respec-tively.Conditioned medium(CM)from CAFs and NFs was collected and co-cultured with breast cancer cells.Cell proliferation and toxicity were assessed using a Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8).The expression of PDG-FC in CAFs,NFs and corresponding CM was detected by Western blot and ELISA respectively.The influence of CAFs-CM on intracellular doxorubicin content in breast cancer cells was observed by fluorescence mi-croscopy.The impact of CAFs-CM on apoptosis-related proteins BAX and BCL2 was predicted and valifated u-sing the Starbase database and Western blot.The changes in ROS levels,mitochondrial membrane po-tential,and mitochondrial membrane proteins TOM20 and COX Ⅳ in breast cancer cells were measured using DCFH-DA fluorescence staining,JC-1 assay,and Western blot.Results CAFs-CM decreased the intra-cellular doxorubicin content and inhibited the sensitivi-ty of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin.Additionally,the expression of apoptosis protein BAX decreased while the anti-apoptotic protein BCL2 increased in breast cancer cells cultured with CAFs-CM.Further-more,CAFs-CM led to decreased ROS levels and in-creased mitochondrial membrane potential in breast cancer cells accompanied with elevated expression of mitochondrial membrane proteins TOM20 and COX Ⅳ.Further study found that PDGEF was highly expressed in CAFs and CAFs-CM,recombinant human PDGFC produced resistance of breast cancer cells to DOX simi-lar to CAFs-CM,and the specific inhibitors of PDGFRα significantly inhibited CAFs-CM.Further mechanistic studies revealed that PDGFC in CAFs-CM induced chemoresistance by activating PI3K-mTOR signaling pathway.Conclusion PDGFC secreted by CAFs promotes doxorubicin resistance in breast cancer cells through PI3K-mTOR signaling pathway,which provides a new perspective for the development of anti-cancer drugs targeting CAFs.

Plasma metabolomics based on UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS technique was developed for profiling the mechanism on attenuating hepatic fibrosis of Bupleuri Radix (BR) and Paeoniae Radix Alba (PRA) before and after vinegar-processing and compatibility, and to screen potential pharmacodynamic substances by spectrum-effect correlation method in this study. Firstly, SD rats with CCl₄-induced hepatic fibrosis were used as an in vivo model. The blood and tissue samples were collected for the analyses of pharmacodynamic indexes and plasma metabolomics after six weeks’ administration of BR, vinegar-processed BR (VPBR), PRA, vinegar-processed PRA (VPPRA), BR-PRA herb-pair, and VPBR-VPPRA herb-pair. The experiment was approved by the experimental animal ethics committee from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (No.202103A002). The results of pharmacodynamics indicated that the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT, P < 0.01), aspartate aminotransferase (AST, P < 0.01), and hydroxyproline (HYP, P < 0.01) were decreased significantly, while the level of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px, P < 0.05) was increased obviously after administration of all treatment groups. Next, UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was performed to characterize the endogenous metabolites. A total of 20 differential endogenous metabolites related to the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis were identified in positive and negative ion modes, mainly involving five metabolic pathways of retinol metabolism, glycerol phospholipid metabolism, glyceride metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and arachidonic acid metabolism. Meanwhile, a concept named correction rate was introduced to evaluate the back-regulation effects of all treatment groups on differential metabolites, and 10 differential metabolites were corrected by all treatment groups. The correction effects of the vinegar-processed herb groups were better than those of the crude ones, and the correction effects of the herb-pair groups were better than those of the single ones. Interestingly, the best correction effect was found in the VPBR-VPPRA herb-pair group, which further verified the efficacy improvement through vinegar-processing and compatibility. Partial least square method and VIP analysis combined with spectrum-effect correlation were applied for screening pharmacodynamic markers, and 38 ingredients with higher correlation with four classical pharmacodynamic indexes (ALT, AST, HYP, and GSH-Px) were identified as pharmacodynamic markers of the anti-hepatic fibrosis effects of BR and PRA before and after vinegar-processing and compatibility. The results of the investigation could not only lay a foundation for clarifying the pharmacodynamic materials and mechanism of vinegar-processing and compatibility of BR and PRA in the treatment of hepatic fibrosis as well as provide a theoretical basis for demonstrating the scientific connotation of processing and compatibility, but also provide a reference for further drug design and development of BR and PRA in clinic.

