ObjectiveTo explore the role and mechanism of Hei Xiaoyaosan in regulating the protein kinase B （Akt）/glycogen synthase kinase-3β （GSK-3β）/nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2 （Nrf2）/heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1） signaling pathway in cascade modulation of oxidative stress and apoptosis for preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease （AD）. MethodsNinety male SD rats of 4 months old were randomly assigned into a control group （n=10）， a sham group （with injection of 1 μL normal saline into bilateral hippocampi， n=10）， and a modeling group （with injection of 1 μL beta-amyloid 1-42 solution into bilateral hippocampi to induce AD， n=70）. One week after modeling， 50 successfully modeled rats were selected and randomly allocated into model， donepezil hydrochloride （0.45 mg·kg^-1）， and high-， medium-， and low-dose （15.30， 7.65， 3.82 g·kg^-1， respectively） Hei Xiaoyaosan groups. The rats were administrated with corresponding drugs once daily for six consecutive weeks. The Morris water maze was used to assess the learning and memory abilities of rats. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to reveal hippocampal morphological changes in AD rats. Apoptosis in the hippocampal CA3 region was detected by terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated Nick end labeling. Immunofluorescence was used to visualize the expression of neuronal nuclear antigen （NeuN） in the CA1 region. Additionally， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to assess the activities of glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， glutathione-S-transferase （GST）， and catalase （CAT） in the hippocampus. Real-time PCR was conducted to measure the mRNA levels of Akt， GSK-3β， Nrf2， and HO-1， while Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）/Akt， phosphorylated GSK-3β （p-GSK-3β）/GSK-3β， Nrf2， and HO-1. ResultsCompared with the control group， the model group on day 5 showed an increase in total swimming distance （P<0.01）， a reduction in the percentage of time spent in the target quadrant （P<0.01）， reduced and disarranged neurons， nuclear condensation， varying degrees of cellular damage， increased apoptosis of hippocampal neurons （P<0.01）， decreased NeuN content （P<0.01）， weakend activities of GSH-Px， GST， and CAT （P<0.01）， and down-regulated mRNA levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 （P<0.01） and protein levels of p-Akt/Akt， p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β， Nrf2， and HO-1 （P<0.01） in the hippocampus. Compared with the model group， donepezil hydrochloride and high， medium， and low doses of Hei Xiaoyaosan shortened the total swimming distance on day 5 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased the percentage of time spent in the target quadrant （P<0.05， P<0.01）， improved the arrangement and morphology of neurons， reduced nuclear condensation and the apoptosis rate of hippocampal neurons （P<0.01）， increased the NeuN content （P<0.01）， enhanced the activities of GSH-Px， GST， and CAT （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and up-regulated the mRNA levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and the protein levels of p-Akt/Akt， p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β， Nrf2， and HO-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01） in the hippocampus. ConclusionHei Xiaoyaosan can regulate the Akt/GSK-3β/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway to enhance the antioxidant stress capacity and inhibit neuron apoptosis to exert the neuroprotective effect， thereby ameliorating the cognitive dysfunction and pathological damage in AD rats.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Hei Xiaoyaosan in improving the cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease （AD） from cell apoptosis mediated by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/nuclear factor kappa B （NF-κB） signaling pathway. MethodsFour-month-old SD male rats were randomly assigned into a blank group， a sham group， a model group， a donepezil hydrochloride （0.45 mg·kg^-1） group， and high-， medium-， and low-dose （15.30， 7.65， and 3.82 g·kg^-1， respectively） Hei Xiaoyaosan groups， with 10 rats in each group. The sham group received bilateral hippocampal injection of 1 μL normal saline， while the other groups received bilateral hippocampal injection of 1 μL beta-amyloid 1-42 （Aβ_1-42） solution for the modeling of AD. Rats were administrated with corresponding agents once a day for 42 consecutive days. The Morris water maze test was carried out to assess the learning and memory abilities of rats. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe pathological changes in the hippocampus of rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the levels of cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 （Caspase-3）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of PI3K， Akt， and NF-κB. A cell model of AD was established by co-culturing Aβ_1-42 and PC12 cells in vitro. Cell viability and apoptosis were detected by the cell-counting kit 8 （CCK-8） assay and flow cytometry （FC）， respectively. ResultsAnimal experiments showed that compared with the blank group， the model group had a prolonged escape latency （P<0.01）， a reduced number of crossing platforms （P<0.01）， disarrangement and a reduced number of hippocampal neurons， up-regulated expression of Bax and Caspase-3， down-regulated expression of Bcl-2 （P<0.01）， decreased p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt levels， and an increased p-NF-κB/NF-κB level （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， donepezil hydrochloride and high- and medium-dose Hei Xiaoyaosan shortened the escape latency and increased the number of crossing platforms （P<0.05， P<0.01）， improved the arrangement and increased the number of hippocampal neurons， down-regulated the expression levels of Bax and Caspase-3， up-reguated the expression level of Bcl-2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and reduced the p-NF-κB/NF-κB level （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Cell experiments showed that compared with the blank group， the model group exhibited an increased apoptosis rate （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the serum containing Hei Xiaoyaosan at various doses improved the cell viability （P<0.01）， and the serum containing Hei Xiaoyaosan at the high dose decreased the cell apoptosis （P<0.01）. ConclusionHei Xiaoyaosan may improve the learning and memory abilities of AD model rats by regulating cell apoptosis， while increasing the vitality and reducing the apoptosis rate of AD model cells via the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Hei Xiaoyaosan on cognitive impairment and the histone deacetylase sirtuin-1 （SIRT1）/tumor suppressor p53/solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11） signaling pathway in the rat model of Alzheimer's disease （AD）. MethodsA total of 90 16-week-old SPF-grade SD male rats were randomly assigned in a blank group （n=10）， a sham group （n=10， with injection of 1 μL normal saline into the bilateral hippocampi）， and an AD modeling group （n=70， with injection of 1 μL β amyloid 1-42 solution into the bilateral hippocampi）. According to the random number table method， fifty successfully modeled rats were assigned into model， donepezil hydrochloride （0.45 mg·kg^-1）， and high-， medium-， and low-dose （15.30， 7.65， and 3.82 g·kg^-1， respectively） Hei Xiaoyaosan groups， and they were administrated with corresponding agents via gavage once a day for 42 consecutive days. Morris water maze test was carried out to examine the cognitive function of rats. Nissl staining was employed to observe the morphology of hippocampal neurons in each group， and Prussian blue staining was used to detect iron deposition in the hippocampal tissue. Biochemical kits were used to measure the levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， and iron ion （Fe²⁺） in the hippocampal tissue. Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were employed to determine the protein and mRNA levels， respectively， of SIRT1， p53， SLC7A11， glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）， and acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 （ACSL4） in the hippocampus. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed reductions in target quadrant movement distance （P<0.01） and target quadrant residence time （P<0.05）， disarrangement of hippocampal neurons， increased ferroptosis deposition in the hippocampus， a lowered level of SOD， risen levels of MDA and Fe²⁺ （P<0.05， P<0.01）， down-regulated protein and mRNA levels of SIRT1， SLC7A11， and GPX4 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， up-regulated protein and mRNA levels of p53 and ACSL4 （P<0.01）， and aggravated pathological process of AD. Compared with the model group， donepezil hydrochloride extended the target quadrant residence time and the target quadrant movement distance （P<0.05， P<0.01）. High- and medium- doses of Hei Xiaoyaosan extended the target quadrant residence time and the target quadrant movement distance （P<0.05， P<0.01）， improved the neuron arrangement and reduced the ferroptosis deposition in the hippocampus， elevated the SOD level， lowered the MDA and Fe²⁺ levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， up-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of SIRT1， SLC7A11， and GPX4 （P<0.01， P<0.05）， and down-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of p53 and ACSL4 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionHei Xiaoyaosan can regulate the SIRT1/p53/SLC7A11 signaling pathway to mitigate oxidative stress and inhibit ferroptosis， thereby ameliorating the cognitive dysfunction in AD rats.

