ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of Astragali Radix-mediated changes in gut microbiota on treating type 2 diabetes （T2DM）. MethodsA 12-week randomized， placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled eighty patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and poor glycemic control in the Qi deficiency type. All patients received insulin therapy. The observation group （40 cases） was administered with Astragali Radix Granules， while the control group （40 cases） received a placebo. Both treamtents were taken orally twice daily. Changes in gut microbiota were assessed by 16s rDNA sequencing. Serum glucagon-like peptide-1 （GLP-1） levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Glucose metabolism indicators including fasting blood glucose （FPG）， 2-hour postprandial blood glucose （2 h PG），glycated albumin（GA）， and glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c） were evaluated. Pancreatic function was evaluated using fasting C-peptide （FCP）， 2-hour postprandial C-peptide （2 h CP）， and C-peptide area under the curve （AUC_cp）. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores， clinical efficacy， and safety indicators were also observed. ResultsIn terms of glucose metabolism indicators， compared with the baseline， both groups exhibited significantly lower FPG， 2 h PG， GA and HbA1C （P<0.01），while FCP， 2 h CP and AUC_cp were significantly higher （P<0.01）. Compared with the control group after the treatment， the observation group showed significantly lower FPG， 2 h PG， GA and HbA1C（P<0.05， P<0.01），and significantly higher FCP， 2 h CP and AUC_cp （P<0.05， P<0.01）， indicating that Astragali Radix can improve glucose metabolism. In terms of the diversity of gut microbiota， no significant differences were detected in the Chao1， Shannon and Simpson indexes of the two groups compared with their respective baselines. However， compared with the post-treatment control group， the observation group demonstrated significant increases in the Chao1， Shannon and Simpson indexes （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The β-diversity analysis showed significant separation in gut microbiota composition before and after treatment in both groups， indicating that Astragali Radix can significantly alter the structure and improve the diversity of gut microbiota. At the phylum level， compared with the baseline， both groups showed a significant increase in the relative abundance of Bacteroidota（P<0.01）. The relative abundance of the potentially harmful phylum Proteobacteria was significantly lower in the observation Group after treatment （P<0.01）. Compared with the post-treatment control group， the observation group had a significantly higher relative abundance of Bacteroidota（P<0.01）. No significant difference was found in Firmicutes/Bacteroidota （F/B） ratio between the two groups after treatment， and other phyla showed no significant differences. At the genus level， compared with the baseline， the observation group exhibited a significant increase in Bacteroides （P<0.01） and a significant decrease in Escherichia-Shigella （P<0.01）， whereas no significant difference was seen in the control group . Compared with the control group after treatment， the observation group after treatment had a significantly higher relative abundance of Bacteroides （P<0.01）. No significant differences were seen in other genera. Linear discriminant analysis （LDA） identified potential characteristics taxa： in the observation group， Bacteroidota at the phylum level and Bacteroides and Dubosiella at the genus level， in the control group， Proteobacteria at the phylum level as well as Barnesiella and Staphylococcus at the genus level. Correlation analysis based on a heatmap revealed that GLP-1 levels were positively correlated with Firmicutes， F/B ratio and Fusobacterium， and negatively correlated with Bacteroidota， Proteobacteria， Bacteroides and Escherichia-Shigella. In terms of clinical efficacy， compared with the control group， the total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher （P<0.05）. Compared with the baseline， the scores for shortness of breath， fatigue， weakness， spontaneous sweating and reluctance to speak significantly decreased in both groups （P<0.01）. Compared with the control group after treatment， the score for weakness was significantly lower in the observation group （P<0.01），indicating that Astragali Radix could improve clinical symptoms and alleviate weakness symptoms. In terms of safety， compared with the baseline， alanine aminotransferase （ALT） levels significantly decreased in both groups （P<0.05，P<0.01），indicating that Astragali Radix did not induce any significant abnormalities in liver and kidney functions. ConclusionAstragali Radix demonstrates the potential to significantly improve the gut microbiota environment in patients of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes with Qi deficiency. The therapeutic effect may contribute to glycemic control， possibly mediated by an elevation in GLP-1 level. These findings may support its further clinical investigations and potential applications.

