ObjectiveTo observe the effectiveness and safety of Jiuzihuichun decoction combined with spleen- strengthening moxibustion in patients with asthenospermia infertility with spleen-kidney deficiency pattern. MethodsA total of 82 patients with asthenospermia of spleen-kidney deficiency pattern in Shanghai Seventh People's Hospital were included. The patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group， with 41 patients in each group. The control group received oral administration of WuziYanzong pills combined with spleen-strengthening moxibustion. The dosage of Wuzi Yanzong pills was 1 bag each time， and it was taken twice a day. The spleen-strengthening moxibustion was carried out once a week. The observation group， on the other hand， took Jiuzi Huichun decoction orally combined with spleen-strengthening moxibustion. The Jiuzi Huichun Decoction was taken 200 mL each time， twice a day， with one dose in the morning and one in the evening. The spleen-strengthening moxibustion for the observation group was also performed once a week. The treatment course for both groups was 12 weeks， and they were followed up for an additional 12 weeks. During the treatment process，12 cases were either lost to follow-up or excluded. Eventually， 70 cases were available for evaluation，with 35 cases in the control group and 35 cases in the observation group. The pregnancy status of the patients' spouse within 6 months was recorded. The traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores of spleen-kidney deficiency pattern before and after treatment were evaluated. The semen volume，semen routine parameters，normal sperm morphology，sperm DNA fragmentation index，seminal plasma fructose，seminal plasma acid phosphatase， and seminal plasma α-glucosidase levels of the two groups were detected before and after treatment. In addition， the safety indicators related to liver and kidney functions of the two groups were detected before and after treatment. ResultsDuring the 6-month observation period， when compared with the situation before treatment in their respective groups，the semen volume of the observation group and the control group increased. In contrast， the sperm concentration，sperm motility，proportion of a+b-grade sperm，normal sperm morphology，seminal plasma fructose，seminal plasma acid phosphatase，seminal plasma α-Glucosidase，the proportion of a-grade sperm，linear sperm motility，linear sperm concentration， and linear sperm count all increased significantly（P<0.05）. At the same time， the sperm DNA fragmentation index and the TCM syndrome scores of the spleen-kidney deficiency pattern decreased significantly（P<0.05）. When the observation group was compared with the control group after treatment， the clinical efficacy of the observation group was better（Z=-2.276，P<0.05）. The pregnancy rate of the observation group's spouses was 14.3%，which was higher than the 2.9% of the control group. The sperm motility， the proportion of a+b-grade sperm，seminal plasma fructose，the proportion of a-grade sperm，normal sperm morphology，α-glucosidase， and linear sperm motility in the observation group were higher than those in the control group （P<0.05）. Moreover， the sperm DNA fragmentation index and the TCM syndrome scores of spleen-kidney deficiency pattern in the observation group were lower than those in the control group （P<0.01）. No serious adverse reactions occurred in the two groups，and no abnormalities were found in the safety indicators after treatment. ConclusionJiuzi Huichun decoction combined with spleen-strengthening moxibustion can enhance sperm viability and sperm concentration. It can also improve the TCM-related symptoms of asthenospermia of spleen-kidney deficiency pattern and sperm morphology. Additionally， it can reduce the sperm DNA fragmentation index and regulate the level of seminal plasma bioenzyme in patients with male asthenospermia infertility of spleen-kidney deficiency pattern. Therefore， it is worthy of further promotion and application in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE To provide a reference for the adjustment of antibacterial drug regimens， identification of adverse reactions， and personalized pharmaceutical care for patients with bullous pemphigoid and pulmonary aspergillosis combined with disseminated Nocardia farcinica infection. METHODS Clinical pharmacists participated in the entire treatment process of a patient with bullous pemphigoid and pulmonary aspergillosis combined with disseminated N. farcinica infection. Evidence-based medicine was used to assist in the selection of an initial combined drug regimen against nocardiosis， and timely communication with the microbiology laboratory to provide early antimicrobial susceptibility data. When the patient exhibited epilepsy， the suspected drugs were identified， and it was reminded that imipenem-cilastatin sodium could affect the efficacy of valproic acid. It was suggested to replace valproic acid with levetiracetam for anti-epileptic treatment and to discontinue imipenem-cilastatin sodium. During treatment， it was recommended to monitor the blood concentrations of voriconazole and linezolid， and assist in adjusting the dosage promptly based on the monitoring results. RESULTS The physicians accepted the recommendations of the clinical pharmacists. The patient’s condition improved， and they were discharged with medication. CONCLUSIONS Based on evidence-based medical evidence， antimicrobial susceptibility test results， and blood concentration monitoring data， clinical pharmacists assist clinicians in selecting a sensitive anti-infective regimen for the patient， identifying adverse reactions， adjusting the treatment regimen and providing full-course medication monitoring to ensure the safety and efficacy of clinical drug therapy.

