This study explored the potential therapeutic targets and mechanisms of Danggui Shaoyao San(DSS) in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease(AD) through transcriptomics and metabolomics, combined with animal experiments. Fifty male C57BL/6J mice, aged seven weeks, were randomly divided into the following five groups: control, model, positive drug, low-dose DSS, and high-dose DSS groups. After the intervention, the Morris water maze was used to assess learning and memory abilities of mice, and Nissl staining and hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining were performed to observe pathological changes in the hippocampal tissue. Transcriptomics and metabolomics were employed to sequence brain tissue and identify differential metabolites, analyzing key genes and metabolites related to disease progression. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) was employed to validate the expression of key genes. The Morris water maze results indicated that DSS significantly improved learning and cognitive function in scopolamine(SCOP)-induced model mice, with the high-dose DSS group showing the best results. Pathological staining showed that DSS effectively reduced hippocampal neuronal damage, increased Nissl body numbers, and reduced nuclear pyknosis and neuronal loss. Transcriptomics identified seven key genes, including neurexin 1(Nrxn1) and sodium voltage-gated channel α subunit 1(Scn1a), and metabolomics revealed 113 differential metabolites, all of which were closely associated with synaptic function, oxidative stress, and metabolic regulation. RT-qPCR experiments confirmed that the expression of these seven key genes was consistent with the transcriptomics results. This study suggests that DSS significantly improves learning and memory in SCOP model mice and alleviates hippocampal neuronal pathological damage. The mechanisms likely involve the modulation of synaptic function, reduction of oxidative stress, and metabolic balance, with these seven key genes serving as important targets for DSS in the treatment of AD.
Animals ; Alzheimer Disease/genetics* ; Male ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Metabolomics ; Transcriptome/drug effects* ; Maze Learning/drug effects* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Humans ; Disease Models, Animal ; Memory/drug effects*

This study aims to develop a fully automated method for tooth segmentation and root canal measurement based on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images, providing objective, efficient, and accurate measurement results to guide and assist clinicians in root canal diagnosis grading, instrument selection, and preoperative planning. The method utilized Attention U-Net to recognize tooth descriptors, cropped regions of interest (ROIs) based on the center of mass of these descriptors, and applied an integrated deep learning method for segmentation. The segmentation results were mapped back to the original coordinates and position-corrected, followed by automatic measurement and visualization of root canal lengths and angles. The results indicated that the Dice coefficient for segmentation was 96.42%, the Jaccard coefficient was 93.11%, the Hausdorff Distance was 2.07 mm, and the average surface distance was 0.23 mm, all of which surpassed existing methods. The relative error of the root canal working length measurement was 3.15% (< 5%), the curvature angle error was 2.85 °, and the correct classification rate of the treatment difficulty coefficient was 90.48%. The proposed methods all achieved favorable results, which can provide an important reference for clinical application.
Cone-Beam Computed Tomography/methods* ; Deep Learning ; Humans ; Dental Pulp Cavity/diagnostic imaging* ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods*

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between different growth patterns and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years, and to provide suggestions for the prevention and control of metabolic syndrome in Chinese children and adolescents. METHODS: Data were collected from the research project "Development and Application of Technology and Related Standards for Prevention and Control of Major Diseases among Students" of public health industry in 2012. This project is a cross-sectional study design. A total of 65 347 students from 93 primary and secondary schools in 7 provinces including Guangdong were selected by stratified cluster random sampling method. Given the budget, 25% of the students were randomly selected to collect blood samples. In this study, 10 176 primary and middle school students aged 7 to 17 years with complete physical measurements and blood biochemical indicators were selected as research objects. Chi-square test was used to compare the distribution differences of growth patterns under different demographic characteristics. Birth weight, waist circumference and blood biochemical indexes were expressed in the form of mean ± standard deviation, and the differences among different groups were compared by variance analysis. Binary Logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between different growth patterns and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents was 6.56%, 7.18% in boys and 5.97% in girls. The risk of metabolic syndrome was higher in the catch-down growth group than in the normal growth group (OR=1.417, 95%CI: 1.19-1.69), and lower in the catch-up growth group(OR=0.66, 95%CI: 0.53-0.82). After adjusting for gender, age and so on, the risk of developing metabolic syndrome in the catch-down growth group was higher than that in the normal growth group (OR=1.25, 95%CI: 1.02-1.52), but there was no significant difference between the catch-up growth group and the normal growth group (OR=0.79, 95%CI: 0.62-1.01). Stratified analysis showed that the association between different growth patterns and metabolic syndrome was statistically significant in the 7-12 years group, urban population, and Han Chinese student population. CONCLUSION There is a correlation between different growth patterns and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. The risk of developing metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents with catch-down growth is higher than that in the normal growth group, which suggests that attention should be paid to the growth and development of children and adolescents, timely correction of delayed growth and prevention of adverse health outcomes.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Child ; Adolescent ; Metabolic Syndrome/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Students ; Urban Population ; Asian People ; China/epidemiology* ; Prevalence