ObjectiveAt present, the most commonly used photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy are still chemical photosensitizers, such as porphyrin and methylene blue, in order to specifically target cellular tissues, and thus poison cells, chemical photosensitizers need to use antibody conjugation or a transgenically encoded tag with affinity for the modified photosensitizing ligand, e.g. FlAsH, ReAsh or Halo Tag. Gene-encoded photosensitizers can directly poison cells by targeting specific cell compartments or organelles. However, currently developed gene-encoded photosensitizers have low reactive oxygen species production and low cytotoxicity, so it is necessary to continue to develop and obtain photosensitizers with higher reactive oxygen species production for the treatment of microbial infections and tumors. MethodsIn this study, we developed a photosensitizer LovPSO2 based on the light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) structural domain of phototropin-1B-like from Oryza sativa japonica. LovPSO2 was expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) and purified to obtain protein samples, the purified protein samples were added 3 µmol/L singlet oxygen probe of SOSG and 5 µmol/L superoxide anion probe of DHE after fixed to A₄₄₅=0.063±0.003, respectively, then measured every 2 min of singlet oxygen production for 10 min and every 1 min of superoxide anion production for 5 min under blue light irradiation at 445 nm, 70 µmol·m^-2·s^-1. ResultsThe results showed that LovPSO2 could produce a large amount of singlet oxygen under blue light irradiation at 445 nm, 70 µmol·m^-2·s^-1, and its singlet oxygen quantum yield was 0.61, but its superoxide anion yield was low, so in order to improve the superoxide anion yield of LovPSO2, a mutant with a relatively high superoxide anion yield was obtained by further development and design on its basis LovPRO2. The stability of proteins is crucial for research in drug development and drug delivery, among others. Temperature and light are the key factors affecting the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by photosensitive proteins and their stability, while the temperature in cell culture and mammals in vivo is about 37°C, and the temperature inside tumor cells is about 42-45°C. Therefore, we further analyzed the photostability of miniSOG, SOPP3, LovPSO2, and LovPRO2 and their thermostability at 37℃ and 45℃. The analysis of proteins thermostability showed that LovPSO2 and LovPRO2 had better thermostability at 37℃ and 45℃, respectively. Analysis of the photostability of the proteins showed that LovPRO2 had better photostability. In addition, to further determine the phototoxic effects of photosensitizers, LovPSO2 and LovPRO2 were expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) and HeLa cells, respectively. The results showed that LovPSO2 and LovPRO2 had better phototoxicity to E. coli BL21(DE3) under blue light irradiation, and the cellular phototoxicity lethality was as high as 90% after 30 min of continuous light irradiation, but the phototoxicity was weaker in HeLa cells. The reason for this result may be that the intracellular environment exacerbated the photobleaching of FMN encapsulated by LovPSO2 and LovPRO2, respectively, which attenuated the damage of reactive oxygen species to animal cellular tissues, limiting its use as a mechanistic tool to study oxidative stress. ConclusionLovPSO2 and LovPRO2 can be used as antibacterial photosensitizers, which have broader application prospects in the food and medical fields.

