This article aims to explore the effect and mechanism of Liujunzi Pills on the intestinal microbiota of rats with spleen Qi deficiency syndrome. The raw Rhei Radix et Rhizoma water extract(1 g·mL~(-1)) was used to prepare spleen Qi deficiency rat models. A total of 44 SD male rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, Liujunzi Pills groups at high(3.24 g·kg~(-1)), medium(1.62 g·kg~(-1)), low(0.81 g·kg~(-1)) doses, and Shenling Baizhu San(2.50 g·kg~(-1)) group. The drug effect was evaluated by observing the following aspects: spleen index, fecal water content, body weight, and intestinal propulsion index. Gut microbiota analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were conducted on feces. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and UV spectrophotometry were used to detect interleukin-1β(IL-1β) and adenosine triphosphate(ATP) levels in small intestine tissues. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy were employed to observe changes in intestinal pathology and microstructure. The results show that, compared with the control group, fecal moisture content is significantly increased while spleen index, body weight, and intestinal propulsion index are significantly reduced in rats of the model group, indicating the successful establishment of the model. The above symptoms can be improved by both Shenling Baizhu San and Liujunzi Pills. Compared with the control group, in the model group, the gut microbiota abundance is changed with an unbalanced development: the abundance of beneficial bacteria within the Bacteroidetes phylum is reduced, accompanied by a significantly decreased Shannon index, and reduced signal levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH)-related enzymes relevant to mitochondria. However, Liujunzi Pills and Shenling Baizhu San can significantly improve the Bacteroidetes phylum abundance in gut microbiota, microbial diversity, and NADPH activity in the model group. Additionally, compared with the control group, the ATP level is decreased and the IL-1β level is increased in small intestinal tissues of the model group, with shorter small intestinal epithelial villi and decreased mitochondrial number. The above symptoms can be improved by Liujunzi Pills and Shenling Baizhu San. In conclusion, Liujunzi Pills can treat spleen Qi deficiency syndrome by enhancing mitochondrial function to regulate gut microbiota balance and diversity.
Animals ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Qi ; Spleen/metabolism* ; Splenic Diseases/metabolism* ; Humans ; Interleukin-1beta/genetics* ; Bacteria/drug effects* ; Feces/microbiology* ; Adenosine Triphosphate/metabolism*

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of mucin 1 (MUC1) on the proliferation and apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and its regulatory mechanism. MethodsThe 60 NPC and paired para-cancer normal tissues were collected from October 2020 to July 2021 in Quanzhou First Hospital. The expression of MUC1 was measured by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) in the patients with PNC. The 5-8F and HNE1 cells were transfected with siRNA control (si-control) or siRNA targeting MUC1 (si-MUC1). Cell proliferation was analyzed by cell counting kit-8 and colony formation assay, and apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry analysis in the 5-8F and HNE1 cells. The qPCR and ELISA were executed to analyze the levels of TNF-α and IL-6. Western blot was performed to measure the expression of MUC1, NF-кB and apoptosis-related proteins (Bax and Bcl-2). ResultsThe expression of MUC1 was up-regulated in the NPC tissues, and NPC patients with the high MUC1 expression were inclined to EBV infection, growth and metastasis of NPC. Loss of MUC1 restrained malignant features, including the proliferation and apoptosis, downregulated the expression of p-IкB、p-P65 and Bcl-2 and upregulated the expression of Bax in the NPC cells. ConclusionDownregulation of MUC1 restrained biological characteristics of malignancy, including cell proliferation and apoptosis, by inactivating NF-κB signaling pathway in NPC.

Objective To design a novel oxygenator to solve the existing problems of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)machine in high transmembrane pressure difference,low efficiency of blood oxygen exchange and susceptibility to thrombosis.Methods The main body of the oxygenator vascular access flow field was gifted with a flat cylindrical shape.The topology of the vascular access was modeled in three dimensions,and the whole flow field was cut into a blood inlet section,an inlet buffer,a heat exchange zone,a blood oxygen exchange zone,an outlet buffer and a blood outlet section.The oxygenator was compared with Quadrox oxygenator by means of ANSYS FLUENT-based simulation and prototype experiments.Results Simulation calculations showed the oxygenator designed was comparable to the clinically used ones in general,and gained advantages in transmembrane pressure difference,blood oxygen exchange and flow uniformity.Experimental results indicated that the oxygenator behaved better than Quadrox oxygenator in transmembrane pressure difference and blood oxygen exchange.Conclusion The oxygenator has advantages in transmem-brane pressure difference,temperature change,blood oxygen ex-change and low probability of thrombosis.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(3):23-28]