A quantitative analysis method for six principal active constituents (acubin, geniposidic acid, chlorogenic acid, pinoresinol di-O-glucopyranoside, geniposide, and pinoresinol 4-O-glucopyranoside) of crude Eucommiae Cortex (EC) and its salt-processed product extracts was developed to investigate and compare their pharmacokinetic behaviors in adenine-induced renal fibrotic rats in vivo. UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS technology was employed. Scan was conducted in negative ion mode and quantitative determination was carried out by MRM paired ion. The established method was fully validated by specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, stability, recovery, and matrix effect, and the results of methodological investigation met the requirements of biological sample analysis. Then, a quick, sensitive, and accurate method was successfully established, which could simultaneously measure the contents of six active constituents of crude and salt-processed EC extracts in rat plasma. After a single administration to renal fibrotic rats of crude EC and its salt-processed product extracts, the plasma concentration of each constituent at different time points was measured, the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated and the concentration time curves were structured. The experiment was approved by the experimental animal ethics committee from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (No. 202103A008). The results showed that compared to the crude Eucommiae Cortex group, the t_max of aucubin, pinoresinol di-O-glucopyranoside, geniposide, and pinoresinol 4-O-glucopyranoside in the salt-processed Eucommiae Cortex group rat plasma were significantly lower than those in the crude group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); the C_max and AUC_{0-48 h} of chlorogenic acid, the C_max, AUC_{0-48 h} and AUC_0-∞ of pinoresinol di-O-glucopyranoside, and the C_max of geniposide and pinoresinol 4-O-glucopyranoside were significantly higher than those in the crude group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Our investigation found that compared to crude Eucommiae Cortex, a variety of active ingredients could play a role of quick effect with higher peak blood concentration and bioavailability after oral administration of salt-processed Eucommiae Cortex, which were consistent with the traditional Chinese medicine theory of "salt-processing enhancing drug into kidney meridian", providing an experimental basis for the selection of quality control indexes and the in-depth study of processing mechanisms and metabolic rules in vivo of Eucommiae Cortex and its salt-processed product.

The material basis and mechanism of Chaenomelis Fructus in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis(RA) were explored by network pharmacology, and the potential anti-RA targets of Chaenomelis Fructus were verified by molecular docking and animal experiments. The active components and targets of Chaenomelis Fructus were searched against the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. GeneCards, DisGeNET, and OMIM were used to obtain RA-related targets. The common targets shared by Chaenomelis Fructus and RA were considered as the potential targets of Chaenomelis Fructus in the treatment of RA. Cytoscape 3.9.0 was employed to establish a "traditional Chinese medicine-active component-common target-disease" network. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was established by STRING, and the core genes were visualized by RStudio 4.1.0. DAVID was used for Gene Ontology(GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment to predict and visualize the involved signaling pathways. Molecular docking was carried out with the active components screened out as ligands and RA core genes as the targets. Finally, the prediction results were verified by animal experiments. Four main active components of Chaenomelis Fructus were obtained, which corresponded to 137 targets. Chaenomelis Fructus and RA shared 37 common targets. GO annotation yielded 239 terms(P<0.05), and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis screened out 94 signaling pathways(P<0.05), mainly involving interleukin-17(IL-17), tumor necrosis factor, Toll-like receptor, and nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB) signaling pathways. Molecular docking results showed that the main active components of Chaenomelis Fructus bound well with the core targets of RA. The results of animal experiments proved that Chaenomelis Fructus can alleviate joint swelling in the mice with RA. The results of ELISA showed that Chaenomelis Fructus lowered the levels of interleukin-6(IL-6) and interleukin-1β(IL-1β). Western blot showed that Chaenomelis Fructus down-regulated the protein level of vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA). Chaenomelis Fructus exerts anti-inflammatory effect and reduces pannus formation by regulating the core targets such as VEGFA, IL-1β, and IL6 in the treatment of RA. The findings of this study provide new ideas for the future treatment of RA with Chaenomelis Fructus.
