ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） triple therapy in the treatment of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis （SBP） with damp-heat stagnation and toxin-blood stasis syndrome in liver cirrhosis patients， and to explore its potential mechanisms of action. MethodsEighty-six patients were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group， with 43 patients in each group. Both groups received standard western medicine treatment， while the experimental group additionally received TCM triple therapy， including oral Qingre Liangxue Jiedu Decoction （清热凉血解毒汤）， retention enema with Dachengi Decoction （大承气汤）， and abdominal application of Qingre Zhitong Lishui Fomulation （清热止痛利水方） with lotus leaf. Both groups were treated for 2 weeks. Before and after treatment， various indicators were measured， such as TCM syndrome scores， ascites volume measured by abdominal ultrasound， liver function indicators including total bilirubin （TBIL）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and albumin （ALB）， infection markers， including neutrophil percentage （NEUT%）， C-reactive protein （CRP）， and procalcitonin （PCT）， inflammatory factors， such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-ɑ）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and interleukin-10 （IL-10）， intestinal mucosal barrier function markers， including endotoxin （ET）， diamine oxidase （DAO）， D-lactic acid （D-Lac）， occludin， and zonula occludens-1 （ZO-1）， and peritoneal polymorphonuclear （PMN） cell counts at 72 hours post-treatment. ResultsA total of 82 patients were included in the final analysis， with 41 patients in each group. The total effective rate for TCM syndrome in the experimental group was 92.68% （38/41）， which was significantly higher than the 80.49% （33/41） in the control group （P＜0.05）. Compared with pre-treatment values， both groups showed significant reductions in TCM syndrome scores， ascites volume， TBIL， ALT， AST， NEUT%， CRP， PCT， TNF-α， IL-6， ET， DAO， D-Lac， Occludin， and ZO-1， with an increase in IL-10 levels and a decrease in PMN count in ascites 72 hours post-treatment （P＜0.05）. Furthermore， the experimental group outperformed the control group in all the above indicators after treatment （P＜0.05）. The disappearance time of fever and abdominal pain was shorter in the experimental group than in the control group （P＜0.01）. There were no significant changes in routine urine and stool tests， renal function， electrolytes， or electrocardiogram in either group compared with pre-treatment values. ConclusionTCM triple therapy in addition to western medicine routine treatment could significantly improves clinical symptoms in patients with liver cirrhosis and SBP with damp-heat stagnation and toxin-blood stasis syndrome， alleviates liver inflammation， improves liver function， accelerates the resolution of ascites， and increases clinical efficacy. The potential mechanism may be related to the regulation of the inflammatory response and the promotion of intestinal mucosal barrier repair.

OBJECTIVE To study the improvement effects and potential mechanisms of water extract from Chrysanthemum morifolium on skeletal muscle atrophy in rats after ischemic stroke. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham operation group， model group， ATP group （10 mg/kg）， C. morifolium water extract high-dose and low-dose groups （1.08， 0.54 g/kg）. Except for sham operation group， ischemic stroke models were induced in rats from the other groups using middle cerebral artery occlusion. Starting from the first day after surgery， rats in each group were given corresponding drug/normal saline intragastrically， once a day， for consecutive 7 days. On the 7th day post-surgery， the rats’ body weights were measured， and their motor functions were evaluated， including Longa scores， exercise distance， grip strength； the electrophysiological signals of the skeletal muscles in rats were measured； the pathological morphology of the soleus muscle in rats was observed； the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in serum and soleus muscle were measured； the expressions of proteins related to TNF-α/c-Jun N- terminal kinase （JNK）/mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway in the soleus muscle were determined. RESULTS Compared with sham operation group， the body weight， grip strength and exercise distance of rats were decreased/ shortened significantly （P＜0.01）； additionally， there was a notable reduction in the interpeak value of skeletal muscle electrophysiology （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Longa score， as well as the levels of TNF-α in serum and soleus muscle， and the expression levels of TNF-α， phosphorylated JNK， phosphorylated MAPK， muscle ring-finger protein-1， and muscle atrophy Fbox- 1 protein in the soleus muscle， were all significantly elevated （P＜0.01）. The skeletal muscle cells of the soleus muscle in the model group showed significant atrophy， with a markedly decreased cross-sectional area （P＜0.01）. Compared with the model group， the levels of the aforementioned indicators were significantly reversed in C. morifolium water extract groups （P＜0.05 or P＜ 0.01）， and the skeletal muscle cells of the soleus muscle were markedly enlarged. CONCLUSIONS C. morifolium water extract can improve skeletal muscle atrophy in rats after ischemic stroke， the mechanism of which may be associated with suppressing the activation of the TNF- α/JNK/MAPK E-mail：19932015@cdutcm.edu.cn signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: P16 inactivation is frequently accompanied by telomerase reverse transcriptase ( TERT ) amplification in human cancer genomes. P16 inactivation by DNA methylation often occurs automatically during immortalization of normal cells by TERT . However, direct evidence remains to be obtained to support the causal effect of epigenetic changes, such as P16 methylation, on cancer development. This study aimed to provide experimental evidence that P16 methylation directly drives cancer development. METHODS: A zinc finger protein-based P16 -specific DNA methyltransferase (P16-Dnmt) vector containing a "Tet-On" switch was used to induce extensive methylation of P16 CpG islands in normal human fibroblast CCD-18Co cells. Battery assays were used to evaluate cell immortalization and transformation throughout their lifespan. Cell subcloning and DNA barcoding were used to track the diversity of cell evolution. RESULTS: Leaking P16-Dnmt expression (without doxycycline-induction) could specifically inactivate P16 expression by DNA methylation. P16 methylation only promoted proliferation and prolonged lifespan but did not induce immortalization of CCD-18Co cells. Notably, cell immortalization, loss of contact inhibition, and anchorage-independent growth were always prevalent in P16-Dnmt&TERT cells, indicating cell transformation. In contrast, almost all TERT cells died in the replicative crisis. Only a few TERT cells recovered from the crisis, in which spontaneous P16 inactivation by DNA methylation occurred. Furthermore, the subclone formation capacity of P16-Dnmt&TERT cells was two-fold that of TERT cells. DNA barcoding analysis showed that the diversity of the P16-Dnmt&TERT cell population was much greater than that of the TERT cell population. CONCLUSION P16 methylation drives TERT -mediated immortalization and transformation of normal human cells that may contribute to cancer development.
Humans ; Telomerase/genetics* ; DNA Methylation/physiology* ; Fibroblasts/cytology* ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16/metabolism* ; Cell Line ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/genetics*

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the association of CHMP2B expression level of with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CRCC) and the possible role of CHMP2B in tumorigenesis and progression of CRCC. METHODS: RNAseq data of CRCC were downloaded from the TCGA database for analysis of CHMP2B expression levels in tumor and adjacent tissues and their correlation with clinicopathological characteristics of the patients. Survival outcomes of the patients with high and low CHMP2B expressions were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier model, and the COX risk regression model was used for identifying the prognostic factors of the patients. The correlation between CHMP2B expression and immune infiltration, its co-expressed genes, and the effect of CHMP2B gene mutations on immunotherapy responses, and its immunohistochemical expression in CRCC and normal tissues were analyzed. Clinical samples of CRCC were collected to examine CHMP2B expressions using RT-PCR, and cell experiment was carried out to test the effect of CHMP2B overexpression on biological behaviors of CRCC cells. RESULTS: CHMP2B was significantly