ObjectiveStudies have shown that nuciferine has anti-cerebral ischemia effect， but the specific mechanism of action has not been elaborated. Based on the transcriptome results， the pharmacological mechanism of nuciferine against cerebral ischemia was analyzed from multiple dimensions including tissue， cell， pathological process， biological process and signaling pathway. MethodsThirty SD rats were randomly divided into the sham group， model group and nuciferine group（40 mg·kg^-1） according to weight. Except for the sham group， the model of middle cerebral artery occlusion（MCAO） was established by thread embolization method after 30 min of administration in the other two groups. Twenty-four hours after surgery， transcriptome sequencing was used to detect the gene expression profiles in the cortex penumbra of rat cerebral tissue， and gene ontology（GO） and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes（KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis were performed for differentially expressed genes. The mechanismof nuciferine against cerebral ischemia was analyzed from 5 dimensions of tissue， cell， pathological process， biological process and signaling pathway by the transcriptome-based multi-scale network pharmacology platform（TMNP）. ResultsTranscriptome sequencing and gene quantitative analysis showed that 667 genes were significantly reversed by nuciferine. Further enrichment analysis of KEGG and GO suggested that the pathways of nuciferine involved regulating stress response， ion transport， cell proliferation and differentiation， and synaptic function. TMNP research found that at the tissue level， nuciferine could significantly improve the cerebral tissue injury caused by ischemia. At the cellular and pathological levels， nuciferine could play an anti-cerebral ischemia role by improving the state of various nerve cells， mobilizing immune cells， regulating inflammation. And at the level of biological processes and signaling pathways， nuciferine mainly acted on the processes such as vascular remodeling， inflammation-related signaling pathways， and synaptic signaling. ConclusionCombined with the results of transcriptome sequencing， gene quantitative analysis and TMNP， the mechanism of nuciferine against cerebral ischemia may be related to processes such as intervening in stress response and inflammation， affecting vascular remodeling and regulating synaptic function. These results can provide a basis and reference for further study of the pharmacological mechanism of nuciferine against cerebral ischemia.

ObjectiveThis study aims to observe the clinical effect of Danggui Liuhuang Tang （DGLHT） on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） complicated by atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease （ASCVD） at high risk， focus on evaluating the influence of DGLHT on cardiovascular risk indicators such as flow-mediated dilation （FMD）， atherogenic index of plasma （AIP）， and triglyceride-glucose index （TyG）， and explore the regulatory effect of DGLHT on the myeloid differentiation factor 88/nuclear factor-kappa B （MyD88/NF-κB） signaling pathway. MethodsThe clinical study was a single-center， double-blind， and randomized controlled trial. A total of 68 patients with T2DM-ASCVD at high risk for cardiovascular events with Yin deficiency and fire excess syndrome were enrolled and randomly assigned to a treatment group and a control group. The treatment group was given atorvastatin calcium tablets and DGLHT， while the control group was given atorvastatin calcium tablets and placebos. The treatment course was 12 weeks， with a final study completion of 30 patients in the treatment group and 29 in the control group. Changes in cardiovascular risk indicators such as FMD， AIP， TyG， and small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （sdLDL-C） index were compared. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells （HUVECs） were used to establish a vascular endothelial injury and inflammation model. The protective effect of DGLHT on endothelial injury was verified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot . ResultsAfter 12 weeks of treatment， the AIP in the treatment group significantly decreased compared with that before the treatment （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group， the treatment group showed significant improvements in FMD and TyG （P<0.05）. Additionally， the treatment group demonstrated significant reductions in two-hour postprandial glucose （2 hPG）， glycated albumin （GA）， triglycerides （TG）， apolipoprotein E （Apo E）， and sdLDL-C （P<0.05）. Analysis of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome efficacy indicated that in the treatment group， Yin deficiency and fire excess syndromes， including dry throat and mouth （P<0.05）， excessive thirst （P<0.01）， tidal fever and night sweats （P<0.05）， and dry stools （P<0.05）， improved. Compared with the control group， the treatment group showed significant improvements in symptoms of dry throat and mouth （P<0.05） and excessive thirst （P<0.01）. TCM syndrome scores significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and the overall efficacy rate was 56.67%， significantly higher than the 10.34% observed in the control group （P<0.01）. At the cellular level， increasing concentrations of DGLHT led to decreased messenger ribonucleic acid （mRNA） levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-α）， and interleukin-1-beta （IL-1β） in lipopolysaccharide （LPS）-stimulated HUVECs （P<0.01）， with significant reductions in the high-concentration group （P<0.01）. DGLHT may inhibit the expressions of MyD88 and phosphorylated （p）-NF-κB p65 proteins in a concentration-dependent manner. ConclusionDGLHT shows significant effects in reducing cardiovascular risks and may exert an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. This finding provides a new perspective for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in high-risk individuals with T2DM-ASCVD.

