Objective To investigate the feasibility of constructing the risk index of Echinococcus infection based on the classification of echinococcosis lesions, so as to provide insights into the management of echinococcosis. Methods The imaging data of echinococcosis cases were collected from epidemiological surveys of echinococcosis in China from 2012 to 2016, and the detection of incident echinococcosis cases was captured from the annual echinococcosis prevention and control reports across provinces (autonomous regions) and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China from 2017 to 2022. After echinococcosis lesions were classified, a risk index of Echinococcus infection was constructed based on the principle of discrete distribution marginal probability and multi-group classification data tests. The correlation between the risk index of Echinococcus infection and the detection of incident echinococcosis cases was evaluated in the provinces (autonomous regions and corps) from 2017 to 2022, and the correlations between the short and medium-term risk indices and between the medium and long-term risk indices of Echinococcus infection were examined using a univariate linear regression model. Results A total of 4 014 echinococcosis cases in China from 2012 to 2016 were included in this study. The short-, medium- and long-term risk indices of E. granulosus infection varied in echinococcosis-endemic provinces (autonomous regions and corps) of China (χ² = 4.12 to 708.65, all P values < 0.05), with high short- (0.058), medium- (0.137) and long-term risk indices (0.104) in Tibet Autonomous Region, and the short-, medium- and long-term risk indices of E. multilocularis infection varied in echinococcosis-endemic provinces (autonomous regions and corps) of China (χ² = 6.74 to 122.60, all P values < 0.05), with a high short-term risk index in Sichuan Province (0.016) and high medium- (0.009) and long-term risk indices in Qinghai Province (0.018). There were no significant correlations between the risk index of E. granulosus infection and the detection of incident cystic echinococcosis cases during the study period (t = −0.518 to 2.265, all P values > 0.05), and strong correlations were found between the risk indices of E. multilocularis infection and the detection of incident alveolar echinococcosis cases (including mixed type) in 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, during the period from 2017 through 2020, from 2017 through 2021, from 2017 through 2022 (all r values > 0.7, t = 2.521 to 3.692, all P values < 0.05). Linear regression models were established between the risk index of E. multilocular infection and the detection of alveolar echinococcosis cases (including mixed type), and the models were all statistically significant (b = 0.214 to 2.168, t = 2.458 to 3.692, F = 6.044 to 13.629, all P values < 0.05). The regression coefficients for the correlations between the medium- and short-term, and between the long- and medium-term risk indices of E. granulosus infection were 2.339 and 0.765, and the regression coefficients for the correlations between the medium- and short-term, and between the long- and medium-term risk indices of E. multilocular infection were 0.280 and 1.842, with statistical significance seen in both the regression coefficients and regression models (t = 16.479 to 197.304, F = 271.570 to 38 928.860, all P values < 0.05). Conclusions The risk index of Echinococcus infection has been successfully established based on the classification of echinococcosis lesions, which may provide insights into the prevention and control, prediction, diagnosis and treatment, and classified management of echinococcosis.

Three-dimensional ordered porous carbon materials exhibit potential application prospects as excellent drug supports in drug delivery systems due to their high specific surface area, tunable pore structure, and excellent biocompatibility. In this study, three-dimensional ordered porous carbon materials were prepared using Acanthopanax senticosus herbal residues as raw material and KOH as activating agent through a one-step pyrolysis method. The prepared carbon-based material was systematically characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, N₂ adsorption-desorption and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results show that the three-dimensional ordered porous carbon materials prepared with KOH as the activator via pyrolysis possess abundant functional groups, high porosity, and high specific surface area, with a specific surface area of 1 471.6 m²·g^-1. The three-dimensional ordered porous carbon materials prepared at 800 ℃ exhibits a high drug loading capacity (78.0%) and drug release rate (86.8%) for 5-fluorouracil. Three-dimensional orderly porous carbon materials show significant application advantages in drug construction, and their high specific surface area and adjustable pore size structure significantly improve the drug load rate and drug release rate, providing a solid foundation for the development of efficient and accurate drug delivery system.

Aprocitentan is a dual endothelin receptor antagonist.Based on the effective evidence of Ⅲ phases of clinical trials,the drug was approved for marketing by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration on March 19,2024 for the treatment of refractory hypertension.At present,multiple clinical studies have confirmed that Aprocitentan has excellent antihypertensive effects and good tolerability.This article reviews the pharmacological effects,preclinical.