under-expressed in renal cancer tissues, and its overexpression obviously inhibited the proliferation of CRCC cells in vitro. CHMP2B expression level was significantly correlated with age, gender, lymph node metastasis, and tumor stage, and the patients with low CHMP2B expression had poor survival outcomes. Enrichment and co-expression gene analyses suggested that CHMP2B was mainly involved in viral outgrowth, necrotic apoptosis, endocytosis, and immune-regulatory processes in kidney cancer. CONCLUSIONS CHMP2B is lowly expressed in renal cancer tissues to affect tumor progression and tumor immune processes, and may serve as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for CRCC.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/metabolism* ; Kidney Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation ; Prognosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Male ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic

A purified polysaccharide with a galactose backbone(SPR-1,Mw 3,622 Da)was isolated from processed Polygonati Rhizoma with black beans(PRWB)and characterized its chemical properties.The backbone of SPR-1 consisted of[(4)-β-D-Galp-(1]9→ 4,6)-β-D-Galp-(1 → 4)-α-D-GalpA-(1 → 4)-α-D-GalpA-(1 →4)-α-D-Glcp-(1 → 4,6)-α-D-Glcp-(1 → 4)-α/β-D-Glcp,with a branch chain of R1:β-D-Galp-(1 → 3)-β-D-Galp-(1 → connected to the →4,6)-β-D-Galp-(1 → via O-6,and a branch chain of R2:α-D-Glcp-(1 →6)-α-D-Glcp-(1 → connected to the →4,6)-α-D-Glcp-(1 → via O-6.Immunomodulatory assays showed that the SPR-1 significantly activated macrophages,and increased secretion of NO and cytokines(i.e.,IL-1β and TNF-α),as well as promoted the phagocytic activities of cells.Furthermore,isothermal titration calorimetry(ITC)analysis and molecular docking results indicated high-affinity binding between SPR-1 and MD2 with the equilibrium dissociation constant(KD)of 18.8 μM.It was suggested that SPR-1 activated the immune response through Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)signaling and downstream responses.Our research demon-strated that the SPR-1 has a promising candidate from PRWB for the TLR4 agonist to induce immune response,and also provided an easily accessible way that can be used for PR deep processing.

Objective To explore the research hotspots on systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)in pregnancy based on the bibliometric analysis of the related articles published from 2018 to 2023 and provide di-rections for the future research in this field.Methods PubMed,Web of Science,and Embase were searched for the articles on SLE in pregnancy that were published from January 1,2018 to December 31,2023.VOSviewer was used to visualize the high-frequency keywords in the selected articles.Results A total of 266 articles were selected,from which 25 high-frequency keywords were extracted.The bibliometric analysis showed that the available studies about SLE in pregnancy mainly focused on maternal complications,maternal and fetal outcomes,and medica-tions.The studies were limited regarding the predictors,autoimmunity,immunotherapy,and long-term outcomes of offspring.Conclusion Maternal complications,maternal and fetal outcomes,and medications are currently hotspots in the research on SLE in pregnancy,while predictors,autoimmunity,immunotherapy,and long-term outcomes of offspring may become future research directions.

Purpose The clinical and dual-layer detector spectral CT(DLCT)features of epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)mutation and anaplastic lymphoma kinase(ALK)rearrangement of lung adenocarcinoma were studied by DLCT multi-parameter imaging to explore a non-invasive prediction method for clinical diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma gene expression.Materials and Methods A total of 98 cases of lung adenocarcinoma diagnosed by pathology in Gansu Provincial Hospital were prospectively collected from August 2020 to March 2022.Clinical parameters(gender,age,lesion morphology,number,mediastinal lymph node metastasis,EGFR and ALK mutations status)and DLCT parameters including slope of the spectrum curve of the arteriovenous phase(λHUA,λHUv),the standard iodine concentration of the arteriovenous phase(NICA,NICv),the 40 keV single-energy CT value of the arteriovenous phase(CTA 40 keV,CTv 40 keV),the active atomic number of the arteriovenous phases were collected,respectively.According