Objective To investigate the expression of Nanog and its regulatory relationship with MMP-2/MMP-9 proteins in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).Methods We detected Nanog and MMP-2/MMP-9 protein expressions in 127 ESCC tissues and 82 adjacent normal tissues using immunohistochemistry and explored their correlations with the clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of the patients.GEO database was utilized to analyze the pathways enriched with the stemness-related molecules including Nanog,and TIMER online tool was used to analyze the correlations among TβR1,MMP-2,and MMP-9 in esophageal cancer.Results Nanog and MMP-2/MMP-9 proteins were significantly upregulated in ESCC tissues and positively intercorrelated.Their expression levels were closely correlated with infiltration depth and lymph node metastasis of ESCC but not with age,gender,or tumor differentiation.The patients with high expressions of Nanog and MMP-2/MMP-9 had significantly shorter survival time.Bioinformatics analysis showed enrichment of stemness-associated molecules in the TGF-β signaling pathway,and the expressions of MMP-2/MMP-9 and TβR1 were positively correlated.In cultured ESCC cells,Nanog knockdown significantly decreased the expression of TβR1,p-Smad2/3,MMP-2,and MMP-9 and strongly inhibited cell migration.Conclusion The high expressions of Nanog,MMP-2,and MMP-9,which are positively correlated,are closely related with invasion depth,lymph node metastasis,and prognosis of ESCC.Nanog regulates the expressions of MMP-2/MMP-9 proteins through the TGF-β signaling pathway,and its high expression promotes migration of ESCC cells.

Objective:To investigate effect of vitexin on macrophage polarization and its impact on tumor growth in a mouse model of prostate cancer.Methods:C57BL/6J male mice were used to establish RM-1 prostate cancer xenograft model.Mice were ran-domly divided into model group,vitexin-low,medium and high doses groups(40,80,160 mg/kg),and cisplatin group as positive control.After continuous administration for 16 days,mice were euthanized and tumor mass was measured.HE staining was performed to observe tumor morphology.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect Ki67 positive rate.Flow cytometry was conducted to measure expressions of CD86+CD11b and CD206+CD11b in tumor-associated macrophages.CCK8 assay was performed to assess cytotoxic effect of vitexin on RAW264.7 macrophages to determine suitable concentrations.RT-qPCR was used to measure mRNA expressions of M2 macrophage markers,including arginase-1(ARG-1),Fizz1 and Ym1.Results:Vitexin inhibited tumor volume and weight,induced tumor tissue necrosis,suppressed Ki67 protein expression,increased expression of CD86+CD11b+M1 macrophages,and inhibited CD206+CD11b+M2 macrophage expression in mouse tumor tissues in vivo.Vitexin at concentrations of 10～20 μmol/L showed no cyto-toxicity on RAW264.7 macrophages in vitro,and promoted expression of iNOS in IL-4-induced M2 macrophages while inhibiting CD206 expression,as well as suppressed mRNA expressions of ARG-1,Fizz1 and Ym1.Conclusion:Vitexin effectively inhibits tumor growth in a mouse model of prostate cancer,possibly by regulating M2 macrophages towards an M1 phenotype and exerting immunomodulatory effects.

