The present study aimed to explore whether hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) improved hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) in rats by inhibiting aerobic glycolysis-pyroptosis. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into normal group, normal+NaHS group, hypoxia group, and hypoxia+NaHS group, with 6 rats in each group. The control group rats were placed in a normoxic (21% O₂) environment and received daily intraperitoneal injections of an equal volume of normal saline. The normal+NaHS group rats were placed in a normoxic environment and intraperitoneally injected with 14 μmol/kg NaHS daily. The hypoxia group rats were placed in a hypoxia chamber, and the oxygen controller inside the chamber maintained the oxygen concentration at 9% to 10% by controlling the N₂ flow rate. An equal volume of normal saline was injected intraperitoneally every day. The hypoxia+NaHS group rats were also placed in an hypoxia chamber and intraperitoneally injected with 14 μmol/kg NaHS daily. After the completion of the four-week modeling, the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) of each group was measured using right heart catheterization technique, and the right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI) was weighed and calculated. HE staining was used to observe pathological changes in lung tissue, Masson staining was used to observe fibrosis of lung tissue, and Western blot was used to detect protein expression levels of hexokinase 2 (HK2), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2 (PKM2), nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), GSDMD-N-terminal domain (GSDMD-N), Caspase-1, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-18 in lung tissue. ELISA was used to detect contents of IL-1β and IL-18 in lung tissue. The results showed that, compared with the normal control group, there were no significant changes in all indexes in the normal+NaHS group, while the hypoxia group exhibited significantly increased mPAP and RVHI, thickened pulmonary vascular wall, narrowed lumen, increased collagen fibers, up-regulated expression levels of aerobic glycolysis-related proteins (HK2 and PKM2), up-regulated expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins (NLRP3, GSDMD-N, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18), and increased contents of IL-1β and IL-18. These changes of the above indexes in the hypoxia group were significantly reversed by NaHS. These results suggest that H₂S can improve rat HPH by inhibiting aerobic glycolysis-pyroptosis.
Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Hypertension, Pulmonary/metabolism* ; Glycolysis/drug effects* ; Hydrogen Sulfide/therapeutic use* ; Hypoxia/complications* ; Rats ; Pyroptosis/drug effects*

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is the pillar for the development of motherland medicine, and animal medicine has a long history of application in China, characterized by wide resources, strong activity, definite efficacy, and great benefits. It has significant potential and important status in the consumption market of raw materials of TCM. In the context of global climate change, farming system alterations, and low renewability, the depletion of wild medicinal animal resources has accelerated. Accordingly, the conservation and sustainable utilization of wild resources of animal medicinal materials has become a problem that garners increasing attention and urgently needs to be solved. This paper summarizes the current situation of domestic and foreign medicinal animal breeding and research progress in industrial application in recent years and points out the issues related to standardized breeding, germplasm selection and breeding, and quality evaluation standards for medicinal animals. Furthermore, this paper discusses standardized breeding, quality standards, resource protection and utilization, and the search for alternative resources for rare and endangered medicinal animals. It proposes that researchers should systematically carry out in-depth basic research on animal medicine, improve the breeding scale and level of medicinal animals, employ modern technology to enhance the quality standards of medicinal materials, and strengthen the research and development of alternative resources. This approach aims to effectively address the relationship between protection and utilization and make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of medicinal animal resources and the animal-based Chinese medicinal material industry.
Animals ; Breeding ; China ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Conservation of Natural Resources