to the expression of EGFR and ALK,all patients were divided into three groups:EGFR mutant group[EGFR(+)],ALK rearrangement group[ALK(+)],EGFR/ALK both negative group[EGFR/ALK(-)].Clinical and DLCT parameters of each group were analyzed.Results There were statistical difference in gender between the EGFR(+)group and EGFR/ALK(-)group(x2=11.010,P＜0.05).There were statistical differences in lesion morphology among the three groups(x2=12.858,P＜0.05).The value of CTv 40 keV in the EGFR(+)group was significantly higher than that in EGFR/ALK(-)group(t=1.997,P＜0.05),and the NICv in the ALK(+)group was significantly lower than that in EGFR/ALK(-)group(t=2.155,P＜0.05).The λHUv,NICv,CTv 40 keV of EGFR(+)group were significantly higher than those of ALK(+)group(t=2.613,3.149,3.218,all P＜0.05).The sensitivity and specifiicity to identify EGFR(+)and EGFR/ALK(-)adenocarcinoma were 62.7％and 70.0％,the area under curve(AUC)was 0.634(95％CI 0.516-0.756)when the CTv 40 keV value was 141.070 Hu.The sensitivity and specificity to identify ALK(+)and EGFR/ALK(-)adenocarcinoma were 76.7％and 64.2％,the AUC was 0.706(95％CI 0.536-0.853)when NICv value was 0.287.The sensitivity to identify EGFR(+)and ALK(+)adenocarcinoma were 70.6％,64.7％,72.5％and the specificity was 76.5％,76.5％,82.4％,respectively,the AUC was 0.734(95％CI 0.606-0.829),0.751(95％CI 0.610-0.832),0.773(95％CI 0.649-0.861)when the values of λHUv,NICv and CTv 40 keV were 1.335,0.320 and 132.350,respectively.Delong test showed that the AUC of CTv 40 keV and λHUv was statistically different(Z=2.327,P＜0.05),and the AUC of CTv 40 keV was 0.773.Conclusion The gender,lesion morphology and DLCT parameters(λHUv,CTv 40 keV,NICv)of lung adenocarcinoma have certain predictive value for EGFR and ALK genetic expression,which can help clinical judgment of lung adenocarcinoma gene mutation pattern.

Objective We aimed to assess the serum levels of the glycolysis-related protein hypoxia-inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α)and cytokines in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis(RRMS)before and after treatment with the traditional Chinese medicine Yishen Daluo Decoction,as well as their correlation with clinical parameters,and explore the immune regulatory mechanism of Yishen Daluo Decoction on multiple sclerosis.Methods Twenty-eight patients with RRMS in remission recruited from May 2018 to January 2022 in the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic at Dongzhimen Hospital,Beijing University of Chinese Medicine were retrospectively included.Comparisons were made with paired samples from 13 of them before and after Yishen Daluo Decoction treatment.A total of 20 gender-and age-matched healthy controls(HCs)were also recruited.Clinical information was collected from all of the subjects,and the neurological impairments of RRMS patients were assessed with the Expanded Disability Status Scale(EDSS)score.ELISA and SP-X multiplex cytokine assays were used to measure the serum levels of HIF-1 α and 10 cytokines(IL-1β,IL-4,IL-5,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10,IL-12p70,IL-22,IFN-γ,and TNF-α),respectively.Spearman's method was used to analyze the correlation between the serum levels of HIF-1α and cytokines,and the correlation between the serum levels of HIF-1α and cytokines and patients'clinical indicators,including disease duration,the number of attacks,and the EDSS score.Results Serum HIF-1α,IL-4,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10,IL-12p70,IFN-γ,and TNF-α levels in the RRMS group were significantly higher than those in the HC group(P＜0.05).Serum levels of HIF-1α,IL-4,IL-6,and IL-12p70 in the Yishen Daluo Decoction-pre group were significantly higher than those in the Yishen Daluo Decoction-post group(P＜0.05).In addition,the serum HIF-1α level was positively correlated with IL-6(r=0.452,P=0.016)and TNF-α(r=0.524,P=0.004)levels in patients with RRMS.The IFN-γ level was negatively correlated with the EDSS score(r=-0.423,P=0.025),the IL-4 level was negatively correlated with disease duration(r=-0.385,P=0.043),and the TNF-α level was positively correlated with disease duration(r=0.397,P=0.037).Conclusion The regulatory mechanism of Yishen Daluo Decoction on immune imbalance in RRMS may be related to its ability to reduce the serum levels of the glycolysis-related protein HIF-1α in RRMS patients.It is also related to the levels of various inflammatory cytokines.