Chemical reference material(CRM)is an important material basis in the process of chemical drug research and development and quality control.This paper introduces the definition and classification of CRMs;the domestic and international regulations and guidelines for the research and development,production,management and use of CRMs by pharmaceutical companies and authoritative CRM issuing organizations;the common preparation methods and key technologies of CRM raw materials;and the technical requirements for the selection of raw materials for different types of CRMs.In addition,this paper also introduces the routine development process and data requirements for the candidate raw material to become a CRM after chemical structure verification,physical and chemical property analysis,homogeneity assessment,stability monitoring,and assignment.It also introduces the classical assignment method,mass balance method,in detail,to provide users of CRMs and the developers of new drugs with some technical references related to the development,application and management of CRMs in China.

In recent years, the development of bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) has been rapid, with many new structures and target combinations being created. The boom in bsAbs has led to the successive issuance of industry guidance for their development in the US and China. However, there is a high degree of similarity in target selection, which could affect the development of diversity in bsAbs. This review presents a classification of various bsAbs for cancer therapy based on structure and target selection and examines the advantages of bsAbs over monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Through database research, we have identified the preferences of available bsAbs combinations, suggesting rational target selection options and warning of potential wastage of medical resources. We have also compared the US and Chinese guidelines for bsAbs in order to provide a reference for their development.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of esketamine on postoperative acute lung injury (ALI) in pediatric patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation.Methods:Sixty pediatric patients of either sex with biliary atresia, aged 0-36 months, of American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification Ⅰ-Ⅲ, with cardiac function grade I or Ⅱ, with Child-Pugh grade B or C, undergoing living donor liver transplantation, were divided into 2 groups ( n=30 each) using a computer-generated table of random numbers: control group (group C) and esketamine group (group S). Combined intravenous-inhalational anesthesia was performed with propofol and sevoflurane in both groups, and in addition esketamine was intravenously infused continuously after induction in group S. After anesthesia induction (T 0), at 60 min after start of surgery (T 1), at 10 min after anhepatic phase (T 2), at 60 min after portal vein opening (T 3), and immediately after abdominal closure (T 4), central venous blood samples were collected for determination of the serum concentrations of Clara cell secretory protein 16, surface active protein D, soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products, high mobility group protein B1, interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), concentrations of malondialdehyde (using TBA method), and activity of superoxide dismutase (using hydroxylamine method). The dynamic lung compliance was recorded from T 0 to T 4. Blood samples were taken from the radial artery at T 0 and 24 h after surgery (T 5) for blood gas analysis, and oxygenation index and respiratory index were calculated. Lung ultrasound scores were recorded at 24 h before surgery and T 5. The postoperative mechanical ventilation time and duration of intensive care unit stay were recorded. The occurrence of ALI within 7 days after liver transplantation was observed. Results:Compared with group C, the serum concentrations of Clara cell secretory protein 16, surface active protein D, soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products, high mobility group protein B1, interleukin-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and malondialdehyde were significantly decreased, and the activity of superoxide dismutase was increased at T 3, 4, the oxygenation index was increased and respiratory index was decreased at T 3-T 5, lung ultrasound C score and B score were decreased at T 5, the postoperative mechanical ventilation time and duration of intensive care unit stay were shortened, and the incidence of ALI was decreased in group S ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Esketamine can alleviate postoperative ALI in pediatric patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation.