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of a new conditioning regimen with chidamide and BEAM for autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) in patients with lymphoma. METHODS: Medical records and further follow-up data from 85 patients with lymphoma from May 2015 to September 2020 in our hospital were retrospectively collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Among 85 patients, 52 cases accepted BEAM regimen and 33 cases accepted CBEAM followed by AHSCT. In CBEAM group, 18 patients (54.5%) received AHSCT as salvage therapy, while only 26.9% (14 cases) for salvage in BEAM group ( P < 0.01). CBEAM conditioning resulted in shorter neutrophil engraftment of 2 days, while no significant difference was found in platelet engraftment. Although the incidence of liver impairment was higher in CBEAM group (12.1%), the grade of impairment was only Ⅰ to Ⅱ. The two conditioning regimens both achieved good complete remission rate of over 90%, and no transplant-related death occurred. The median follow-up time in the CBEAM group was 18(12, 22) months, and 39(20, 59) months in the BEAM group. There were no significantly differences in 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rate between the two groups (P >0.05). In patients with refractory or relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the 2-year PFS rate after transplantation in BEAM group and CBEAM group was 74.1% and 92.9%, respectively (P >0.05), indicating that chidamide may have certain advantages in prolonging PFS. CONCLUSION CBEAM conditioning regimen has a good efficacy and safety in lymphoma patients before AHSCT, especially in refractory and relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients, suggesting that it could serve as an alternative conditioning regimen prior to AHSCT for lymphoma.
Humans ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Transplantation Conditioning/methods* ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Retrospective Studies ; Aminopyridines/therapeutic use* ; Lymphoma/therapy* ; Benzamides/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Female ; Cytarabine/therapeutic use* ; Melphalan/therapeutic use* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Podophyllotoxin/therapeutic use* ; Carmustine ; Etoposide

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of Erzhu Jiedu Decoction (EZJDD) Granules in treating mid-advanced hepatitis B virus-associated primary liver cancer (HBV-PLC) patients with Pi (Spleen)-deficiency and dampness-heat syndrome. METHODS: From January 2021 to June 2023, a cohort of 132 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to a control group or a EZJDD group according to the random numbers, with 66 patients in each group. The patients in the control group received conventional treatment for 3 months, followed by a 3-month follow-up. In addition to the conventional treatment, patients in the EZJDD group were administered EZJDD Granules (10.9 g/pack, 2 packs twice per day) orally for same duration. Progression-free survival (PFS) as primary outcome was evaluated by Kaplan Meier method. Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scores were used to assess the quality of life in two groups before and after treatment, and survival rates were determined as well. The efficacy of Chinese medicine syndrome was calculated with Nimodipine method. Liver function, tumor indicators and T lymphocyte subsets were measured, respectively. Safety indicators were recorded and assessed. RESULTS: Of the 116 patients who completed the study, 57 were in the control group and 59 in the EZJDD group. The median PFS was 3.53 months (106 days) in the EZJDD group compared to 2.33 months (70 days) in the control group (P=0.005). Six-month survival rate was 52.63% (30/57) in the control group and 69.49% (41/59) in the EZJDD group (P=0.039). The median KPS score in the EZJDD group [70(63, 90)] was higher than that in the control group [70(60, 80)] (P=0.013). The total effective rate of CM syndrome was 52.63% (30/57) in the control group and 77.97% (46/59) in the EZJDD group (P=0.005). The levels of alpha fetoprotein, alpha fetoprotein-L3, alpha-L-fucosidase and protein induced by Vitamin K absence or antagonist- II in the EZJDD group increased less than the control group (P>0.05). CD8⁺ levels were decreased, while CD3⁺ and CD4⁺ levels, as well as CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio were significantly increased in the EZZJD group (P<0.05). No treatment-related adverse reactions were observed during the study. CONCLUSION EZJDD Granules significantly prolonged the median PFS and improved 6-month survival rate in patients with mid-advanced HBV-PLC (Registration No. ChiCTR2200056922).
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Liver Neoplasms/complications* ; Hepatitis B virus/physiology* ; Hepatitis B/complications* ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult ; Spleen/drug effects* ; Quality of Life ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Aged ; Syndrome