The comparison between traditional Chinese medicine Jinzhen oral liquid (JZOL) and Western medicine in treating children with acute bronchitis (AB) showed encouraging outcomes. This trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of the JZOL for improving cough and expectoration in children with AB. 480 children were randomly assigned to take JZOL or ambroxol hydrochloride and clenbuterol hydrochloride oral solution for 7 days. The primary outcome was time-to-cough resolution. The median time-to-cough resolution in both groups was 5.0 days and the antitussive onset median time was only 1 day. This randomized controlled trial showed that JZOL was not inferior to cough suppressant and phlegm resolving western medicine in treating cough and sputum and could comprehensively treat respiratory and systemic discomfort symptoms. Combined with clinical trials, the mechanism of JZOL against AB was uncovered by network target analysis, it was found that the pathways in TRP channels like IL-1β/IL1R/TRPV1/TRPA1, NGF/TrkA/TRPV1/TRPA1, and PGE2/EP/PKA/TRPV1/TRPA1 might play important roles. Animal experiments further confirmed that inflammation and the immune regulatory effect of JZOL in the treatment of AB were of vital importance and TRP channels were the key mechanism of action.

This study, aiming at finding biomarkers which can assist in the diagnosis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) pneumonia and analyzing the metabolic pathways of anti-RSV activity of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (SG)., explores the improvement effect of SG on mice models infected by RSV with the metabolomics technology based on UPLC-Q-Exactive HF X-MS. Mice models affected by RSV are established by nasal drip method and the changes of body weight, rectal temperature and pathological damage of lung tissue are evaluated. The lung tissue samples of mice in each group are collected and analyzed by UPLC-Q-Exactive HF X-MS. The differential metabolites of SG drug intervention are explored by metabolomics technology, and the metabolic pathways regulated by SG are analyzed. The results show that SG can significantly improve the pathological state of the lung tissue of the mice and make its body weight and rectal temperature tend to be normal. In the lung tissue samples, 46 biomarkers, such as guanine, L-asparagine, and arachidonic acid, are screened for disease development in RSV model mice. SG improved RSV infection by recalling 22 potential biomarkers, such as uric acid, arachidonic acid, and alanine. The 22 potential markers mainly involved 11 abnormal metabolic pathways, including phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis, and arachidonic acid metabolism, alanine, aspartic acid and glutamate metabolism are closely related to the five metabolic pathways. SG improves RSV-infected mice mainly by regulating amino acids, lipids, cofactors and vitamins and nucleotide metabolites. All animal experiments were conducted under the guidance and approval of the Animal Ethics Review Committee of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. (approval number: SDUTCM20210311001).

Objective:To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of multiple myeloma(MM)patients who resisted to the combination of bortezomib,lenalidomide and dexamethasone(VRD). Methods:The clinical features and prognosis of 150 patients with newly diagnosed MM in Beijing Chaoyang Hospital who were treated with VRD from January 2015 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed by SPSS software. Results:Among a total of 150 MM patients,21 patients resisted to VRD,including 14 patients with primary refractory to VRD and 7 patients with early relapse.In the VRD-resistant group(n=21),the median age of patients was 58 years(37-70 years),and female patients were more common(61.9％);Durie-Salmon stage:17 patients were DS stage Ⅲ,4 patients were DS stage Ⅱ;44.4％of those patients were cytogenetic high risk.CD20 positive rate was higher in the VRD-resistant group(P=0.014).The overall survival(OS)of MM patients in the VRD-resistant group was significantly lower than that in the VRD-nonresistant group(34 months vs not achieved,P＜0.001).In the VRD-resistant group,the median OS of MM patients receiving autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was significantly longer than that of non-transplant patients(34 months vs 16 months,P=0.038).Drug resistance and non-autologous transplantation are independent adverse prognostic factors for newly diagnosed MM patients receiving VRD induction chemotherapy.COX multivariate analysis showed that age＞65,cytogenetic high risk and non-autologous stem cell transplantation may be adverse prognostic factors for VRD-resistant MM patients. Conclusion:Positive CD20 was more common in MM patients with VRD resistence,which may indicate more aggressive biological characteristics in VRD-resistent MM patients.The VRD-resistent MM patients had poor prognosis,they can obtain disease remission from salvage chemotherapy including daratumumab,and the survival of them also can be improved after autologous stem cell transplantation.