Purpose::Cerebral edema (CE) is the main secondary injury following traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by road traffic accidents (RTAs). It is challenging to be predicted timely. In this study, we aimed to develop a prediction model for CE by identifying its risk factors and comparing the timing of edema occurrence in TBI patients with varying levels of injuries.Methods::This case-control study included 218 patients with TBI caused by RTAs. The cohort was divided into CE and non-CE groups, according to CT results within 7 days. Demographic data, imaging data, and clinical data were collected and analyzed. Quantitative variables that follow normal distribution were presented as mean ± standard deviation, those that do not follow normal distribution were presented as median (Q 1, Q 3). Categorical variables were expressed as percentages. The Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to identify risk factors for CE. Logistic curve fitting was performed to predict the time to secondary CE in TBI patients with different levels of injuries. The efficacy of the model was evaluated using the receiver operator characteristic curve. Results::According to the study, almost half (47.3%) of the patients were found to have CE. The risk factors associated with CE were bilateral frontal lobe contusion, unilateral frontal lobe contusion, cerebral contusion, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and abbreviated injury scale (AIS). The odds ratio values for these factors were 7.27 (95% confidence interval ( CI): 2.08 -25.42, p = 0.002), 2.85 (95% CI: 1.11 -7.31, p = 0.030), 2.62 (95% CI: 1.12 -6.13, p = 0.027), 2.44 (95% CI: 1.25 -4.76, p = 0.009), and 1.5 (95% CI: 1.10 -2.04, p = 0.009), respectively. We also observed that patients with mild/moderate TBI (AIS ≤ 3) had a 50% probability of developing CE 19.7 h after injury (χ 2= 13.82, adjusted R2 = 0.51), while patients with severe TBI (AIS > 3) developed CE after 12.5 h (χ 2= 18.48, adjusted R2 = 0.54). Finally, we conducted a receiver operator characteristic curve analysis of CE time, which showed an area under the curve of 0.744 and 0.672 for severe and mild/moderate TBI, respectively. Conclusion::Our study found that the onset of CE in individuals with TBI resulting from RTAs was correlated with the severity of the injury. Specifically, those with more severe injuries experienced an earlier onset of CE. These findings suggest that there is a critical time window for clinical intervention in cases of CE secondary to TBI.

Objective: To investigate the expression of glycoprotein non metastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB) in renal eosinophilic tumors and to compare the value of GPNMB with CK20, CK7 and CD117 in the differential diagnosis of renal eosinophilic tumors. Methods: Traditional renal tumor eosinophil subtypes, including 22 cases of renal clear cell carcinoma eosinophil subtype (e-ccRCC), 19 cases of renal papillary cell carcinoma eosinophil subtype (e-papRCC), 17 cases of renal chromophobe cell carcinoma eosinophil subtype (e-chRCC), 12 cases of renal oncocytoma (RO) and emerging renal tumor types with eosinophil characteristics [3 cases of eosinophilic solid cystic renal cell carcinoma (ESC RCC), 3 cases of renal low-grade eosinophil tumor (LOT), 4 cases of fumarate hydratase-deficient renal cell carcinoma (FH-dRCC) and 5 cases of renal epithelioid angiomyolipoma (E-AML)], were collected at the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from January 2017 to March 2022. The expression of GPNMB, CK20, CK7 and CD117 was detected by immunohistochemistry and statistically analyzed. Results: GPNMB was expressed in all emerging renal tumor types with eosinophil characteristics (ESC RCC, LOT, FH-dRCC) and E-AML, while the expression rates in traditional renal eosinophil subtypes e-papRCC, e-chRCC, e-ccRCC and RO were very low or zero (1/19, 1/17, 0/22 and 0/12, respectively); the expression rate of CK7 in LOT (3/3), e-chRCC (15/17), e-ccRCC (4/22), e-papRCC (2/19), ESC RCC (0/3), RO (4/12), E-AML(1/5), and FH-dRCC (2/4) variedly; the expression of CK20 was different in ESC RCC (3/3), LOT(3/3), e-chRCC(1/17), RO(9/12), e-papRCC(4/19), FH-dRCC(1/4), e-ccRCC(0/22) and E-AML(0/5), and so did that of CD117 in e-ccRCC(2/22), e-papRCC(1/19), e-chRCC(16/17), RO(10/12), ESC RCC(0/3), LOT(1/3), E-AML(2/5) and FH-dRCC(1/4). GPNMB had 100% sensitivity and 97.1% specificity in distinguishing E-AML and emerging renal tumor types (such as ESC RCC, LOT, FH-dRCC) from traditional renal tumor types (such as e-ccRCC, e-papRCC, e-chRCC, RO),respectively. Compared with CK7, CK20 and CD117 antibodies, GPNMB was more effective in the differential diagnosis (P<0.05). Conclusion: As a new renal tumor marker, GPNMB can effectively distinguish E-AML and emerging renal tumor types with eosinophil characteristics such as ESC RCC, LOT, FH-dRCC from traditional renal tumor eosinophil subtypes such as e-ccRCC, e-papRCC, e-chRCC and RO, which is helpful for the differential diagnosis of renal eosinophilic tumors.
Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms/pathology* ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/pathology* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Angiomyolipoma/diagnosis* ; Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/diagnosis* ; Membrane Glycoproteins