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) in atherosclerotic plaques for regulating inflammatory responses during atherosclerosis (AS) progression. METHODS: Human coronary artery specimens from autopsy cases were examined for ATF3 protein expression and localization using immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting. Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE^-/-) mouse models of AS induced by high-fat diet (HFD) feeding for 12 weeks were subjected to tail vein injection of adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) to knock down ATF3 expression. After an additional 5 weeks of HFD feeding, the mice were euthanized for analyzing structural changes of the aortic plaques, and the expression levels of ATF3, inflammatory factors (CD45, CD68, IL-1β, and TNF-α), and NF-κB pathway proteins (P-IKKα/β and P-NF-κB p65) were detected. In the cell experiment, THP-1-derived foam cells were transfected with an ATF3-overexpressing plasmid or an ATF3-specific siRNA to validate the relationship between ATF3 and NF‑κB signaling. RESULTS: In human atherosclerotic plaques, ATF3 expression was significantly elevated and partially co-localized with CD68. ATF3 knockout in ApoE^-/- mice significantly increased aortic plaque volume, upregulated the inflammatory factors, enhanced phosphorylation of the NF‑κB pathway proteins, and increased the expressions of VCAM1, MMP9, and MMP2 in the plaques. In THP-1-derived foam cells, ATF3 silencing caused activation of the NF‑κB pathway, while ATF3 overexpression suppressed the activity of the NF-κB pathway. CONCLUSIONS AS promotes ATF3 expression, and ATF3 deficiency exacerbates AS progression by enhancing plaque inflammation via activating the NF-κB pathway, suggesting the potential of ATF3 as a therapeutic target for AS.
Animals ; Activating Transcription Factor 3/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Humans ; Mice ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic/metabolism* ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Apolipoproteins E ; Atherosclerosis/metabolism* ; Diet, High-Fat

Patients suffering from nerve injury often experience exacerbated pain responses and complain of memory deficits. The dorsal hippocampus (dHPC), a well-defined region responsible for learning and memory, displays maladaptive plasticity upon injury, which is assumed to underlie pain hypersensitivity and cognitive deficits. However, much attention has thus far been paid to intracellular mechanisms of plasticity rather than extracellular alterations that might trigger and facilitate intracellular changes. Emerging evidence has shown that nerve injury alters the microarchitecture of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and decreases ECM rigidity in the dHPC. Despite this, it remains elusive which element of the ECM in the dHPC is affected and how it contributes to neuropathic pain and comorbid cognitive deficits. Laminin, a key element of the ECM, consists of α-, β-, and γ-chains and has been implicated in several pathophysiological processes. Here, we showed that peripheral nerve injury downregulates laminin β1 (LAMB1) in the dHPC. Silencing of hippocampal LAMB1 exacerbates pain sensitivity and induces cognitive dysfunction. Further mechanistic analysis revealed that loss of hippocampal LAMB1 causes dysregulated Src/NR2A signaling cascades via interaction with integrin β1, leading to decreased Ca²⁺ levels in pyramidal neurons, which in turn orchestrates structural and functional plasticity and eventually results in exaggerated pain responses and cognitive deficits. In this study, we shed new light on the functional capability of hippocampal ECM LAMB1 in the modulation of neuropathic pain and comorbid cognitive deficits, and reveal a mechanism that conveys extracellular alterations to intracellular plasticity. Moreover, we identified hippocampal LAMB1/integrin β1 signaling as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of neuropathic pain and related memory loss.
Animals ; Laminin/genetics* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Neuralgia/metabolism* ; Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology* ; Male ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries/metabolism* ; Extracellular Matrix/metabolism* ; Integrin beta1/metabolism* ; Pyramidal Cells/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction

Objective To explore the clinical manifestations,endoscopic findings,histopathological changes,treatment,and prognosis of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease(EGID)in children,with the aim of enhancing awareness among pediatricians about this condition.Methods Data of 267 children with EGID were prospectively collected from January 2019 to July 2022 at Jiangxi Children's Hospital,Hunan Children's Hospital,and Henan Children's Hospital.The age of onset,symptoms,physical signs,laboratory examination results,endoscopic findings,histopathological changes,and treatment outcomes were observed.Results Among the 267 children with EGID,the majority had mild(164 cases,61.4% )or moderate(96 cases,35.6% )clinical severity.The disease occurred at any age,with a higher prevalence observed in school-age children(178 cases).The main symptoms in infants were vomiting and hematemesis,while in toddlers,vomiting and bloody stools were prominent.Abdominal pain and vomiting were the primary symptoms in preschool and school-age children.Nearly half(49.4% )of the affected children showed elevated platelet counts on hematological examination,but there was no significant difference in platelet counts among children with mild,moderate,and severe EGID(P>0.05).Endoscopic findings in EGID children did not reveal significant specificity,and histopathological examination showed no specific structural damage.Among them,85.0% (227 cases)received acid suppression therapy,34.5% (92 cases)practiced dietary avoidance,20.9% (56 cases)received anti-allergic medication,and a small proportion(24 cases,9.0% )were treated with prednisone.Clinical symptoms were relieved in all patients after treatment,but three cases with peptic ulcers experienced recurrence after drug discontinuation.Conclusions Mild and moderate EGID are more common in children,with no specific endoscopic findings.Dietary avoidance,acid suppression therapy,and anti-allergic medication are the main treatment methods.The prognosis of EGID is generally favorable in children.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):139-144]