Objective:To compare the effects of different anesthesia methods on perioperative lung injury in pediatric patients with biliary atresia undergoing living donor liver transplantation.Methods:Ninety-one American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification Ⅰ-Ⅲ pediatric patients with biliary atresia, regardless of gender, aged 0-36 months, with cardiac function grade of Ⅰ or Ⅱ and Child-Pugh grade of B or C, undergoing elective living donor liver transplantation, were selected. According to the anesthesia method, the pediatric patients were divided into 3 groups: propofol-based anesthesia group (P group, n=30), sevoflurane-based anesthesia group (S group, n=30) and propofol-sevoflurane-based anesthesia group (PS group, n=31). Group P received intravenous infusion of 1% propofol 9-15 mg·kg -1·h -1. In group S, sevoflurane was inhaled and the end-tidal concentration was maintained at 2.6%-4.0%.In PS group, 1% propofol 9-15 mg·kg -1·h -1 was intravenously infused and sevoflurane was inhaled, maintaining an end-tidal concentration at 1.0%-2.5%. Remifentanil 0.1-1.0 μg·kg -1·min -1 was intravenously infused during operation for analgesia, and cisatracurium besylate 1-2 μg·kg -1·min -1 was intravenously infused to maintain muscle relaxation in three groups. Immediately after anesthesia induction (T 0), at 60 min after start of surgery (T 1), at 10 min of anhepatic phase (T 2), at 60 min after portal vein opening (T 3), and immediately after abdominal closure (T 4), the concentrations of serum Clara cell secretory protein 16 (CC16), surfactant protein (SP-D), soluble receptors for advanced glycation end products (s-RAGE), high mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method, and lung compliance (Cdyn) was simultaneously recorded. At T 0-T 4 and 24 h after surgery (T 5), the arterial blood gas analysis was performed to calculate the oxygenation index (OI) and respiratory index (RI). Lung ultrasound scores (LUS scores) were assessed at 24 h before surgery and T 5. The occurrence of pulmonary complications was recorded within 7 days after surgery. The survival was observed for 6 months after surgery. Results:There were no statistically significant differences in serum concentrations of CC16, SP-D and s-RAGE concentrations and LUS scores at different time points between group S and group P ( P>0.05). Compared with S group and P group, the serum CC16 concentrations at T 3 and s-RAGE concentrations at T 3, 4 were significantly decreased, and the C and B scores were decreased at T 5 in PS group ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the concentrations of serum HMGB1, IL-1β and TNF-α, Cydn and incidence of ALI/ARDS, pulmonary infection, pleural effusion, and atelectasis within 7 days after surgery among the three groups( P>0.05). The 6-month survival rate was 100% in the three groups. Conclusions:Propofol-sevoflurane-based anesthesia has a better efficacy in reducing perioperative lung injury than propofol-based anesthesia and sevoflurane-based anesthesia in the perioperative period of liver transplantation.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of the new treatment regimen versus the standardized scheme for the initial treatment of smear-positive tuberculosis in the elderly.Methods A total of 302 elderly patients meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected from 14 tuberculosis-designated medical institutions in Beijing.The patients received the initial treatment of smear-positive tuberculosis from January 2014 to August 2016 in the combined prospective and retrospective study.All patients were divided into observation group(n=63)receiving treatment with 6L2 HELfx regimen from August 1,2015 to August 31,2016,and control group (n =239) receiving treatment with 6L2HELfx regimen from January 1,2014 to January 31,2015.The nation-unified standard chemotherapy regimen 2RHZE/4RH was used in tuberculosis medical service institutions for all patients.The differences between the two groups were analyzed and compared in the completion of treatment,negative conversion of sputum culture or smear,adverse drug reactions and treatment outcome.Results The completion rate of long-course therapy was significantly higher in the observation group than in control group [90.5％ (57/63) vs.79.5％ (190/239),x2 =4.034,P =0.045].The rate of negative conversion of sputum culture or smear at the end of the 2nd month was higher in the observation group than in control group,but had no significant difference[87.0％ (47/54)vs.81.6％(155/190),x2 =0.879,P=0.349].The incidence of adverse reactions was much lower in observation group than in control group[46.0％ (29/63) vs.65.3％ (156/239),x2 =7.777,P =0.005].The success rate of treatment(cure or completion of long-course therapy)was higher in observation group than in control group [90.5％ (57/63) vs.77.4％ (185/239),x2 =5.350,P =0.021].ConclusioNS As compared with the standard chemotherapy regimen,the L and Lfxcontaining treatment regimen has better effects,higher success rate of treatment and less adverse reactions in elderly patients with the initial treatment of smear-positive tuberculosis.