Clarifying the mechanisms of Chinese medicinal processing is pivotal to the modernization of Chinese medicine. Research on Chinese medicinal processing gives priority to the mechanisms of the processing in enhancing efficacy, reducing toxicity, and repurposing medicinals. During the past 20 years, scholars have carried out in-depth studies on the mechanisms of Chinese medicinal processing via modern system biology. They mainly focused on the changes of medicinal properties and efficacy caused by processing using techniques of modern pharmacology and molecular biology, spectrum-efficacy correlation, and biophoton emission. However, these techniques fail to reflect the holistic view of traditional Chinese medicine. With the introduction of system biology, multi-omics techno-logies(genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) have surged, which have been applied to the research on the mec-hanisms of Chinese medicinal processing. These multi-omics technologies have advantages in the research on holism. This study aims to summarize the research techniques and approaches in system biology for mechanisms of Chinese medicinal processing in the past 20 years and analyze the limitations and advantages of them. It is concluded that the multi-omics techniques of system biology can reconstruct the mechanisms of Chinese medicinal processing. This study provides a new direction for further research on the mechanisms of Chinese medicinal processing.
China ; Genomics ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Metabolomics/methods* ; Proteomics

Objective:To study the effect of Bushen Huatan prescription on helper T cell 17 （Th17）/T regulatory cells （Treg） balance of immune T cell subsets in the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Method:Sixty 6-month-old female SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group， model group， estradiol valerate group （0.184 mg·kg^-1） and Bushen Huatan prescription low， medium and high groups （4.7， 9.4， 18.8 g·kg^-1） according to the random number table. All the groups except the sham operation group received ovariectomy to make postmenopausal osteoporosis model. Intragastric administration was started 1 week after operation， and the rats in model group and sham operation group received equal volume of normal saline， once a day for 12 weeks. Microcomputed tomography （Micro CT） was then used to detect bone mass and microstructure of rats， the contents of Forkhead box protein （Foxp3） and retinoic acid related nuclear orphan receptor （RORγt） in serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， the mRNA expression levels of Foxp3 and RORγt in bone tissues were detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of Foxp3 and RORγt in bone tissues， the number of Th17 and Treg cells in each group was analyzed and compared by flow cytometry. Result:Compared with the sham operation group， the bone mass and trabeculae of the model group decreased （P<0.01）， the bone microstructure was destroyed， the concentration of Foxp3 in serum decreased， the concentration of RORγt increased （P<0.01）， the mRNA and protein expression levels of Foxp3 in bone tissues decreased， RORγt increased， the number of Treg cells in bone tissues decreased， number of Th17 cells increased （P<0.01）， and Th17/Treg ratio increased （P<0.01） in model group. Compared with the model group， the bone mass in each treatment group increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， Foxp3 concentration in serum increased， RORγt concentration decreased （P<0.01）， the mRNA and protein expression levels of Foxp3 in bone tissues increased significantly （P<0.05， P<0.01）， but no statistical difference was shown in mRNA expression between low dose group and the model group. In addition， the mRNA and protein expression of RORγt decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， number of Treg cells increased， number of Th17 cells decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and Th17/Treg ratio decreased in treatment groups （P<0.01）. Conclusion:Bushen Huatan prescription can increase bone mass， improve bone microstructure， increase the number of Treg cells and decrease the number of Th17 cells in ovariectomized rats. It is concluded that Bushen Huatan prescription may play a role in preventing and treating postmenopausal osteoporosis by regulating Th17/Treg balance.