Animals ; Mice ; Network Pharmacology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/genetics* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; NF-kappa B ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Objective:To compare the efficacies of robot-assisted unilateral and manual unilateral/bilateral puncture kyphoplasty (PKP) for the treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture (OTLF).Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 64 OTLF patients admitted to First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from April 2021 to May 2022. The patients included 28 males and 36 females, aged 57-88 years [(74.5±5.6)years]. Fracture segments were 12 patients from T 1-T 9, 32 from T 10-L 2, and 20 from L 3-L 5. All the patients were treated with PKP. Among them, 25 patients underwent manual unilateral puncture (manual unilateral group), 18 patients underwent manual bilateral puncture (manual bilateral group), and 21 patients underwent robot-assisted unilateral puncture (robot-assisted unilateral group). The operation time, channel establishment time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative fluoroscopy times, bone cement injection volume, and bone cement spatial distribution score were compared among the three groups. The visual analogue score (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI) and Cobb angle of kyphosis were compared among the three groups before operation, at 3 days and 3 months after operation, and at the last follow-up. The incidence of complications was compared. Results:All the patients were followed up for 6-10 months [(7.0±0.9)months]. The operation time of the manual unilateral group was (30.2±6.1)minutes, which was shorter than (37.9±8.9)minutes of the robot-assisted unilateral group and (49.0±10.2)minutes of the manual bilateral group; the operation time of the robot-assisted unilateral group was markedly shorter than that of the manual bilateral group (all P<0.05). The channel establishment time of the robot-assisted unilateral group was (4.7±1.4)minutes, which was markedly shorter than (10.4±4.4)minutes of the manual unilateral group and (21.7±6.2)minutes of the manual bilateral group (all P<0.05). The intraoperative blood loss of the robot-assisted unilateral group was (23.8±7.2)ml, which was less than (34.3±7.7)ml of the manual unilateral group and (55.9±18.7)ml of the manual bilateral group (all P<0.05). The number of intraoperative fluoroscopy of the robot-assisted unilateral group was (12.1±2.5)times, which was markedly less than (21.2±5.9)times of the manual unilateral group and (39.6±9.5)times of the manual bilateral group (all P<0.05). The channel establishment time, intraoperative blood loss and intraoperative fluoroscopy times of the manual unilateral group were markedly shorter or less than those of the manual bilateral group (all P<0.05). The bone cement injection volume and bone cement distribution score of the robot-assisted unilateral group were (4.7±1.3)ml and (7.9±1.2)points, which were not statistically different from (5.7±1.3)ml and (8.7±1.1)points of the manual bilateral group (all P>0.05), but were markedly higher than (3.0±1.3)ml and (5.1±1.8)points of the manual unilateral group (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in VAS, ODI and Cobb angle among the three groups at 3 days, 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up (all P>0.05), but which were all lower than those before surgery (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in VAS, ODI and Cobb angle among three groups before operation, at 3 days, 3 months after surgery and at the last follow-up (all P>0.05). The complication rate was 4.8% (1/21) of the robot-assisted unilateral group, 32.0% (8/25) of the manual unilateral group, and 33.3% (6/18) of the manual bilateral group, with no significant difference between the manual unilateral group and the manual bilateral group ( P>0.05), but both of which was markedly higher than that of the robot-assisted unilateral group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Robot-assisted unilateral puncture and manual unilateral/bilateral puncture PKP can both achieve satisfactory results for the treatment of OTLF, but robot-assisted unilateral puncture has shorter channel establishment time, less intraoperative blood loss and intraoperative fluoroscopy times, and lower complication rate.