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

Objective To monitor the antifungal resistance of clinical isolates of Candida spp.in the East China region.Methods MALDI-TOF MS or molecular methods were used to re-identify the strains collected from January 2018 to December 2022.Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed using the broth microdilution method.The susceptibility test results were interpreted according to the breakpoints of 2022 Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)documents M27 M44s-Ed3 and M57s-Ed4.Results A total of 3 026 strains of Candida were collected,65.33％of which were isolated from sterile body sites,mainly from blood(38.86％)and pleural effusion/ascites(10.21％).The predominant species of Candida were Candida albicans(44.51％),followed by Candida parapsilosis complex(19.46％),Candida tropicalis(13.98％),Candida glabrata(10.34％),and other Candida species(0.79％).Candida albicans showed overall high susceptibility rates to the 10 antifungal drugs tested(the lowest rate being 93.62％).Only 2.97％of the strains showed dose-dependent susceptibility(SDD)to fluconazole.Candida parapsilosis complex had a SDD rate of 2.61％and a resistance rate of 9.42％to fluconazole,and susceptibility rates above 90％to other drugs.Candida glabrata had a SDD rate of 92.01％and a resistance rate of 7.99％to fluconazole,resistance rates of 32.27％and 48.24％to posaconazole and voriconazole non-wild-type strains(NWT),respectively,and susceptibility rates above 90％to other drugs.Candida tropicalis had resistance rates of 29.55％and 26.24％to fluconazole and voriconazole,respectively,resistance rates of 76.60％and 21.99％to posaconazole and echinocandins non-wild-type strains(NWT),and a resistance rate of 2.36％to echinocandins.Conclusions The prevalence and species distribution of Candida spp.in the East China region are consistent with previous domestic and international reports.Candida glabrata exhibits certain degree of resistance to fluconazole,while Candida tropicalis demonstrates higher resistance to triazole drugs.Additionally,echinocandins resistance has emerged in Candida albicans,Candida glabrata,Candida tropicalis,and Candida parapsilosis.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics,therapeutic effect and prognostic factors of patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma(HL).Methods:A total of 129 patients with HL diagnosed in Peking University Third Hospital from January 2010 to March 2021 who were given at least one efficacy assessment after treatment were enrolled,and their clinical data,including sex,age,pathological type,Ann Arbor stage,ECOG score,blood test,β2-microglobulin,lactate dehydrogenase level,albumin level were collected.The clinical characteristics,therapeutic effect and long-term prognosis of the patients were summarized and analyzed.Results:In classical HL,nodular sclerosis HL accounted for the highest proportion of 51.6％,followed by mixed cellularity HL(36.5％),lymphocyte-rich classical HL(3.2％),and lymphocyte depletion HL(0.7％),while nodular lymphocyte predominant HL accounted for 4.8％.The 3-year overall survival(OS)rate of HL patients was 89.8％,and 5-year OS was 85.0％.The 3-year progression-free survival(PFS)rate was 73.4％,and 5-year PFS was 63.1％.Multivariate regression analysis indicated that IPI score was an independent negative factor,while hemoglobin(Hb)level was an independent positive factor for OS in HL patients.When the mediastinal mass size was 9.2 cm,it was most significant to judge the survival status of HL patients.5-year OS and 5-year PFS were 97.4％and 76.0％in early-stage HL patients without large mass,respectively,while in patients with advanced-stage HL was 83.4％and 55.9％(both P＜0.05).After 2-4 courses of treatment,the overall response rate(ORR)of patients who received chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy was 95.0％,while that was 89.6％in those with chemotherapy alone.Conclusions:The overall prognosis of patients with HL is satisfactory,especially those in early-stage without large mass.IPI score and Hb level are independent risk factors for the prognosis of HL patients.A 9.2 cm mediastinal mass can be used as the cut-off value for the prognosis of Chinese HL patients.