OBJECTIVETo compare the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) and mild-warm moxibustion (Mox) therapies for constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (C-IBS) patients.

METHODSSixty C-IBS patients were assigned to 2 groups by simple randomized method, i.e. EA group (30 cases) and Mox group (30 cases). Both EA and Mox treatments were performed on bilateral Tianshu (ST 25) and Shangjuxu (ST 37) for 30 min each time, 6 times per week, for 4 consecutive weeks. The gastrointestinal symptoms and psychological symptoms of the two groups were scored before and after treatment. The effects on the corresponding functional brain areas, namely the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), insular cortex (IC) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) were observed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after treatment.

RESULTSCompared with the Mox group, greater improvements in abdominal distension, defecation frequency, diffificulty in defecation and stool features were observed in the EA group (all P<0.01), both Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores were signifificantly decreased in the EA group (all P<0.01). Finally, decreased activated voxel values were observed in the ACC, right IC and PFC brain regions of EA group with 150 mL colorectal distension stimulation (P<0.05 or P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSBoth EA and Mox could signifificantly improve some of the most intrusive symptoms of C-IBS patients, and EA was more effective than Mox. The therapeutic effect of these two therapies might through modulating of the brain-gut axis function. (Registration No. ChiCTRTRC-11001349).

Adult ; Brain ; physiopathology ; Constipation ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Electroacupuncture ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Moxibustion ; adverse effects ; Pain Measurement ; Rectum ; physiopathology ; Sensory Thresholds ; physiology

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of deficiency of CHL1 in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS: Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model was used to study the effects of deficiency of CHL1 on the development of IBD. Ten CHL1(+/+) mice in C57/BL6 background were randomly divided into CHL1(+/+) group and DSS-induced CHL1(+/+) group. Ten CHL1(-/-) mice in C57/BL6 background were randomly divided into CHL1(-/-) group and DSS-induced CHL1(-/-) group. DSS-induced CHL1(+/+) group and DSS-induced CHL1(-/-)group were fed with 1.5% DSS for 7 days, and then drinking distilled water for 2 days. CHL1(+/+) group and CHL1(-/-) group as control group were fed with distilled water for 9 days. The changes of weight, survival, fecal blood and the change of colon length in this study were observed. RESULTS: On the 7 day, the weight of DSS-induced CHL1(-/-) group were reduced significantly, and DSS-induced CHL1(-/-) group had extreme mortality on the 9th day. The fecal blood of DSS-induced CHL1(-/-) group also had higher score than that of DSS-induced CHL1(+/+) group. In the DSS-induced CHL1(-/-) group,the length of colon was shortened obviously. CONCLUSIONS The loss of CHL1 aggravates the development of IBD.
Animals ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; deficiency ; genetics ; Colitis ; chemically induced ; genetics ; Colon ; pathology ; Dextran Sulfate ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Random Allocation

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of homoharringtonine(HHT) combined with imatinib(IM) on proliferation and apoptosis of K562/G01 cells and its potential mechanism.

METHODSK562/G01 cells were cultured with HHT and/or IM. CCK-8 assay was used to detect cell proliferation. Cell apoptosis and phosphorylated tyrosine levels were analyzed by flow cytometry. The expression levels of p210, PI3K, p-Akt and Akt protein were determined by Western blot.

RESULTSCompared with HHT or IM alone, drug combination significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of K562/G01 cells (both P< 0.05). HHT combined with IM could inhibit the levels of phosphorylated tyrosine and phosphorylated Crkl and downregulate the expressions of p210, PI3K and p-Akt in K562/G01 cells.

CONCLUSIONHHT combined with IM can synergistically inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of K562/G01 cells by suppressing the p210 expression and its kinase activity.