ObjectiveTo explore quality difference factors of Perillae Caulis based on the contents of multiple chemical components and comprehensively evaluate the quality. MethodsA total of 32 batches of Perillae Caulis samples were collected from 12 producing areas such as Hebei， Anhui and Guangdong， and their diameter range， epidermis color and producing areas were recorded. Total flavonoids， total phenols， volatile oils， 5 active components and 84 volatile components in 32 batches of samples were quantitatively or semi-quantitatively determined by colorimetry， ultra performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detector（UPLC-PDA） and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS）. Then the differences between the contents of these components were analyzed by principal component analysis（PCA） and non-parametric test. According to the weights of the index components determined by PCA model， entropy weight-technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution（TOPSIS） model was constructed to evaluate the quality of Perillae Caulis with different characters and origins. ResultsThere were significant differences in the composition of Perillae Caulis with different diameters， epidermis colors and producing areas， and 9 differential components were screened out， including 6 index constituents（total flavonoids， total phenols， caffeic acid， scutellarin， rosmarinic acid and luteolin） and 3 volatile components（caryophyllene oxide， （-）-humulene epoxide Ⅱ， 14-hydroxycaryophyllene）， of which 6 index constituents were higher in samples with small diameter， purple-brown epidermis and southern origin， while the contents of 3 volatile components were higher in samples with large diameter， dark-brown epidermis and northern origin. A significant difference was shown in the model scores of different diameters， epidermis colors and origins（P<0.05）， and the scores of Perillae Caulis with small diameter and purple-brown epidermis from southern area， especially Guangdong， had a high score. ConclusionThere are significant differences in the composition and content of chemical constituents between different diameters， epidermal colors and production areas of Perillae Caulis， samples showing small diameter， owing purple-brown epidermis， and originating from Guangdong were of higher-quality due to their higher content of 8 key indices.

ObjectiveTo explore quality difference factors of Perillae Caulis based on the contents of multiple chemical components and comprehensively evaluate the quality. MethodsA total of 32 batches of Perillae Caulis samples were collected from 12 producing areas such as Hebei， Anhui and Guangdong， and their diameter range， epidermis color and producing areas were recorded. Total flavonoids， total phenols， volatile oils， 5 active components and 84 volatile components in 32 batches of samples were quantitatively or semi-quantitatively determined by colorimetry， ultra performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detector（UPLC-PDA） and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS）. Then the differences between the contents of these components were analyzed by principal component analysis（PCA） and non-parametric test. According to the weights of the index components determined by PCA model， entropy weight-technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution（TOPSIS） model was constructed to evaluate the quality of Perillae Caulis with different characters and origins. ResultsThere were significant differences in the composition of Perillae Caulis with different diameters， epidermis colors and producing areas， and 9 differential components were screened out， including 6 index constituents（total flavonoids， total phenols， caffeic acid， scutellarin， rosmarinic acid and luteolin） and 3 volatile components（caryophyllene oxide， （-）-humulene epoxide Ⅱ， 14-hydroxycaryophyllene）， of which 6 index constituents were higher in samples with small diameter， purple-brown epidermis and southern origin， while the contents of 3 volatile components were higher in samples with large diameter， dark-brown epidermis and northern origin. A significant difference was shown in the model scores of different diameters， epidermis colors and origins（P<0.05）， and the scores of Perillae Caulis with small diameter and purple-brown epidermis from southern area， especially Guangdong， had a high score. ConclusionThere are significant differences in the composition and content of chemical constituents between different diameters， epidermal colors and production areas of Perillae Caulis， samples showing small diameter， owing purple-brown epidermis， and originating from Guangdong were of higher-quality due to their higher content of 8 key indices.