To investigate the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) among residents in Chongchuan district, Nantong city in 2012 and 2018, and evaluate the effectiveness of community comprehensive management of DM. Based on the data of 17 780 and 13 382 residents in the cross-sectional surveys of the " National Demonstration Area for Comprehensive Prevention and Control of Chronic Diseases " project in Chongchuan District of Nantong City, Jiangsu Province in 2012 and 2018, 4 583 and 3 996 DM-related information were obtained. The population of Jiangsu Province in 2012 and 2018 was used as the reference for standardization. The rates of prevalence and management (including awareness, treatment, treatment of patients who knew their diabetic situation, control and control of patients under treatment) of DM in the two surveys were compared using chi-square test. The results showed that in 2012 and 2018, the prevalence rates of DM were 12.0% and 15.7% (χ²=24.25, P<0.05), and the standardized rates were 10.1% and 10.8% (χ²=1.05, P=0.306). The incidence rates were 5.7% and 2.3%, respectively (χ²=55.60, P<0.05). The standardized prevalence rates in the two surveys were 9.7% and 11.6% for males (χ²=3.66, P=0.056) and 10.5% and 9.9% for females (χ²=0.50, P=0.481), 7.2% and 6.5% (χ²=0.85, P=0.357) for people aged 18-59 years old and 20.6% and 21.9% (χ²=0.91, P=0.339) for people aged 60 years and over, respectively. The standardized rates of awareness, treatment, treatment of patients who knew their diabetic situation, control, and control of patients under treatment in 2018 were 84.4%, 80.3%, 95.2%, 58.4%, and 70.2%, respectively, higher than 47.2%, 23.4%, 44.8%, 30.4% and 59.4% in 2012 (χ²=183.33, χ²=380.65, χ²=282.99, χ²=93.24, χ²=6.22, all P<0.05). Among men, the standardized rates of awareness, treatment, treatment of patients who knew their diabetic situation, and control in 2018 were 85.8%, 78.8%, 91.8% and 62.7%, higher than 50.5%, 37.5%, 72.3% and 32.6% in 2012 (χ²=78.40, χ²=96.17, χ²=27.55, χ²=48.96, all P<0.05). Similarly, the standardized management rates in 2018 were 83.0%, 81.7%, 98.5%, 54.1% and 65.1%, higher than 44.0%, 10.0%, 18.3%, 28.2% and 48.8% in 2012 among women (χ²=105.52, χ²=326.36, χ²=317.22, χ²=43.34, χ²=3.87, all P<0.05). The standardized rates of awareness, treatment, treatment of patients who knew their diabetic situation, and control of people aged 18-59 and 60 years and over were 82.9%, 79.7%, 96.1%, 55.0% and 88.0%, 81.8%, 93.0% and 67.2%, higher than 42.6%, 19.8%, 42.2%, 27.5% and 63.9%, 36.8%, 53.9%, 40.8% in 2012 (χ²=44.51, χ²=102.17, χ²=57.78, χ²=21.65, all P<0.05; χ²=71.18, χ²=181.55, χ²=146.26, χ²=59.23, all P<0.05). The comprehensive prevention and control system of chronic diseases, which comprehensively covered the life of community residents, had good management effect on DM, and effectively promoted health education and health promotion.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/prevention & control* ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Rural Population ; Young Adult

Objective:To investigate the influencing factors of surgical site infection (SSI) after abdominal surgery.Methods:The retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted. The clinical data of 567 patients undergoing abdominal surgery in 6 medical centers, including 445 cases in the Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, 54 cases in the the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, 49 cases in the Shangqiu First People's Hospital, 10 cases in the Luoyang Central Hospital, 5 cases in the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology and 4 cases in the Henan Provincial People's Hospital, from June 1 to June 30, 2020 were collected. There were 284 males and 283 females, aged (51±18)years. Observation indicators: (1) incidence of SSI after surgery; (2) influencing factors of SSI. Follow-up was conducted using outpatient examination and telephone interview to detect the incidence of SSI. Patients without implant were followed up within postoperative 30 days, and patients with implant were followed up within postoperative 1 year. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measure-ment data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was performed using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Univariate analysis was performed using the corresponding statistical methods. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Logistic stepwise regression model advance method. Results:(1) Incidence of SSI after surgery. All the 567 patients were followed up after surgery as planned. There were 27 cases with SSI after surgery including 9 cases with superficial incision infection, 9 cases with deep incision infection, 9 cases with organ/gap infection. Of the 27 cases with SSI after surgery, 18 cases with positive results of incisional microbial culture including 8 cases with positive results of Escherichia coli, 6 cases with positive results of Klebsiella pneumonia, 3 cases with positive results of Enterococcus faecium and 1 case with positive result of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. (2) Influencing factors of SSI. Results of univariate analysis showed that age, preoperative hemoglo-bin, preoperative albumin, preoperative fasting blood glucose, preoperative intestinal preparation, surgical type, surgical site, surgical incision type, duration of intensive cure unite, duration of post-operative hospital stay, duration of total hospital stay, operation time, hospital expense were related factors affecting the incidence of SSI of patients undergoing abdominal surgery ( χ2=40.12, Z=?4.22, ?2.21, ?4.75, χ2=7.07, 16.43, 38.06, 17.50, Z=?4.43, ?4.42, ?7.14, ?7.15, ?5.90, P<0.05) and the American Association of Anesthesiologists Classification, preoperative oral antibiotics, surgical methods and postoperative intensive care unit stay were related factors affecting the incidence of SSI of patients undergoing abdominal surgery ( P<0.05). Results of multivariate analysis showed that age, preopera-tive fasting blood glucose, preoperative intestinal preparation, surgical type, surgical site as appendix and rectum, surgical methods, surgical incision type as infective incision and polluted incision, operation time were independent factors affecting the incidence of SSI of patients undergoing abdo-minal surgery ( odds ratio=7.69, 1.21, 0.27, 5.82, 5.19, 19.08, 0.23, 27.76, 4.97, 1.01, 95% confidence intervals as 2.04?28.95, 1.04?1.41, 0.08?0.94, 1.36?24.85, 1.10?24.43, 4.48?81.25, 0.06?0.87, 2.54?303.53, 1.12?22.14, 1.01?1.02, P<0.05). Conclusion:Age, preoperative fasting blood glucose, preoperative intestinal preparation, surgical type, surgical site as appendix and rectum, surgical methods, surgical incision type as infective incision and polluted incision, operation time are independent factors affecting the incidence of SSI of patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

Metabonomics technology was employed to investigate and identify the mechanisms and metabolic pathways of the crude and wine-processed Fructus Corni extracts on anti-hepatic fibrosis effects in rats, and to compare and analyze the potential mechanism of enhanced interference of the wine-processed Fructus Corni on hepatic fibrosis effects in rats. The rats were randomly divided into the blank control group, the model group, the colchicine group, the crude Fructus Corni groups with low, medium, and high-doses, and the wine-processed Fructus Corni groups with low, medium, and high-doses, and there were six rats in each group. The hepatic fibrosis model was established by subcutaneous injection of 40% carbon tetrachloride, and the intragastric administration was performed at the third week of modeling. The blood and liver samples of rats were taken and carried out for pharmacodynamic index detection and UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis after intragastric administration for six weeks. The results of pharmacodynamic investigation showed that both the crude and wine-processed Fructus Corni had the effects of anti-hepatic fibrosis in rats. Metabonomics analysis indicated that, compared to the blank control group, the twenty-four potential biomarkers related to hepatic fibrosis were screened and identified in the model group, which mainly involved in primary bile acid metabolism, glycerol phospholipid metabolism, pentose and glucuronide metabolism, retinol metabolism, and arachidonic acid metabolism. The crude and wine-processed Fructus Corni extracts had different degrees of callback effects on the ten of the above potential biomarkers, and the effect of wine-processed Fructus Corni was better than that of crude one. The present study clarifies the mechanism of enhanced efficiency of wine-processed Fructus Corni from the perspective of plasma metabolism, and provides the theoretical foundation for further development and clinical application of Fructus Corni.