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the status of depression and social anxiety in children and adolescents, and to analyze the association between body fat distribution and depression, social anxiety in children and adolescents. METHODS: A total of 1 412 children aged 7 to 18 years in Beijing were included by stratified cluster random sampling method. Body fat distribution, including total body fat percentage (total BF%), Android BF%, Gynoid BF% and Android-to-Gynoid fat ratio (AOI), were obtained by dual-energy X-ray absorption method. Depression and social anxiety were evaluated by Children Depression Inventory and Social Anxiety Scale for Children. Multivariate linear regression and restricted cubic spline analysis were used to estimate the linear and non-linear correlation between body fat distribution and depression and social anxiety. RESULTS: 13.1% and 31.1% of the children and adolescents had depressive symptoms and social anxiety symptoms respectively, and the detection rate of depression and social anxiety in the boys and young groups was significantly lower than those in the girls and old groups. There was no significant linear correlation between total BF%, Android BF%, Gynoid BF%, AOI and depression and social anxiety in the children and adolescents. However, total BF% and Gynoid BF% had significant nonlinear correlation with depression, showing an inverted U-shaped curve relationship with the tangent points of 26.8% and 30.9%, respectively. In terms of the nonlinear association of total BF%, Android BF%, Gynoid BF% and AOI with depression and social anxiety, the change trends of the boys and girls, low age group and high age group were consistent. The overall anxiety risk HR of body fat distribution in the boys was significantly higher than that in the girls, and the risk HR of depression and social anxiety were significantly higher in the high age group than those in the low age group. CONCLUSION There was no significant linear correlation between body fat distribution and depression and social anxiety in children and adolescents. Total BF% and depression showed an inverted U-shaped curve, mainly manifested in Gynoid BF%, and this trend was consistent in different genders and different age groups. Maintaining children and adolescents' body fat distribution at an appropriate level is the future direction of the prevention and control of depression and social anxiety in children and adolescents.
Humans ; Female ; Child ; Male ; Adolescent ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; X-Rays ; Depression/epidemiology* ; Absorptiometry, Photon/methods* ; Body Mass Index ; Body Fat Distribution ; Anxiety/epidemiology* ; Adipose Tissue ; Body Composition

Objective: To investigate the clinical and pathological features, treatments and prognosis of laryngeal neuroendocrine carcinoma (LNEC). Methods: We conducted the retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 12 patients with LNEC admitted to the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from May 2014 to December 2021, including 9 males and 3 females, aged 50-77 years. There were 4 cases of typical carcinoid tumour (highly differentiated), 5 cases of atypical carcinoid tumour (moderately differentiated) and 3 cases of neuroendocrine small cell carcinoma (hypofractionated). The clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of LNEC were analysed. Results: The clinical manifestations of LNEC varied according to the tumour type but did not correlate with the pathological types. The supraglottic type was characterized by sore throat, foreign body sensation in the pharynx, coughing, obstructive sensation when eating and choking on water. The treatments were determined according to the pathological types, lesion location and invasion scope. Of 12 patients 4 underwent horizontal partial laryngectomy plus elective lymphatic dissection plus postoperative radiotherapy/chemotherapy, 4 underwent vertical partial laryngectomy (3 of them with cervical lymphatic dissection), 3 underwent supported laryngoscopic plasma laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer, and 1 abandoned for treatment. With the follow-up of 8 -78 months, 5 patients were alive, 1 died from chemotherapy reactions, 3 died from other diseases, 1 died from lung metastasis, 1 died from lung infection and 1 was lost to follow-up. Conclusion: LNEC is clinically rare, the clinical manifestations are less specificity, diagnosis relies on pathological and immunohistochemical examinations, and treatment modalities and prognoses are closely related to the pathological subtypes of LNEC.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Laryngeal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine/pathology* ; Laryngectomy ; Carcinoid Tumor/pathology*

Wound healing is a complex and highly regulated process to maintaining the skin barrier function. Wounds of diabetic patients are hard or even not healing. Non-healing diabetic foot ulcers can lead to lower-extremity amputations. Diabetic wound healing problem is the main complication that leads to high disability rate of diabetes and can threaten the lives in severe cases. The healing of skin wounds requires the synergy of multiple factors to restore the injured skin to its barrier function. The mechanisms that cause it difficult to heal diabetic wounds are complex, including oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, decreased neovascularization, peripheral neuropathy, and imbalance of extracellular matrix accumulation and remodeling. This review classifies mechanisms of diabetic wound healing and provides a reference for its further research.