This study aims to explore the molecular mechanism of Ganoderma against gastric cancer based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cell experiment. The active components and targets of Ganoderma were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), and gastric cancer-related targets from GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM). The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of the common targets was constructed with STRING, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of the common genes based on Bioconductor and R language. The medicinal-disease-component-target network and medicinal-disease-component-target-pathway network were established by Cytoscape. Molecular docking was performed between β-sitosterol(the key component in Ganoderma) and the top 15 targets in the PPI network. Cell experiment was performed to verify the findings. A total of 14 active components and 28 targets of Ganoderma were retrieved, and the medicinal and the disease shared 25 targets, including caspase-3(CASP3), caspase-8(CASP8), caspase-9(CASP9), and B-cell lymphoma-2(BCL2). The common targets involved 72 signaling pathways and apoptosis and p53 signaling pathway may play a crucial role in the effect of Ganoderma against gastric cancer. β-sitosterol had strong binding activity to the top 15 targets in the PPI network. The in vitro cell experiment demonstrated that β-sitosterol inhibited gastric cancer AGS cell proliferation by inducing cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the S phase, which might be related to the regulation of the p53 pathway. This study shows the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics of Ganoderma against gastric cancer, which lays a scientific basis for further research on the molecular mechanism.
Ganoderma ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Network Pharmacology ; Stomach Neoplasms/genetics*

Humans ; Mutation ; NAV1.5 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel/genetics*

Objective To ascertain the characteristics of the parturient women in the district, the requirement and satisfaction for postpartum visits, and to explore the present situation of postpartum visits in the district, providing theoretical basis for the formulation and improvement of targeted work mechanism for postpartum visits. Methods A total of 540 parturients were selected to complete the questionnaire survey according to the proportion of parturients in each community, then statistical analysis of questionnaire information was made. Results Among the 540 parturients, 400 were primiparas and 140 multiparas.More than 94% of the respondents believed that postpartum visits were necessary.The demand for postpartum visits was different between primiparas and multiparas.The primiparas needed more guidance on the nursing of the newborn, and the multiparas wanted to have more concern for postpartum recovery and health care.Respondents had high satisfaction with postpartum visits. Conclusion The form and content of postpartum visits directly affect the satisfaction of puerperants, who need higher quality and personalized services.The professional quality of visitors should be improved by professional training.And the personalized postpartum visiting service should be properly carried out by making full use of modern means of information dissemination.And postpartum psychological health care also needs attention in this regard.

Objective: This study explored the thromboembolism risk of low-risk atrial fibrillation (AF) patients (CHA₂DS₂-VASc score of 0 or 1 for male and 1 or 2 for female) with different clinical characteristics to provide the basis for anticoagulation decision-making in these patients. Methods: We prospectively enrolled consecutive 2 862 nonvalvular low-risk AF patients between August 2011 to December 2018 in China-AF (China Atrial Fibrillation Registry) Study, their CHA₂DS₂-VASc score was 0 or 1 for male and 1 or 2 for female. According to their age, sex, presence or absence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, and vascular disease at the time of enrolling, patients were divided into CHA₂DS₂-VASc score 0 score group, 1 score group, and 2 score group. Patients were followed up every 6 months by outpatient clinic visit or telephone interview. The outcome was a thromboembolic event, including ischemic stroke and systemic embolism. Univariate Cox regression analysis was used to compare the thromboembolism risk between the patients with different risk factors and CHA₂DS₂-VASc score 0 group. Results: A total of 2 862 low-risk atrial fibrillation patients were enrolled in this study. 915 patients (32.0%) were female, and age was (55.0±10.7) years old. There were 933 patients (32.6%) in CHA₂DS₂-VASc score 0 group, 1 401 patients (49.0%) in score 1 group and 528 patients (18.5%) in score 2 group. During follow-up (median 1.5 years, 5 811.82 person-years), 33 cases of thromboembolic events were recorded, the annual rate of thromboembolism was 0.57% (95%CI 0.40%~0.80%). The number of thromboembolic events in patients with CHA₂DS₂-VASc score 0, 1 and 2 were 8, 11 and 14, respectively, and the annual thromboembolism event rates were 0.40% (95%CI 0.20%-0.81%), 0.39% (95%CI 0.22%-0.71%) and 1.34% (95%CI 0.80%-2.27%), respectively. The risk of thromboembolism of CHA₂DS₂-VASc score 2 group (HR=3.53, 95%CI 1.48-8.44; P=0.005), especially female patients aged 65-74 years in CHA₂DS₂-VASc score 2 group (HR=2.67, 95%CI 1.63-4.38; P<0.000) was significantly higher than that in patients of CHA₂DS₂-VASc score 0 group. Conclusion: Low-Risk Atrial Fibrillation patients with CHA₂DS₂-VASc score 2, especially female patients aged 65-74 years old with CHA₂DS₂-VASc score 2 are at higher risk of thromboembolism in low-risk AF patients. For such patients, intensified oral anticoagulant therapy might be helpful to reduce the risk of thrombolism.
Adult ; Aged ; Anticoagulants ; Atrial Fibrillation ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; Thromboembolism