Objective: To reveal the molecular biological mechanism of a rare Dc-variant individual using PacBio third-generation sequencing technology. Methods: ABO and Rh blood type identification, DAT, unexpected antibody screening and D antigen enhancement test were conducted by serological testing. The absorption-elution test was used to detect the e antigen. RHCE gene typing was performed by PCR-SSP, and the 1-10 exons of RHCE were sequenced by Sanger sequencing. The full-length sequences of RHCE, RHD and RHAG were detected by PacBio third-generation sequencing technology. Results: Serological findings: Blood type O, Dc-phenotype, DAT negative, unexpected antibody screening negative; enhanced D antigen expression; no detection of e antigen in the absorption-elution test. PCR-SSP genotyping indicated the presence of only the RHCE c allele. Sanger sequencing results: Exons 5-9 of RHCE were deleted, exon 1 had a heterozygous mutation at c. 48G/C, and exon 2 had five heterozygous mutations at c. 150C/T, c. 178C/A, c. 201A/G, c. 203A/G and c. 307C/T. Third-generation sequencing results: RHCE genotype was RHCE 02N. 08/RHCE-D(5-9)-CE; RHD genotype was RHD 01/RHD 01; RHAG genotype was RHAG 01/RHAG 01 (c. 808G>A and c. 861G>A). Conclusion: This Dc-individual carries the allele RHCE 02N. 08 and the novel allele RHCE-D(5-9)-CE. The findings of this study provide data support and a theoretical basis for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying RhCE deficiency phenotypes.

Bronchiectasis(BE) is the third major chronic airway disease, and its incidence rate shows a continuously increasing trend. Bronchiectasis is a highly heterogeneous chronic airway disease. Due to structural alterations, airflow limitation, and mucus hypersecretion, clinical treatment faces many challenges. Particularly, problems including Pseudomonas aeruginosa-dominant drug-resistant bacterial colonization, recurrent infections, airway mucus hypersecretion, and impaired lung function are the most urgent, requiring long-term and personalized treatment and management integrating traditional Chinese and western medicine to prevent the recurrence and continuous progression of the disease. In recent years, both traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine have made certain progress in pathogenesis theories, clinical studies, and basic research regarding the therapeutic challenges of bronchiectasis. Therefore, this paper summarized relevant research from the past 10 years and explored future directions and potential advantages of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine treatment, providing references for optimizing the clinical management strategies for bronchiectasis.
Bronchiectasis/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Animals

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role and mechanism of Brahma-related gene 1 (Brg1) in regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in a bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) model. METHODS: Wild-type C57BL/6 and Brg1^f1/f1 mice were randomly divided into four groups: wild-type control, wild-type BPD, Brg1^f1/f1 control, and Brg1^f1/f1 BPD (n=5 each). Immortalized mouse pulmonary alveolar type 2 cells (imPAC2) were cultured, and Brg1 gene was knocked down using lentivirus transfection technology. Cells were divided into three groups: control, empty vector, and Brg1 knockdown. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunofluorescence were used to detect pathological changes in mouse lung tissue. Western blot and real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR were used to measure Brg1 protein and mRNA expression levels in mouse lung tissue. Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression of homeodomain-containing protein homeobox (HOPX), surfactant protein C (SPC), and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway proteins in mouse lung tissue and imPAC2 cells. The CCK8 assay was used to assess the proliferation of imPAC2 cells, and co-immunoprecipitation was performed to verify the interaction between Brg1 and β-catenin proteins in imPAC2 cells. RESULTS: Compared to the Brg1^f1/f1 control group and wild-type BPD group, the Brg1^f1/f1 BPD group showed increased alveolar diameter and SPC protein expression, and decreased relative density of pulmonary vasculature and HOPX protein expression (P<0.05). Compared to the control group, the Brg1 knockdown group showed increased cell proliferation ability, protein expression levels of SPC, Wnt5a and β-catenin, and β-catenin protein fluorescence intensity, along with decreased HOPX protein expression (P<0.05). An interaction between Brg1 and β-catenin proteins was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS The Brg1 gene may promote the proliferation of alveolar type 2 epithelial cells by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thus influencing the occurrence and development of BPD.
Animals ; DNA Helicases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Wnt Signaling Pathway/physiology* ; Nuclear Proteins/genetics* ; Mice ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/etiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; beta Catenin/physiology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Cell Proliferation ; Lung/pathology* ; Male