Objective To investigate clinical and pathological features of pseudoepitheliomatous keratotic and micaceous balanitis (PKMB).Methods The clinical and pathological features as well as treatment of PKMB were retrospectively analyzed in 5 male patients collected from Janumy 2008 to December 2013.Results The age at onset of PKMB varied from 56 to 67 years in these 5 patients,and none of the patients had received prepucectomy.Indurated keratotic plaques were observed in the glans of penis and inner lamina of the prepuce with no tenderness on palpation,whose surfaces were covered with grayish yellow,adherent and hard micaceous crusts.Histopathological study revealed obvious hyperkeratosis complicated by parakeratosis,epidermal pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia,thickened spinous layer,and normal cell polarity in the epidermis,as well as telangiectasis and mild to moderate lymphocytic infiltration in the upper dermis.Immunohistochemical examination showed positive nuclear staining of epidermal cells for human papillomavirus (HPV) in 2 cases.Two patients took small doses of prednisone,but achieved no obvious improvement.Oral isotretinoin had resulted in a favorable outcome in another two cases,but relapse occurred after dose reduction,and thick crusts still appeared after topical application of glucocorticoid cream and tacrolimus cream,or carbon dioxide laser treatment and photodynamic therapy.Conclusions PKMB is a chronic and obstinate disease,and should be diagnosed based on pathological findings.Its treatment is difficult,and tretinoin has some effects,but relapse often occurs after drug withdrawal and maintenance treatment is needed.

Objective To reveal the pharmacodynamic material basis of Kaixinsan by using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS)and the integrated analysis of"chemical component spectrum-plasma exposure component spectrum-mitochondrial function".Methods Through a review of literature,databases,and previous studies,the chemical components of ginseng,polygala,poria,and acorus were systematically cataloged.A qualitative analysis method for the chemical constituents in the aqueous extract of Kaixinsan was developed,allowing for the identification of its chemical components.A qualitative analysis for rat plasma based on HPLC-MS/MS was established,which was applied to analyze the plasma exposure component spectrum following oral administration of Kaixinsan aqueous extract in rats.Aerobic respiration was evaluated using a seahorse cell energy metabolism analyzer,and the effect of key components of Kaixinsan on mitochondrial aerobic respiration was assessed.Results Four main types of components were identified in the Kaixinsan aqueous extract,including saponins,oligosaccharide esters,xanthones,and triterpenes,comprising a total of 231 identified compounds.Analysis of rat plasma 30 minutes after gavage with Kaixinsan identified 55 compounds.The analysis revealed that ginsenoside Rg1,3,6'-disinapoylsucrose,polygalaxanthone Ⅲ and poricoic acid B could significantly enhance mitochondrial respiratory capacity using in vitro cellular assays to detect aerobic respiration of four main components entered blood.Conclusions Saponins,oligosaccharide esters,xanthones,and triterpenes may be the material basis for the pharmacological effect of Kaixinsan by improving mitochondrial function.The integrated analysis of"chemical component spectrum-plasma exposure component spectrum-mitochondrial function"provides a new approach for in-depth exploration of the material basis underlying the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of major kidney disease deaths and the potential years of life lost among residents in Wuhan from 2014 to 2019, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of kidney diseases. Methods The major kidney diseases deaths among residents in Wuhan during 2014-2019 were collected from the population-based Mortality Surveillance System. The standardized mortality rate and potential years of life lost rate (PYLLR) of major kidney diseases among residents in different ages and genders were calculated, and the epidemiological characteristics and trends were analyzed. Results There were 4 100 deaths (2 380 in male and 1 720 in female) from major kidney diseases among residents in Wuhan between 2014 to 2019, with an age-standardized mortality rate of 6.22/100 000. The mortality rate of major kidney diseases showed an upward trend with the increasing age groups. The age-standardized mortality rate and the age-standardized potential years of life lost rate (SPYLLR) in glomerular disease and tubulo-interstitial diseases were significantly decreased (P＜0.05). The age-standardized mortality rate of the kidney failure was significantly increased (P＜0.05), especially in the male (APC=25.10% , P＜0.05). Conclusion From 2014 to 2019, there was no significant change in the overall mortality rate of major kidney diseases among residents in Wuhan. The death burden and disease burden of glomerular diseases and tubulo-interstitial diseases were significantly decreased, while the mortality rate of male kidney failure was significantly increased, indicating the need for targeted prevention and treatment of kidney diseases.

ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanism of the Yiqi Jiedu formula （YQ） in treating ischemic stroke （IS） from the perspective of the microbial-gut-brain axis （MGBA）. MethodRats were randomly divided into five groups， with six in each group， including sham surgery group， model group， and low， medium， and high dose YQ groups （1， 5， and 25 mg·kg^-1）. Except for the sham surgery group， all other groups were established with a middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） model using the thread occlusion method. The success of modeling was determined through neurobehavioral scoring， and the protective effect of YQ on IS was evaluated. Then， the changes in gut microbiota before and after MCAO modeling and YQ administration were compared using 16S rDNA sequencing technology， and the possible biological pathways related to the effect of this formula were analyzed. The expression of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-17A （IL-17A）， and interleukin-10 （IL-10） in serum was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Western blot was used to detect the expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and Occludin in brain and intestinal tissue， and hematoxylin-eosin staining （HE） was used to observe pathological changes in the cerebral cortex and colon， so as to validate the possible mechanism of action. ResultYQ significantly improved the neurobehavioral score of MCAO rats （P<0.01） and played a good regulatory role in intestinal microbial disorders caused by enriched pathogens and opportunistic pathogens during the acute phase. Among them， significantly changed microorganisms include Morgentia， Escherichia Shigella， Adlercreutzia， and Androbacter. Bioinformatics analysis found that these bacteria may be related to the regulation of inflammation in the brain. Compared with the blank group， the detection of inflammatory factors in the serum of IS model rats showed an increase in inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-17A （P<0.01） and a decrease in the content of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the content of inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-17A in the serum of the treatment group decreased （P<0.05）， and that of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 increased （P<0.01）. The expression results of barrier proteins ZO-1 and Occludin in brain and intestinal tissue showed that the expression levels of both decreased in IS model rats （P<0.05）， while the expression levels of both increased in the treatment group （P<0.05）. ConclusionAcute cerebral ischemia can lead to an imbalance of intestinal microbiota and damage to the intestinal barrier， and it can increase intestinal permeability. YQ can regulate intestinal microbiota imbalance caused by ischemia， inhibit systemic inflammatory response， and improve the disruption of the gut-blood brain barrier， preventing secondary cascade damage to brain tissue caused by inflammation. The MGBA may be an important mechanism against the IS.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of neferine（Nef） in promoting vascular regeneration against cerebral ischemia through modulation of mitochondrial calcium uniporter（MCU） ion channel. MethodTaking the area of subintestinal vessels in microvascular deficiency zebrafish as an index， the vascular regenerative efficacy of Nef was evaluated， and the median effective concentration（EC₅₀） was calculated. Rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group， a model group， a positive drug group（butylphthalide， 6 mg·kg^-1）， and Nef low， medium， and high dose groups（0.125， 0.625， 3.125 μg·kg^-1）. Except for the sham operation group， the middle cerebral artery occlusion（MCAO） model was established in other groups. After modeling， the groups were administered the corresponding dose of drugs by gavage， while the sham operation and model groups received equal volumes of saline， once a day for 7 consecutive days. Neurobehavioral scores were assessed for each group of rats， and the infarct rate of ischemic brain tissue was calculated by 2，3，5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride（TTC） staining. The regional cerebral blood flow（rCBF） of each group was measured using a speckle contrast imaging. Immunofluorescence and Western blot were conducted to detect the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGF）， platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1（CD31）， and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α（HIF-1α） proteins in each group. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells（HUVECs） were divided into the normal group， model group， positive drug group（astragaloside Ⅳ， 10 μmol·L^-1）， and Nef group （32 nmol·L^-1）. In the verification of mitochondrial protection of Nef and its mechanism in promoting vascular regeneration， the spermine（MCU agonist） and Nef+spermine group were added. HUVECs model of oxygen-glucose deprivation（OGD） was established in all groups except the normal group， the cell viability was assessed using 3-（4，5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl）-2，5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide（MTT） assay， and cell migration ability was evaluated through scratch and tube formation assays. Fluorescent probes（Rhod-2 AM， Fluo-3 AM， JC-1， Calcein AM） and a cellular energy metabolism analyzer were used to analyze the mitochondrial protective effects of Nef. Molecular docking was performed to predict the binding ability of Nef with MCU and HIF-1α， and Western blot was used to detect the effects of Nef on the protein expressions of MCU， B-cell lymphoma-2 associated X protein（Bax）， Caspase-3 and HIF-1α in the OGD model HUVECs. ResultThe results of vascular regeneration in microvascular deficiency zebrafish showed that compared to the normal group， the area of subintestinal vessels in the model group significantly decreased（P<0.01）. Compared to the model group， different concentrations of Nef could significantly increase the area of subintestinal vessels（P<0.01）， with the maximum tolerated concentration of 10.24 μmol·L^-1 and the EC₅₀ of 0.23 μmol·L^-1. Anti-cerebral ischemia results on MCAO rats showed that compared to the sham operation group， the model group had a significant decrease in rCBF and a significant increase in infarct rate， while CD31 expression significantly decreased（P<0.01）， and VEGF and HIF-1α protein expressions significantly increased（P<0.05）. Compared to the model group， the treated groups showed significant increases in rCBF， significant reductions in infarct volume， and significant increases in CD31， VEGF， and HIF-1α protein expression（P<0.01）. Cell experiment results showed that compared to the normal group， the model group had decreased cell viability and migration ability， increased intracellular Ca²⁺ and mitochondrial Ca²⁺ levels， reduced mitochondrial permeability transition pore（MPTP） opening， and decreased mitochondrial energy metabolism capability， with increased expressions of MCU， Bax， Caspase-3 and HIF-1α proteins（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared to the model group， the Nef group showed increased cell viability and migration ability， decreased intracellular Ca²⁺ and mitochondrial Ca²⁺ levels， increased MPTP opening， enhanced mitochondrial energy metabolism capability， decreased expressions of MCU， Bax and Caspase-3 proteins， and increased HIF-1α protein expression（P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionNef can stabilize mitochondrial membrane potential and inhibit mitochondrial apoptosis. By down-regulating the expression of MCU， it suppresses the activation of intracellular Bax and Caspase-3 while activating the HIF-1α signaling pathway， enhancing the expression of VEGF and CD31， thereby promoting vascular regeneration to treat ischemic brain injury.