Objective To investigate the value of renal CT volumetric texture analysis with machine learning radiomics in assessment of pathological grade of clear cell renal cell carcinoma(ccRCC). Methods Thirty-four biopsy-confirmed ccRCC subjects who had four-phase CT scanning (NC:non-contrast, CM: Corticomedullary, N: Nephrographic, E: Excretory) were collected retrospectively from June 2013 to October 2017 for the study.Non-rigid registration was performed on multi-phase CT images in reference to CM-phase.Each lesion was segmented on CM-phase CT images using our in-house volumetric image analysis platform,"3DQI".A set of fifty-nine volumetric textures,including histogram,gradient,gray level co-occurrence matrix(GLCM),run-length(RL),moments,and shape,was calculated for each segment lesion in each phase as parameters for the training/testing of Random Forest (RF) classifier. Four groups according to pathological Fuhrman grade on a scaleⅠtoⅣ,these tumors were then divided into low(Ⅰ+Ⅱ) and high grade ( Ⅲ + Ⅳ) groups. Feature selection was performed by Boruta algorithm. A 10-fold cross-validation method was applied to validate the RF performance by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the model. Results Subjects were divided into four groups by Fuhrman grade on a scaleⅠtoⅣ:3 cases gradeⅠ,19 cases gradeⅡ,8 cases gradeⅢand 4 cases gradeⅣ.In CM-phase,kurtosis and long-run-emphasis(RLE)were selected the most important textures for ccRCC staging among 59 features. The area under curve (AUC) of ROC was 0.88 (79% sensitivity and 82% specificity)by using kurtosis and RLE textures.The mean values of kurtosis and RLE were(-20.00±22.00)×10-2and(3.00±0.40)×10-2for low group,whereas(31.00±32.00)×10-2and(5.00± 0.02)×10-2for high group.Within the mean±SD range of statistics,radiomics can distinguish between low and high grade tumors.In multi-phase analysis,three most important features were selected among 236(59× 4) textures: kurtosis (CM-phase), GLCM homogeneity I (HOMO 1) (E-phase), and GLCM homogeneity 2 (HOMO2)(E-phase).The mean values of HOMO 1(E-phase)and HOMO 2(E-phase)were(19.00±0.03)× 10-2and(11.00±0.02)×10-2for low group,whereas(22.00±0.03)×10-2and(14.00±0.02)×10-2for high group. The AUC was 0.92(93% sensitivity and 87% specificity)by using these three textures. Conclusion This study has demonstrated that renal CT volumetric texture analysis with machine learning radiomics could preoperative accurately perform cancer staging for ccRCC.

Objective To study the clinical effect of diazepam and phenobarbital in children with febrile convulsion.Methods Seventy cases of febrile convulsion patients were divided into control group (phenobarbital treatment,35 cases) and experiment group (diazepam combined with phenobarbital,35 cases) by random digits table method,and compared the efficacy and complications.Results Two groups were cured within 1 h.The effective rate within 30 min in experiment group was significantly higher than that in control group [88.6％ (31/35) vs.74.3％ (26/35)] (P ＜ 0.05).The recurrent rate in experiment group was significantly lower than that in control group [2.9％ (1/35) vs.14.3％ (5/35)] (P ＜ 0.05).The complications had no statistically significant differences between two groups(P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Diazepam combined with phenobarbital are very effective for children with febrile convulsion,can greatly improve clinical efficacy,decrease recurrent rate,and won't produce adverse reaction and complications,are the ideal treatment in the clinical treatment.