Objective To investigate the expression of Nanog and its regulatory relationship with MMP-2/MMP-9 proteins in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).Methods We detected Nanog and MMP-2/MMP-9 protein expressions in 127 ESCC tissues and 82 adjacent normal tissues using immunohistochemistry and explored their correlations with the clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of the patients.GEO database was utilized to analyze the pathways enriched with the stemness-related molecules including Nanog,and TIMER online tool was used to analyze the correlations among TβR1,MMP-2,and MMP-9 in esophageal cancer.Results Nanog and MMP-2/MMP-9 proteins were significantly upregulated in ESCC tissues and positively intercorrelated.Their expression levels were closely correlated with infiltration depth and lymph node metastasis of ESCC but not with age,gender,or tumor differentiation.The patients with high expressions of Nanog and MMP-2/MMP-9 had significantly shorter survival time.Bioinformatics analysis showed enrichment of stemness-associated molecules in the TGF-β signaling pathway,and the expressions of MMP-2/MMP-9 and TβR1 were positively correlated.In cultured ESCC cells,Nanog knockdown significantly decreased the expression of TβR1,p-Smad2/3,MMP-2,and MMP-9 and strongly inhibited cell migration.Conclusion The high expressions of Nanog,MMP-2,and MMP-9,which are positively correlated,are closely related with invasion depth,lymph node metastasis,and prognosis of ESCC.Nanog regulates the expressions of MMP-2/MMP-9 proteins through the TGF-β signaling pathway,and its high expression promotes migration of ESCC cells.

In recent years,with rapid development of technology of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering,brain organoids,as an innovative in vitro model system,have become a hot spot in neuroscience research and drug development.Brain organoids simulate the complex structure and function of the human brain in terms of reprodu-cing key processes of brain development in vitro,providing an unprecedented platform for understanding the mecha-nisms of neurological diseases and of evaluating drug efficacy and toxicity.This review summarizes the latest re-search progress in brain organoid technology,particularly its application in drug development and in exploring chal-lenges and orientation of future development.

Objective:To establish a prediction method of diopter based on sequence of ocular biological parameters.Methods:A stratified random cluster sampling method was used to extract the dataset. The dataset consisted of data collected from January 2022 to January 2023 by the Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, from children aged 5 to 13 years in 2 key schools and 2 general schools of Yangpu District, Shanghai. Children’s ocular biological parameters, including sex, age, diopter, axial length, corneal curvature, and anterior chamber depth were collected. The slope of the optimally fitted straight line was calculated using the least squares method. The least square-back propagation (BP) neural network model was established by combining baseline data and the pre-processed rate of the change of ocular biological parameters. The dataset was divided into the training set and the validation set according to the ratio of 8:2 for five-fold cross-validation. The model performance was evaluated by using the mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), root mean square error (RMSE), correlation coefficient R, and coefficient of determination R2. Results:The optimal performances of R2, R, RMSE, MAE, and MSE of the least square-BP neural network model were 0.96, 0.981 9, 0.214 2, 0.139 9 D, 0.045 9, respectively. The regression equation between the predicted value and the true value of the diopter was y=0.97 x+ 0.014 8, R2=0.97, with good correlation. In the internal verification, MAE values of the diopter at three, six, nine, and twelve months of follow-up were 0.110 1, 0.136 0, 0.153 7, and 0.184 8 D, respectively, which achieved clinically acceptable performance (less than 0.25 D). In the external validation, the errors were less than 0.25 D at all ages. Conclusions:A prediction method of diopter based on sequence of ocular biological parameters was successfully developed.