Objective:To explore the association between self-control and the co-occurrence of depres-sive symptoms and overweight or obesity from adolescence to early adulthood in the Chinese population,and to provide a scientific basis for personalized interventions targeting individuals with different risks in the future.Methods:From a prospective cohort study that lasted for 10 years:The China family panel studies(CFPS),a total of 608 children and adolescents meeting the following inclusion and exclusion criteria were included as study subjects:(1)Aged 10 to 19 years,at normal weight according to Chinese standards,and without depressive symptom in 2010;(2)Had self-control scores,and with at least two measurements of depressive symptoms and body mass index(BMI)between 2010 and 2020;(3)The only one or the youngest child and adolescent from each family.The co-occurrence of depressive symp-toms and overweight or obesity was defined in three ways:Both of the average level of standardized scores of depressive symptoms and BMI Z-scores across multiple measurements over time were at a high level,or both of the trajectories of depressive symptoms and BMI over time based on the latent classification trajec-tory model(LCTM)belonging to the"risk-type",or individuals had depressive symptoms and over-weight/obesity at the last follow-up survey.The multinomial Logistic regression model was used to examine the association between standardized scores of self-control and the co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and overweight or obesity.Results:The score of self-control was associated with the co-occur-rence of depressive symptoms and overweight or obesity when using healthy individuals as the reference group after adjusting for age(years),gender(male/female),area(urban/rural),weekly physical ac-tivity duration(high/low),parental education level(college or above/high school or below),parental weight status(overweight or obese or not),and parental depressive symptoms(with depressive symptoms or not),regardless of the definition of the risk population.Specifically,the risk of co-occurrence of de-pressive symptoms and overweight or obesity was reduced by 33％(95％CI:14％to 48％,based on the average level across multiple measurements over time)to 78％(95％CI:6％to 95％,based on the joint trajectories of depressive symptoms and BMI over time)per 1-standard deviation(1-SD)increase in self-control score.In addition,the risk of depressive-symptom-dominant and overweight-or-obesity-dominant was reduced by 25％(95％CI:4％to 42％,only based on the average level across multiple measure-ments over time)and 21％(95％CI:1％to 37％,only based on the joint trajectories of depressive symptoms and BMI over time)per 1-SD increase in self-control score,respectively.The results from sen-sitivity analysis that defined individuals'weight status according to World Health Organization(WHO)standards were consistent with our main findings.Conclusion:Individuals with higher self-control scores from adolescence to early adulthood have a lower risk of co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and over-weight or obesity,suggesting that personalized interventions for co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and overweight or obesity can be carried out based on self-control scores in the future.

Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)is a group of chronic non-specific intestinal inflammatory diseases with unclear etiology.Its pathogenesis may be related to the intestinal immune imbalance caused by the interaction of multiple factors such as environment,genetics and intestinal microecology.Macrophages,as an important component of the immune system,can maintain a balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-in-flammatory responses in the intestine.Macrophages can be divided into two polarization types:classical activa-tion(Ml)and alternative activation(M2)according to the different phenotypes and cytokines secreted by macrophages.The polarization of macrophages plays a key role in the subside of intestinal inflammation and the healing of mucosa.In the intestinal immune system of IBD,the imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors caused by macrophage polarization imbalance can lead to sustained progression of intestinal mucosal inflammation and impairment of barrier function,playing a key role in IBD.The changes in macrophage polarization levels may affect the therapeutic effect of IBD.Therefore,targeting macrophage po-larization may be an important target for the treatment of IBD.This article summarizes the role of intestinal macrophage polarization in IBD and the impact of regulating macrophage polarization in IBD treatment to pro-vide reference for studying the new treatment methods for IBD.