OBJECTIVE: Larotaxel is a new chemical structure drug, which has not been marketed worldwide. Accordingly, the standard identification and quantification methods for larotaxel remain unclear. The spectrometric analyses were performed for verifying weight molecular formula, molecular weight and chemical structure of larotaxel. Besides, a quantification method was developed for measuring larotaxel in the liposomes. METHODS: The molecular formula, molecular weight and chemical structure of larotaxel were studied by using mass spectrometry (MS), infra-red (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrometric techniques. The absorption wavelength of larotaxel was investigated by UV-vis spectrophotometry full-wavelength scanning. Besides, a quantification method was developed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and then validated by measuring the encapsulation efficacy of larotaxel liposomes. RESULTS: The four spectral characteristics of larotaxel were revealed and the corresponding standard spectra were defined. It was confirmed that larotaxel had the structure of tricyclic diterpenoids, with the molecular formula of C45H53NO14, the molecular weight of 831.900 1, and the maximum absorption wavelength of 230 nm. The quantitative method of larotaxel was established by using HPLC with a reversed phase C18 column (5 μm, 250 mm×4.6 mm), a mobile phase of acetonitrile-water (75:25, volume/volume), and a detection wavelength of 230 nm. The validation study exhibited that the established HPLC method was stable, and had a high recovery and precision in the quantitative measurement of larotaxel in liposomes. In addition, a new kind of larotaxel liposomes was also successfully prepared. The particle size of the liposomes was about 105 nm, with an even size distribution. And the encapsulation efficiency of larotaxel in the liposomes was above 80%. CONCLUSION The present study offers reference standard spectra of larotaxel, including MS, IR, NMR, and UV-vis, and confirms the molecular formula, molecular weight and chemical structure of larotaxel. Besides, the study develops a rapid HPLC method for quality control of larotaxel liposomes.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Liposomes ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Taxoids

Carpesii Fructus is the fruit of Carpesium abrotanoides L. and is recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 Edition). Carpesium abrotanoides broadly distribute in China. Traditionally, Carpesii Fructus was used as a parasiticide,especially for ascariasis,pinworms and tapeworm disease. In ancient times,the Carpesium plants were used as traditional Chinese,Korean and Japanese herbal medicines for the treatment of several diseases.Carpesii Fructus was first recorded in the book"Newly Revised Canon of Materia Medica"in the Tang Dynasty of China.The original plant is Compositae Arte-misia santonica (Seriphidium cinum) from middle east Persian. At present, Carpesium abrotanoides issometimes confused with the Lappula family in species classification. In the Song Dynasty of China,"KaiYang Materia Medica"recorded that the best Carpesii Fructus was from Persian.The main compo-nents of Carpesii Fructusare terpenes,phenolic compounds,flavonoids and coumarins. Including telekin, 3-epi-isotelekin, 11β-13-dihydro-1-epi-inuviscolide, carabrone, carabrol, terpene lactone, gerilin, carpesia, valeric acid, oleic acid, linolenic acid, thirty-one alkane, sterol, etc. The chemical components isolated from whole plants of carpesia are more than 143. In clinical practice, Carpesii Fructus is mainly used as antiparasitic drugs and usually combined with other drugs since the poor efficacy as single drug. Its toxic reaction is closely related to the dose of the drug.Carpesia,asa main component of Carpesii Fructus, might lead to adverse reactions also. At present, Major issuesof Carpesii Fructusare the lack of phar-macological research,as well as lack of in-depth study on the material basis.Therefore,further studies are needed on the drug development and clinical usuage.

OBJECTIVE: To screen for LDLR gene mutations in 9 patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). METHODS: All exons of the LDLR gene and flanking intronic sequences were amplified by PCR and subjected to automatic DNA sequencing. For patients with homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations, parental DNA sequencing or T cloning sequencing was carried out to determine the parental origin of the mutant alleles. RESULTS: Direct sequencing of PCR products revealed 8 LDLR variants in 7 patients, which included c.259T>G, c.513delC, c.530C>T, c.682G>T, c.763C>T, c.1187-10G>A, c.1948delG, and c.1730G>A, among which c.1948delG was novel. Four patients have carried heterozygous mutations, two carried homozygous mutations, and one carried compound heterozygous mutations. The patients with biallelic mutations presented with a more severe phenotype compared those carrying heterozygous mutations. CONCLUSION LDLR mutations were identified in 7 out of 9 patients with FH. Among the 8 identified LDLR mutations, c.1948delG was firstly reported. Above findings have expanded the mutation spectrum of LDLR gene.
DNA Mutational Analysis ; Genetic Testing ; Humans ; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II ; genetics ; Mutation ; Phenotype ; Receptors, LDL ; genetics

Traditional Chinese medicine market is a typical market with information asymmetry, which may lead to "lemons" problem. Third-Party Certification is efficient path to solve the problem of information asymmetry. For this reason geo-authentic and commodity classes certification seems to be very important. But as we know, information asymmetry happen in the stages of traditional Chinese patent medicines market. So a signaling transfer mechanism, which can deliver the quality signal, is badly needed in TCM market. This paper analysis and design of signaling transfer mechanism based on Third-Party Certification, which called quality prestige index of TCM enterprises (QPITCM). QPITCM can display quality information as a signal run through the TCM market.
Certification ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; economics ; standards ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; economics ; standards ; Quality Control