Objective:To investigate the effects of ceftriaxone(CTX) on nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4) pathway and ferroptosis in early brain injury in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH).Methods:Forty-eight clean grade male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group (Sham group), SAH group, SAH+ CTX group and SAH+ CTX+ Nrf2 inhibitor group (SAH+ CTX+ ML385 group) according to the random number table with 12 rats in each group.Seven days before modeling, rats in SAH+ CTX+ ML385 group were injected intraperitoneally with ML385 (30 mg · kg -1) once a day for consecutive 7 days.And 5 days before modeling, rats in SAH+ CTX group and SAH+ CTX+ ML385 group were treated with CTX(200 mg · kg -1) by intraperitoneal injection once a day for five consecutive days.Rats in Sham group and SAH group were intraperitoneally injected with the same amount of 0.9% sodium chloride solution.After 24 hours of modeling, the neurological function score and brain tissue water content of rats in each group were measured.HE staining was used to observe the morphology of neurons in CA1 and CA3 regions of hippocampus.Prussian blue staining was used to observe the iron deposition in cerebral cortex.Spectrophotometer was used to determine the iron content, malonic dialdehyde(MDA) content, glutathione(GSH) content and GPX4 activity in cerebral cortex.Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of Nrf2 and GPX4 proteins in cerebral cortex.SPSS 23.0 was used for statistical analysis.One-way ANOVA was used to compare the mean of multiple groups of samples, and Dunnett- t test was used for further pairwise comparison between groups. Results:There was a statistically significant difference in the neurological function scores of rats in the four groups 24 hours after SAH ( F=48.40, P<0.001). The neurological function score of rats in the SAH group 24 hours after SAH was significantly lower than those in Sham group and SAH+ CTX group (both P<0.05). The brain water content of rats in the four groups 24 h after SAH was statistically significant ( F=49.61, P<0.001). The brain water content of rats in the SAH group 24 h after SAH was significantly higher than that in Sham group and SAH+ CTX group(both P<0.05). There was statistically significant differences in the number of neuronal necrosis in CA1 and CA3 regions of hippocampus in the four groups 24 hours after SAH ( F=17.44, 246.50, both P<0.001). The numbers of neuronal necrosis in CA1 and CA3 regions of hippocampus in SAH group were significantly higher than those in Sham group and SAH+ CTX group, and the numbers of neuronal necrosis in CA1 and CA3 regions of hippocampus in SAH+ CTX+ ML385 group were significantly higher than those in SAH+ CTX group (all P<0.05). Twenty-four hours after SAH, the amount of iron deposited in the cerebral cortex of rats in the four groups was statistically significant ( F=2 363.0, P<0.001). The iron deposition in the cerebral cortex of rats in the SAH group was significantly higher than those in Sham group and SAH+ CTX group (both P<0.05). There were significant differences in iron content, MDA content, GSH content and GPX4 activity in the cerebral cortex of the four groups 24 h after SAH( F=2 380.0, 1 322.0, 789.1, 815.5, all P<0.001). The content of iron and MDA in the cerebral cortex of rats in SAH group were significantly higher than those in Sham group, while the content of GSH and the activity of GPX4 were significantly lower than those in Sham group (all P<0.05). The content of iron and MDA in the cerebral cortex of rats in SAH+ CTX group were lower than those in SAH group, and the content of GSH and the activity of GPX4 were higher than those in SAH group (all P<0.05). At 24 h after SAH, the expression levels of Nrf2 and GPX4 protein in the cerebral cortex of the four groups were statistically significant ( F=888.7, 1 556.0, both P<0.001). The protein expression levels of Nrf2 (0.382±0.014) and GPX4 (0.329±0.019) in the cerebral cortex in SAH group were lower than those in Sham group ((0.746±0.009), (0.953±0.009)) (both P<0.05). The expression levels of Nrf2 (0.631±0.006) and GPX4 (0.833±0.008) protein in the cerebral cortex in the SAH+ CTX group were significantly higher than those in the SAH group (both P<0.05). The expression levels of Nrf2 (0.427±0.009) and GPX4 (0.525±0.011) protein in the cerebral cortex in SAH+ CTX+ ML385 group were significantly lower than those in SAH+ CTX group (both P<0.05). Conclusion:Ceftriaxone may inhibit ferroptosis during EBI in SAH rats by regulating Nrf2/GPX4 signal axis.